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<p>One of the great by-products of Television dramas like <a href="http://ten.com.au/offspring" target="_blank">Offspring</a> being filmed in areas which ooze urbanity is it provides mainstream Australia with a looking glass - no matter how outrageous story lines can get - into what single <em>and</em> family life can be like in urban areas.  </p>
<p>Offspring differs somewhat from previous productions which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Edwards_(producer)" target="_blank">John Edwards</a> has worked on like The Secret Life of Us in that there is no beachy backdrop, no sole focus on the young characters in the show and the silent character - the urban setting - is not your typical run of the mill suburb (well, St. Kilda isn't either) which so much of serial TV in Australian revolves around.  90% of Australians might live within an hour of a beach, but for the overwhelming majority of us who live in the capital cities, Bondi or St. Kilda lifestyle is as distant as Alice Springs is to Darwin.  </p>
<p>Offspring has owned the Fitzroy brand - executed perfectly.  Likewise Offspring has done a very good 'soft sell' of the urban lifestyle - the multitude of scenes where characters are <em>walking</em> to <a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/preview?authuser=0#!q=Union+Club+Hotel+Fitzroy&amp;data=!4m10!1m9!4m8!1m3!1d537600!2d145.079616!3d-37.8602828!3m2!1i2133!2i1024!4f13.1" target="_blank">The Union Club hotel</a> just back from Smith Street, the cafes and trams on Brunswick Street and best of all Offspring has shown off the diversity of housing stock available in inner northern Melbourne.  The lead character Nina's apartment (check) in the first few seasons, her loft conversion (check) in the most recent season, the <a href="http://ten.com.au/tvshows/offspring-inside-gallery.htm" target="_blank">Proudman family home</a> (check) - it's so refreshing to see a TV show which isn't just set inside a typical suburban home or in a beachside suburb.</p>
<p>Not only is this soft sell happening at home in Australia, but arguably the wider international audience is getting to see a part of Australian cities which so very rarely get exposure.  International viewers are seeing we have some kick-arse urban nabes and no, not everyone's a 20 something surfie/beach bum just living the singleton life.  Although buying a house in Fitzroy, Collingwood or Carlton North will be out of reach for many families and the same areas aren't picture perfect renditions of affordability (if your aim is to buy, renting is a different, slightly more affordable story) for everyone, however Offspring is, to my mind, the tipping point for Australian drama and the way we portray where we live, work and play.  </p>
<p>Where some may argue the characters in Offspring are part of the infrastructure and liveability 'rich', I would say this: cast that mentality aside and look at Fitzroy as a model for retro-fitting suburbs far and wide right across Melbourne &amp; other Australian cities.  Density as illustrated by the show (Fitzroy has a population density of 6,740 people/square kilometre compared to the standard new suburb equivalent around 1,250-1,500 people/square kilometre) comes in many shapes and forms and offers up a huge number of opportunities for people who choose to live that way.  We kick goals by aspiring to alter our suburban landscape to something like Fitzroy, St Kilda, North Melbourne or Richmond as we can house more people in a smaller footprint providing them with closer access to jobs, shops and alternative transport modes.</p>
<p>Neighbours and Home &amp; Away may be a more accurate depiction of how the majority of Australia currently lives, but it's TV shows like Offspring which ought to be congratulated for tapping into the Australian mainstream (<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/offspring-finale-grabs-best-ratings/story-fn3dxiwe-1226697669882" target="_blank">over a million people saw last night's season finale</a>) and showing them there's a different way to live.  </p>
<p>More of this please learned TV producers of Australia - Offspring's only scratching the surface and every architect, developer, sales agent, Local and State Government planning body should jump on the bandwagon and take stock of the 'there, but not in your face' type message being portrayed in the background in every episode of shows like Offspring - the aforementioned groups of people need provide more accessible, affordable and urban housing in existing areas so future generations don't have to live the Erinsborough life.  </p>
<p><a href="http://ten.com.au/tvshows/offspring-map.htm" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Offspring_S4_map_v2.jpg?itok=ZfoViwrG" style="width: 702px; height: 894px;" title="Network Ten's Offspring Map of Fitzroy"></a></p>
<p><sub>Image credit: Network Ten.  </sub></p>
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Alastair Taylor

Is Offspring the tipping point for Australian television drama?

