$10m apartment and cafe plan revealed

DEVELOPERS have revealed plans for a mixed-use development in the heart of Portarlington, which would also restore a former church hall at the site for future use as a cafe.

Human Habitats has submitted its planned $10.5-million Harding Street build to the City of Greater Geelong.

The building would include the ground-floor cafe and basement carpark, with an apartment building with 31 new dwellings ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Architectural designs show the building would have a three-storey appearance when viewed from its south side because of the natural slope of its land, while the top storey would be offset from the north side to minimise height impact.

Developers indicated they also planned to renovate rather than demolish the site’s church hall, maintaining key features of the including its chevron double door, weatherboard cladding, window frames, awnings and rooftop eave.

The new development is proposed for the corner of Fenwick Street and Harding Street – one block south from a divisive five-storey Newcombe Street plan that drew community backlash before the state government stepped in to block the proposal.

Portarlington Community Association (PCA) president Geoff Fary said the lobby group was unlikely to make a submission during the current advertising process, as it would not form an official view on the plan until at least its next meeting in April.

While the PCA was a key opponent to the scuppered Newcombe Street plan, Mr Fary said the association would consider each new housing proposal on its merits as developers showed ongoing interest in the Bellarine town.

“We recognise that more and more people will want to live in our beautiful little community, and that means if the boundaries aren’t going to be extended, there’ll be more intense development within,” he said.

“We recognise that Portarlington will continue to grow. Our challenge is to manage that growth in a way that doesn’t detract from the very special attributes and character of the town.”

The plans are on public display until Thursday, March 31.