Designs have been unveiled for two new housing towers that will form part of the Victoria’s multi-decade program to demolish and rebuild 44 public housing towers across Melbourne by 2051.

The Victorian Government has unveiled designs for new 16 and 18-storey apartment buildings at 21 Elgin Street and 141 Nicholson Street in Carlton.

The towers are set to replace two existing 17-storey red brick public housing towers which currently sit at the site (pictured below) and are slated for demolition.

The existing towers have been sitting vacant for the past two years after residents were evacuated in 2022 when the sewerage system failed.

All up, the new towers will accommodate 248 social homes – a 26 percent increase on the number that were available at the existing site.

Features of the designs include:

• inclusion of four- and five-bedroom homes to accommodate larger families
• private balconies
• better accessibility (as required by Victoria’s building regulations under the National Construction Code since May this year), reverse-cycle heating and cooling, ceiling fans, a laundry in each apartment, double-glazed windows and modern kitchens
• 7-star NatHERS ratings (as required by Victoria’s building regulations under the National Construction Code since May this year) and 5-star Green Star ratings; and
• community spaces, a kitchen garden, communal terrace and improved shared spaces that link to Station Steet Park.

(the existing two red-brick towers are vacant and are slated for demolition)

The announcement comes as the Victorian Government is undertaking a massive program to demolish and rebuild 44 public housing towers between now and 2051.

As well as improving the quality of housing on offer, the Government says that the program will increase the number of social housing dwellings which are available through the towers by at least 10 percent.

It says that Melbourne’s high-rise public housing towers – which were constructed in the decades following World War II between the 1950s and 1970s – are built to outdated design standards, are reaching the end of their useful lives and are no longer fit for modern living – particularly for young families and Victorians living with a disability.

However, the plan faces opposition from some residents – many of whom come from multi-cultural and/or refugee backgrounds.

Last month, a class action commenced that was brought about by about 10,000 residents of public housing towers in Melbourn’s inner north.

There are also questions about the cost of the plan, which has not yet been publicly released.

Early demolition works have started at the Carton site.

The next stage of demolition will start early next year, with construction expected to be completed by 2028.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen welcomed the release of the designs.

“I want families to have decent homes because I want kids to have decent lives,” Allen said.

“Every Victorian deserves a home near the people they love, close to transport, jobs and services.”

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