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The Planning Minister has announced the expansion of the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area which will now include the entire area which lies north of the West Gate Freeway between the West Gate Bridge and the Bolte Bridge (excluding West Gate Park).

The expansion means the total amount of land which will now come under the Capital City Zone will increase from 250 hectares to 455 hectares. The Planning Minister is the responsible authority for approval of development applications which have a gross floor area that is larger than 25,000 square metres.

Likewise, the existing precincts of Montague which straddles either side of the <a href="/developments/port-melbourne-vic-3207">Port Melbourne</a> #109 Tram and Lorimer, the pocket of land located behind Yarra's Edge and bordered by the West Gate Freeway and the Bolte Bridge, will have an interim height limit of 40 levels applied whilst a revised structure plan for Fishermans Bend is conducted.

The new business precinct which at present hosts the operations of companies such as Boeing, Herald &amp; Weekly Times, Kraft, General Motors Holden and Toyota is located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Lorimer, until today, was the only precinct located within the City of Melbourne's jurisdiction. The three other existing precincts - Montague, Wirraway and Sandridge - are located within the City of Port Phillip.

At present we are tracking 18 projects in the Fishermans Bend area and these projects will not be subject to the new interim height controls. A fact sheet provided to Apartments.com.au states 'existing permit applications will be determined by the Minister for Planning as required under the planning scheme provisions in place at the time of application'.

All new applications will be assessed with the interim height controls as shown in the following map.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/interim_fish_bend_heights.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Interim height controls which will apply to new development applications in Fishermans Bend"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="276" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/interim_fish_bend_heights.png?itok=CXJgUDmt" title="Interim height controls which will apply to new development applications in Fishermans Bend" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Interim height controls which will apply to new development applications in Fishermans Bend</figcaption></figure>Media release in full

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_68385" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/262116653/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Alastair Taylor

Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area expands, interim height limits applied

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In a <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/labor-backs-investment-in-better-bus-services-and-community-consultation">media release</a> distributed on Tuesday morning the Andrews Government has announced it will not proceed with proposals to alter the bus network which Transdev Melbourne operates. For a summary of the now rejected proposal, see <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/hundreds-of-bus-services-in-melbournes-west-and-north-face-being-cut-to-service-citys-east-20150413-1mk1no">this Age report</a> from Monday.

Transdev Melbourne - an operator which runs approximately 30% of Melbourne's bus network - originally sought to cut elongated routes, such as the orbital smart bus routes, and reduce frequencies on multiple northern and western routes in order to boost capacity in the east and south where patronage growth is reportedly strongest.

The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan has stated "rather than cutting buses in one area to increase buses in another, the Andrews Labor Government will develop a more balanced bus network plan in consultation with the community." Furthermore "demand for buses is growing faster than any other mode of transport, and we need to make sure they continue to meet the needs of our community.”

The State Government is now set to establish a new Ministerial consultative group encompassing new transport forums based around municipal areas. The bodies are set to look at ways to 'expand and improve public transport, including buses'.

<h2>Comment</h2>

One can only hope the new Ministerial consultative group conducts a root and branch - or spoke and hub - review of Melbourne's entire bus network. Smart buses are the offspring of the previous Bracks/Brumby Labor government and it appears the current Labor Government doesn't want to mess with that legacy as much given they have now rejected a proposal which would have seen the elongated orbital routes broken up into smaller segments.

In the series of news reports about the proposed changes a common theme became apparent: the longer smart bus routes were used more in some sections (east and south) compared to others (north and west). The proposal sought to address this by splitting routes so that buses ran over shorter routes in order to improve punctuality.

There's logic in the idea of splitting routes but I can't find much logic in reducing frequencies in a city where the population is growing - especially through the northern suburbs where there are over <a href="/news/melbourne-development-numbers-moonee-valley-moreland-darebin">100 projects which will yield 9,000-10,000 apartments</a> across the municipalities of Moonee Valley, Moreland and Darebin.

While many of the proposals, projects at sales and those currently under construction are focused on the radial public transport routes in suburbs closer to the centre of the city, it would be naive in the extreme to assume the current light and heavy rail networks will be sufficient to cater for the influx of people who will be moving to these municipalities and travelling between them.