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<p>A lot of the Public Transport advocates were licking their lips on Monday when the former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett was quoted as saying <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/borrow-to-build-rail-network-kennett-20130811-2rq88" target="_blank">"There's not a major world city that doesn't have one [an underground rail network]"</a>.  I've always admired the former Premier's drive, regardless of what happened under his leadership, Jeff Kennett is through and through a Melbourne #1 man and is not afraid to say it.</p>

<p>What is Kennett talking about you might ask? A good question, but suffice to say he's more than likely referring to an operationally independent rail network serving the densest parts of the city - or the future densest parts of the city.  Whilst it's generally understood heavy rail running on high frequencies is the best transport mode to support a large amount of people living or working in a specific area there are a lot of ancillary issues which need to be worked out first.</p>

<p>The existing network can partly fill the role of a mass-transit line, as <a href="/news/melbourne-metro-saviour-of-the-outer-burbs" target="_blank">Phil Sturrock</a> wrote back in April.  The Melbourne Metro project is about streamlining existing train line running - adding more capacity to the centre of the city via a new tunnel connecting at two of the five existing rail nodes in the CBD whilst also extending the branch lines further to the East and West.  Whilst the Melbourne Metro tunnel is still likely to be utilised as a commuting method from the outer and middle ring areas into the city, there's a possibility the original Melbourne 2030 goal of having pockets of density surrounding many existing stations might become a reality.  This will be made possible depending on the outcome of local Government planning scheme change (now the Planning Minister has given local Government areas new zones to implement) which is currently underway.</p>

<p>PTV's own <a href="http://ptv.vic.gov.au/about-ptv/ptv-data-and-reports/network-development-plan-metropolitan-rail/" target="_blank">Network Development Plan</a> already outlines two new underground lines that will cross the city and service the most densely populated suburbs and the future ones.  As part of the plan a new tunnel beginning at Clifton Hill would cross the inner north connect with Southern Cross and then across the Yarra into Fishermans Bend in approximately 20 years - coincidentally when it's expected Fishermans Bend's redevelopment will be in full swing.  Whether this plan is executed along the lines (pardon the pun) as outlined remains another story but it gives an idea on how Government sees Melbourne's development occurring in future: toward the West.</p>

<p>Funding the plan is naturally the sticking point - I put up a <a href="/expert-insights/buying/heres-why-a-gst-rate-increase-should-be-on-the-table" target="_blank">proposal</a> on Sunday just past to increase the GST and the extra revenue raised would then only be used for Transport Infrastructure expansion - we also need to look at the current issues facing Melbourne's public transport system and I believe it's the humble bus.  We simply don't use them enough; if we are to make any large long-lasting impact which would force commuters to rethink their transport options, we need VicRoads and PTV to knock their heads together with a road-based public transport plan just as in-depth (or grandiose?) as the PTV's Network Development Plan but for recalibrating road space.</p>

<p>Other media reports recently about property acquisition as part of a potential widening of Punt Road from the Yarra to St. Kilda Junction perked my interest - I thought: smart if the extra lanes are to be dedicated to buses so we could get a high frequency Bus Rapid Transit line running from Fitzroy St in St.Kilda all the way up Punt Road and Hoddle Street and then the Stonnington City Council could rezone the land around Punt Road allowing further development intensity around the newly created rapid transport corridor.  Alas, it's all about fitting more private vehicles on the road with minimal mention of buses.  Surprise Surprise.</p>

<p>It's interesting to watch organisations such as VECCI and RACV on Twitter - the RACV is the number 1 advocate of a "balanced" transport policy and ever so meekly supports extra investment in Rail, however I'm yet to see a tweet or link to statement which supports truly balancing our road network giving much higher-priority and new infrastructure for road-based Public Transport.  We have a large, robust and good road network - in a sense we have benefited greatly from mass-suburban expansion since the 1940s and 1950s - Governments have focused on building high quality road ways.  </p>

<p>Our problem is that just too many of us are using them in private vehicles.  An architect acquaintance of mine who was born and lived most of his life overseas puts it quite succinctly: Australia grew up with the car and finds it too hard to think otherwise.</p>

