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One can't help but feel for the City of Melbourne and their plans for Arden-Macaulay. If ever there were a redevelopment zone which has been battered and bruised by the state government, it's <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/buildingandplanning/futuregrowth/structureplans/ardenmacaulay/Pages/ArdenMacaulayStructurePlan.aspx" target="_blank">Arden-Macaulay</a>. Like all development structure plans, they are dependent on the private sector playing their part and as the old adage goes, the private sector invariably wants certainty over anything else. With Arden-Macaulay there's very little if you look at the state of play with regards to public transport, the great enabler for any redevelopment zone.

A heavy focus of the <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/BuildingandPlanning/FutureGrowth/StructurePlans/ArdenMacaulay/Pages/Information.aspx" target="_blank">Arden-Macaulay structure plan</a> rests on the addition, post 2025, of a new Metro station at the end of present day Queensberry Street in North Melbourne. This station was proposed as part of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project from the Bracks/Brumby era and still favoured by the current opposition ALP.

<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/arden_macaulay_metro1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="597" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden_macaulay_metro1.jpg?itok=X9tk-0zC" title="Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au</figcaption></figure>However as announced during the recent Victorian budget, the current government has walked away from the original Melbourne Metro tunnel project and stamped its own claim on new rail capacity in central Melbourne through the announcement of the Melbourne Rail Link project.

Making matters worse, <a href="/news/planning-minister-approves-eastern-section-of-east-west-link" target="_blank">the Planning Minister has waived through the section of the East-West Link</a> project which will see the footprint of CityLink expand across the Moonee Ponds creek, when the East-West Link planning assessment committee recommended deferral while other design options were reviewed. The CityLink barrier is going to get wider.

One could argue the region's public transport infrastructure is already conducive to supporting increased densities - especially around the existing train stations at North Melbourne, Macaulay and Flemington Bridge - however the political ping-pong that has become public transport planning in this state does not provide much certainty for anyone. New projects, frequencies and routes will help the region develop quicker and likewise improve the attractiveness for private investment.

<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/arden_macaulay_metro2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="406" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden_macaulay_metro2.jpg?itok=TlKca4pQ" title="Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Maps from the City of Melbourne Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan www.melbourne.vic.gov.au</figcaption></figure>If we take the state opposition's rhetoric on face value and should they win the Victorian election in November, the original Melbourne Metro Tunnel and Arden Central station would be built at some point in the future alongside their promise to grade separate 50 level crossings.

If the current government manages to hang on, despite recent polls painting a very dire and soul-searching picture, the significant rail capacity increase through the area will be borne out of the Sunbury line being diverted through the Melbourne Rail Link and frequencies are increased on the Upfield and Craigieburn lines.

While the Arden-Macaulay Structure Plan was adopted in February 2012, what this region and many other redevelopment zones in Melbourne need is a decisive victory at the state election.

And a decisive new or re-elected state government is required to lock in major transport project plans very early in the term so the work of the private sector, public and social housing and local government sectors can begin in earnest and focus on the principles in the structure plan: regenerating the public realm, creating a culturally and socially engaged community and creating local liveable neighbourhoods for people from a diverse and inclusive range of income levels.
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Alastair Taylor

Long live Arden-Macaulay?

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The Planning Minister has distributed a media release stating that he has approved the eastern section of the East West link with some conditions.

It appears the proposed Elliot Avenue Interchange located inside Royal Park has been rejected and will be replaced with an interchange further west at Flemington Road.

Opposition Planning spokesman, Brian Tee, originally <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/east-west-link-project-approved-with-royal-park-largely-spared-20140630-zsr4b" target="_blank">quoted in The Age</a> said "The process hasn't followed any logical path - it has been botched every step of the way. We don't have a business plan, we don't have traffic projections, and now we don't even have a finalised route". Similarly The Age report quotes a community group spokesperson whom called for the State Government to defer "signing contracts for the project until after an assessment of the revised design's full impact on Flemington Road".

