Harvest Square to offer affordable housing options in Brunswick West
The former Gronn Place Public Housing Estate in Brunswick West is set to undergo a major overhaul.
Initially constructed in the 1960s, the estate comprised six three and four-storey walk-up flats with 62 units. Despite being continually intended for social housing use since its inception, the estate has become dilapidated and unsuitable for its occupants due to poor condition, inadequate insulation, and the lack of lifts, but has remained under the ownership and operation of the Director of Housing (DoH) under the State Government.
The Victorian Government’s Homes for Victorians strategy includes a $2.7 billion program for investment into housing and homelessness initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Public Housing Renewal Program, a $185 million plan to redevelop aging public housing estates across Victoria into mixed-tenure neighbourhoods with modern, accessible, and fit-for-purpose housing.
AVJennings has partnered with the State Government's Director of Housing (DoH) and Women's Housing Limited to redevelop the former Gronn Place Public Housing Estate site at 8 Kitchener Street, with the new development, Harvest Square, comprising a mix of private and social housing components.
The site of one of nine public housing estates across Metropolitan Melbourne that is part of the program.
As agreed with the DoH, the new development will be tenure blind, comprising 111 social housing apartments, eight community housing apartments (Women’s Housing), 50 private apartments, and 29 private townhouse dwellings.
At least five per cent of the new social housing homes will also be easy to access for Victorians with disabilities, with drop-off areas, paths, lifts, and car parking. Inside the homes, kitchens, bathrooms, and storage will also be highly accessible.
Not only are AVJennings helping to aid in the current housing crisis that is plaguing the country, the group are also creating homes for the future at Harvest Square.
The Harvest Square development has been designed with sustainability in mind, boasting a 5-Star Green Star rating and a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating across all buildings. As a Green Star community, all homes have been sustainably designed to ensure minimal impact on the environment while enhancing health and quality of life, with inclusions such as communal corridors, play areas, bicycle parking, and productive gardens as part of the community.
The Gold Liveable Housing Design will provide more generous space across the development, assisting in comfortable and unobstructed movement between rooms, in addition to the building's orientations which will aid in reducing heating and cooling costs. There's also waste and recycling systems in place to minimise landfill.