Westfield Geelong

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Westfield Geelong

---

image_width = 250
caption =
location = flagicon|AUSGeelong, Victoria, Australia
coordinates = coord|38.1465|S|144.3626|E|display=inline,title|region:AU-VIC_type:landmark
opening_date = 1988
developer =
number_of_stores = 177cite web
url=http://westfield.com/geelong/ourstores/index.html
title=Westfield Geelong: Store Directory
publisher=westfield.com
accessdate=2008-07-18]
number_of_anchors = 4 (Big W, Coles, Myer, Target)
floor_area = 51,000 m²cite web
url=http://uk.westfield.com/corporate/property-portfolio/australia/geelong.html
title=Westfield Group - Property Portfolio - Geelong
publisher=uk.westfield.com
accessdate=2008-07-18]
manager = The Westfield Group
owner = Jointly Owned:

Westfield Trust (50%)

Perron Group (50%)
parking = 1,700
floors =
website = [http://www.westfield.com/geelong/ westfield.com/geelong]

Westfield Geelong is a shopping centre located in the central Geelong, Victoria, Australia opened in 1988. It was formerly known as Westfield Bay City before the present redevelopment, and as Bay City Plaza before being taken over by The Westfield Group in 2003. The centre is located on the northern side of Malop St opposite the Market Square shopping complex, and is bounded by Moorabool, Yarra, and Gheringhap Streets. The centre is currently undergoing a refurbishment, as well as an expansion over Yarra Street via a controversial flyover.

History

The site

The site of Westfield Geelong has seen many uses before the construction of the shopping centre. Corio Street once ran east west through the site, as well as the north-south Blakiston Street (that ran between Malop and Corio Streets) and Macks Lane (that ran from Corio Street to Brougham Street).

The southern frontage to Malop Street was a retail area from at least the 1850s. Among the longest lasting stores was that owned by Morris Jacobs, which remained until 1950s when it was purchased by Myer Emporium Limited. The store was rebuilt in 1952, and in August 1953 changed it's name to Myer. The Myer store was incorporated into the new development.

The corner of Brougham and Yarra Streets was occupied by the Melbourne Electric Supply Company office building, and the Geelong Power Station, which dated back to 1901. A tram depot was built to the south when trams commenced operation in Geelong in 1912. The tram depot closed in 1956 along with the Geelong tram network. The power station closed in the 1960s when replaced by a new plant at North Geelong.

The next building to the west was occupied by the offices of Geelong transport company Blakiston's and Co. Next door was the Geelong Club clubrooms which were opened in 1889. The building remains today and continues to be occupied by the Geelong Club.

The corner of Brougham and Moorabool Streets was occupied by the Strachan Murray and Shannon woolstores. This woolstore dated back to the 1940s, and was extended eastwards towards the Geelong Club building in 1952 when the adjacent Mack's Hotel was purchased and demolished.

Initial proposals

The 1980s saw the first of many urban renewal proposals floated for the area. The Geelong Regional Commission on November 6, 1981 released a plan that would see a see a massive shopping centre extend from Little Malop Street though to the waterfront. [Citation
title=Special Edition - "Geelong - City By The Bay"
newspaper=Geelong Advertiser
year=1981
date=November 6 1981] This proposal did not proceed, but a scaled down version of the plans be seen in the Market Square Shopping Centre and Bay City Plaza developments that did proceed.

As 'Bay City Plaza'

Construction of Bay City Plaza commenced in the mid 1980s. Corio and Blakiston Streets were closed, as was Macks Lane. The former power station was totally demolished, with the Strachan woolstores, Blakistons's offices and tram depot stripped internally, with only the facades reused. The Myer store remained, albeit with minor modifications and an altered facades along Malop Street.

The centre was opened by then Victorian State Premier John Cain on April 15th 1988. The centre was under the ownership of the Perron Group. Little change occurred to the centre itself until 1993 when a minor refurbishment occurred.

An additional multi story carpark was built by the Perron Group in the late 1990s. Known as the "Malop Street Carpark", it was located between Malop Street and Corio Street to the east of the existing shopping centre, on the site of a former council carpark. The site is now part of the current expansion works to the centre.

On June 30 2003 the Perron Group sold a 50% share of Bay City Plaza to the The Westfield Group for $72 million. [cite web|url=http://www.westfield.com/corporate/newsroom/announcements/trust_archive/2003/30-06-03.html|title=WESTFIELD TRUST AND PERRON GROUP ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE FOR BAY CITY PLAZA, GEELONG|accessdate=2007-07-01] The renaming of the centre followed soon after. After the Westfield takeover moves were made to increase the percentage of lettable area inside the complex, with walkways and main atrium filled with additional stores and kiosks.

