Michael Herman’s Hub Property Group has filed revised plans for the next stage of the Balmoral Quay development near Geelong.
Refinements to the initial plans come in response to the rejection of the Stage 5 plans by the City of Greater Geelong as well as public criticism.
The amendments include design refinements, reduced building massing and more public amenity.
The application for 1 Harbourside Drive covers a 22,000sq m parcel of reclaimed coastal land next to Rippleside Park and Corio Bay, 3km north of the Geelong CBD and 65km south-west of Melbourne.
According to updated planning documents, the building height along Balmoral Crescent has been reduced by 800mm to better integrate with surrounding streetscape in response to community feedback.
SJB Architects has reconfigured apartment layouts, including changes to six apartments across multiple levels.
Three apartments were reconfigured from smaller one-bedroom units into larger two-bedroom, two-bathroom layouts with open balconies along the western facade.
Opening windows were added to improve natural ventilation in internal corridors, while balcony openings have been added on upper levels to provide visual interest, according to the plans, while balconies for three apartments were modified to include new openings to the northern facade, improving the building’s appearance along Balmoral Crescent (pictured below).
Access and parking have been overhauled, with a revised entry point along Balmoral Crescent now set back 7m from the boundary and increased ramp width of 6.2m to improve vehicular access.
Space taken by these updates has reduced carparking from 36 to 35 bays.
The original Stage 5 proposal sought approval for a $30-million, seven-storey building of 84 apartments.
The council rejected this in July of last year after 173 submissions during public exhibition, including a petition of 419 signatures opposing the development based on its height and scale.
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Mayor Trent Sullivan said at the time that “the level of community unease was concerning” and that “the size of the residential development, which was larger than initially contemplated, wasn’t appropriate for this area”.
The broader Balmoral Quay precinct has been progressively transformed since 2016, and earlier stages have delivered more than 150 townhouses and apartments as well as public infrastructure.
Public realm contributions include a revamp of Rippleside Beach, construction of a foreshore promenade linking local parks and refurbishment of Rippleside Pier.
Stage 5 would add 32 marina berths for public mooring and dedicated parking within the building.
The project is being delivered within overlays addressing environmental audit requirements and Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity.
The project team includes Urbis for planning, Tract for landscape architecture, Rudds for environmentally sustainable design, and O’Neill Group for engineering services.
A planning decision from the Geelong council is expected this year for the revised proposal.
The development would be part of plans to deliver 128,600 new homes in Greater Geelong by 2051 as the region overtakes Queensland’s Sunshine Coast as Australia’s top regional migration destination.
According to the latest Regional Movers Index, 9.3 per cent of total regional migration inflows nationally went to Greater Geelong during the year to March of 2025, compared with 8.9 per cent for the Sunshine Coast.
