Locals concerned over six-storey building proposal with just five car parks
A proposal to replace a two-storey public housing project in Melbourne’s inner east with a six-storey building containing just five car parks has raised concerns among locals about the potential impact on nearby residents.
For decades, the High Street property near Orrong Road in Prahran has been used as public housing for people aged 65 and over. It contained 22 houses within multiple two-story buildings.
It is planned to increase the number of houses to 50 by bulldozing the existing area and increase the height of the buildings four times to 21 meters. There are also plans to lower the entry age for tenants to 55.
However, since development is currently limited to 14.5 metres. Permission from the Minister of Planning Sonia Kilkenny.
While the new design includes 20 bicycle spaces and an internal courtyard, there is only five car spaces and a single elevator, despite the addition of 28 houses to the site.
Vehicles will need to enter via residential Florence Street at the rear of the property and residents will not be able to obtain street parking permits under Stonnington Council rules.
The property is owned by Housing First, a nonprofit that manages a $750 million public housing portfolio. I’m moving to sell two blocks of flats In St Kilda. Documents published as part of the planning application reveal the cost of the High Street development is estimated to be more than $26 million.
Nadine Parkington is among residents concerned about the proposal. He said local people were extremely supportive of social housing but were concerned about more cars on the one-way Florence Street.
“We’re talking about people over 55; there will be food distributions, people will shower, people will be cared for,” he said.
“There’s no thought to how this is going to happen and it’s going to put some kind of burden on our tiny little street.”
Hugh Hardy has lived happily next door for over a decade but is now worried about a larger building overshadowing his home and hopes it can be reduced to four storeys.
He said the developer could afford to produce hundreds of pages of reports on the site, but residents were limited to the evidence they could produce before the minister decided on the planning application.
“We think it’s a David and Goliath situation here; we’re up against the state government against Housing First,” he said.
A former resident of the social housing estate has spoken out Age He said on condition of anonymity that five car spaces were “ridiculous” for a group of elderly people who rely on vehicles and questioned how one elevator could serve six floors.
“We can’t wait to go back but it’s not within the plans they have,” they said.
Mayor Melina Sehr said Stonnington Council also had serious concerns about the plan and had formally objected to the application.
He cited the number of car parks on the High Street, including a large substation and access ramp overlooking the front of the building, the landscaping, the impact on neighbors and “poor presentation”.
“We believe that every development, regardless of its purpose, should be well designed, integrated with the neighborhood in which it is located, and truly serve the people who will live in it,” Sehr said.
Prahran MP Rachel Westaway, who sponsored the parliamentary petition launched by Parkington, said the area needed more social housing and claimed local people were being pushed to the sidelines.
“With only five car parks for 50 apartments and a two-storey building above the mandatory height limit, this project does not make sense in its current form,” he said.
A Housing First spokesperson said all design elements, including height, parking and amenity, will be assessed against planning requirements and standards, and comprehensive traffic and parking assessments have been carried out.
“All necessary planning approvals will be obtained prior to any redevelopment,” they said.
“We recognize that community members may have questions or concerns, and the planning process provides a formal means for applications to be submitted and considered.”
Jonathan O’Brien, an organizer with pro-housing density advocacy group YIMBY, accused Westaway of being “tone deaf”, saying the proposal appeared compatible and the apartments would be built.
“Opposing common-sense inner-city housing is a truly shameful outlook in 2026,” he said.
A Victorian government spokesman said any proposals would be assessed on their merits.
As of December 2025, more than 55,000 people had applied for public housing (government-managed) or public housing (non-profit organizations-managed) through state housing registries.
Victoria Council of Social Service chief executive Juanita Pope said Victoria had the lowest rate of social housing in Australia and called on the state to stick to its social housing growth target.
“Designed to meet the needs of older Victorians, social housing will make life easier for residents aging in place, with many recognizing this will be their last home before moving into aged care,” he said.
Rachael Ward is a journalist on The Age’s City team. Contact her at rachael.ward@theage.com.auConnect via email.