South of Bell Street a dense network of cross-town bus routes currently exists however frequency is patchy with some routes running more often than others and the proposed changes would have seem a reduction of services on Bell Street itself.

The announcement of new transport forums is positive however I believe the consultantive groups should be cautious given the Government has announced they will be based around local government areas. Does that mean each municipality will hold its own forum or will the forums focus on groups of municipalities in the different regions of the metropolitan area?

The worst possible outcome will be if forums are conducted in municipal pockets where hyper-local interests are likely to overrule regional transport goals thus entrenching oddities like <a href="/news/bus-routes-which-need-improvement-the-506">dog's leg deviations</a>, <a href="/news/is-it-time-to-reconfigure-the-moonee-ponds-transport-interchange">bus termini that fall short</a> of connecting with other public transport modes, low frequencies and reduced hours of operation.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transdev_Melbourne_number_972_(8253AO)_Custom_Coaches_bodied_Scania_in_PTV_livery_on_route_250_in_Queen_St,_December_2013.jpg">Wikipedia</a>.
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Spring Street rejects Transdev bus network changes

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In a series of media releases, Spring Street has announced it has dumped the previous Coalition government's <a href="/new-apartments/dandenong-vic-3175">Dandenong</a> corridor project - which was originally pitched to them by a private consortium - and have announced their own.

Much noise was made about the PPP/Napthine scheme only removing four level crossings between <a href="/new-apartments/caulfield-vic-3162">Caulfield</a> and Dandenong as well as a smaller number of trains that were to be ordered to run services on this major route. In one of the media releases, the following table was provided as a comparison between the Napthine/PPP scheme and the Andrews Government vision.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/dandenong_corridor_comparison.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Comparison of project features. Source: State Government media release"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="437" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dandenong_corridor_comparison.jpg?itok=pHQ0j5Yc" title="Comparison of project features. Source: State Government media release" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Comparison of project features. Source: State Government media release</figcaption></figure>According to one media release, expressions of interest are to be called for the grade separations within months and the Premier has preemptively apologised for the shut down of the entire corridor in the name of progress while individual project areas are worked on.

Fair enough Premier, however could we have more detail please?

Given the relative "out of the blue" nature of the project announcement with not much detail beyond the points listed in the image above, here's a wish list of changes Apartments.com.au would like to see happen either in conjunction (priority 1), in the medium term (priority 2) and in the long term (priority 3) with the Dandenong corridor upgrade.

<h2>Priority 1</h2>

Link the infrastructure investment with more intensive land uses adjacent to the rail corridor

This is a golden opportunity to provide more affordable housing in the middle ring suburbs and Spring Street should make inclusionary zoning as mooted by the Planning Minister (or any other policy targeted at increasing the diversity of urban housing stock) apply to all areas adjacent to newly re-built stations as well as throughout any existing or new structure plan in the corridor.

The Government should work with councils to update structure plans within station vicinities, or create new ones where none exist, in order to capture the benefit of the rail investment. The larger number of trains in the Andrews' Government proposal appears to be linked to increased frequencies of service and therefore the major nodes in the corridor scope: Caulfield, <a href="/new-apartments/oakleigh-vic-3166">Oakleigh</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/clayton-vic-3168">Clayton</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/springvale-vic-3171">Springvale</a> and Dandenong should see more intense and inclusive development made possible through the planning scheme.

Plan Melbourne has previously designated these areas as Activity Centres with Caulfield and Dandenong as National Employment Clusters, further reinforcing their importance within the wider network.

Dandenong should be a special case building on the existing revitalising central Dandenong principles. According to the <a href="http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/131347/Fact-Sheet-Southern-Subregion-May-2014.pdf">Southern sub-region growth fact sheet</a> as part of Plan Melbourne, it is predicted that the area will see another 400,000 to 480,000 people living, for the most part, within reach of a Dandenong corridor station by 2031.

Spring Street should take a leaf out of the New South Wales Government's book and further decentralise public sector organisations and further encourage more private sector investment and employment growth in Dandenong like Macquarie Street has with <a href="/new-apartments/parramatta-nsw">Parramatta</a>.

