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A series of botanic gardens in the sky are the centrepiece of a new apartment development being established on top of Glen Waverley’s redeveloped shopping precinct, The New Glen.

“When it comes to apartment living, a lot of people think they will lose their beautiful gardens or outdoor spaces,” says Dandan Zhao, marketing and sales director at developers Golden Age.

“But if you live in a house, there’s a lot of maintenance you have to do. We started thinking, how do we solve these two problems?”

The answer comes in the form of their new development: three residential towers that will be connected by 4000 square metres of shared space above The New Glen.

Developers considered the varying needs of residents in the design of the gardens. There are kids’ play zones, large lawns, barbecue areas for entertaining, and vegetable gardens. There are also water features and spaces designed to help residents stay active by doing tai chi or yoga. Sky Garden also boasts 360-degree views across Melbourne.

Residents will have access to a fully equipped gym, pool, sauna and steam room. Render: Sky Garden

“Facing east you can see the whole Dandenong Ranges, and to the west there are uninterrupted views across to the city skyline,” Zhao says. “This is the largest air rights purchase in Australia. To the side of the project is Glen Waverley Secondary School, which is never going to be built out.”

The garden might be the headline-grabbing feature of the project, but there are plenty of other shared facilities for residents to enjoy. A communal lounge, complete with fireplace, will overlook the gardens, while a fully equipped gym, pool, sauna and steam room will help residents stay active.

There are opportunities to socialise in the private dining rooms and terraced barbecue areas, games rooms for mahjong and chess, and a library offering residents the chance to get a moment’s respite.

Sky Garden boasts 360-degree views across Melbourne.

“We have a lot of shared spaces,” Zhao says. “This was a major thing for us in designing this project. We wanted to create a community in which our residents can interact with each other.”

Buyers so far include young families attracted to the location – within Glen Waverley Secondary School’s catchment zone and walking distance of Wesley College’s Glen Waverley campus – and commuters, with Glen Waverley station a short stroll away.

Zhao notes many are attracted by the proximity of The New Glen. “They’re spending $460 million rebuilding the shopping centre, which will become the second largest in Australia,” she says.

“Residents can just head downstairs to pick up their groceries, and it’s also got a huge focus as a food destination. There will be a lot of fresh, particularly Asian, food options there, too.”

Relatively unusually, she notes, most buyers so far have been locals looking to become owner-occupiers.

“One interesting trend we are seeing is that some people are upsizing. They want the convenience of apartment living with a large floor plan. They are combining two or three-bedroom apartments together, creating 150, even 200-square-metre apartments.

“They’re making it a big space, but they like being close to everything that they don’t have to maintain. That is something quite unique that we’re seeing.”

To find out more on the Golden Age development, click here.