<p>As Melbourne nears it's bicentenary I think it's safe to say we don't really need to lobby overly hard for large-scale big ticket rail projects, the State bureaucracy has for over a decade shown a small and incremental change in thinking.  Throw in the climate change &amp; new-world environmentalism mass-media coverage feeding into it, and shifting to public transport or arguably more importantly more sustainable transport modes like cycling and walking is well understood.  What really needs to happen is shifting attitudes toward road-users.  Some road users will never give up on their cars in favour of other modes - this will take 1 or 2 generations to make that kind of behaviour whittle away into an insignificant minority - and there are people and business where public transport just cannot provide an alternative for them to travel to work or actually do their job, but the rest of us who occasionally drive when we could use an alternative: that's the significant majority of our city which policy must target.</p>

<p>It doesn't matter if it's Lakeside Pakenham or St. Kilda; Mernda or Brunswick the humble bus has the greatest scope to challenge attitudes and help the same people make the shift away from roads congested with private cars and truly balancing road usage.  Car users need to understand that roads have never always been there for cars and roads should never just be there for private vehicles.  As both sides of political spectrum balance on the big ticket projects - the State Government hasn't mothballed Melbourne Metro, it's just prioritised East-West before it - focus needs to shift road capacity toward prioritising buses, and in the inner city for trams.  It'll be a hard slog, but it's one which will have the most dramatic impact no matter where you live, work or play in Melbourne.</p>

<p>Whilst I applaud Jeff Kennett for speaking his mind on the use of public debt to building rail lines, this needs to happen in parallel with rebalancing road usage - after all, the best way to feed a train station is a bus.</p>
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Comprehensive underground rail networks are fine, but what about the bus?