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kc_224ozYDc" width="100%"></iframe>

<figcaption>Cranbourne-Pakenham Transformation video from the <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/cranbourne-pakenham-transformation">Premier's website</a>.</figcaption></figure><h2>Priority 2</h2>

Mass reconfiguration of the bus network to feed the upgraded rail line

A public transport network is a failure if users are still dependent on a private vehicle to access it. Public transport is a logical extension of walking and where distances are too great between the point of origin and the mass transit mode, other forms of public transport need to be either created or reconfigured to ensure there is no dependency on private vehicles.

Beyond Caulfield and <a href="/new-apartments/carnegie-vic-3163">Carnegie</a>, the only other major mode of public transport other than the rail services is the bus network. While a few of the Smart Bus services operate and act as feeder services in the area already, every station - including along the Pakenham and <a href="/developments/cranbourne-vic-3977">Cranbourne</a> segments - should see less focus on car parking and more on bus service expansion.

Rather than focus on the bells and whistles of a Smart Bus service, bus network/feeder policy should focus on these core principles: frequency, route directness and operating hour expansion. The end-game should be to correct the sheer waste of land at stations like <a href="/developments/berwick-vic-3806">Berwick</a> which has hectares of parking that should be put to better use, especially in the scenario where VicTrack own the land.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/14032766753_f55cb66ca7_c.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Springvale Station only had two platforms built as part of the recent grade separation project"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="357" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/14032766753_f55cb66ca7_c.jpg?itok=nJhxSn93" title="Springvale Station only had two platforms built as part of the recent grade separation project" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Springvale Station only had two platforms built as part of the recent grade separation project. Source: <a href="http://www.danielbowen.com/2014/04/26/new-springvale-station/">Daniel Bowen's blog</a>.</figcaption></figure><h2>Priority 3</h2>

At the very least keep one eye on corridor expansion and tell the public about it

No mention was made of expanding the track within the existing corridor however the track and station design should take into account that the corridor will be expanded in future. The logical next step would be to quadruplicate the track between Caulfield and Dandenong thus enabling two tiers of service - stopping-all-stations and express - to operate independently over the longer term.

The future track layout around Oakleigh and Clayton stations should cater for four tracks and four platforms, all other stations should cater for four tracks with only two platforms.

The fastest services on the <a href="/new-apartments/sydney-nsw">Sydney</a> Trains network between Sydney's Central station and Parramatta is 27 minutes. This is achieved through extensive and frequent express services which for the most part run on track which is rated for speeds in the vicinity of 80kph.

A direct Flinders Street service from Dandenong according to the current timetable is 41 minutes.

The City-Dandenong corridor (29km as measured from Flinders Street to South Yarra along the projected alignment of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project; <a href="/new-apartments/south-yarra-vic-3141">South Yarra</a> to Dandenong station along the existing corridor) is 6km longer than the Sydney-Parramatta corridor (23km measured from Central station along the existing Main Western Line to Parramatta).

Given the advantage of a straighter alignment thus enabling higher speeds with express services, should track be quadruplicated - perhaps as part of a second stage of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project - it is within the realms of possibility that a similar CBD to CBD trip, time-wise, could be undertaken in Melbourne. This should have the effect of improving Dandenong's profile as a employment and growth centre for people living 'up' the line toward the city, not just for those who live beyond Dandenong and commute to the city at present.

At the very least this should be the ultimate plan: creating another fast, frequent transport spine that caters for short and longer trips right through South Eastern Melbourne in both directions, not just for the current peak-time commuters.

Lead image credit: recently grade separated Springvale Station, via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springvale_railway_station">Wikipedia</a>.
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The Dandenong corridor wish list

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Moonee Ponds is an activity centre that for the most part flies under the radar, in terms of redevelopment currently happening and what can happen in future. The biggest landholder in the region is the Moonee Valley Racing Club and yesterday <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/moonee-valley-racecourse-apartment-plans-pared-back-by-planning-minister-richard-wynne-20150325-1m7kzf">The Age reported</a> on how the Planning Minister Richard Wynne has gazetted an updated development plan for the home of the Cox Plate.

