Swift Walk, Kensington

About Swift Walk

Swift Walk, located at 402 Macaulay Road, Kensington just 4 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, is a large Build-to-Rent development delivering 362 homes, including 272 social and affordable homes, alongside new green spaces and community infrastructure all within walking distance of transport, employment hubs and Melbourne’s major hospitals.

Delivered and managed by Assemble on behalf of asset owner HESTA, a specialist industry superannuation fund, Swift Walk received funding from debt providers ANZ Bank, Treasury Corporation of Victoria and Housing Australia, and is operated on behalf of HESTA by Essence Communities and not-for-profit community housing providers Housing Choices Australia and Aboriginal Housing Victoria.

Designed by leading Melbourne architects Hayball and Kerstin Thompson Architects, landscaping by architects SBLA and DKO, the project includes a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments across five buildings, with publicly accessible green spaces, a supermarket and complementary retail spaces at ground level as well as resident facilities including co-working space, multipurpose spaces, gym, workshop, rooftop BBQ areas, communal laundries and other shared amenity areas throughout.

Sustainability features are embedded throughout the development, including a minimum 7.5-Star NatHERS energy rating, 80 kW of rooftop solar with access to a 100% GreenPower® option, a 100,000-litre rainwater harvesting system, and car parking with dedicated bicycle spaces.

A total of 91 social homes are managed by Housing Choices Australia and Aboriginal Housing Victoria. Social housing residents—low-income individuals and families—are selected from the Victorian Housing Register, with screening processes in place to ensure the right match between tenants, apartments and the broader community.

What is community housing

Over 20,000 Victorian households currently live in community housing-owned and managed homes. They are from all walks of life – single people, couples, young families, older women, newly arrived Victorians and people with disability.

The community housing sector is a long standing and vital component of the Australian housing spectrum, alongside public housing and private housing. ‘Social housing’ is an umbrella term that includes both public housing and community housing. It generally indicates housing that involves some degree of rental subsidy. In Victoria, public housing is managed by Homes Victoria. Community housing is owned or managed by non-government, not-for-profit, registered housing agencies like Housing Choices.

Community housing providers are regulated by the Victorian Housing Registrar and hold specialist expertise in property development, property management, tenancy management and community development. We provide safe and secure homes to those who live on low incomes, often with disability. We are committed under our charter to deliver safe, secure and affordable homes to low-income renters, help residents maintain stable tenancies, and ensure they have access to support services and live in communities that will improve their circumstances and life opportunities.