New Melbourne apartments and what to expect: Secret Agent

New Melbourne apartments and what to expect: Secret Agent
Jonathan ChancellorFebruary 6, 2021
GUEST OBSERVER
 
Secret Agent wanted to dig deeper into what sort of apartment buildings are being proposed by developers.
 
Using planning permit applications sent to local Melbourne councils, we sampled 1,680 proposed apartments from 34 buildings in 15 suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne.
 
 
Key findings

1 bedroom apartments will be 8 percent bigger on average

2 bedroom apartments remain the same size

3 bedroom apartments will be 4 percent smaller and remain rare

Little to no 4 bedroom apartments are being proposed

Most apartments meet the minimum balcony size.

Our findings are summarised in Table 2 below.

We've noted the composition of one, two and three bedroom apartments in each suburb, as well as the average sizes of internal and outdoor (balcony) areas.

As a benchmark for comparison, Table 1 (above) shows the current average apartment size (indoor area only) in inner Melbourne

Note that the majority of Cremorne apartments sampled are from the proposed development at 2 Gough Street and is thus more of a reflection of this specific building than the entire suburb.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Where to find the biggest two bedroom apartments?

Looking at just two bedroom apartments, here are the suburbs with proposed developments that are bigger than average, followed by those below the average:

Above average two bedroom apartments: Abbotsford, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Richmond, SOUTH MELBOURNE

Exactly average: Coburg and Thornbury

Below average two bedroom apartments: Box Hill

Brunswick East, Cremorne, HIGHETT, Preston, Reservoir

Balconies

The Victorian Government’s Better Apartments draft design standards suggests a minimum of 8m2 of outdoor area for 1 bedroom apartments and 10m2 for two bedrooms or more.

Most regions seem to exceed this standard, with the only exception being Cremorne one bedroom apartments (7m2). 


For more information, click here.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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