Media release in full:

<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/231902279/140630-Guy-Planning-Minister-Approves-the-East-West-Link" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View 140630 Guy - Planning Minister Approves the East West Link on Scribd">140630 Guy - Planning Minister Approves the East West Link</a> by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tayser82" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View tayser82's profile on Scribd">tayser82</a>

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7066666666666667" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_40288" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/231902279/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-aLxDOLr4ir42wrlLQ1Vi&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Planning Minister approves eastern section of East West Link

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Somewhat reminiscent of <a href="/tag/super-tuesday" target="_blank">Super Tuesday</a> back in February, the Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has approved another chunk of 2,000 apartments across three skyscrapers; however this time the total value weighs in at $830 million.

Australia 108 at 319 metres, 452 Elizabeth Street at 241 metres and 84-90 Queensbridge Street at 185 metres are now all approved.

Australia 108, originally proposed with a height of 388 metres and subsequently reduced owing to Federal aviation regulations, will have a jaw-dropping amount of apartments split across 1, 2 and 3 bed configurations - 1,105! A spokesperson for the Planning Minister confirmed to Apartments.com.au that the height of Australia 108 is at the ceiling for <a href="/news/flight-paths-and-tall-buildings-in-melbourne-explained" target="_blank">PANS-OPS</a> in that region of Southbank.

Australia 108 will be the city's first super-tall placing Melbourne in an elite global club of skyscraper cities. A 'super-tall' is <a href="http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/HeightStatistics/Criteria/tabid/446/language/en-US/Default.aspx" target="_blank">classified</a> as a building over 300 metres in height.

<a href="/architects/fraser-partners-0" target="_blank">Elenberg Fraser</a>-designed 452 Elizabeth Street joins a long line of approvals for Elizabeth Street in the CBD annex between La Trobe and Victoria Streets. <a href="/architects/rothelowman" target="_blank">Rothe </a><a href="http://www.rothelowman.com.au/" target="_blank">Lowman</a>-designed 84-90 Queensbridge Street is located on the corner of Kings Way and Queensbridge Street in Southbank and will yield 295 apartments.

Update 5:00pm 26/6/14: The Fifth Estate have published an interview with Australia 108's architect Nonda Katsalidis - <a href="http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/63959/" target="_blank">we recommend having a read</a>.

Update 8:00am 27/6/14: Mark Baljak has <a href="https://urbanmelbourne.info/opinion/2014/06/27/70-southbank-boulevard-be-thy-name-for-now" target="_blank">written a follow up on 70 Southbank Boulevard</a>, formerly known as Australia 108.

Media release in full:

<p style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/231329504/140626-Guy-Melbourne-s-Ever-Changing-Skyline-Climbs-Further-Upwards-Media-Release" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View 140626 Guy - Melbourne's Ever Changing Skyline Climbs Further Upwards - (Media Release) on Scribd">140626 Guy - Melbourne's Ever Changing Skyline Climbs Further Upwards - (Media Release)</a>

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_74733" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/231329504/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Australia 108, 452 Elizabeth Street and 84-90 Queensbridge Street gain Ministerial approval

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The Sydney Morning Herald <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/melbourne-train-operator-metro-to-run-sydneys-northwest-rail-link-20140624-zsjyr" target="_blank">reported yesterday</a> that the Baird Government in New South Wales has selected <a href="http://www.metrotrains.com.au/who-we-are/" target="_blank">Metro Trains Melbourne</a> - the consortium made up of MTR Corporation, John Holland and UGL which operates and maintains the entire Melbourne metropolitan network - to operate the <a href="http://nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au/" target="_blank">North West Rail Link</a>.

The North West Rail Link project consists of twin 15 kilometre tunnels and four kilometres of elevated track from Epping on the city's main northern trainline to Sydney's North West outskirts at Rouse Hill. The project in a way winds back the clock for Sydney (albeit not necessarily in a bad way), as the new tunnels will only cater for single deck trains, and the Chatswood-Epping link will be retrofitted to allow North West Rail Link trains to run all the way from Rouse Hill to Chatswood.