In terms of access Moonee Ponds has quite the repertoire of public transport options. Trains serve the western end of the centre, trams run up and down Mount Alexander Road/Pascoe Vale Road and Ascot Vale Road hosts the terminus for route 82, one of the very few suburb-to-suburb tram routes across Melbourne. There's also a major bus interchange next door to the main tram stops for the 59 tram in the Mount Alexander Road median.

But like all over Melbourne, the connections between modes (and routes) could be better. A lot better.

As a very regular user of all three modes in the area, top of the priority list for fixing is the bus interchange. At present, it sits in the very busy median of Mount Alexander Road, which makes access from either side of the road a real problem.

There are multiple signalised pedestrian crossings however priority is given to vehicular traffic. The wait times often frustrate pedestrians, who see the bus they want to catch (only metres away) pull away as traffic lights change, as it is often the only time buses can exit the interchange.

There are 11 separate bus routes which converge on the existing Moonee Ponds Interchange:

<ul>
<li>Southerly approach (via Ascot Vale Road) <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/784_Bus404.pdf">404 Footscray to Moonee Ponds</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/1666_Bus472.pdf">472 Williamstown to Moonee Ponds</a>
</li>
	<li>Easterly Approach (via Ormond Road and Mount Alexander Road) <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/5456_Bus505.pdf">505 Moonee Ponds to Melbourne University</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/5607_Bus504.pdf">504 Moonee Ponds to Clifton Hill Station</a>; (via Dean Street) <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/844_Bus506.pdf">506 Moonee Ponds to Westgarth</a>; ​(via Wilson Street / Pascoe Vale Road / Kellaway Avenue) <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/845_Bus508.pdf">508 Alphington Station to Moonee Ponds</a>
</li>
	<li>Northerly approach (via Mount Alexander Road) <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/827_Bus475.pdf">475 Moonee Ponds to East Keilor</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/8091_Bus476.pdf">​476 Moonee Ponds to Hillside</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/829_Bus477.pdf">477 Moonee Ponds to Broadmeadows Station</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/834_Bus483.pdf">483 Sunbury Station to Moonee Ponds</a>, <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/841_Bus501.pdf">501 Moonee Ponds to Niddrie</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>A new Moonee Ponds Interchange?</h2>

What to do with a chunk of land which lays barren right in the heart of an activity centre? Turn it into a car park! That's the dirty little secret of the current Reading's site - <a href="/news/leighton-initiate-the-readings-moonee-ponds-transformation">bought last year by Leighton</a> then <a href="/news/leighton-seeks-to-offload-their-moonee-ponds-super-site">promptly put back on the market</a> in February - it's everything that an activity centre should not have: an open-air car park.

With all the development site buying and selling in the heart of Moonee Ponds and a new masterplan for the racecourse getting the nod from the Planning Minister, we're no doubt about to see an upswing in development activity in Moonee Ponds. And it's time there was an overhaul of Moonee Ponds' public transport access as well.

Much of Mount Alexander's median strip to the north of the current bus bay has had a once over with new landscaping. I think it's time the bus bay moved out and the median reverted back to open space.

But where would buses go?

<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=zNF8lPbNaAaM.kCmFLjqUkGvM" width="100%"></iframe>

The map works on the basis of removing the existing bus terminus/interchange; Hall Street is extended through to the other side of Mount Alexander Road as a one-way (eastbound) bus-only road, and the tram tracks on Ascot Vale Road are duplicated and terminated adjacent to the existing route 59 tram stop.

In this scenario buses would run in a continuous anti-clockwise loop through Mount Alexander Road, Homer Street, Margaret Street and Hall Street. If a series of bus stops were placed in Homer Street, Margaret Street and Hall Street - in the latter's case particularly near the intersection of Mount Alexander Road - then passengers would be deposited and could be picked up in three key areas: Moonee Ponds Central, Moonee Ponds Station and near the existing bus bays for tram connectivity.

Extending Hall Street would likely be the largest portion of the project in terms of roadworks (and cost), however it's conceivable there would be need to widen Margaret Street - eating into the existing station car park - to allow buses to stop at the station without impacting traffic flow and both Homer and Hall Streets would require removal of speed bumps.

The added bonus of extending Hall Street, for vehicular traffic on Mount Alexander Road in particular, would be the two existing pedestrian crossings, roughly 50 metres apart, could be combined into one.

