Matt Hewson
A group of “concerned and angry” Geelong West residents are trying to rally support to oppose the potential for eight-storey residential developments in the north end of Pakington St, calling on fellow residents to attend a community meeting at Geelong West Town Hall this weekend.
The residents said the City of Greater Geelong Council’s interim final Urban Design Framework (UDF) for the Pakington North Precinct would see council greenlight highrise developments, which would be the beginning of the end for the village feel the area is renowned for.
Geelong West resident Jessica Sullivan said such building heights were explicitly discouraged in the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme and, despite widespread opposition from the community, the council had provided no justification for the proposed developments.
“There are two sections of the planning scheme that the building heights completely ignore,” Ms Sullivan said.
“We know there’s a lot of pressure for increased housing diversity in Geelong, but it can’t be done at the expense of the character of the street and the amenity of the residents.
“These building heights are not only going to destroy privacy, but a report that CoGG commissioned about solar testing shows that the entire north end of the street will be in shadow until about 10am.
“Their traffic assessment also says the Pakington/Church St intersection is currently operating above capacity, so the extra cars from tenants in these buildings will just completely wipe out that intersection.”
Ms Sullivan said apart from the proposed building heights, the UDF was generally well-supported in the community, and residents didn’t want to “throw the baby out with the bath water”.
“There are so many redeeming features in the UDF: green spaces; increased seating; amenities,” she said.
“Those things have overwhelming community support. It’s just the heights of the buildings that are outside the planning scheme and outside community expectations. It’s unjustifiable.”
Ms Sullivan urged Geelong West residents to attend the community meeting at Geelong West Town Hall this Saturday at 11am, which she said will be the final opportunity for the public to have its say.
“Three Brownbill Ward councillors will be there, including the mayor, so we hope as many people as possible turn up,” she said.
Director of City Planning and Economy, Gareth Smith, said the City encouraged residents to have their say.
“We continue to welcome public feedback on the Pakington North Precinct until feedback closes on Sunday, September 11,” Mr Smith said.
“Community input is really important to this process and all feedback will contribute to the final recommendation that will be considered by Council.”
Mr Smith said the City had employed a wide range of strategies to invite and receive public feedback since March 2018, including neighbourhood chats, live webinars, face-to-face surveys, mail-outs and only submission forms.
“We recently hosted three in-person neighbourhood chats with residents to discuss issues specific to certain streets and residences,” he said.
“While a number of people turned up for the on-street sessions without registering, this was easily accommodated, and no one was turned away.”
