Melbourne co-housing project spends $200k in tribunal battle for approval
The Brougham Street Collective in Melbourne spent about $200,000 extra on legal action to win approval for a 20-home co-housing development.
Ross and Paula Wade wanted to retire into a shared community with no fences and smaller homes. Ross and Paula Wade and other families who felt the same way planned the Brougham Street Collective in Eltham, Melbourne.
The 20 homes, with two to four bedrooms, would share a garden, cooking space, babysitting and power. The local council could not process the application.
It had no planning category for a common house or co-housing model. The group had to take the council to tribunal to overturn the rejection.
That fight cost them about $200,000 extra. They decided it was worth it to build their intentional community.
Co-housing originated in Denmark in the 1960s and is more common in Europe. These communities are small, usually up to 50 households, governed by residents rather than developers.
- $200,000
- Tribunal costs
- 20 homes, two to four bedrooms
- Homes planned
- Eltham, Melbourne
- Location
- Denmark, 1960s
- Co-housing origin
Why it mattersCo-housing offers a real alternative to isolation and expensive single-family homes, but Australia's planning system is not set up to allow it easily.
AustraliaAustralians interested in community living face high legal costs and planning barriers that European countries have already solved.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
