City of Greater Geelong Councillors have adopted a final Urban Design Framework (UDF) for the Geelong West end of Pakington Street and Gordon Avenue and will conduct further community consultation for the northern end of Pakington Street.
The City will progress plans to regenerate sections of Pakington Street while protecting the heritage character of the village and conducting further community consultation early next year for the Pakington Street North Precinct.
In total, 379 submissions were received during the last six-week consultation on the UDF. The final UDF will now be adopted into the planning scheme through an amendment process, which will involve further community consultation.
Officers have recommended that further engagement be undertaken to increase community understanding of the intent of building controls proposed for the Pakington North precinct.
Without a UDF, the Pakington Street North Precinct is at risk of inappropriate development due to the absence of built form controls or weak existing controls, including areas with no height limits.
The UDF will be used to guide future growth and development including built form outcomes, streetscape design, movement and access, land use, and assist in the assessment of future development proposals.
The UDF has three distinct precincts:
Pakington North: stretching along Pakington Street from Church Street to Waratah/Wellington Street; with a mix of office, restricted retail, and emerging cafés and restaurants.
Heritage Core: stretching along Pakington Street from Waratah/Wellington Street to Autumn Street; with a mix of locally owned specialty retail, cafés and restaurants, the Town Hall, library, and post office.
Gordon Avenue: stretching along Gordon Avenue from Pakington Street to Latrobe Terrace; with a mix of large format retail, warehouse, and office space.
The City will now begin work on infrastructure planning to support future developments for the retail and activity centre including footpath improvements, street furniture, public art, tree plantings, and bike parking.
