Carlton's magnetic appeal for student accommodation strengthens

Journal Student Living's move on 500 Swanston Street headlines a fresh drive of student accommodation projects looking to call Carlton home.

The $60m build would be Journal's second Melbourne project after 18-32 Leicester Street which is in the hands of Icon Construction. Journal Student Living is backed by South African company Redefine Properties.

500 Swanston Street as the current home of the CFMEU accounts for a 1,388sqm land plot and finds itself in the midst of a handful of student accommodations buildings. METIER3 have designed the newest member of the pack to include 710 student beds across 18 levels.

Spanning 57 metres in height, the development will also include heavily activated lower levels and roughly 1,700 square metres of student communal space.

METIER's first student accommodation design enters the Urban.com.au Project Database just as Urbanest has been confirmed for the Carlton Connect Initiative, which will account for the former Royal Women's Hospital further north along Swanston Street.

Aside from University of Melbourne's new School of Engineering, office space and a mass of retail space, the project jointly designed by Hayball and Woods Bagot will also take on 528 student beds across 274 rooms. Urbanest will manage the new wing of the development which spans 15 levels.

The project at 700 Swanston Street adds to Urbanest's two existing campuses and two further campuses in development.

Reports on 700 Swanston Street were handed down last night; the expected outcome being City of Melbourne's support final for the project.

Also on the City of Melbourne's agenda last night was Cedar Pacific's bid to transform Carlton's 123-135 Bouverie Street into one of the city's larger student accommodation projects.

The nettletontribe-designed project has gone through design alterations, which includes an increased setback above the onsite heritage building, a reduce the number of student rooms to 579 and an increase in communal space as a result of internal rearrangements. 123-135 Bouverie Street too has been recommended for approval, subject to conditions. 

There are currently a dozen student accommodation projects within Carlton under development.