What will Geelong look like in four years?
Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre will be in full swing, attracting more than 100,000 people to our region each year.
And, I hope, that the majority of 16 planned projects in our CBD with live permits will have been completed – or at least will have commenced.
The Bright and Hitchcocks building will again be a thriving retail precinct following a redevelopment, while a three-storey hospitality building on Lloyds Corner will draw more people into Geelong’s cultural epicentre.
A weekly market in our city’s heart will showcase the very best our local designers, artists and entrepreneurs have to offer with gourmet foods, artisan products and live entertainment.
The Geelong Marathon will be cemented on the international running calendar, adding to our city’s already jam-packed annual program of world-class sporting events.
ROAM Geelong will be a vibrant and colourful celebration of our city’s creativity, drawing art-lovers from far and wide to our unique cultural precinct.
Further north, development will be underway at the Greater Avalon Employment precinct, providing significant industrial opportunities and boosting Geelong’s advanced manufacturing credentials.
To the south, the Armstrong Creek growth area’s population will continue to boom, with community hubs, schools, sports centres and other important infrastructure taking shape in this growing community.
These are just a few of the things envisioned for an even Greater Geelong in the near future.
To achieve this – and more – it’s crucial that Council has a strategic direction.
This is the purpose of our Council Plan 2025-29, which my councillor colleagues and I adopted earlier this month.
The plan is a collective blueprint for action shaped by extensive community engagement.
This engagement, including surveys, drop-in sessions and a 48-person representative community panel, ensures the plan reflects the needs and aspirations of our residents and that no one gets left behind in our future growth and prosperity.
From infrastructure, health and wellbeing and environmental sustainability, to culture, governance and our economy, the plan details how we will make our region an even greater place to live, work and play.
It is both aspirational and grounded, outlining objectives over the next four years to measure our progress toward our 30-year vision for a Clever and Creative Greater Geelong.
Our region has so much to offer – a stunning waterfront and coastline, world-class sporting facilities, a growing advanced manufacturing sector, a bustling port and airport on our doorstep and a rich arts and cultural scene.
But with our city’s rapid growth comes significant challenges, such as the urgent need to deliver infrastructure and housing, rising construction costs, traffic and limited public transport, revitalising our CBD and balancing investment in our new suburbs with established communities.
How we navigate these challenges will be crucial for our city’s economic prosperity and the health and wellbeing of our residents.
The Council Plan 2025-29 positions us to meet these challenges head on and seize opportunities to secure the best outcomes for Geelong.
It details major initiatives such as accelerating planning for housing and major infrastructure under the Plan for Victoria, delivering new waste and recycling infrastructure, and activating Central Geelong for business, culture and the community.
Most of all, it unites council, our organisation and our community through a shared direction: we are dedicated to advancing community outcomes for a thriving Greater Geelong.