Redevelopment

The early 2000s saw proposals floated for the expansion of the shopping centre, utilising a flyover over Yarra Street, but this met a negative response from the community. The flyover was criticised for blocking views of Corio Bay from Yarra Street, [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/11/07/8662_business.html
title=Geelong's Westfield shopping centre takes to the skies
work=Geelong Advertiser
date= November 7, 2007
author=Peter Begg
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-03-27] and that the bridge was not just a walkway but an overhead carpark, shopping strip and roadway on the scale of the bridge at Westfield Southland.

The development was given approval on 21 June 2006 [ [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2006/1089.html Thompson v Gtr Geelong CC (2006) VCAT 1089] , Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision] construction commenced early in 2007. Big W will be the key tenant of the Yarra Street section. Construction of this extension started in February 2007 and resulted in major closures to various parts of the centre. A number of smaller shops on both the ground and first floors were temporary closed, along with the Coles supermarket and the eastern pedestrian entry from Yarra Street. Part of the main multi-level carpark was been closed, as well as the Yarra Street access ramp and the Malop Street Carpark. Treacy Place as well as the eastern section of Corio Street have been permanently closed and are now part of the centre.

During construction in April 2008 a fire broke inside the complex talking two hours to extinguish, [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/04/02/12698_news.html
title=Westfield Geelong fire takes two hours to contain
work=Geelong Advertiser
date=April 2, 2008
author=Alison McAdam
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18] and in May 2008 a tradesman was injured when pinned against a beam while operating a cherry picker. [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/05/16/14014_news.html
title=Man crushed at Westfield building site
work=Geelong Advertiser
date=May 16, 2008
author=Julie McNamara
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18]

Stage 1 including the Coles supermarket and surrounding area opened on April 17 2008, [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/03/26/12505_news.html
title=Shoppers get ready at Westfield Geelong
work=Geelong Advertiser
date=March 26, 2008
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-03-27] while the Big W store, another 80 stores, the restaurant precinct, the glass tower on the Malop Street corner and the Yarra Street flyover were opened on July 17. [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/18/16252_news.html
title=40,000 bargain hunters flock to the Geelong's new Westfield
work=Geelong Advertiser
author=Sophie Smith
date=July 18, 2008
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18] Before redevelopment the centre had 67 stores and 1121 car parks, today it has 1700 car parks. [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/04/17/13129_news.html
title=Westfield Geelong shopping centre to re-open today
work=Geelong Advertiser
author=Daniel Breen
date=April 17, 2008
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18] The total cost of the works was $200 million. [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/12/16007_news.html
title=Next stage of Westfield redevelopment opens Thursday
work=Geelong Advertiser
date=July 12, 2008
author=Peter Begg
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18]

The works have resulted in an increase in the percentage of lettable area in the complex, with the majority of the main central atrium being filled in. The opening of complex has also led to a decline in strip shopping on Moorabool Street, with many empty shops and few customers. [cite news |author=Sophie Smith |title=While Moorabool St remains cold and empty |work=Geelong News |page=3 |date=July 2, 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-04 ] The head of the Central Geelong marketing committee, Mark Davis, expressed concern that despite the the expanded shopping centre being a boost for the city, it will make life tougher for smaller traders, who would need to "figure out how their business fitted into the city's new shopping environment". [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/18/16251_news.html
title=Shopping dollars will stay in Geelong because of new Westfield
date=Geelong Advertiser
author=Martin Watters
date=July 18, 2008
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18]

Tenants

* Myer department store 12,500 m² "to be continually redeveloped throughout 2008 as part of nation-wide refurbishment program"
* Target department store 8,800 m²
* Coles supermarket, was 5,000 m² but a smaller store was reopened April 17, 2008
* Big W department store.
* Approximately 170 speciality stores.cite web
url=http://westfield.com/geelong/ourstores/index.html
title=Westfield Geelong: Store Directory
publisher=westfield.com
accessdate=2008-07-18]
* Three food courts: an alfresco area on Yarra Street, cafes on the flyover, and a third under the main atrium. [cite web
url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/06/25/15391_news.html
title=Ten more food outlets at Westfield Geelong
work=Geelong Advertiser
date=June 25, 2008
author=Kerri-Ann Hobbs
publisher=www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-18]

References

*Beg, Peter. (1990). "Geelong - The First 150 Years". Globe Press. ISBN 0-9592863-5-7

External links

* http://westfield.com/geelong/ - official site
* Photos: [http://tools.geelongadvertiser.com.au/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_popup.php?category_id=1081&offset=1 Bay City plaza through the years]
* Photos: [http://tools.geelongadvertiser.com.au/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_popup.php?category_id=795&offset=0 Construction in 2007-08]