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	At present the Australian GST is levied at 10% on the majority of goods and services produced in Australia which are then on sold to Australian individuals and businesses.  The money raised by the GST is then put through a process called <a href="http://www.gstdistributionreview.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=reports/interimmarch2012/Chapter1.htm" target="_blank">Horizontal Fiscal Equilisation</a> where the Federal government then allocates each state and territory an amount based on the HFE formula.  </div>
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	Given the primary income for State/Territory Governments is GST and the basic consumer and business processes already exist, adapting the GST could be argued as one of the most prudent ways for Governments to raise more revenue to pay for transport infrastructure expansion or interest bills on debt used to build new infrastructure.  As GST is linked to consumption, the more money spent in the economy, the more money raised.</div>
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<div>
	Cities are the engine rooms of any economy - it's where the overwhelming majority of us choose to live and work.  Living near to centres of employment, social and retail hubs offers up choice - and the great enabler of this choice is transport.  Without efficient transport modes providing greater capacity we're unable to get to where we need to go in order to work, go shopping or conduct our lifestyles how we see fit.  </div>
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	Sourcing capital to build new or expand existing infrastructure has become an interesting exercise to watch over the past 1-2 decades with a multitude of Public Private Partnerships having built differing pieces of city transport infrastructure all around the country.  Governments of both persuasions have increasingly looked to the private sector to fund projects like Citylink and Eastlink as ideology from both sides has incrementally shifted Governments away from directly raising revenue in order to fund expansion or use as capital for the respective State/Territory's needs.  </div>
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	This PPP trend has produced a dubious outcome where public secrecy of big ticket infrastructure projects like the East-West link in inner Melbourne becomes commonplace and the taxpayer - the ultimate user - does not have a clear picture of the true benefits due to the Government's fear of compromising Private Sector investment.  </div>
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	Yes - I'm advocating a tax increase and one which isn't offset by other sectors of our entire taxation regime.  </div>
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	We require a two-pronged approach to provide greater transport capacity and alternatives to the existing private transport regime: secure a reliable funding source (this article) and expand Infrastructure project assessment capabilities downstream of Canberra (future article).</div>
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	<strong>The reliable fund source</strong>
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<ul>
<li>
		Raise the GST rate by 2.5% to 12.5%</li>
	<li>
		State and Territory Governments are required to create Infrastructure funds to be managed by their respective Funds Management agencies, for instance <a href="http://www.vfmc.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank">Victoria's Funds Management Corporation</a>
</li>
	<li>
		The extra revenue raised above the existing 10% of GST should bypass the HFE process and be directly returned to the State or Territory the good or service was bought from and paid directly into the Infrastructure funds.</li>
	<li>
		The Infrastructure funds should have an enshrined purpose to purely fund transport infrastructure investment - public transport, roads and ports.</li>
</ul>
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<div>
	Key to all of this is communicating the increase in the GST is for a specific purpose: Infrastructure investment.  Without this critical point, what I outline below is pointless and similarly having infrastructure spending decisions distanced, in part, from the political process as much as possible should be the secondary goal. This could be achieved via State-based Infrastructure agencies like the Federal <a href="http://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/" target="_blank">Infrastructure Australia</a> or by setting up joint State-Federal branches of Infrastructure Australia in each state capital ensuring public sector manpower is better deployed working with the largest service provider - the States and Territories - and the largest purse - the Federal Government.  </div>
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	I'd like to see a distinction made between the current level of GST and any future increases - such as the current Horizontal Fiscal Equilisation regime remains as is on the 10% portion of the GST - I think most people would understand the need for wealthier states to in part help out other states and territories in providing services there.  However the wealth-generating states also need to fund their own infrastructure pipelines to ensure they can achieve consistent growth and keep on supporting the "have-not" States/Territories.  To cut out the inevitable quarrel amongst State Premiers / Territory Chief Ministers which revolve around "we're not getting our fair share" then let's keep it simple: the 2.5% increase above the existing 10% would go back to the State/Territory where the GST is levied. </div>
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<div>
	<strong>How it could work and impacts on entities paying GST</strong>
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	Small, medium and large businesses are the entities, generally, which pay the GST to the ATO.  This is captured through a BAS Statement where the business tallies the amount of GST it has received from its goods and services sales, offsets the GST it has paid itself and produces a total figure which is the $ amount the ATO receives with each quarterly BAS lodgement.</div>
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	In order to capture the amount of GST a business or organisation levies on customers in each state, every entity collecting GST would need to know their customers, more specifically they would need to know where they are located.  </div>
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	This is simple for a small retail outlet/corner shop: all their sales are in the one state therefore the added paperwork would be minimal.  It would be relatively simple to ascertain for an online business - billing addresses which accompany credit card or paypal transactions (which already must be captured) can be used to capture the jurisdictional data.  For large multi-state businesses (think Woolworths, Coles, Telstra, Origin Energy) POS terminals and internal accounting systems would need to be altered to produce sales figures per jurisdiction breaking down their state-by-state sales &amp; associated GST component (if they don't already).</div>
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<div>
	Essentially 8 new boxes would appear on the BAS Statement - one for each state and territory plus the existing total figure businesses currently used to inform the ATO of their GST obligations.  Small, medium and large, online or bricks and mortar business would then simply provide their state-by-state breakdown - providing the grand total and then the GST paying entity would provide a figure for GST levied in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and so on.  </div>
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<div>
	The business/organisation would pay the GST in one single payment to the ATO, as is the case now, but the extra information would then be used by the ATO to strip out the extra 2.5% and redirect the cash straight to State/Territory Government funds on a quarterly basis with the existing 10% component running through the existing HFE process.</div>
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<div>
	Key to aiding the transition to the new GST regime will be the ATO/Federal Government devising and publishing the guidelines for accounting system integration touchpoints in order for software packages provided by MYOB, Xero, Oracle and SAP to automatically generate GST breakdowns based on customer and sales ledger data. </div>
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<div>
	<strong>Show us the money</strong>
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<div>
	What does the extra 2.5% look like in real numbers?  According to the <a href="http://www.cgc.gov.au/attachments/article/43/2012_Update_report.pdf" target="_blank">Commonwealth Grants Commission's</a> State Relatives 2012 Update report, Victoria was forecast to receive $11,782,000,000 in GST revenue for the 2012-2013 financial year.  HFE/relative changes aside (in case you were wondering Victoria was forecast to receive $0.92 for every $1 paid in GST in 2012-2013) let's assume the $11.7billion figure is a straight 10% and if a model such as the one I've outlined were to be implemented, Victoria's new Infrastructure Fund would have been filled with $2.5-$3billion in 2012-2013.</div>
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<div>
	<img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" height="661" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/gst_breakdown.jpg?itok=j25ic6qV" title="Commonwealth GRants Commission State Relatives report 2013" width="702">
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<div>
	Let your mind run wild, $2.5 to $3billion a year, could:</div>
<ul>
<li>
		Remove 25 level crossing removals a year, assuming an average cost of $100 million per crossing (we have well over 100 to remove in Melbourne alone).</li>
	<li>
		Commence major bus lane construction right across the metro and regional cities coupled with countless bus route improvements state-wide.</li>
	<li>
		Assuming an 8-10 year construction timeframe, Melbourne Metro Tunnel could be paid for directly with this fund and thereafter all the other subsequent heavy rail links as outlined by the PTV plan.</li>
	<li>
		Build the missing link in the ring road from Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough bypass to the Eastern Freeway at Thompson's road - offering an alternative to the Monash-West Gate corridor.</li>
	<li>
		Increase the amount of regional highway duplication projects: Princes HWY West from Winchlesea to Colac and beyond, Western Highway from Ararat to Horsham, accelerate plans to remove the last remaining at-grade intersections on the Hume and Princes "Freeways" between Craigieburn &amp; Wodonga and Pakenham &amp; Traralgon.</li>
</ul>
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	 </div>
<div>
	Let's not kid ourselves - this is not about creating a new tax to only have it funded by a "saving" elsewhere - this is about reversing the trend of the past couple of decades and flushing cash into an area that business, unions and community all agree needs a lot more attention.  Regardless of your socio-economic profile, we must all contribute and doing it through adapting existing system and increasing the rate by an amount inside the Reserve Bank's inflation range will hit everyone's hip pocket, but it has a very specific and important purpose.</div>
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	 </div>
<div>
	Big or small ticket transport infrastructure projects have flow-on productivity, social and environmental benefits for everyone and key to the success is rational discussion around tying the tax increase it to specific outcomes - projects and programmes selected on merit with greater community engagement outside the electoral cycle.</div>
<div>
	 </div>
<div>
	Would you accept a 2.5% increase in the GST if you knew every dollar raised was for the sole purpose of expanding transport infrastructure in our cities and regional areas? </div>
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	 </div>
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Here's why a GST rate increase should be on the table

