South Yarra in full b(l)oom

South Yarra in full b(l)oom
Mark BaljakFebruary 15, 2015

South Yarra is experiencing an apartment construction boom at the moment with no less than thirteen major apartment developments sprouting skyward. Comfortably surpassing the established might of Southbank, South Yarra is second only to Melbourne's CBD in terms of the number of major projects under construction.

Combined, these thirteen projects are according to the Urban.com.au Project Database delivering 1,784 new dwellings to South Yarra, with an assumption that this would equate to approximately 3,500 additional postcode 3141 residents.

South Yarra in full b(l)oom
The epicentre that is Forrest Hill, as seen from Claremont Street

At the core of South Yarra's apartment success is Forrest Hill; the once low-rise industrial and commercial pocket was earmarked as an urban renewal precinct during 2005. While a steady trickle of projects have seen tower cranes populating the precinct ever since, it's only a decade later in the early stages of 2015 where Forrest Hill's full might is on display.

Seven of the current crop are located within Forrest Hill precinct, including Lucia/Chiara and Central South Yarra who between them account for 782 of the overall 1,784 apartments under construction. The image above capturing Forrest Hill's Claremont Street holds Prime Tower, Claremont Manor, Alto and Ella; all at varying stages of construction and cumulatively contributing a further 668 apartments.

South Yarra in full b(l)oom
Central South Yarra rising above it all

Yarra House also finds itself in Forrest Hill precinct, with the remaining projects under construction spread throughout the suburb. Projects west of Chapel Street include 6 Murphy Street, 8 Murphy Street, The Hill Apartments and Her Majesty's Apartments. Gisele and Pure Apartments find themselves to the east of Chapel Street with the latter located in the emerging Garden/Wilson Street area.

While the current level of construction is robust in South Yarra, the next wave of projects heading toward construction in the near to medium term is impressive in itself. Of those apartment projects at registrations or sales, the list is headlined by LK Property's Capitol Grand which at 193 metres in height would be South Yarra's signature built form.

Others included at registrations or sales are Wil&Co, Ralston, Essence and The Elfin. Also watch out for 661 Chapel Street progressing in the not too distant future.

South Yarra in full b(l)oom
Capitol Grand, 661 Chapel, Wil&Co. Images courtesy Bates Smart, BDLC, McLaren

With many projects still to be added, the current overall list of 28 apartment projects within South Yarra can be found on the Urban.com.au Project Database.

Mark Baljak

Mark Baljak was a co-founder of Urban.com.au. He passed away on Thursday 8th of November 2018 after a battle with cancer. He was 37. Mark was a keen traveller, having visited all six permanently-inhabited continents and had a love of craft beer. One of his biggest passions was observing the change that has occurred in Melbourne over the past two decades. In that time he built an enormous library of photos, all taken by him, which tracked the progress of construction on building sites from across metropolitan Melbourne.

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