Tiny vacant block in Melbourne laneway up for grabs

Now one of these tiny spaces is being sold for the first time since 1948, a vacant 59-square-metre strip – R1, Niagara Lane – that runs off Niagara Lane and connects with Hardware Lane.

Although it may be teeny-tiny, Melburnians’ creative ability to make something out of almost nothing in these laneways is evident nearby.

The tiny thoroughfare has not changed hands for 70 years. Photo: Supplied

Take Section 8 for example, the once little Chinatown parking lot that was transformed into an open air bar; and then there’s Whitehart, another parking lot that now holds a double-decker container bar – both of which are now two of the CBD’s most popular venues.

Agent Chris Ling of Colliers International said R1 Niagara Lane was being sold “with capital-city zoning that gives it the flexibility to be developed into a variety of uses”. The price guide is more than $600,000.

“It could be used for hospitality, retail, office or residential. This truly is a rare and unique offering,” he said.

Whitehart Bar is built from steel beams and re-purposed empty shipping containers on an old carpark. Photo: Supplied

And indeed the surrounds of Niagara Laneway are packed with historical features, with its cobblestone paths neighbouring early nineteenth-century warehouses and heritage red-brick terraces. Take a harder look within the area and you may even spot the original pulleys and hooks used from the days of the horse and cart.

“The site is very much quintessentially Melbourne, jam packed with so much history,” Mr Ling said.

“It’s also positioned in one of Melbourne’s most desired high-density residential development precincts – all of this combined tends to bring about high levels of foot traffic passing through the area.”