Resuscitating our city’s heart

It’s been a big few weeks for Geelong, a mixed bag of both gained and lost opportunities.

I won’t dwell to much on the negatives surrounding the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games, however I will note that our region has lost the opportunity to host some 400,000 predicted visitors over the 12-day program, and millions in lost revenue for business, hotels and tourism.

We will bounce back though, and an almost immediate announcement from the federal government that Hanwha has won the defense contract and will build the next generation Redback vehicles in Geelong, is of far more significant to the region than the Commonwealth Games would have ever been! Hanwha already had won the bid to build the Howitzers in Geelong, but add in the Redback fighting vehicle and we are ensured a large investment in infrastructure. This creates an opportunity to make Avalon, and by extension Geelong, the defense capital of Asia. With the construction of the plants and associated infrastructure for this project, our region will be equipped with the modern capability to supply all of Asia with advanced equipment. I am not sure local business advocates have quite yet realized the implication associated with this project. This is the creation of not only a new defense industry in Avalon, but the opportunity to create a supply chain here within Geelong.

From a property perspective, this will create a need for vastly more industrial zoned land. Industrial land is presently grossly under supplied in our region, there has been no planning, publicly announced, for new industrial land to be created. The most recent industrial development is the land known as GREP (Geelong Ring Road Employment Precinct). Land in this location (hectare size lots) have increased in value and now exceed $200psm, a growth of more than 400 per cent across a five-year period. Land in and around the Geelong ports, generally smaller 2,000sqm lots, are selling for circa $500 psm. Pre-COVID we couldn’t give them away for $270psm! The skyrocketing industrial land prices are purely driven by lack of supply, and it’s time local and state government considered the bigger picture associated with the Hanwha opportunity. In my opinion, land north of the Geelong Grammar area, on the eastern side of the freeway should be considered for new industrial zoning as soon as possible.

Another opportunity for the Geelong region is the announcement of the successful tender for the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The project, now called Nyaal Banyul, is funded by the Geelong City Deal and will include the construction of the purpose-built convention and exhibition space. The precinct will also be home to retail and food offerings, a large public plaza and a 200-room Crown Plaza hotel.

The question will be how do we connect this great development in with the existing offerings of our great city? We already have two completely separate worlds operating in the CBD, with the Waterfront and the Little Malop hospitality centers having very little connection. How do we share the benefit of this great initiative, paid for with public money, so that it won’t be another satellite infrastructure, disconnected from the remainder of the CBD? This is a very similar issue that the City of Melbourne faced with the disconnected sporting precinct in Richmond, and the answer for Melbourne was Federation Square. Fed Square tied the two precincts together in many ways and allowed events to be publicly screened in the CBD. It created gathering spaces for Melbourne to show off its terrific arts culture and at the same time, it pays homage to Indigenous cultures.

I think the same answer can be applied in Geelong. I would like to see the State Government use some of the promised $650 million funding for the Commonwealth Games and buy back Market Square. Then run a bulldozer over it and create a new heart for Central Geelong! Imagine just how it could look, with retail spread around its fringes on Little Malop, Moorabool, Yarra and Malop streets, directly opposite Westfield and within short walking distance to the new Convention Centre. We could incorporate a stage for performances from our local theatre productions or screen important events, such as the Matilda’s World Cup Campaign, or for that matter the Grand Finals each year.

It could be dotted with outdoor cafes, and hospitality venues providing great spaces in warmer summer months, and would provide a true heart for our great city. It could also be used as the starting point for our cycling events, fun runs, parades and perhaps even have Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday markets or similar pop-up events to draw crowds to the CBD. This idea is a rejuvenation of the City Heart concept, and in my opinion, we have the opportunity right now to try to make it happen.