A new render of what the completed Hellenic Club precinct in Woden could look like. Image: Purdon Planning.
The development applications (DAs) for the lavish $136 million Woden Hellenic Club revamp have been lodged with the Territory’s planning authority and are now online for the public to view.
If approved, the Woden site will one day house a 12-storey hotel, a 16-storey office block, restaurants, shops, health facilities, an auditorium and a pool.
Three separate DAs have been submitted for the mixed-use Hellenic Precinct, which the club owners say will help the club diversify its revenue away from gaming machines.
A focus on parking was also required as the adjacent ACT Government surface car park is slated for development.
The applications propose the demolition of the existing car park and the removal of 64 trees.
Parking will be provided for by four levels of underground car parking totalling 750 spaces and 157 ground-level parking spaces.
End-of-trip facilities are also proposed, along with 390 bicycle parking spaces.
A porte-cochère will serve as a grand entrance off Bowes Street which would serve as a pick-up and drop-off point for hotel and office users.
Another application covers the construction of the office building, including restaurants on the ground floor, a medical centre on level one and club administration spaces and other multi-use rooms on level two.
A covered ground-floor agora will connect the shops, cafes and restaurants. So-called ‘eat streets’ will lead into the agora.
The final application is for the 151-room hotel, including a rooftop pool, ground-floor restaurants and bar on the ground floor level, an indoor recreation facility on level one and an auditorium on levels two and three.
A childcare centre had initially been included in plans for the site but that is no longer going ahead.
Hellenic Club board president Andrew Satsias said the plans were focused on attracting international and interstate visitors.
“We have held true to our focus on a non-residential development and identified multiple commercial anchors to drive foot traffic and visitation to our site and the broader town centre,” he said in a statement.
“This includes elevated entertainment, dining, social and commercial spaces that will attract local, national and international visitors.”
He said the club had consulted with the broader community, the National Capital Design Review Panel (NCDRP) and Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) prior to submitting the applications.
President of the Woden Valley Community Council Fiona Carrick is still worried the Hellenic Club proposal is too “inward-facing” to contribute to the life of the Woden Town Centre. Photo: File.
WVCC president Fiona Carrick said she remained concerned about several aspects of the proposal, including how it will contribute to the street life of the town centre and minimise overshadowing of the public realm.
Namely, it removes so many trees and is “inward-facing”.
“It is not clear how the development will contribute to greening the town centre to reduce the heat island from all the concrete,” she said.
She had hoped for a greater focus on street life and outdoor cafes, bars and a space that could have been used for markets.
Lastly, she called into question the timing of the DA notification, which people will only be able to comment on until 26 January 2023.
The club has engaged Fender Katsalidis Architects and landscape design firm Oculus for the precinct.
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