Werribee’s tallest development has been given the green light.
Wyndham council earlier this month approved plans for a $49.5 million 12-storey hotel, education precinct and carpark development to be built on the corner of Synnot Street and Duncans Road.
The high-rise development will include retail, cafe, lobby areas and carparking on the ground floor, carparking on levels one to five, an office and education centre on level six, more office space on level seven and a 150-room Holiday Inn hotel on levels nine to 11.
The hotel, which is slated to open in 2020, will include an all-day restaurant and bar, gym, meeting facilities and a function room for up to 400 people.
There will also be 362 carparking spaces on-site, 167 of which will be public.
Once complete, the development is expected to generate 300 full-time equivalent jobs.
The site – which is currently a 70-space carpark – is one of four carparks owned by Wyndham council that will be converted to high-rise complexes in coming years in a bid to rejuvenate the heart of Werribee.
The council received 19 objections to the planned development, with concerns raised about the loss of carparking, over-development of the site, overshadowing and traffic congestion.
Councillor Kim McAliney acknowledged that the building was four metres higher than the preferred height for that area, but said she was confident the setbacks were not too close to surrounding buildings and that the development would not overshadow open space or nearby residents.
Councillor John Gibbons said the development would be a game-changer for Werribee’s CBD.
“This is a high-quality development that will set the scene for what can be achieved in a city centre,” he said.
Wyndham city economy, innovation and liveability director Kate Roffey said the existing carpark was expected to close in the third quarter of 2018 to allow construction to begin.
“To help accommodate for the loss of parking spaces during the construction of the Gateway catalyst site, council has created 329 extra parking spaces by opening the Cherry Street and West End car parks,” she said.
