VMCH's $250m St. Clare Kew hits near sell-out as residents settle into new community
VMCH's $250 million St. Clare retirement precinct in Kew has moved close to a sell-out, less than a year after the first residents moved into what is the Catholic for-purpose organisation's largest development to date.
The 1.4-hectare Studley Park development, designed by Woods Bagot and built by Hacer Group, comprises 103 residences alongside a significant collection of resident amenity housed partly within restored and repurposed heritage buildings.
More than 90 per cent of the residences have now sold, with the remaining stock concentrated in two-bedroom plus study and three-bedroom configurations.
The latest availability shows just a handful of apartments remain, including two-bedroom residences from $2.15 million and three-bedroom apartments from $2.36 million. One of the largest remaining homes is a three-bedroom residence priced at $3.2 million. Both the standard two-bedroom collection and penthouses are now under offer.
It follows a strong response to the project from Melbourne downsizers well before completion.
More than 85 per cent of St. Clare's residences had been reserved by the time the project opened, including a penthouse which secured a $5.1 million sale, highlighting the depth of the premium retirement market in Melbourne's tightly-held inner east.
First residents moved into St. Clare on December 1 last year, with the majority of those who had purchased before completion settled into their apartments by the end of January.
The focus has since shifted from development and sales to establishing the community VMCH had envisaged throughout the planning and construction of the project.
Weekly Flex and Move and Aqua Fitness classes have been introduced following resident demand, while table tennis has also become a regular fixture.
A community garden has now been completed, with residents forming their own working group to manage and use the space.
It adds to an extensive amenity offering that includes a magnesium swimming pool, wellness centre, cinema, library, restaurant, private dining rooms, two bars and a golf simulator.
Residents also have access to a concierge, Wellness Manager and 24-hour staffing, pushing St. Clare closer to the service levels generally associated with premium hotels than traditional retirement villages.
Around half of the 1.4-hectare site has been retained as open space, incorporating walking paths, gardens and a fenced off-leash dog area. (stclarekew.com.au)
The residential buildings themselves take cues from the grand homes of Kew and Studley Park, with Woods Bagot incorporating mansard-style roof forms into the architecture.
Almost all apartments have dual aspects, with outlooks across Studley Park, Melbourne's eastern suburbs and toward the CBD. Residences include large balconies or ground-floor private open spaces, Miele appliances and premium fixtures and finishes.
VMCH CEO Sonya Smart said seeing residents establish themselves within St. Clare had been particularly significant given the scale and length of the development process.
“After years of planning and hard work, it’s wonderful to see the vision of St. Clare come to life,” Smart said.
“What’s made this journey truly special is the involvement of residents from the very beginning, seeing them now enjoy the homes that once existed only on paper is fabulous.”
St. Clare also plays a broader role in VMCH's development strategy.
As a for-purpose organisation providing services to more than 9,000 Victorians, VMCH uses the capital generated through its retirement living developments to help support other parts of its portfolio, including affordable housing for older Victorians on lower incomes. (stclarekew.com.au)
VMCH Board Chairman Julien O'Connell AO said purchasers at St. Clare were therefore indirectly contributing to the organisation's wider housing and community programs.
“Residents moving into St. Clare have made a philanthropic impact, as their decision leaves a lasting legacy for vulnerable people in our community,” O'Connell said.
For the remaining buyers, St. Clare is now a considerably different proposition to when the project was initially released.
Rather than purchasing off-the-plan and waiting for completion, buyers can now inspect finished apartments, the completed amenity and an established resident community before making the move.
VMCH's current sales campaign lists St. Clare as ready to move into, with the final residences available from around $2.2 million. (stclarekew.com.au)
View the remaining residences at St. Clare Kew
Five alternative headlines
VMCH's $250m St. Clare Kew nears sell-out after strong downsizer demand
Final residences remain at VMCH's $250m St. Clare Kew
Inside the $250m Kew retirement precinct now more than 90 per cent sold
St. Clare Kew closes in on sell-out as $3.2m residences remain
VMCH's biggest development nears sell-out in Kew's Studley Park
Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Apartments.com.au, where he leads the editorial team and oversees the country’s most comprehensive news coverage dedicated to the off the plan property market. With more than a decade of experience in residential real estate journalism, Joel brings deep insight into Australia’s evolving development landscape.
He holds a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism from Leeds Beckett University in the UK, and has developed a particular expertise in off the plan apartment space. Joel’s editorial lens spans the full lifecycle of a project, from site acquisition and planning approvals through to new launches, construction completions, and final sell-out, delivering trusted, buyer-focused content that supports informed decision-making across the property journey