Trains running on the new line and through the retrofitted Chatswood-Epping corridor will be fully automated being centrally controlled with no train drivers. This will be a first for Australia.

The New South Wales Government also outlined plans to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/planned-new-rail-line-would-cut-direct-trains-from-inner-west-to-redfern-sydney-university-20140624-zsjnd" target="_blank">convert the existing Bankstown line</a> and build a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-electricity-sale-to-pay-for-new-harbour-crossing-rail-roads-20140610-39uyu" target="_blank">second Sydney Harbour crossing</a> to allow the new North West Link to form a part of a complete rapid transit line.

The ultimate goal of having one long rapid transit line from Sydney's North West through the Central Business District and out to South West is very similar to the goal in Melbourne, of running Pakenham and Cranbourne trains in the South East through the Melbourne Rail Link to Sunbury (and when electrified) Melton. And as various documentation released by the Victorian Government and Public Transport Victoria has alluded to, the new high-capacity signalling system - to be rolled out as part of the <a href="http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/projects/cranbourne-pakenham-rail-corridor-project" target="_blank">Dandenong corridor project</a> - will be a precursor to allowing Melbourne trains to head down the automated path as well.

Given the same consortium will be building both the North West Rail Link and the Dandenong Corridor project in and around the same timeframes, it will be interesting to see how much of the same technology will be applied in both cities.

Lead image credit: <a href="http://nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au/The-Project/Project-Overview" target="_blank">nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au</a>
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Metro Trains Melbourne to operate Sydney's North West Rail Link

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Over the July school holidays major works are to be carried out in order to finalise the Sunshine to Southern Cross section of the <a href="http://www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank">Regional Rail Link</a> project. Bendigo and Ballarat <a href="http://www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au/news/june2014" target="_blank">train services will be replaced by coaches between Saturday 28th June and Tuesday July 15th</a> in order to allow the Regional Rail Link authority and its contractors to complete track and signal installation.

The shutdown period is also set to include testing and commissioning works between North Melbourne and Southern Cross, driver familiarisation trips and noise barrier installation in West Melbourne.

Once the shutdown period has ended, Bendigo and Ballarat V/Line services will then begin to use the new track that has been under construction for the past few years between Sunshine and Southern Cross, marking the first segregation of Metro and V/Line rail traffic inside metropolitan Melbourne.

Bendigo and Ballarat trains will also start to utilise the new platform infrastructure at Footscray and Sunshine stations and the rebuilt North Melbourne flyover will also see V/Line trains cross Metro services to enter regional platforms at Southern Cross unhindered.

A spokesman for the Regional Rail Link commented the greenfields section between West Werribee and Deer Park is scheduled, weather and other construction-related risk permitting, to be complete by the end of the year with Geelong services using the new track in early 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/IMG_8106.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Works on the new signalling infrastructure at Sunshine in January 2014 - Image credit www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/IMG_8106.jpg?itok=mQEW_YGv" style="height:387px; width:580px" title="Works on the new signaling infrastructure at Sunshine in January 2014 - Image credit www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au"></a>
<figcaption>Works on the new signalling infrastructure at Sunshine in January 2014 - Image credit <a href="http://www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au/news/images?result_92818_result_page=2" target="_blank">www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Comment</h2>

While the benefit likely to kick in after the July shutdown is limited to a mainly modest operational one, within 6 to 12 months construction, testing and driver familiarisation will be complete on the entire project and PTV will have rolled out its new V/Line and Metro timetable. As the project name itself suggests, the biggest beneficiary for the Regional Rail Link is the regional passengers travelling beyond metro's footprint and traveling inter-city but it is the metro side which will have the greatest impact on reducing congestion and driving new development investment into Melbourne's West.

One on hand, Werribee and Williamstown line commuters are likely to benefit the most early next year as all Geelong trains are to be diverted via the new track opening up the existing corridor to increased capacity. One thing to watch around the time the new timetables take effect in 2015 (and thereafter) is whether or not planning application activity throughout the rail corridors in Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay and Wyndham sees an uptick.

