27 December 2025

The old Housing Commission towers are rather massive ! This is the Racecourse Road Flemington Estate, the one the Tullamarine sound tube goes past, and consists of four ‘S’ blocks each with 200 flats. They’re quite widely spaced, with some grass and lots of trees and surface carparks. It’s not great but not awful to walk through.

It’s one of the first three estates scheduled to be completely replaced. It’s hard to find any information on the plans, even though the demo was announced late 2023, and they’re emptying the two on Racecource Road already. The architects @___office got the block plan though, showing towers along the road, maybe as tall as the existing ?

They’ve also already nearly finished three new blocks to the rear, but they’re mostly ‘affordable’ not social housing. They’re not bad looking, with balconies the existing don’t have, but sort of look similar because they use precast sections with rectangular windows, all the same – a private block would likely vary the window placement and the colours or materials. The plans include a nice park.

One tower was refurbished in 1993, with an extra lift, designed by ARM Architects – who put a copy of a famous 1943 church by Brazilian modernist Oscar Niemeyer on top, looking a bit like clouds.

I don’t mind the whole idea of replacement, but I don’t understand what feels like secrecy, with plans and costings not revealed. And of course it’s more important to build more public housing, not just replace the existing with modest amounts extra, but I realise it’s cheaper to build more on existing estates than buy land in other places.

Social housing redevelopment next to the Flemington high rise estate on Racecourse Road, replacing some pretty yukky old walk-ups. 198 commission flats were replaced with 240 1 to 4 bed flats, in blocks 4-8 floors, much much nicer, with balconies, nice colours and lots of planting. I do like that shade of green! Designed with high thermal comfort and low maintenance in mind.

There’s also 119 affordable flats, open only to low income renters. The whole thing was designed by @sixdegreesarchitects, not as interesting as some of their stuff, but obviously working to a budget. Completed early last year, it felt pleasant to walk around, quite lush actually, the bamboo already quite tall, and there’s a couple of little parks. It’s all now managed by Community Housing Ltd, a not for profit, rather than the Office of Housing, but some previous renters returned and some from the adjacent towers now being emptied as well.

My concerns are things I don’t know the answers to, like if a social tenant is badly behaved do they get evicted ? Who maintains all the planting ? Will the semi-private walkways between the blocks become difficult to manage ? Perhaps all that has been thought-through, and I needn’t worry. Last 2 pics from 6 degrees.

Update : apparently the affordable places are only going to those who earn the max available, $110,000 for a couple, who pay 1/3 of their income ie about $630/week on rent.

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