ApartmentsLeon Della BoscaSun 10 May 26
Morphy Birrell Reveals 25-Storey Tower for Central Geelong
Plans for a 25-storey tower are now before Victoria’s planning minister for a site next door to one of Geelong’s most significant heritage streetscapes.
The FK-designed building’s podium would take material cues from the masonry church it overlooks.
At 82.36m, the proposed tower would exceed the precinct’s preferred 60m height limit by more than 22m under the scheme by Morphy Birrell Property.
Part of the South Yarra-based developer’s long-running push to reshape the satellite city’s Station Precinct, the application puts forward a mixed-use building at 65–67 Mercer Street comprising 159 apartments, ground-floor retail and two levels of commercial office.
The 3320sq m site is at the north-east corner of Mercer and Kerley streets, about 75km south-west of the Melbourne CBD.
The design comprises two interlocking tower forms above a four-storey podium for a total floor area of 35,978sq m, a landscaped forecourt and an urban plaza at ground level.
More than 40 per cent of the apartments would be three or four bedrooms, a proportion the planning report said reflected growing policy pressure on developers to deliver family-sized apartment stock in central locations.
Two four-bedroom penthouses are planned for Level 24. More than half—54 per cent—of the apartments would meet accessibility standards, including wider doorways and adaptable bathrooms.
On the ground, a 221sq m retail and cafe tenancy fronting Mercer Street and a 234sq m residential lobby have been proposed. Two office tenancies of 260sq m each are planned on Levels 2 and 3. Communal spaces totalling 886sq m would sit across Levels 4 and 14, with 299 car spaces and 84 bicycle spaces provided.
The proposal is Stage 5 of Morphy Birrell’s broader masterplan for the precinct. The developer has already completed the 21-storey Miramar apartment building at 18–20 Cavendish Street and holds permits for Stages 2 and 3 at 81–101 Mercer Street.
According to the planning report prepared by Ratio Consultants, the proposal “seeks to make use of an underutilised site, which benefits from excellent access to public transport and other amenities and services within the Geelong CBD” and that the additional apartments “directly contributes to increasing the residential population to the target of 16,000 residents”.
The site’s northern boundary runs hard up against St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church and the Ashby Public Hall, both of which are state-significant heritage assets.
The podium design draws on the church’s masonry palette and the tower steps back a minimum of 23.55m from Mercer Street to preserve sightlines to both buildings.
According to Conservation Studio’s heritage impact statement, the development would respect the cultural heritage values of both sites.
A short walk from the Morphy Birrell site, Anu Corp Developments won approval for a $56.2-million, 12-storey mixed-use tower at 5–11 Mercer Street in February after a redesign by Wardle Architecture lifted its height and incorporated an affordable housing element.
Melbourne-based Up Property is progressing a mixed-use development at Malop Street comprising 214 apartments, as is the Committee for Geelong’s $1-billion plans to redevelop Market Square.
