Sale of landmark city church unlocks key Geelong development site

The St George’s Presbyterian Church site is on the market with circa $18m price expectations.

The sale of the historic St George’s Presbyterian Church site is poised to unlock a significant new development opportunity on the edge of Geelong’s CBD.

Listing agent Colliers has $18m price expectations for the circa 1861 bluestone church and manse on the prominent corner of Ryrie St and La Trobe Tce.

The landmark 8317sq m property is identified as one of 11 strategic development sites in the Central Geelong Framework Plan and forms a key plank of the city’s cultural precinct.

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Under planning guidelines, the new owner could build up to 11 storeys, or 42m high, as part of a future development that must integrate the existing heritage-listed buildings.

Colliers sales and leasing executive Chris Nanni said it was an exciting opportunity to reshape that corner of the city that was likely to attract national and potentially even international interest.

“It’s a pretty significant site because the State Government has earmarked it as one of just 11 key strategic sites as part of the Central Geelong Framework Plan,” Mr Nanni said.

“It’s the first of those 11 to come to market and the significance is, of course, that direct access to ministerial approval.

“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for the city to potentially see a landmark development like this, paying tribute to the history of the site while adding to the buzz in Geelong as a number of key projects take flight.”

Services ceased at the bluestone church in 2015.

The heritage-listed St George’s Church, designed by architect Nathaniel Billing and constructed from bluestone, Hawkesbury river freestone dressings and a slate roof, has been vacant since 2015.

It sits alongside 4500sq m of developable land, including a car park currently leased to The Gordon which returns $70,000 per year.

Mr Nanni said there many great examples of old churches being converted into anything from hospitality venues to offices.

The grand scale of the church reflects the wealth of its founding patrons, which included Western District squatters.

He said the remainder of the site could accommodate two new buildings with four-storey podiums topped with setback seven-storey towers.

“We have engaged Tract town planners to do us a proposed site plan of what could be done using the setbacks and landscape setbacks and you can get two buildings on there both of 11 storeys, totalling 28,000sq m of floor space across the two buildings,” he said.

“You could do accommodation, you could do aged care, retirement living, student accommodation, offices, education, university.”

The property neighbours The Gordon tafe and is not far from the Little Malop St cultural precinct.

Colliers sales and leasing branch manager Ben Young said it was an exciting time for Geelong, with new projects like the convention centre in the pipeline.

“The city continues to see significant CBD development with the newly finished Quest, Holiday Inn and residential building Ryrie Quarter all coming to the market over the past 12 months along with the framework plan, which assists in the unlocking of some key strategic development sites,” Mr Young said.

“We are excited to see what St George’s Church will become.”

Expressions of interest close on June 26.