By Shelby Brooks
Pakenham could soon be next to experience the tiny home trend, with a real estate developer purchasing a local caravan park to develop a new affordable living community.
Lei Feng, director of Preer Property Group, said the he purchased Pakenham Caravan Park on Racecourse Road roughly a year ago, with the intention to turn some free land on the site into a space for tiny houses.
“We’re a development company. The idea was not to develop the caravan park but to fill a niche gap for affordable housing,” Mr Feng told the Gazette.
“We want to try leverage our expertise in real estate development to get some addition unused land in the park to turn into our tiny home concept.”
Tiny houses are affordable living options that utilise small footprints and clever architectural design.
Mr Feng was inspired by a trip to the US three years ago, learning that 24 million Americans live in long term housing in trailer parks.
“Throughout Australian history, caravan parks have been for tourists but in the last 30 years it has morphed into residential communities,” Mr Feng said.
“Caravan parks are made up of about 80 per cent permanent residents living in long term housing, either in cabins or caravans.
“But most of those cabins are constructed with old style weatherboards and the quality of life is far from desirable.”
Mr Feng said within the south east suburbs, demand for long term living options in caravan parks were high.
“Caravan parks are overbooked,” he said.
“We get about four phone calls a day for places like Pakenham but they’ve run out of placement.”
Mr Feng said tiny homes can be rented between $200 and $230 a week, compared to a house for $400.
The small footprint homes can be built with the proper fit outs, with “architectural flavour”, Mr Feng said.
Preer Property Group has developed tiny homes in caravan parks along the Mornington Peninsula with great success already.
Pakenham is next on their list.
“We’re working on a permit to submit to Cardinia Council with the hope to expand to 20 architecturally driven cabins at the Pakenham Caravan Park,” he said.
“Interest from the local community has been high.“
