Day Spa, Gallery Planned for ACT Apartment Block

Plans have been filed for a luxury apartment development and day spa in Canberra.

A five-storey building comprising 50 apartments and three ground-floor commercial units, allocated for a day spa, club lounge, and a public art gallery and “sculpture dealer” are planned for a 2973sq m site at 38 Grey Street, Deakin.

Also proposed are two levels of basement parking with 134 spaces as well as electric-vehicle charging points.

The site is being developed by Intellectual Property Pty Ltd, a company registered in Melbourne. The sole director is listed as Christopher Malcolm.

According to the development application, “The building has been specifically designed and marketed to provide high-quality apartment living with [a] minimum of three bedrooms which would support the needs of the community”.

Previously, the site was home to the Margaret Dimoff Art (Solander) Gallery.

It is next to public transport infrastructure at Hopetoun Circuit. A planned light-rail expansion would include a stop along nearby Adelaide Avenue. 

In 2022, an application was submitted by the same applicant for a serviced apartment project for the site but this was rejected by the National Capital Design Review Panel and sent the developer back to the drawing board.

It was also subject to a development application in 2017 by previous owners for a 102-bed aged-care facility, which was opposed by residents.

Canberra has experienced considerable growth in the apartment development market in recent years thanks in part to government initiatives to unlock land, such as the ACT Government’s attempts to develop a 200-home estate in Watson.

Meanwhile, private developers has also taken the initiative, including Canberra’s first build-to-rent project, which recently completed.