Not to mention, terminating the route 82 tram alongside route 59's stop would eliminate the three crossings pedestrians are required to make at present - if they wish to connect between either service - and similarly eliminate one of the two existing crossings pedestrians must make, if they wish to connect between the 82 tram and Moonee Ponds bus services.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ascot_Vale_and_Mount_Alexander_Road_at_Moonee_Ponds_Junction.jpg">Wikipedia</a>.
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Is it time to reconfigure the Moonee Ponds transport interchange?

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Whitehorse Towers (850 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill) had its planning permit settled at VCAT mediation on Thursday, with the permit to be issued shortly.

The development, set to be the tallest outside the inner city - and most certainly middle-ring Melbourne's tallest building - comprises two towers of 36 and 26 levels respectively.

The 36 level tower has a height of 115 metres and the shorter 26 level tower will measure 84 metres. Whitehorse Towers is mixed-use with residential units, hotel rooms, retail and restaurant tenancies.

Within the podium will be 100 hotel suites, set to form Asian Pacific Group's next Art Series Hotel. Atop the podium will be a children's play area complete with equipment.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/v03_hero_tower_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="637" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/v03_hero_tower_2.jpg?itok=QbxHkoUb" title="Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied</figcaption></figure>The roof level of the shorter tower will include a pool and given the site is approximately 80 metres above sea level, the view are set to impress.

Tim Ryder, Director at pro-Urban Planning who acted on Asian Pacific Group's behalf said "The approval process with Whitehorse Council was a very positive one that involved extensive collaboration with Council’s planners and as a result of this process a fantastic development for Box Hill is going to be delivered".

Daniel Faigen, Development Manager at Asian Pacific Group, commented that "Whitehorse Towers will set the standard in mixed-use towers in Melbourne and in the way council is working with developers, Whitehorse Towers will mark the creation of Box Hill as a second city within Melbourne"

Asian Pacific Group has seen significant buyer interest in the apartments and have told Apartments.com.au they expect to have the project sold out within eight weeks.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/apg8362_white_horse_towers_v05_hero_detail.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Westerly view from Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="200" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/apg8362_white_horse_towers_v05_hero_detail.jpg?itok=IOmDmKO_" title="Westerly view from Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Westerly view from Whitehorse Towers, image: supplied</figcaption></figure>
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Whitehorse Towers, Box Hill's largest development approved

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In what is billed as a first, <a href="http://www.urbantaskforce.com.au/">Urban Taskforce Australia</a> has released the results of a poll it commissioned specifically targeting the views of apartment dwellers in the city it calls home, Sydney.

The timing of the poll could not be more pertinent with New South Wales heading to the polls at the end of March and perhaps more importantly with a "Battlelines" Prime Minister in the Lodge, the message from the poll is that people who choose urban living have a different worldview to some of the paint-the-electorate-with-the-same-brush policies of the major parties.

As mentioned above, Urban Taskforce Australia is located and most active in Sydney and Sydney-sider apartment dwellers were the sole target of the poll. It would not be outrageous to assume that had a poll been conducted with similar parameters on a Melburnian sample then there would be a similar outcome given our nation-leading position in the urban development stakes.

On some of the highlights: urban dwellers are generally happy to see more urban growth whereas suburban dwellers are not; across the political spectrum, urban dwellers responded with little enthusiasm when asked the question "I actively fight growth and development plans".

Perhaps the fascinating snippet of the poll is the voting intentions. Again, we must look at this from an outsiders point of view in light of the sample's location and the upcoming state election however this poll smashes the stereotype that urban dwellers generally lean left.

Urban dwellers value lower-car ownership and use, more attractive streetscapes &amp; walkability and 51% of NSW Liberal voters living in an urban dwelling think it's important to live close to Public Transport.

On the importance of car parking in apartment developments there's a clear gap between those who provide the capital - investors - and those who are the clientele - the renters. 81% of Sydney apartment investors think private car parking is important yet only 56% of renters agree - the question must be asked: is there scope to place even less emphasis on car parking in new developments?