By early 2015, increased levels of service on the Werribee and Williamstown lines will arrive conveniently after the new planning zones are bedded down; more mass transport capacity and planning certainty is a match made in heaven for increasing densities. This, of course, does hinge on whether PTV actually do increase services over what currently operates - caveat emptor!

Yet on the other hand it's telling the largest rail project in living memory is coming to its conclusion and thanks to a balance transport policy mentality in a extremely unbalanced transport modal share situation we have in Melbourne(1), we are realistically another 10 years away(2) from seeing the full benefits on the Metro side for those who live or plan to invest along the Sunbury line.

Footscray wins no matter which way you look at it: increasing levels of service on the Werribee and Williamstown line will enhance the attractiveness to increase development investment. But Brimbank, which has <a href="https://stratus.pbondemand.com.au/connect/brimbank/?mapcfg=NewResidentialZones" target="_blank">liberally deployed the Residential Growth Zone and General Residential Zone around Sunshine, St. Albans and Watergardens</a>, has a less bright - more delayed - urban development future hanging over it.

The three North and North Western lines - Sunbury (9), Craigieburn (9) and Upfield (3 services in the afternoon peak) - are not far off maxing out the capacity in the loop tunnel they currently use and unless one is removed from the loop there's likely to be little uplift in Metro services under the status quo.

The question: Why weren't the Melbourne Metro (now Melbourne Rail Link) plans finalised in the first or second year of the current Government - and funding prioritised so construction could start sooner - utilising the labour deployed on the Regional Rail Link as the project wound down?

There are many answers, some more cynical than others, feel free to leave yours in the comments section below.

(1) I'm referring to the anti-urban East-West link and the amount of funds it will suck from the infrastructure purse over the next decade.

(2) When the Melbourne Rail Link, or who knows which next iteration, is complete and operating.

Lead image credit: www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au
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It begins - Regional Rail Link benefits start to flow in July

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Open House Melbourne is upon us once again with the organisers of the July 26th and 27th event announcing the building list recently. Among the <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings" target="_blank">list of buildings</a> are some familiar favourites as well as buildings throwing open their doors for the first time and also brand new recently completed and occupied buildings.

Among the new buildings this year are <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/government-house" target="_blank">Government House</a>. Open only the the Saturday, there will be guided tours of the State Apartments between the reduced hours of 10am and 3pm. On the other side of St. Kilda Road, <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/vic-barracks" target="_blank">Victoria Barracks</a> will be open on both Saturday and Sunday, however the guided tours will be limited to 30 people at 10am and 1pm only.

<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/government_house_chris_phutully_flickr_cc_by_sa_20.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Government House, source: flick, CC-BY-SA 2.0"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/government_house_chris_phutully_flickr_cc_by_sa_20.jpg?itok=c3H9VALV" style="height:386px; width:580px" title="Government House, source: flickr, CC-BY-SA 2.0"></a>

<figcaption>Government House, source: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.flickr.com/photos/72562013@N06/8416406044" target="_blank">flickr</a>, CC BY-SA 2.0</figcaption></figure>Happily, one of the buildings which at the time we asked "<a href="/news/is-this-melbournes-best-new-residential-development" target="_blank">Is this Melbourne's best new development?</a>" is also flinging its doors open. The Commons in Brunswick will have guided tours of 15 people every 15 minutes where, <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/commons-the" target="_blank">according to the OHM profile</a>, visitors will be exposed to many of the building's elements.

<a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/coops-shot-tower-and-museum" target="_blank">The Coops shot tower and museum</a> will be open for self-guided tours on both Saturday and Sunday and 41 Exhibition Street, housing the <a href="http://www.architecture.com.au/" target="_blank">Australian Institute of Architects</a>, will be open as well. <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/41x" target="_blank">41 Exhibition Street</a> will have guided 15 person tours, two in the morning and two in the afternoon each day taking in the rooftop, levels 21 and 1 through 5 as well as the <a href="http://www.architext.com.au/" target="_blank">Architext</a> Bookshop. 41 Exhibition Street was one tower<a href="/news"> we had a very close eye on during construction</a>.

