‘Tidal wave of change’: $20m major development unveiled for Portarlington’s town centre

Another major multistorey proposal has been revealed for a Bellarine Peninsula town, with more than 60 apartments and seven shops part of the expansive plans.

Plans for another major multistorey development have been unveiled for Portarlington’s main street, just months after a developer warned “a tidal wave of change” would soon hit the growing Bellarine town.

The latest plans were unveiled in a planning application lodged with the City of Greater Geelong, seeking approval to build the expansive five-storey, $20m development containing 62 apartments and seven shops.

Monea Bros (No 1) Pty Ltd is the applicant behind the plans, which aims to develop four land parcels of 4717sq m at the western edge of the Newcombe St shopping strip, with frontages on both Newcombe St and Fenwick St.

An artist's impression of the building from Newcombe St

An artist's impression of the building from Fenwick St

Planning documents submitted to the city note the developers seek to “maximise the density of the development in the commercial hearth of the town”.

“The application proposes the development of a mixed-use building comprising 62 apartments and seven commercial tenancies, the subdivision of the land, use as accommodation and the partial waiving of carparking requirements for visitors,” a planning report noted.

Plans for the major development include the seven shop spaces and a residential entry facing Newcombe St, vehicle access to three-levels of basement carparking via Fenwick St and a residents’ business lounge, theatre room, relaxation suite, fitness centre and swimming pool behind the commercial tenancies.

The development’s residential offering is set to include a trio of single-bedroom apartments, 51 two-bedroom apartments and eight three-bedroom dwellings.

Subject site of the planned Portarlington development.

The sprawling development would sit in both the Residential Growth Zone Schedule 3 and the Commercial 1 Zone, with a maximum building height of 14.3m above Newcombe St.

The development is the latest major project announced for the small Bellarine town, following major developer Bill Votsaris’s October announcement of plans to build a five-storey, $25m hotel and convention centre at 30-34 Geelong Rd, less than 1km out of the town centre.

Mr Votsaris announced the plans in the hopes of explaining his plans to the community at the beginning of the planning process, after community backlash to a previous five-storey development planned for Newcombe St.

“This is about tourism and full-time employment, not about building houses,” he said.

The Victorian Planning Minister in July called in a developer’s bid to build an apartment and commercial building on the waterfront side of Newcombe St, rising from three-storeys on the main strip to five levels at the rear of the site.

The initial artist’s impression of the development (from the rear) proposed for Portarlington's main street, which sparked community backlash.

Artist’s impression of the front of the development.

The minister’s intervention followed community concerns around overdevelopment of the site.

Developer spokesman Greg Murray released a slightly smaller-scale plan for the development after it was called in, also voicing his disappointment with “political interference” and a “noisy minority” in the town.

“Regardless of what happens here there’s a tidal wave of change coming to Portarlington … which will be fantastic for young people of the town,” he said.

Originally published as ‘Tidal wave of change’: $20m major development unveiled for Portarlington’s town centre