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With rent here in Sydney remaining stubbornly high and affordable inner-city housing increasingly out of reach, a whole lot of young Sydneysiders have been forced to compromise. Whether it's squeezing into crowded share houses, enduring marathon commutes from the suburbs or sacrificing any hope of saving (guilty), finding a place to live has become one of the city's biggest challenges. Now, a new housing model is aiming to offer another option.
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Property developer Coronation Property has recently secured planning approval for a new collection of compact build-to-rent apartments at its Precinct 75 development in St Peters. Dubbed City Starter, City Stayer™, the well-located Inner West apartments measure between 30 and 35 square metres, but space isn’t the drawcard. The affordable apartments are a whole lot smaller than a typical one-bedroom apartment, but they've been designed to make every inch count – and they’re a good indicator of what our housing market might start to look like.
Rather than just shrinking floorplans, the apartments have been designed around integrated furniture, clever storage solutions and super efficient layouts, with residents also scoring access to a wider network of shared amenities and services throughout the Build-to-Rent community.
According to Coronation, the concept has been developed in response to Sydney's ongoing housing shortage, rising rents and changing demographics, particularly the growing number of people living alone. The team explain that the apartments are intended to provide a more accessible pathway into well-located neighbourhoods for people who prioritise living close to work, public transport and cultural hubs over having extra space.
The apartments were designed in collaboration with several of Australia's leading architecture firms, including COX Architecture, BVN, Bates Smart and SJB. According to COX director Felipe Miranda, the homes were designed "from the inside out", with furniture and everyday living patterns informing the layout from the outset.
Projects like this one also signal a shift in how Sydney's housing might evolve. Compact apartments have long been common in cities like New York, London and across Scandinavia, where thoughtful design and generous communal facilities help offset smaller private living spaces. Coronation hopes the same model can help address Sydney's housing pressures without compromising on design quality – a model also seen at Marrickville’s Nightingale apartments.
The first City Starter, City Stayer™ apartments will form part of the redevelopment of the former industrial Precinct 75 site in St Peters, with the first residents expected to move in from 2027. Coronation has also flagged plans to introduce the compact apartment model across future build-to-rent projects in Erskineville, Waterloo and St Leonards, subject to planning approval.
Approval for the development was granted through the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority pathway, recognising the role that smarter, more efficient apartment design can play in increasing housing supply. You can learn more about the pathway over here, and you’ll find more info about Precinct 75 over here.
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