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<p>After leaving <a href="/news/ohm-2013-walter-eliza-hall-institute" target="_blank">Walter + Eliza Hall Institute</a> last Saturday, I meandered down to 171 Collins Street. Open House Melbourne 2013 was good timing for 171 Collins Street: the development is complete, BHP Billiton is moving into the high-rise section although a number of low-rise floors don't have tenants as yet.</p>

<p>Click the images for a larger version.</p>

<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/047.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Looking up through the atrium to the high-rise area which BHP Billiton will be moving their Global Headquarters to"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/047.JPG?itok=yeYkqnLk" title="Looking up through the atrium to the high-rise area which BHP Billiton will be moving their Global Headquarters to" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Looking up through the atrium to the high-rise area which BHP Billiton will be moving their Global Headquarters to</figcaption></figure><p>The tour had quite a substantial wait time - 30 minutes - perhaps this was due to its central location or possibly people were just interested in the spectacular views. More on the views later. The tour kicked off with a brief talk about the the site's heritage features and then progressed to discussing the foyer and atrium. The Atrium (seen above) is mirrored down the walls in an effort to maximise natural light and like 333 Collins Street, will be accessible to the public during business hours.</p>

<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/051.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Beyond the main foyer, the ground floor lift entrances with BHP Billiton's own concierge in the background"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/051.JPG?itok=Y7VML8xy" title="Beyond the main foyer, the ground floor lift entrances with BHP Billiton's own concierge in the background" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Beyond the main foyer, the ground floor lift entrances with BHP Billiton's own concierge in the background</figcaption></figure><p>After viewing BHP's separate concierge desk (pictured above), we headed up to level 7 for a closer look at one of the vacant office floors. 171 Collins Street has an raised floor system with air conditioning flowing underneath, allowing tenants the added option to move the vents/floor panels and easily position them to fit specific needs. A rundown of the towers common features was given; the most memorable and that which drew the most laughs from the crowd are the bathrooms, decorated in a 'hotel style.'</p>

