Blackwattle Apartments

Completed in 2020, Blackwattle Apartments, Glebe offers 99 high-quality affordable rental apartments and 3 ground floor retail spaces offering 565m²of retail space.

This project has been awarded the 2020 winner of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) for best medium density development above 75 dwellings.

If you have additional questions regarding Blackwattle Apartments, you can contact the development team.

Last updated: August 2022

The Blackwattle apartments are part of the Glebe Affordable Housing Project Cowper Street redevelopment that replaced 153 dilapidated social housing flats into 495 apartments with a mix of social, affordable, and market apartments. NSW Land and Housing Corporation vested the land for the Affordable Housing component. The Blackwattle building is the dedicated Affordable Housing in perpetuity component of this urban renewal.

The architect was inspired by the built form found in the immediate area reflected in the patterned brickwork façade. A communal roof terrace offers a community vegetable garden and a BBQ dining area with views of the city skyline.

Blackwattle has been created specifically for long-term rental housing with a focus on the residents’ cost of living and amenity, providing:

99 purposely designed build-to-rent apartments with 100% dedicated for affordable housing in perpetuity
Apartment mix representative of local demand (51 x 1-bedroom, 39 x 2-bedroom, 9 x 3-bedroom)
Two private accessible external common areas that include a barbecue under a pergola, community garden, and also free Wi-Fi in common areas.

Blackwattle Apartments are located at 1-5 Wentworth Street, Glebe within the City of Sydney Local Government Area.

The site’s traditional custodians are the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.

Developer, Owner and Manager: City West Housing

Architect: Turner Architects

Builder: Kane Construction

Project Manager: Altus Group

Planner: Creative Planning Solutions

Quantity Surveyor: MBM

Landscape Architect: Sturt Noble

Structural Engineer: Waterman

Civil Engineer: Woolacotts

BCA Consultant: BCA Logic

City West Housing strives to minimise our environmental impact and reduce operating costs for our residents. Sustainability initiatives at Blackwattle Apartments include:

General

High-efficiency electrical and water fixtures and fittings
Native and drought-resistant landscaping
Exceeds BASIX energy efficiency requirements
Over 40% of the apartments are Livable Silver
16% of the apartments are adaptable

Energy

Use of passive design principles to improve resident comfort and reduce energy costs
Ceiling fans, flyscreens and blinds throughout to reduce reliance on air-conditioning
Average 6.3 NatHERS rating for thermal comfort

Transport

GoGet Car share pods in front of the building
450m to Broadway shopping centre
750m to Wentworth Park light rail station and Broadway bus stop to City and Coogee Beach

Residents have access to free GoGet car share membership and low usage rates, with two GoGet car share pods located at the front of the building
Competitive rates for internet and free utilities connections to relieve move-in pressures, in partnership with Tangerine Telecom and MyConnect
Partnership with Valiant Furniture who furnished apartments for a residents in need, using rental furniture that was still in good condition but had reached the end of its styling hire life

Blackwattle Apartments has been recognised in the property development industry for innovation and design excellence, demonstrating that affordable housing can deliver high quality housing that is indistinguishable from market housing.