<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/Img_9326.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="41 Exhibition Street, picture © Mark Baljak"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/Img_9326.jpg?itok=4My48aa7" style="height:387px; width:580px" title="41 Exhibition Street, picture © Mark Baljak"></a>

<figcaption>41 Exhibiton Street, image credit: Mark Baljak.</figcaption></figure>Among the other new buildings this year are the <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/collingwood-masonic-centre" target="_blank">Collingwood Masonic Centre</a>, the <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/australian-catholic-university" target="_blank">Australian Catholic University</a> and <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/circus-oz-hq" target="_blank">Circus Oz HQ</a>.

NAB's new <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/nab-headquarters-700" target="_blank">700 Bourke Street building</a> is also open allowing visitors to mill around the concourse level and guided tours (which require photo ID) will lead visitors through NAB's new activity-based workplaces as well as visit the rooftop garden.

<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/NABDocklands6_woods_bagot.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="NAB 700 Bourke Street, image © Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/NABDocklands6_woods_bagot.jpg?itok=GEKXy7QU" style="height:387px; width:580px" title="NAB 700 Bourke Street, image © Woods Bagot"></a>

<figcaption>NAB 700 Bourke Street, image © <a href="http://www.woodsbagot.com/project/national-australia-bank-docklands" target="_blank">Woods Bagot</a>.</figcaption></figure>The recently redeveloped <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/argus-building" target="_blank">Argus Building</a> will be open to tours, however it will be by ballot only (opening on July 1).  Interestingly this year <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/buildings/port-of-melbourne-boat-tours" target="_blank">Port of Melbourne will have boat tours</a> with guided commentary by Port of Melbourne staff as the boats pass through the Coode Canal, Victoria, Appleton and Swanson Docks.

Do you have any recommendations?  Post it in the comments section below.
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Open House Melbourne building list announced

The Planning Minister has announced the approval of 1000 units in five towers in two separate towers - both projects having been profiled on Apartments.com.au previously.

Apartments.com.au first profiled 2 Hopkins Street <a href="/news">on the forum</a> in May last year with images taken from the original planning application lodged with Maribyrnong City Council. 2 Hopkins Street consists of 751 apartment split across four towers ranging in height from 16 to 28 levels.

57 Haig Street Southbank was similarly profiled originally <a href="/news">on the forum</a> and then in <a href="/news/57-haig-street-unveiled" target="_blank">this piece</a> at the end of April last year. 57 Haig Street will have 249 apartments over 38 levels and is nestled between Clarendon Street and the West Gate Freeway in Southbank.

Of great interest is the scale of the 2 Hopkins Street project. Slowly but surely nodes outside the traditional core of Melbourne are building their own medium and high-density development momentum. Where South Yarra was the poster child (and still arguably is one of them) for non-CBD high-density development, Footscray is increasingly asserting itself.

For a map and list of all the projects Apartments.com.au is tracking in Footscray, <a href="/developments/footscray-vic-3011">click here</a>.

<h2>Full media release</h2>

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.scribd.com/doc/227747599" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Five Towers and 1,000 Units Approved in Central Melbourne on Scribd">Five Towers and 1,000 Units Approved in Central Melbourne</a>

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_94405" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/227747599/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>

2 Hopkins Street Footscray and 57 Haig Street Southbank approved

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PrefabAUS, the peak body for Australia's off-site construction industry, has announced the dates for its inaugural conference. To be held at Rydges Swanston Street on the 11th through to 13th of August, the 150 delegate event will feature an influential line-up of national and international speakers and cover all approaches to off-site construction, from commercial to residential and across all key infrastructure sectors including health and education.

Writing in a newsletter sent out to subscribers, PrefabAUS CEO Sarah Backhouse says "as the off-site construction sector begins to expand rapidly, this Conference is timed to bring together key representatives from all related areas for the first time; from architecture, engineering, manufacturing, material supply, property development and construction, universities, government agencies and client representatives".

