Palmerston, Northern Territory set to see first CBD apartment development

A 15 level apartment building planned for the Northern Territory’s Palmerston has been making news recently, with three levels of carparking, three levels of commercial/office use and eight levels of one and two bedroom units suggested.

The recent artist’s impressions and details, released through NT News, included a blank carpark wall for potential public artwork, a rooftop garden, some balconies and native plants for ‘green walls’ on the bottom section of the building.

They are expected to be between the library and Quest Apartments, on The Boulevard.

One bedroom apartments in Quest next door are renting for around $360 a night this time of year.

This development appears to fit very nicely with the requirements noted in the Palmerston City Centre 2030 Masterplan developed in 2012, that suggested an increase of residential density is part of the plan, as well as providing off-street parking and other uses such as retail, restaurants and community facilities.

Looking at The Boulevard specifically, the report noted that the City of Palmerston owns land within the City Centre, particularly along this street. This area was flagged as an ‘inactive/dysfunctional’ street.

Demand for office space, higher residential areas and retail use was noted to be strong, with the potential for some rezoning to allow for the masterplan, particularly looking to mixed-use developments, with each to provide a car parking solution on site.

It also noted that “Green roofs could become part of Palmerston’s City Centre new expression.”

In the first five years of the plan, the Council noted its focus would be to develop land on The Boulevard, to realign it to be a “civic way” and for the NT Government to commission development on its centrally located land.

“Incorporating a greater diversity of housing types, including mixed use developments in the City Centre, medium density residences along the urban fringes, housing developments above retail ground floor uses and affordable housing opportunities in new surrounding developments,” was noted as the theme of the plan.

Map courtesy of Google.