About our coworking space consultation

We have explored the possibility of providing a dedicated coworking space for our community to work locally. Thank you to everyone who took part in our survey.

We want to let you know that the Council won’t be moving forward with this project because new co-working spaces have recently opened-up. The good news is there are plenty of options available for you to check out.

What you told us

The aim of the survey was to gauge the level of community support for the concept, and to help us investigate the viability of providing a dedicated community coworking space in the future.

The survey was open from 15 September to 24 October 2022.

More than 140 community members contributed to this survey, and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views and contribute feedback. We are currently reviewing this feedback and determining the next steps for this consultation.

The summarised survey results are:

  • 88% of respondents are interested in using a coworking space on weekdays in the centre of Boroondara at low cost.
  • The top features responders said would make them more interested in a coworking space were casual and online bookings, low fees, Wi-Fi, private meeting rooms and nearby cafés or food outlets.
  • The most popular public locations for work outside the home or office currently are local cafés and libraries, and only 29% of respondents have not worked at a public location before.
  • Over 50% of respondents would not expect to work in a place that was not their home or office more than once a fortnight in the next 12 months.
  • Community members said they would be most likely to use a coworking space on Tuesdays, followed by Wednesdays, but over one third of respondents said they were not sure which days of a week they would prefer.
  • 86% of respondents said they would be willing to pay less than $20 to book a desk for a day in a coworking space.

Why we investigated the demand for coworking spaces

This was part of our commitment to finding new ways to build community connection as part of our Boroondara Community Plan 2021-2031. We are focused on ensuring neighbourhoods and community spaces facilitate social connections and belonging. We do this by providing, maintaining, and activating places for people to meet, organise activities and celebrate events.

Working alongside people from different organisations and industries in a shared office space can have many benefits, such as:

  • boosting productivity
  • assisting with making connections
  • strengthening support networks
  • invigorating the local economy.