List of speakers:

<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://www.findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/display/person617608" target="_blank">Dr Masa Noguchi</a>, ZEMCH and The University of Melbourne</li>
	<li>
Steve Hayden, ACT Government</li>
	<li>
<a href="http://www.prefabnz.com/About/People/" target="_blank">Pamela Bell</a>, CEO of PrefabNZ</li>
	<li>
Associate Professor Haeyoon Yoo, Seongsil University, South Korea</li>
	<li>
<a href="http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/comment/in-profile-tai-hollingsbee-from-ghd" target="_blank">Tai Hollingsbee</a>, Sustainability and Performative Design Group at GHD, Australia</li>
	<li>
<a href="http://constructionedge.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/bio.pdf" target="_blank">David Chandler</a>, Construction Edge</li>
	<li>
Damian Moloney, <a href="http://www.themoloneygroup.com/" target="_blank">The Moloney Group</a>
</li>
	<li>
<a href="https://humanities.curtin.edu.au/about/humstaff/research.cfm/P.Newman" target="_blank">Professor Peter Newman</a>, Curtin University</li>
	<li>
Mark Albert, <a href="http://www.mtmauto.com/history" target="_blank">MtM</a> and Linsey Siede, <a href="http://www.asea.net.au/" target="_blank">Automotive Supplier Excellence Australia</a>
</li>
	<li>more speakers will be confirmed in the coming weeks.</li>
</ul>
On the afternoon of Monday August 11th, optional factory tours and project visits will be offered. Tuesday August 12th the Conference gets underway in full swing from 9am to 5:30pm with a drinks and networking session from 6pm. At 7:30am on Wednesday 13th, the PrefabAUS Annual General Meeting will be held and open for members to attend and then the final session of the conference will be held from 9am to 3pm.

<a href="http://www.prefabaus.org.au/join-prefab/" target="_blank">PrefabAUS members</a> are offered a generously discounted rate to attend the conference with early bird rates set at $600 and from June 16th the full rate of $800 kicks in.

Non-member rates start at $1,400 and from June 16th the full rate of $1,600 applies.

Interested parties who would like to participate in the conference are invited to contact PrefabAUS CEO Sarah Backhouse: <a href="mailto:sarah@prefabaus.org.au">sarah@prefabaus.org.au</a>.

PrefabAUS is a member of the Apartments.com.au Industry Hub.
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PrefabAUS announces inaugural conference dates

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Chances are that 25% of everyone who reads this article will belong to or take an active part in what we deem to be a part of the Urban Industry - property developers, architects, planners, engineers, development managers, financiers, analysts and creatives.

Today we are launching a new section of Apartments.com.au where we aim to concentrate industry focused news, analysis and opinion as well as allow interested organisations to carve out their own little corner of Apartments.com.au.

The best analogy to use when describing the Industry Hub is a highly-targeted Yellow Pages-like directory for the Urban Industry... with a modern twist. The Industry Hub member pages themselves are what you'd expect in a directory: a chance to showcase product and service offerings while facilitating lines of contact for new business enquiries. In addition Apartments.com.au staff also build a portfolio of projects each member organisation has worked on, leveraging off the Apartments.com.au Project Database. Third-party advertising is suspended on all member pages - only Apartments.com.au house ads will run.

Since March 9th 2013, the day Apartments.com.au launched, the site's motto has been "enhancing community and development industry interaction for the mutual benefit of a future urban Melbourne." Quite simply we aim to accelerate interaction by deploying platforms such as the Industry Hub. Melbourne is a knowledge-focused, innovative city and knowledge is always enhanced by the concentration of people and their ideas - the Industry Hub will be no different.

After an expression of interest has been received, new members will get a friendly "hello" call from myself and one of the first questions I'll be asking is how new member organisations may be able to contribute to ongoing discussion on Apartments.com.au in a wide variety of forms.

