About the project
Homes Victoria together with our not-for-profit project partner Building Communities, including builder ICON, is redeveloping Simmons Street (Horace Petty) in South Yarra to provide more social, affordable rental, market rental and specialist disability accommodation homes.
This is all part of the Victorian Government’s plan to improve housing affordability by tackling the root of the problem: building more and better homes in places where people want to live.
The 204 previous homes at the site were not fit-for-purpose and did not comply with modern design standards. The project will replace these outdated dwellings with 522 modern and energy efficient homes, with a mix of one, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms to suit the needs of different households.
All new homes at Simmons Street will be delivered under a Ground Lease Model. Under this model, Homes Victoria leases the land to Building Communities to finance, design, build, manage and maintain the new housing at the site for the next 40 years. This means that all land will remain in public ownership. There will be no sale of public land.
Project update
Construction of the new homes is now underway and on track for delivery from late 2026.
Piling works will occur on site until January 2025.
Piling rigs are large machines used in construction to create deep foundations for buildings and structures. They drill into the ground and insert strong piles to support the weight of the future buildings.
There will be some noise and vibrations during these works. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
There will be no construction on site over the holiday period between 20 December 2024 and 13 January 2025.
If you have any questions or concerns about works at the Simmons Street housing site, please contact ICON 24-hour hotline on (03) 9389 3619 or email community.questions@icon.co
Fast Facts
The 24,900 square metre Simmons Street project is located just 4 km from Melbourne’s city centre in the suburb of South Yarra in the City of Stonnington. The site has the land capacity to provide more and better homes for more Victorians, and is ideally positioned close to public transport, jobs, schools and services.
Previous renters will have right of return to the site once the redevelopment is complete, based on their ongoing eligibility and needs.
The Simmons Street redevelopment will include spaces for a new cafe, social enterprises and an on-site office for tenancy support.
The new homes at Simmons Street will be leased for a 40-year term to not-for-profit project partner, Building Communities which includes ICON as the builder, and Community Housing Limited as the community housing organisation. Importantly, all land at Barak Beacon will remain in public ownership, and there will be no sale of public land.
New social housing at the site will be more comfortable and less expensive to heat and cool with a 5-star Green Star rating, and 7-star NatHERS average rating.
New homes at Simmons Street will include specialist disability accommodation.
The Simmons Street development will better integrate with the surrounding neighbourhood and provide quality open spaces that residents and the local community can enjoy, including a play space and community garden.
The Ground Lease Model 2 projects located in South Yarra, Hampton East, Port Melbourne and Prahran will jointly support approximately 7,600 jobs across the Victorian economy.
Community consultation
We held 2 stages of consultation to plan the future of the Simmons Street housing site.
Stage one community consultation was held between June and July 2022, and stage 2 community consultation was held between November and December 2023.
For more information about community engagement please visit our Simmons Street and Essex Street Engage Victoria webpage.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation process.
Project timeline
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Project announcement
December 2021
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Residents at Simmons Street supported to relocate
December 2021 onwards
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Stage 1 community consultation
June-July 2022
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Enabling works commence
Early 2023
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Appointment of Building Communities to deliver project
Late 2023
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Stage 2- community consultation
23 November - 20 December 2023
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Planning approval received
April 2024
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Main works construction commencement (pending approvals)
Late 2024
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Construction completion
By the end of 2026
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Renters welcomed back to new homes
From late 2026
Subscribe for updates
If you wish to hear more about the Simmons Street, South Yarra site and similar projects, you can subscribe to our mailing list by completing the sign-up form.
You can also subscribe to receive live project updates via text message by contacting ICON's on (03) 9389 3619 or by emailing community.questions@icon.co.
Community updates
Fact sheets
Translated Factsheets
Work notice
Contact us
Email icon:For any questions or concerns about works happening at Simmons Street, South Yarra, please contact ICON 24-hour hotline on (03) 9389 3619 or email community.questions@icon.co.
For more information, or to receive information in another language or an accessible format, please email southyarra@homes.vic.gov.au