Remember the Ormond station “Value Capture Deck“, built above the railway when it was sunk into a trench, for future development on top… which never happened?
That’s not the only way to redevelop after a level crossing removal.
At Gardiner, the crossing was removed in 2015-16.
Unlike at Ormond, at Gardiner there was space to build the new station in a trench beside the existing line. Here’s how it looked during excavation:
I don’t get past there very often, so it’s only recently that I noticed the old railway alignment has been redeveloped, with an apartment block called Glenarm Square.
This photo is from roughly the same spot as the one above:
This puts the new building right next to the station.
It appears that – sensibly – after the crossing was removed, VicTrack sold the surplus land to a developer.
Private developer DealCorp has won planning approval for a $100 million apartment tower to be built opposite a suburban railway station in Melbourne’s east, on a site created through the state government’s revamp of train stations and rail crossings.
Financial Review, 26/9/2018
While the building itself may have cost $100m, I can’t find any public information on how much money VicTrack (and thus the Victorian public) earned from the land sale.
But it’s a good idea to put housing (with ground floor retail) in such a location. For once the advertising for the apartments was justified in promoting the use of the tram and train access at the door.
Reduce your reliance on your car by leaving it in its secure parking space, and make the most of the close proximity you will enjoy to a plethora of public transport options, easily located if you want to spend the day in the nearby Melbourne CBD, or catch up for lunch with friends in one of the character-filled inner-suburbs that surround Glenarm Square.
Apartments and Developments
The project was completed in 2022.
You can see the transition in this clumsy video I did comparing Google Streetview images over time.
I’m not sure I’d call this building beautiful, but it’s a great location, and it seems to have pretty good views to the City, and to the north towards Camberwell, though I wonder if the constant noise from the freeway is an issue.
Up the street is another block, the top of which is higher than this one, thanks to being higher up the hill. Between them is a row of two-storey shop fronts, which you’d have to assume will also be redeveloped in due course.
More housing around railway stations and tram lines? Yes please.
4 replies on “Gardiner value capture”
At the behest of a friend I was there last week to check where two Burke Road trams stops have been combined. The new Camberwell bound stop does not have a nearby street lamp and it is thought to be too dark at night time to be very safe. There is strong road marking, very unusual at a normal street tram stop, but Burke Road is a very dangerous road for tram users.
The new apartment building is rather nondescript but probably has double glazing so freeway noise would only be an issue on balconies.
As a resident of the building, we don’t hear the freeway at all! You do hear the honk of the train before the doors are closed but that becomes white noise after awhile. We hardly notice it anymore!
Thanks for putting the video together, it’s great to see the transition through time ????
@Andrew Cee, which stop on Burke Road is it?
@Puck, good to know you don’t hear the traffic! Gotta love double glazing.
Huge residential towers are being erected opposite Hampton station.
Will be interesting to see by how much traffic increases in the area (i.e. whether the wealthy folk who move in use their SUV to get around or catch public transport)