Two projects to house students in city centre

MICHELLE HERBISON
TWO PLANS promise more than 80 student apartments to lead a revival of central Geelong.
Civic leaders have welcomed the proposals for Malop and Corio Sts.
Property owner Denis More revealed to the Independent plans for a student and first-home-buyer development of five townhouses and 70 one or two-bedroom apartments in Corio St.
Mr More believed Geelong had demand for student-specific accommodation.
His architect, Stewart Handasyde, said the project was aimed at a new market for higher density living in central Geelong.
“Earlier apartments (in Geelong) were too big,” Mr Handasyde said.
“A 12-square apartment with three bedrooms? You might as well buy a house.
“Geelong’s reinventing itself. It’s becoming like Europe’s university cities.”
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) this week made recommendations for Bozkurt Property Developments to build a three-storey facility to house students at 32 Malop St.
The initial plans showed 12 apartments, shared bathrooms, a shop and a waiver of car parking requirements. VCAT recommended deleting two bedrooms from the plans due to a neighbour’s complaints.
The Independent reported last month that Deakin University would relocate 1200 business and law students to its Waterfront campus this year.
Committee for Geelong chairman Michael Betts said the city should embrace the move to accommodating students.
“The central city needs people and we should be prepared to embrace that any way we can. Students are a part of that.”
Mr Betts supported council waiving car parking requirements for student accommodation, suggesting they could instead rely on public transport.
“There absolutely needs to be a different mindset around planning regulations that were put into place 20 to 30 years ago and are probably out of touch.”
Councillor Rod Macdonald said council hoped Geelong’s inner-city population would eventually increase more than three times to about 10,000 “depending on the market”.
“Having people in the city at all times of the day and night would bring it alive and offer opportunities for new businesses to set up.”
Cr Macdonald said Geelong should follow the “worldwide trend” of waiving car parking requirements for some inner-city buildings.
“At the moment there’s no room to put car parking in, so a waiver offers the opportunity for students to be accommodated.”