Douglas Apartments, Noble Park: from commuter parking to community housing

Beside Noble Park Station, land once used for surplus commuter parking has been redeveloped as Douglas Apartments, a five-level building containing 97 community housing apartments and six ground-floor retail tenancies.

Completed in 2026, the development reuses a 2,211 m² site in Melbourne’s south-east. Cedar Woods developed the project and sold the completed building to community housing provider HousingFirst, which now owns and operates it.

Housing in an established activity centre

The location was central to the project. Noble Park Station sits immediately beside the building, and shops and everyday services are within walking distance.

Previously commuter parking in the rail precinct, the site now provides housing in an area already served by public transport and local amenities. Ground-level retail tenancies add a mixed-use element.

The apartments are intended for households on the Victorian Housing Register.

From development to ongoing operation

Cedar Woods acquired the land through a government-run public process and developed the project. DKO designed the building, and Balmain & Co constructed it.

Victorian and Commonwealth government funding supported HousingFirst’s acquisition of the completed development.

As Cedar Woods Managing Director Nathan Blackburne put it in the case study: “Good planning puts well-connected land to work.”

Building performance and transport choices

The completed building achieved an average 8.2-star NatHERS rating. It is all-electric, has no gas connection and uses 100% GreenPower. A 97 kW rooftop solar system also provides on-site renewable energy.

The station-side location is complemented by 98 bicycle spaces, bicycle repair facilities and three communal electric vehicle charging stations.

A 25 kL rainwater tank supplies water for toilet flushing and irrigation. During construction, the project diverted 80% of construction and demolition waste from landfill.

Read the Douglas Apartments case study

The two-page case study explains the project’s site history, delivery model, and sustainability measures in more detail, including energy and water use results.