The City of Greater Geelong (City) is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the opportunity to enter into a licence agreement to occupy and use part of the building and land at Barwon Valley Activity Centre - located at 1A Barwon Heads Road, Belmont. The licence would be on one day per week for community market purposes.

This EOI provides an opportunity for a community organisation to utilise the site to continue the operation of a community market within an established and well-used precinct. The successful respondent will be granted rights to occupy the licensed area under a Licence Agreement and will operate independently of the City in accordance with the permitted use.

The site consists of approximately 8500m2 of building and land, is affected by a flood overlay, and is zoned Public Park and Recreation.

The site will be licensed in its current condition. As the building owner, the City will continue to undertake scheduled maintenance.

This EOI relates to the proposed grant of a licence to occupy and use City managed land, not a procurement process for services on behalf of the City. The successful respondent will liaise with City management but will operate independently.

Respondents are invited to submit their interest and outline a proposal for how the site could be used to meet the objectives (see below) and achieve the desired outcome of this EOI, for review by a panel of the City.

We also invite feedback from our community about the City's intention to enter into a licence with a successful respondent. Submissions and feedback can be made via the form below.

Aerial View and Current Site Plan

Aerial view and potential site plan for proposed market.
Aerial image of current market site plan
Proposed Licensed Area

Land area

  • The land and building area consist of approximately 8500m2.

Restrictions and Encumbrances

  • At the time of this EOI the City is not aware of any restrictions or encumbrances on the use of the land, however the applicant must exercise their due diligence to make sure.

Planning

  • Zone: Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ).
  • A flood zone overlay exists over the proposed licensed area in its entirety.
  • A Planning Certificate has been issued for the building and land in accordance with historical use over more than 30 years.

Services

The subject property has the following services available:

  • Electricity
  • Mains water
  • Mains sewerage
  • Accessible toilets are located inside the building, and public toilets to the exterior.

Objectives

The objectives of this EOI are:

  • Identify the most appropriate user group to operate a community market at the site.
  • Maximise community benefit from the site.
  • Optimise usage of community facilities.
  • Support Council's Strategic priorities as detailed in the Council Plan 2025-2029.

Outcomes

Establish a sustainable future use of the site by a community market facilitated through a licence that achieves the following outcomes:

  • Well utilised community facilities that meets the needs of the local community.
  • Does not have adverse impacts on the surrounding residents, current user groups or the environment.
  • Positive relationship between the City, the new licensee and the local community.

Site Inspections

The site is currently operating as a market and can be viewed every Sunday (public holidays excepted) between 8am and 1pm. Formal inspection outside of these hours can be organised by contacting the venue manager.

Currently there is a Planning Certificate for the site based on the long term use as a market. The applicant is responsible for due diligence to check their proposed use aligns with planning requirements.

The respondent will be required to hold their own insurance as required by law and the contract conditions and will be required to provide evidence of this insurance coverage within seven days of it being requested by the City.

The City will offer a licence with up to three (3) years in the term.

Additional requirements in relation to conditions and asset management and maintenance responsibilities will be negotiated at the offer stage.

The City will consider the most appropriate licence fee structure based on the submissions received.

The City's process for establishing the licence fee on City land is outlined below:

  • The City offers community organisations subsidies for Market fee; the level of subsidy depends on the type of community use category.
  • The City categorise licences as follows:
Community

Under the community use category there are three different methods for calculating the Licence fee depending on whether they are:

  • Full community use where there are no commercial activities, and the applicant demonstrates a low or medium capacity to generate profit, The Minimum Community Licence fee is $530.40 + GST pa.
  • Mixed-use community licences where there are commercial activities, and the applicant demonstrates a low or medium capacity to generate profit
  • High profit community licences where the licensee has a high capacity to generate profit from the use of the premises. It is irrelevant whether commercial activities are conducted or not. Such groups would likely have paid CEO or a paid director and management board.

The City will review each applicant based on the above criteria to determine the fee. Most applicants will be "Full Community Use" or "Mixed Use".

The table below outlines each category and the summary of fee calculation:

At the conclusion of the term, the City will review the fee structure for a new licence.

The proposed use must be permitted under the current zone, proposals for rezoning will not be considered.

The purpose of the zone is:

  • To recognise areas for public recreation and open space;
  • To protect and conserve areas of significance where appropriate; and
  • To provide for commercial uses where appropriate.