Put simply we're targeting any organisation - small, medium or large - who operates within the Urban Industry - our sign up form lists the different categories. With the end of financial year approaching, the Apartments.com.au Industry Hub is a perfect opportunity to lock in low-cost brand awareness advertising for the next financial year.

<h2>Our goals</h2>

Apartments.com.au is still, despite our continued growth and unique audience profile, very much in a start up phase and we need financial support to help us expand our capabilities. We will always focus on Melbourne's built future through doing what we have always done - collating and analysing new development information as well as report and opine on areas such as Transport, Planning and Policy. However we also wish to provide a platform for more concentrated content for our biggest audience segment.

The financial support Industry Hub members provide will also go a long way to help us expanding content areas such as Melbourne Life - after all, what's the point of building more urbanism in Melbourne if we don't hear about the experiences, ideas and opinions from the people who live in it?

Oh, and... Urban Sydney, you're next.

<h2>The details</h2>

Like the Yellow Pages, a fee is charged to place a classified. The Industry Hub has a simple base annual fee (prices exclude GST) and is tiered as follows:

<ul>
<li>Small businesses with under 10 employees: $350</li>
	<li>Medium-sized organisations with between 11 and 50 employees: $750</li>
	<li>Large businesses with over 51 employees: $1500</li>
</ul>
* The number of employees is based on the nationwide headcount (FTE and contractors) of your organisation.

All new members are required to fill out the sign up form.

After receiving the sign up form, I'll endeavour to contact you on the phone as soon as possible to discuss requirements and then I'll follow up with sending a Media Buying Authorisation (MBA) which will outline the annual fee and any other fee(s) associated with optional promotional features (refer to <a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/article-images/UM_Rate%20Card_Industry%20Hub_May14.pdf" target="_blank">rate card</a>) you have elected to purchase.

The MBA includes a content specification and checklist for the Industry page and we ask that you sign, scan and return the first page of the MBA along with your Industry Hub page content. Invoices are generated on the date your Industry Hub page is published and payable within 7 days.

<h2>A thanks and shout out to our launch members</h2>

Thank you to all the people who have filled out the Effective Measure audience surveys which pop up in the bottom right corner of the screen - the information we have been provided with through the surveys has been invaluable and I wouldn't be writing this article had it not been for them. If you haven't filled out an audience survey before, please do - the anonymous information we receive is closely linked with our content and expansion plans.

Check out our launch members! They're all listed below (and this is an opportune time to point out that any Industry Hub member mentioned in an article will have their Industry Hub page link appear at the end of an article).

Special thanks go to Mark Wizel and the CBRE City Sales team who have elected to take out one of the four exclusive Gold Sponsorship packages we offer as part of the Industry Hub - the support they and all Industry Hub members provide is greatly appreciated.
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The Urban.com.au Industry Hub is born

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A rare opportunity for the general public to have a 'touch and feel' session at one of Habitech Systems recently completed projects is presenting itself tomorrow.
Where the word 'prefabrication' conjures up images of temporary 1960s school buildings, the word in the 21st century realistically equates to architectural and construction innovation.
Sometimes innovation and prefabricated technologies are a bit unknown to the general public and this is the perfect opportunity to experience it in a real dwelling.
Quoting <a href="http://www.habitechsystems.com.au/about/" target="_blank">Habitech Systems</a> about page, Habitech have developed <q>a system of high-quality manufactured building components that are delivered to site in a flack-pack format which fit together to get a house to lock-up stage in weeks, not months</q>.
<img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="343" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/why-habitech1.jpg?itok=zAi0S78W" title="Image source: http://www.habitechsystems.com.au/why-habitech/" width="580">
<a href="http://www.habitechsystems.com.au/port-melbourne-open-day" target="_blank">The Port Melbourne House open day</a> will run from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 31st May at 388 Graham Street, Port Melbourne.
Lead image credit: <a href="http://www.habitechsystems.com.au/port-melbourne-house/" target="_blank">Habitech Systems</a>.
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Habitech Systems Port Melbourne Open Day 

<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.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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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