The ResearchNow poll splits urban dwellers into four groups: renters, owners, investors and intenders. The first three are self-explanatory, and the 'intenders' are those that aim to live in an apartment.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th class="rtecenter">Political Party</th>
			<th class="rtecenter">Renters</th>
			<th class="rtecenter">Owners</th>
			<th class="rtecenter">Investors</th>
			<th class="rtecenter">Intenders</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Liberal</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">19%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">33%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">40%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">29%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Labor</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">25%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">27%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">22%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">27%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Greens</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">13%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">9%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">11%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Others</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">7%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">4%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>'Rather not say'</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">35%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">25%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">23%</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">23%</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
What does this all mean? Well for a start, I look at the data in the table above and see a broad spread of party voting intentions. Assuming a similar result were to be returned on a Melbourne sample, in all the areas outside of the City of Melbourne which are seeing small-scale yet rapid change through apartment development, the North/South of the Yarra blue and red political divide might become more purple in the long run.

The full media release and accompanying poll findings are embedded below (political advisors, influencers and policy-makers would be wise to pay attention to page 2) and be sure to check out <a href="http://www.urbantaskforce.com.au/images/stories/Extras_for_Newsletters/Report_by_Seonaid_Chappell-_ResearchNow.pdf">further poll data</a> from Urban Taskforce Australia's website.

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_18217" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/259106194/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.flickr.com/photos/aidan_jones/1859073197">flickr</a>.
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Landmark poll of apartment dwellers' views revealed

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Urban.com.au is currently tracking 116 low-rise and mid-rise projects which are under construction right across Melbourne's metropolitan area. Together these projects will add a further 6800 units to the residential market and they are dispersed far and wide; in hot spots such as Brunswick, Richmond, Carlton and South Melbourne as well as more traditional suburban areas such as Blackburn, Box Hill, Sandringham, Preston and Carnegie.

The following represent an editor's pick of sorts - a way to remind ourselves that it's not just the CBD and Southbank that are seeing substantial change.

<h2>8 Montrose Street, Hawthorn East</h2>

Right next to Auburn station, 8 Montrose Street consists of 110 apartments on a 1,270sqm site in Hawthorn East. Developed by Kokoda Property, with design by CBG Architects, the 9 level building with also include 350sqm of ground floor commercial space.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/montrose.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="8 Montrose Street, Hawthorn East. Image © Kokoda Property"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="232" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/montrose.jpg?itok=wrxlRKf8" title="8 Montrose Street, Hawthorn East. Image © Kokoda Property" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>8 Montrose Street, Hawthorn East. Image © Kokoda Property</figcaption></figure><h2>20 Queen Street, Blackburn</h2>

Blackburn, for many, will have flown well under the radar however this Hayball designed mid-rise is a stone's throw from Blackburn station in an area that is seeing a surprising amount of urban development. 20 Queen Street has 50 apartments.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/20queen_blackburn.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="20 Queen Street, Blackburn. Image © Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="356" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/20queen_blackburn.jpg?itok=kMBV_2x2" title="20 Queen Street, Blackburn. Image © Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>20 Queen Street, Blackburn. Image © Hayball</figcaption></figure><h2>Twenty Park, Moonee Ponds</h2>

ClarkeHopkinsClarke have designed this low-rise located approximately 500 metres from Moonee Ponds station and CBD for developer Romano Property Group. The 4 level building contains 31 apartments in total with only two remaining for sale.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/twenty_park.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="20 Park Street, Moonee Ponds. Image © twentypark.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="290" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/twenty_park.jpg?itok=UeQ6fRPR" title="20 Park Street, Moonee Ponds. Image © twentypark.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>20 Park Street, Moonee Ponds. Image © twentypark.com.au</figcaption></figure><h2>Leroy, St Kilda</h2>

Leroy on Packington Street in St Kilda is a RotheLowman design for developer Urban Inc. It's located on a back street in a block surrounded by Public Transport on three sides and includes 85 units.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/leroy.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Leroy - 40 Packington Street, St Kilda. Image © Urban Inc"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="355" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/leroy.jpg?itok=ydlA1BgU" title="Leroy - 40 Packington Street, St Kilda. Image © Urban Inc" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Leroy - 40 Packington Street, St Kilda. Image © Urban Inc</figcaption></figure><h2>FRD, Carnegie</h2>

