Build it and they will come: Fran and Rolf Kohnert at Rippleside
By Noel Murphy
CORIO Bay needs a master plan to help repair and revive its neglected foreshore, according to Geelong mayoral candidate Keith Fagg.
He said property owners and investors needed a clear vision of what Geelong wanted for the bayside if they were to help restore large tracts of the waterside from their rubbish-strewn, abandoned condition.
Corio Bay is in a sorry state with dumped asbestos, a dangerous ruined power station, an undeveloped shipyard in disrepair, eroding cliffs, vandalised heritage sites and an abandoned former gun club smothered in shattered clay pigeons.
Mr Fagg said multiple and varied ownership of the bayside sites made the neglect difficult to tackle.
“It’s a bit like the CBD,” he said.
“If it was possible for the City of Greater Geelong and the State Government to bring together an overall master plan for the area at least it would give property owners a direction for what they might be able to do.
“The bay is clearly a key asset for the city, as an attraction, as a lovely environment that sets off Geelong so beautifully. It’s very important for our community.’’
Mr Fagg suggested government funding for capital projects would remain tight for the next five to 10 years, highlighting the need for greater clarity among private investors about what they could achieve within the Corio Bay precinct.
Council’s role should be to assist private investors, he said.
Political, coastal management and environmental figures have slammed the state of the bayfront in recent weeks.
Incumbent mayor John Mitchell said he would be happy to see the foreshore’s recovery “on the agenda’’.
“It would have to be one of the best bays in Australia but it’s not properly looked after in the way it should be. It really is a shame.’’
Mayoral candidate Stephanie Asher said a healthy long-term work-life balance had to be struck for Corio Bay.
The bay’s health should a focal point of the Geelong mayoral election, Ms Asher said.
She called for a roundtable between stakeholders to determine an action agenda.
“The bay and the potential projects associated with the bay are a good focal point for the election. We need long-term planning, fact-finding and an action plan for the future – about what can really be done, not just talk.”
Geelong’s fourth mayoral candidate so far, Bernadette Uzelac, said: “I read the stories but don’t think I really have anything to add to the conversation unfortunately.”
INACTION BEWILDERS BAYFRONT RESIDENTS
FRAN and Rolf Kohnert expected coffee shops, bike trails and slick apartments along the Corio Bay foreshore when they moved from Melbourne to Rippleside.
But they can’t understand why the bayside outlook hasn’t been developed.
Or why derelict buildings stand abandoned and ignored along the bayfront.
Or why Geelong doesn’t even have its degraded foreshore on the planning agenda.
“Plenty of people with money would retire here and buy real estate if the view of Corio Bay was enhanced,’’ Mrs Kohnert said.
“Remove the power station and build apartments, go ahead with Rippleside Quay, build a restaurant strip like at the waterfront and North Geelong might come alive.’’
The Kohnerts decided to retire in Geelong 18 months ago to be near their children and grandchildren. They were excited by the Rippleside Quay project, which they discovered on the internet.
“We imagined coffee shops, a bike trail and attractive apartments,’’ Mrs Kohnert said.
“It was one of our deciding factors in choosing our home nearby. As North Geelong has no coffee shops within easy walking distance or much in the way of restaurants, it was a big drawcard.”
