Creating beautiful shared spaces in your strata development isn’t just about aesthetics.
Shared spaces (when done well) can enrich the look, feel and desirability of your development. By investing in shared spaces that people love to enjoy, you’ll also create a strong sense of community and opportunities for residents to come together.
Below, we share our top advice on how to create a beautiful space that’s right for your property.
Why Investing in Shared Spaces for Strata Developments is Worth It
Shared spaces in strata developments that people actively want to use help to create a strong sense of community and imbue residents with a sense of pride about their homes and the surrounding property. It can bring people together to care for the spaces, but also creates opportunities for people to get to know and support each other.
Beyond community building, creating beautiful shared spaces is a financial investment that pays back. We’ve found that for every dollar spent on creating functional, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces, you generally get $6 back in overall property value.
What to Include for a Beautiful Shared Space in Strata Developments
Whether you’re creating a brand new space or looking to refresh and update a current space, here’s what we recommend you look to include:
Purpose-led seating
Whether it’s picnic tables, lounges, benches, or something else, incorporate seating that allows for both communal opportunities and more private ones.
Weather-proofed options
Pick furniture that’s durable and made to last in Australia’s intermittent weather. Large parasol umbrellas and awnings provide shade on summer days and shelter in the rain.
Green spaces
Green spaces aren’t just visually appealing; they’re known to aid healthy communities. Even a small area dedicated to greenery and local flora can provide a space for residents to enjoy and support a healthy community. Some reports have even shown that every $1 spent on gardens returns $7 in capital growth.
A vegetable garden
If your development has the space, consider incorporating a community vegetable garden that residents can tend to and share.
Dedicated play areas
Depending on the demographics of your strata development’s residents, consider including dedicated play spaces. This can be as simple as a well-kept grassy area for ball games or play equipment,
Community-giving space
Incorporate spaces that allow the community to share, such as a street library or food pantry, as they encourage neighbourly interaction and a stronger sense of belonging within the strata development.
What to Consider When Creating Shared Spaces in Strata Developments
Creating a shared space in strata developments can take some planning and maintenance. Here’s what we recommend considering before you get started:
Speak with your residents
There’s no point in creating shared spaces that don’t meet your residents’ needs and go unused. Speak with your residents to understand what’s missing and what they’d like to see included.
Apply for local grants for financial support
Many people aren’t aware that there are often grants available to beautify communal spaces, even within strata developments. These could be available through local councils or larger organisations like AusPost and Telstra.
We recommend assigning one person on your committee to lead grant applications so they don’t fall through the cracks.
Delegate care and maintenance where appropriate
While some maintenance will require professional input, you can also put it to your committee to agree on the general care of the space. This could be as simple as one agreed-upon day a month when residents come together to clean, weed, and tidy the areas to ensure upkeep is maintained. This gives residents a chance to have more ownership over their shared spaces.
Set some guidelines and ground rules for use.
This goes hand in hand with overall maintenance, but work with your committee to agree on general guidelines and ground rules for residents’ use of the shared space. Make sure these are readily available for everyone to review and acknowledge, so the spaces are well-maintained and used appropriately. This could include requirements for booking the space with guests or restrictions on noisy group gatherings to respect others.
Invest consistently
Creating a beautiful shared space isn’t a one-off investment. It’s essential to continue to invest in it over time to ensure it’s well cared for. A well-tended space adds capital to your overall development, so don’t skip the maintenance component.
Get Professional Support for Your Strata Development
At Above OCM, our team are experts at guiding you through the process of creating and maintaining beautiful shared spaces for your strata development.
From supporting committees in accessing grants, creating shared-use guidelines, or getting the right professionals to help maintain beautiful shared areas, we’ll ensure your space only ever adds value.
Contact us today if you’re looking for more efficient owners corporation management.