This 5 level low-rise which abuts Carnegie station is an in-house design by developer Fridcorp. There are 40 dwellings under construction and the ground floor will contain a cafe.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/2morton_carnegie.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="FRD - 2 Morton Avenue, Carnegie. Image © Fridcorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="348" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2morton_carnegie.jpg?itok=pryhVWK9" title="FRD - 2 Morton Avenue, Carnegie. Image © Fridcorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>FRD - 2 Morton Avenue, Carnegie. Image © Fridcorp</figcaption></figure><h2>District, Fitzroy</h2>

This 16 metre high, 5 level low-rise for Substancia Projects will be located one block back from Johnston Street in Fitzroy. Its eye-catching design makes it a favourite amongst Urban Melbournites.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/district_fitzroy.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="District - 160 Argyle Street, Fitzroy. Image © District Fitzroy"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="341" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/district_fitzroy.jpg?itok=35gdUCA9" title="District - 160 Argyle Street, Fitzroy. Image © District Fitzroy" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>District - 160 Argyle Street, Fitzroy. Image © District Fitzroy</figcaption></figure><h2>Aspire Maribyrnong</h2>

JMC Group's development on Wests Road is an 11 level mid-rise with a total unit count of 117. Interlandi Mantesso designed this project which is located right next to both the 57 and 82 tram lines.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/aspire_maribyrnong.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Aspire Maribyrnong - 62 Wests Rd, Maribyrnong. Image courtesy JMC Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="583" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/aspire_maribyrnong.png?itok=jjYl16VE" title="Aspire Maribyrnong - 62 Wests Rd, Maribyrnong. Image courtesy JMC Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aspire Maribyrnong - 62 Wests Rd, Maribyrnong. Image courtesy JMC Group</figcaption></figure>Lead image courtesy solsticeapartments.com.au
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Seven projects quietly increasing Melbourne's urban density

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The Hickory Group announced plans to expand its Brooklyn manufacturing site to ramp up production of its popular modular Sync Bathroom Pods by 200%. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Employment Jacinta Allan and Footscray MLA Marsha Thomson were on hand for the announcement which is set to create a further 100 jobs.

Financial support and facilitation for the expansion of Hickory Group's operations in Brooklyn was provided through the Department of Economic Development's Investment Support program and the local Victorian Government Business Office.

<blockquote>
We want to attract more investment like this, to create high-skill jobs for local workers and boost Victoria's competitiveness.
<cite>Premier Daniel Andrews</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/andrews_hickory_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Inside Hickory Group's Brooklyn site - image: supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/andrews_hickory_1.jpg?itok=z03z-2ru" title="Inside Hickory Group's Brooklyn site - image: supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Inside Hickory Group's Brooklyn site - image: supplied</figcaption></figure>At present Hickory is producing roughly 2,000 Sync Bathrooms per year and is aiming to ramp production capacity up to 8,000 per year over a five year timeframe, creating a projected 100 new jobs on site.

A spokesperson for Hickory Group said as well as housing manufacturing facilities for the Sync Bathroom line, shed D at its Brooklyn site currently houses other conventional construction equipment, which will be moved out to make room for extra fixed Sync Bathroom stations.

Sync Bathrooms pods, as Apartments.com.au witnessed on a site visit as part of the <a href="/tag/prefabaus-conference-2014">PrefabAUS conference in August 2014</a>, are built from the ground up at a fixed station, with different tradespeople progressing from station to station as each module is put through the motions.

According to <a href="http://www.hickory.com.au/projects/filter-modular-bathrooms-456/">Hickory's website</a>, the Sync Bathroom pods are being shipped and installed in eight different projects in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. 568 Collins Street and Central South Yarra, where Hickory are undergoing a conventional build, and 3 East are the Victorian projects.

Back in September 2014, Apartments.com.au witnessed Sync Bathroom pod installation into 568 Collins Street, <a href="/news/innovation-key-to-hickorys-568-collins-street-build">a myriad of photos</a> from the site visit are available.
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Hickory expands its Brooklyn manufacturing site

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The City of Melbourne has kicked off the process of building a structure plan for the Lorimer precinct and will begin by holding community information sessions in March.

The first event is set to be held within the Library at the Dock on March 11th from 6pm and the second to be held at Geotech Engineering in Port Melbourne on the 19th of March.

