The Block ‘takes over a quiet Melbourne cul-de-sac’ for the next season

With The Block auctions right around the corner, plans for next year’s season of the Channel Nine renovation show are already under way.

And according to New Idea, the network has already begun seeking out properties in a quiet cul-de-sac in Hampton, an upmarket suburb in Melbourne’s south-east.

In a bid to secure a large-scale site, producers have reportedly approached residents of Bronte Court with generous offers to buy their homes.

Home owners were supposedly offered ‘too-good-to-refuse’ payments, and some didn’t waste any time accepting them.

While several locals were more than happy to offload their homes, others have expressed anger over The Block rolling into their area.

This isn’t new, of course: previous seasons of The Block have been met with local resistance.  

During the 2018 series, St Kilda residents opposed the development of the Gatwick hotel which for years had been a safe haven for the city’s down and out. 

‘I’m very unhappy they’re doing those renovations on this unsuitable street. It’s not really big enough to cope with all the traffic and disruption,’ a Bronte Court resident told Woman’s Day. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment. 

TV Tonight reported on Saturday that one of the five properties purchased for the show was reportedly owned by The Block auctioneer Nicole Jacobs, and sold in June for $3,025,000.

Producer Julian Cress previously told 9Entertainment: ‘We’re really excited about next year, because we have found a property that actually meets that brief that we’ve set ourselves. 

‘It’s something that we’ve never done before and we’re very excited about it.’