Doors Open on Nightingale’s First Build-to-Rent Project

Nightingale and partner Fresh Hope Communities has delivered a small-footprint affordable build-to-rent project at Marrickville, its first Sydney project.

NSW Minister for Housing Rose Jackson opened what has been touted as one of the nation’s most innovative build-to-rent housing projects on April 18. . 

Residents have started moving into the 54 SJB-designed Teilhaus-style apartments at Nightingale Marrickville, which provides affordable housing at 80 per cent of the market rate. 

Nightingale chief executive Dan McKenna said he hoped it would encourage further innovation between not-for-profits to deliver affordable housing. 

“It’s been great to team up with Fresh Hope Communities on a shared vision to address the pressing need for affordable housing in Sydney's Inner West,” McKenna said. 

“We hope this is the first of many projects like it.”

Land prices in Sydney had made it difficult for not-for-profit housing developer Nightingale to move into the Harbour City. 

▲ Three times more applicants than could be housed in the Nightingale Marrickville project, which opened its doors this month (April), were received.

Fresh Hope Communities chief executive Dan Dwyer said the Churches of Christ NSW and NT welfare arm provided the land owned by the church to be leased and developed to create affordable housing. 

“This project embodies our collective vision of creating affordable communities that lower barriers so that people doing it tough can find ‘home’ and a sense of belonging,” Dwyer said. 

The residents were selected via a ballot system, which had an income cap and put First Nations people, individuals with a disability, key workers and single women aged over 55 to the front of the queue.

They had 177 applications for the 54 micro-apartments. 

The small footprint apartments are complemented by large shared spaces including kitchen and dining areas, laundries and garden terrace. 

At ground floor a hospitality venue and a gallery space are designed to connect the building’s community to the wider neighbourhood. 

Nightingale and Fresh Hope’s Marrickville build-to-rent project had a discretionary $1.2-million developer contribution waived by the Inner West Council.

It had been a challenging path forward for the Victorian affordable housing developer after concerns were raised over the heritage value of the site, which was formerly a church. 

The initial development application was rejected by the council in 2019, but successfully appealed in the NSW Land and Enviornment Court at the end of 2020.

Aside for Nightingale’s debut in Sydney, the development is a testbed for its “teilhaus” design as a build-to-rent offering.