Mixed-use projects see crane levels rise across Melbourne
A boom in mixed-use or other sector projects has seen Melbourne record a lift of almost eight per cent in the Q1 2021, according to the latest RLB Crane Index.
Over the last six months there have been 15 cranes added, with four added to each of the $800 million Caulfield Village in Caulfield North and the $220 million Richmond Quarter.
Three cranes were added to the Elizabeth north project in Elizabeth Street, bringing their total number of cranes to four.
Melbourne's Crane Index. Source: RLB Crane Index Q1
West Side Place Stage two also has four cranes, while there are three cranes are located at QVM Residences, Sapphire by the Gardens and Union Quarter. These six projects account for 22 of the 39 mixed-use cranes in Melbourne, according to RLB.
The cranes came down at the now completed Docklands Residences in Docklands. Developed by Capital Alliance, Docklands Residences comprises 88 apartments which have been built above a 200 room Marriott Hotel, the first built in Australia for over two decades.
Cranes in inner Melbourne fell by seven to 95, the lowest since Q2 2018. That was primarily caused by the completion or near completion of many residential projects which saw residential cranes fall by 16 to 28.
Melbourne's east saw their residential cranes drop to nine, the lowest on record. Residential projects still account for 50 per cent of total cranes in east.
Residential cranes were removed from Camberwell's Anderson Park, the Summit and Alpine Apartments in Doncaster and the Hawthorn East apartment development Hawthorn Park.
Developer Dahua Group had Rothelowman create the $300 million Hawthorn Park development alongside landscape architect Jack Merlo, with the standout feature of the 368 apartment development its striking infinity pool linking two of buildings.
Cranes came down at the nearby Toorak Road, Hawthorn East development Brasshouse, Lilydale Grove in Hawthorn East and The Kent in Hawthorn. The East Central Tower in Box Hill saw cranes removed, as did Ramsay Gardens in Vermont South.
New cranes were placed for Pace of Blackburn, the modern project from the recent Master Builders Victoria award winners Pace Development Group, as well as Grocon's Denmark Kew and Prospect and Panorama Apartments in Box Hill, among others.
Melbourne's north saw 22 new cranes added with the region hitting 27, just below the record high of 27 in Q2 2018. There were just six removals.
It was busy in Brunswick, with cranes being moved on to the sites of Pellicano's build-to-rent Solarino house, Lucent's The Stewart Collective and Balfe Park Lane Apartments.
Home by Caydon in Alphington and the Capella Apartments in Reservoir, developed by Forte Group, each installed two cranes on their sites.
Melbourne's north was the only region to see an increase in residential cranes, increasing by 16 cranes to 23.
The south saw an increase of four cranes mainly due to commencement of the Caulfield Village project.
Other new projects in the south include Pavillion on the Park, developed by Sydney One Investments in Armadale, Lowe Living's Azure in Aspendale and Olea Residences in Caulfield.
There's also the family Supportive housing in Dandenong, Prince Corporation's East village in Prahran, Sandringham's Trentham House to be delivered by Carpe and the Loreto old St Georges building in Toorak.
Cranes were removed from Sutherland and Alara in Armadale, Olivia and Brighton Collection in Brighton, Collins & Bates in Chadstone, Eastwood Monash in Clayton and The Glen in Glen Waverley, among others.
Melbourne's west grew by four cranes to now total 18 cranes. Footscray remains the central area of crane activity with eight cranes including three new cranes at the new mixed-use project at Union Quarter in Spotswood.
Cranes were also added to Liberty One, 21 Victoria and Riverfront in Footscray and Kings Village in Kingsville.
Liberty One, to be delivered by Bensons Property Group, has 350 one and two bedroom apartments across its Warde Street development.
