How Geelong’s waterfront could shape the city

Geelong residents are being called upon to help design the future of the city’s waterfront as the council prepares a new plan.

Cunningham Pier, Geelong Waterfront and the CBD. Picture: Alan Barber

Geelong residents are being called to help design the future of the city’s waterfront as the council prepares a new masterplan.

Areas covered under the plan will include Rippleside Park, Eastern Beach, Steampacket Place, the Western Beach Boatshed and beyond Limeburners Point.

Under the state’s recently released central Geelong framework, the maximum building height in the area will be no more than 16m.

The framework also sets out goals to “strengthen” the area as a public space and mandates new buildings be “appropriate for a coastal setting”.

It also laid plans for a new area around Eastern Beach known as “Bayview Village”, permitting building heights between 21-28m tall.

“Development within the precinct is of moderate height. It provides a variety of styles of short-stay accommodation in the form of serviced apartments and hotels,” it read.

The new council masterplan will guide future development around public accessibility and safety compliance, walking and cycling connections, visitor facilities, tourism and cultural information as well as the area’s operation management and services.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken said the waterfront attracted a large number of visitors and local users.

“The masterplan features three distinct precincts – western, central and eastern – and the community’s contributions will help the city understand how we can best plan for these areas,” he said.

It will pull together major pipeline projects like the upcoming Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Safe Harbour Project as well as connections to the council’s new civic precinct.

Mayor Trent Sullivan said the 2011 waterfront masterplan was due for review, and would be used to lobby for future funding.

“We want to hear from a broad range of users – whether you exercise along the bay daily, visit a few times a year, attend events there, work at a waterfront business and everything in between,” he said.

Originally published as How Geelong’s waterfront could shape the city