<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/054.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Vacant level 7"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/054.JPG?itok=51n9iEqv" title="Vacant level 7" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Vacant level 7</figcaption></figure><p>Thereafter the focus shifted toward the facade. As you can see in the below picture, the window treatment includes a white sheen; this is actually a ceramic layer in the triple-glazed facade which reduces the heat load and according to the tour guide, is a feature of 171 Collins Street required by its planning permit. Upon approval the tower was required to have a facade which did not detract from the vista of St. Paul's Cathedral nearby if you were standing under the clocks at Flinders Street gazing in that direction. So the towers facade when viewed from distance doesn't carry the same reflective qualities as other towers facades would. The white/grey hue is meant to mimic Melbourne's grey skies and if you walk closer, the outlook remains decided obscured.</p>

<p>When the tour guide was explaining the facade's features I cast my mind back to the many OH&amp;S induction sessions from the various contract and permanent jobs I've had in the past. I'm sure many reading this will be familiar with the idea when offices workers are at their desks, they are encouraged to look away from their PC screen every 5-10 minutes in order to give your eyes a rest. The most popular suggestion? Look out the nearest window. Maybe I missed something, however given the lack of clear views outwards, looking out a window wouldn't do much!</p>

<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/056.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="View southwards over the currently closed Aldephi hotel - the white pattern obscuring the image is the ceramic layer in the triple-glazed facade"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/056.JPG?itok=kI7S8P8B" title="View southwards over the currently closed Aldephi hotel - the white pattern obscuring the image is the ceramic layer in the triple-glazed facade" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>View southwards over the currently closed Aldephi hotel - the white pattern obscuring the image is the ceramic layer in the triple-glazed facade</figcaption></figure><p>To date one level in the low-rise section of 171 Collins has been leased with another 5 available / actively being marketed. A prime location, they won't last long in this all together impressive building.</p>
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OHM 2013: 171 Collins Street

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<p>After leaving the <a href="/news/ohm-2013-royal-melbourne-hospital-tunnels-helipad" target="_blank">RMH Tunnels and Helipad tour</a>, I hot-footed it around the corner to the <a href="http://wehi.edu.au/" target="_blank">Walter + Eliza Hall Institute</a> (WEHI) as part of my <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/" target="_blank">Open House Melbourne 2013</a> outing. Since 1915 WEHI has had an association with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and effectively it has been located next to, or in an RMH building ever since.</p>

<p>The tour started at the main entrance located next to the basketball court for University High. The interior is simple yet impressive (no photos of the entrance interior as I wasn't sure at this stage if photography was OK) which prominently displays all the funding partners and donors which contribute to the Institute. Beyond the security gates we were lead down the Discovery Tunnel which chronicles the history of the institute and leads to the newest wing, designed by DCM and opened in 2012.</p>

<p>On the ground floor of the new wing rests a model of the Institute's facilities as well as many of the prestigious awards scientists working at the Institute have received over the years including the Nobel Prize awarded to <a href="http://www.wehi.edu.au/about_us/history/directors/frank_macfarlane_burnet/" target="_blank">Frank Macfarlane Burnet</a>.</p>

<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/032.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Model of the WEHI facilities"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/032.JPG?itok=Nn6edNU-" title="Model of the WEHI facilities" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Model of the WEHI facilities</figcaption></figure><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/031.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet's Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Sir Peter Medawar for the discovery of immunological tolerance"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/031.JPG?itok=-dSJu6yE" title="Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet's Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Sir Peter Medawar for the discovery of immunological tolerance" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet's Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Sir Peter Medawar for the discovery of immunological tolerance</figcaption></figure><p>After going up one level, a short video featuring cameos by the design team was playing and half-way through I gazed upwards and became transfixed with the illumination of the void which we were standing at the base of.</p>

