A new 14-storey office building will deliver almost 2000 jobs and $330 million a year for Geelong’s economy, according to Mayor Darryn Lyons.
The premises for over 700 WorkSafe staff would be a “symbol of the change, growth and prosperity that Geelong is being recognised for”, Cr Lyons said.
The staff and their clients would “breathe life into the CBD”, he said
“This will mean hundreds of additional workers will be drinking coffees, buying lunches, using our open space at lunch times. It will have major benefits or the cafes and restaurants and shops in central Geelong.
“As well as the fulltime staff at WorkSafe, calculations from Enterprise Geelong show this will create an additional 1170 flow-on jobs and inject nearly $330 million a year into the local economy.”
The $120 million WorkSafe office will extend above and an historic Dalgety and Co building at 1 Malop St.
WorkSafe will begin relocating from Melbourne this year, with the first 150 staff to work from temporary offices in the city and the rest to arrive when the building is complete in 2018.
Cr Lyons said the WorkSafe announcement reinforced the future of Geelong as a “world-class city”.
“It’s a great return on investment for the City of Greater Geelong’s work in revitalising the CBD.
“We’ve been working publicly and behind the scenes to create a great environment to live, work and invest in and that work’s now paying dividends.
Cr Lyons said the relocation was also a “strong commitment” on behalf of State Government to central Geelong’s revitalisation, .
The new building would be a “positive step” toward achieving City Hall’s target of 30,000 workers in central Geelong and a five per cent reduction in its ground-floor property vacancies, he said.
“In order to be a vibrant, world-class city it is essential that we have a strong base of professional workers in the CBD.”
Cr Lyons said City Hall processed three competing applications for WorkSafe building “in record time”.
