Geelong’s worst eyesores and council’s plans to put pressure on owners to fix them

Following the Ritz Hotel site’s impressive restoration and grand unveiling slated for later this year, attention has turned to the city’s other eyesores — and a plan to fast-track their beautification. SEE OUR WORST EYESORES

The Ritz Hotel site’s impressive restoration has prompted attention to turn to the city’s other long-term eyesores in a state of disrepair.

However, council is yet to enforce hefty fines on other dilapidated properties as part of its Neighbourhood Local Amenity Law – or ‘Ritz law’, which led to the multi-storey redevelopment of the former Ritz site which will be unveiled later this year.

Geelong Council voted in 2014 to enact a ‘Ritz Law’ to put all negligent property owners on notice after years of inaction at the CBD hotel site.

In pictures: Geelong’s worst eyesores

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The city has fines of up to $2000 per offence at its disposal.

Sites which have been in a dilapidated state for some time include:

THE old milk bar at the corner of Malop and Swanston streets in Geelong;

A DILAPIDATED property at 120 Elizabeth St, Geelong West;

THE Railway Hall at the corner of La Trobe Terrace and Gordon Avenue;

A FIRE-AFFECTED property at 13 Geelong Road, Portarlington, and;

A FAILED retirement village on Bonnyvale Rd, in Collendina, which has been vandalised for years.

While councillor Eddy Kontelj said the Ritz site was “looking fantastic,” he said he had a number of beautification projects on his wishlist, including the council-run Osborne House and Palais Theatre.

Cr Kontelj said the council’s role was to work with developers so they didn’t hit massive roadblocks which left makeovers at a standstill for long periods of time.

“Our role is to work with developers so we don’t have these projects stalled for years on end,” he said. “It’s important we work together to find solutions.”

Geelong eyesores. Many old graffitied shops in the CBD, this is one of the worst at 208 Moorabool street. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

“Geelong is still a great buy for developers, from mum and dad investors to larger developers,” he said. “We really are on the cusp of transitioning.”

Greater Geelong acting chief executive officer Gareth Smith said the Neighbourhood Local Amenity Law laid out the upkeep of private properties around town, including a maximum $2000 fine for each offence.

“We aim to work with residents to achieve compliance in relation to such matters,” he said.

This included a private home in Wallington, which at one point had car wrecks, furniture, whitegoods and hard waste littered across the property visible from the street.

Mr Smith said the council, which had at one point in 2019 announced it would launch legal action, was working with the resident to progressively clean up the property.

Rubbish dumped around a house on Wallington Rd in Wallington

“The city will undertake fire prevention inspections in the Wallington area in coming weeks,” he said. “If necessary, notices will be issued to clean up excessive vegetation and remove fire hazards.”

In 2016, neighbours of a failed Collendina retirement village called on the council to prosecute the “Ritz Law” on the owner.

Mr Smith said the council had been in discussion with the owners of the failed development.

“The city has held discussions with the owner of units on Bonnyvale Road, Ocean Grove and they have carried out works that ensure they comply with the Local Law,” he said.

Meanwhile, Geelong’s anti-graffiti crusaders have set their sites on cleaning up the heavily tagged Moorabool St overpass.

Dennis Blake, who said he’d seen the project get progressively worse over the years, called on the state government to clean up the VicTrack asset.

Eyesores - Collendina retirement village/units. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

“It reminds me of the Ritz before it was cleaned up in the way it’s a terrible look for a long time,” he said. “Every time I go under the bridge, it’s horrible to look at.”

Councillor and former mayor Bruce Harwood said there were a lot of buildings across Geelong with untapped potential.

“I think the Mercer St silos are under-utilised for such a strategic location,” he said.

“The Department of Defence site at Bellerine and Myers St is also completely under-utilised in terms of the benefit it could bring to the precinct.”

Cr Harwood credited developers, local businesses and council with the recent revitalisation of several key sites across the city, including Little Malop Street, as examples of positive change.

“Commercial space around Geelong has changed dramatically,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how developers react to the shift of the workforce after so many months of working from home.”

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Originally published as Geelong’s worst eyesores and council’s plans to put pressure on owners to fix them