Victoria is currently undergoing a substantial consultation process targeted at improving the design quality of apartments being built across the state. Part 1 of this post discussed the main aspects of the Better Apartments(link is external) discussion paper released by the state government. Part 2 of this discussion will focus on why the state … Keep Reading
Short-stay operators win tribunal decision over Watergate building
Another effort to curb short-stay operators in Melbourne’s apartment sector has failed after Victoria’s planning tribunal ruled owners’ corporations cannot make rules to ban the practice. A final twist in the long-running saga involving the Watergate apartment in Docklands was played out in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last … Keep Reading
Living with less podcase
I have been working on a downsizing campaign with Howard’s Storage World over the past six months. In this podcast, I speak with Cathy Player about the two downsizing case studies published in the July catalogue, storage concepts for apartment living and how to participiate in the Downsize With Style … Keep Reading
Tiny apartment transforms to meet your needs
A smart apartment with all the amenities of a two-bedroom house proves that a small space can have big potential. English entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe has designed a compact living space that elegantly reconfigures to meet a resident’s needs. Yo!Home comes with a master bed that can be lowered over the sunken living room area, while a dining table rises … Keep Reading
480 New apartments for our fast growing city
This media release concerning melbourne apartment developments has been provided by the office of the Premier of Victoria. Planning Minister Richard Wynne has given the green light to another three apartment projects, equating to almost 480 new apartments around inner Melbourne. The mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments are in … Keep Reading
The slippery slope to Sydney and Melbourne apartment surplus: Terry Ryder
The NSW Government has said it will spend another $400 million to make land for housing shovel-ready and $19 million to create a planning body to oversee a plan to build 664,000 homes in 15 years. This addition to the Housing Acceleration Fund adds to the $566 million invested since its inception … Keep Reading
My apartment is my castle and i’ll lease in on AirBnB is i want to
The tension between the private property rights of residential apartment owners to lease out their apartments and the statutory powers of Victorian Owners Corporations under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 to regulate apartment buildings has been tested at Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in the context of short-term stays… The group … Keep Reading
Australia’s explosion in high-rise apartment approvals, in one stunning chart
Approvals for residential unit structures four stories or higher – high-rise apartment buildings, basically – rose to 63,771 in June, the largest level on record. The rise of high-rise has been amazing. In the 12 months to October 2009 there were only 13,540 approvals in high-rise structures. Now, less than … Keep Reading
Greening Melbourne’s Roofs and Walls: Six Steps Forward
In 1988, the City of Melbourne had about 40,000 inhabitants and 20 per cent green cover. In 2009, this was measured again and it was determined that the city’s population had increased to 100,000 people with green coverage reduced to a mere 13.6 per cent, according to Gail Hall, a … Keep Reading
Firefighters could be ordered not to enter burning apartments, MFB warns
Exclusive Future high-rise infernos may be so dangerous that firefighters could be ordered not to enter burning apartments to rescue residents, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade has warned. The MFB say it was lucky no one died in the Lacrosse Docklands building when a fire, fuelled by “non-compliant” aluminium cladding, spread … Keep Reading