Lorimer is the sole Fishermans Bend precinct which falls within the City of Melbourne municipal boundary with the other three - Montague, Wirraway and Sandridge - located within the City of Port Phillip.

The Participate Melbourne website is carrying the July 2014 Fishermans Bend strategic framework plan released by the previous Victorian Government and likewise a timeline also paints a picture of the process.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/fish_bend_street_network.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Street Network from the July 2014 Fishermans Bend strategic framework document"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="377" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/fish_bend_street_network.png?itok=UYKBHjBQ" title="Street Network from the July 2014 Fishermans Bend strategic framework document" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Street Network from the July 2014 Fishermans Bend strategic framework document</figcaption></figure>From early April after the initial community feedback phase ends, a draft structure plan will be developed and presented to the council's Future Melbourne committee by mid 2015.

A second round of community engagement is expected to occur thereafter with a review and preparation for the final Lorimer Structure plan to be considered by the Future Melbourne committee in early 2016.

To view the supporting documentation, feedback form and other relevant links, see the <a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/projects/lorimer/">Participate Melbourne website</a>.

<h2>Port Phillip development proposal tracker</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/copp_fish_bend_mpa_proposals.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Screenshot from City of Port Phillip Fishermans Bend proposal map"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="347" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/copp_fish_bend_mpa_proposals.png?itok=OIINXcWu" title="Screenshot from City of Port Phillip Fishermans Bend proposal map" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Screenshot from City of Port Phillip Fishermans Bend proposal map</figcaption></figure>City of Port Phillip's Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area website looks to be regularly updating maps of proposals within their municipality. The maps are conveniently broken down by responsible authority: the council itself or the Metropolitan Planning Authority.

The site is definitely <a href="http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend.htm">one for the bookmarks!</a>

Lead image credit: <a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/projects/lorimer/">Participate Melbourne</a>.
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City of Melbourne begins Lorimer Precinct structure plan consultation

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Little Projects' Central South Yarra development located at 3 Yarra Street has achieved a major construction milestone: topping out.

On Wednesday the 11th of February, Little Projects held a traditional construction event to mark the milestone with an olive tree hoisted up to the rooftop where it spent three days; the placement of a tree when a building tops out is to symbolise growth and bring luck to a development.

Michael Fox, Managing Director of Little Projects said "today we celebrated the completion of the 30 level structure of Central South Yarra, which caps off another successful milestone for our landmark new development. The top level will transform over the coming months into an incredible world-class residents' rooftop retreat".

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/centralsy_michaelfox_rooftop_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Little Projects Managing Director Michael Fox on the rooftop of Central South Yarra."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="375" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/centralsy_michaelfox_rooftop_2.jpg?itok=GuzBPDb9" title="Little Projects Managing Director Michael Fox on the rooftop of Central South Yarra." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Little Projects Managing Director Michael Fox on the rooftop of Central South Yarra.</figcaption></figure>After the successful completion of ILK South Yarra at 227 Toorak Road, Central South Yarra sold out in mid-2014 and Fox attributed much of Central South Yarra's success to its "exceptional inner city location, uninterrupted city views, world-class amenity and high degree of connectivity".

Central South Yarra is rounded out with 357 apartments, superb access to public transport and all the amenity that South Yarra is known for right at the front door. RotheLowman were responsible for exterior design with interiors by Plus Architecture and construction carried out by Hickory Group.

Little Projects tells Apartments.com.au overall completion and commencement of settlement in Central South Yarra is due mid 2015.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/centralst_top_render.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Central South Yarra's upper tiers. Image: supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="385" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/centralst_top_render.jpg?itok=_UmLyKfV" title="Central South Yarra's upper tiers. Image: supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Central South Yarra's upper tiers. Image: supplied</figcaption></figure>Apartments.com.au has also learned that the next development by Little Projects to begin construction will be Belle Box Hill. With final checks and balances currently underway, Hacer group have been appointed as builder and construction is expected to start within 1-2 months.

The lead image was taken from a camera on the rooftop of ILK and you can view more on <a href="http://centralsouthyarra.com.au/construction">Central South Yarra's website</a>.
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Central South Yarra tops out

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

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Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

Alastair Taylor

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