<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/035.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Looking straight up between the Labs, staircase and lifts"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/035.JPG?itok=95pkXS-7" title="WEHI - Looking straight up between the Labs and staircase" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>WEHI - Looking straight up between the Labs and staircase</figcaption></figure><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/036.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Looking up at the labs"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/036.JPG?itok=vUoWI6vD" title="Looking up at the WEHI labs" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Looking up at the WEHI labs</figcaption></figure><p>When we rode up the glass lift, exited to go through the secured entry, we were greeted with life - no not mutant zombie-like creatures, but scientists, at work in the lab. It turns out there's approximately 1000 scientists, researchers and support staff working at the institute: no small organisation by any stretch of the imagination. We were also then taken into the only tea room in the entire facility - and it's enormous, complete with separate lecture theatre, industrial-sized kitchen and enough seats and tables, by my estimation, for 300 people - not to mention a great northerly aspect looking over old-school Parkville.</p>

<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/041.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Looking north over Parkville"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/041.JPG?itok=omLZyUNm" title="Looking north over Parkville" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Looking north over Parkville</figcaption></figure><p>The tour naturally focused on the architecture, however WEHI also run <a href="http://www.wehi.edu.au/news/events/discovery_tours/" target="_blank">Discovery tours</a> which focus on the research and science which happens inside. I'd recommend anyone, even if you have a limited interest in science (says someone who dropped Science altogether in Year 10 and has only appreciated its application in adulthood) sign up because you'll be exposed to spaces, in particular work spaces, unlike many in the city.</p>
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OHM 2013: Walter + Eliza Hall Institute

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<p>Over the past weekend, Open House Melbourne drew many people out of their winter hibernation and onto the streets to view the various public and private buildings which threw their doors open. Having read many reviews in previous years on the the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) tunnels, I was pleasantly surprised to find the helipad was also open to the public this year.</p>

<p>Registration was required before the tour began and everyone who registered was asked to go to the exhibition in an adjacent room, where there was an informative journey of the hospital's past and future.</p>

<p>Of particular interest were the original blueprints.</p>

<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/003.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Blueprints in the RMH history and future exhibition"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/003.JPG?itok=ux5CS_Xh" title="Blueprints in the RMH history and future exhibition" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Blueprints in the RMH history and future exhibition</figcaption></figure><p>The tour begun at the base of the lift core, where the original tunnels underneath the first building form a simple cross emanating from the basement level lift doors. The tour then proceeded into a void just underneath the new entrance to the Hospital built last decade, where we learnt about the on-site electricity generation capacity for the hospital should the standard power grid fail.</p>

<p>Interesting tidbit: the grid you walk over on the main ramp (into the new entrance) has an enlarged skylight overhanging; not for natural light penetration, but so a large crane could eventually be positioned over it, should the powers that be ever need to remove the diesel generators from the void below.</p>

<p>The tour then proceeded to the newer outer ring of tunnels built to better service the hospital as it has been expanded over the years. At this point, it suddenly dawned on me as to the reason why so many hospitals are clustered in southern Parkville: RMH provides multiple services like medical oxygen and steam for heating to adjacent buildings, including parts of the University of Melbourne. The former Royal Children's site (next to the new building) used to also be serviced by the facilities at RMH via another tunnel, an impressive feat given the RMH and former RCH sites are 1km apart! The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre will also be served in part by RMH.</p>

<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/014.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Roaming under Flemington Road's footpath"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/014.JPG?itok=zMGVXoPy" title="Roaming under Flemington Road's footpath" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Roaming under Flemington Road's footpath</figcaption></figure><p>The tunnel tour ended at a 2nd generator house on Flemington Road, next to the new road built to service the Royal Women's Hospital.</p>

<p>From there participants were invited to walk back, on the surface, to the main entrance of the RMH and then head up to the helipad. It wasn't in active use on the day thanks to maintenance work being carried out, however members of the public were allowed up there to witness the fantastic views.</p>

<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/020.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Straight down the guts: view of the centre of the CBD from the RMH Helipad"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/020.JPG?itok=Qu_lEDMX" title="Straight down the guts: view of the centre of the CBD from the RMH Helipad" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Straight down the guts: view of the centre of the CBD from the RMH Helipad</figcaption></figure><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/027.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="Cordons on the helipad"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/027.JPG?itok=Oz88gvwo" title="Cordons on the helipad" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Cordons on the helipad</figcaption></figure><p>All in all, if you haven't done it as part of any previous Open House Melbourne, I highly recommend doing it next year.</p>
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OHM 2013: Royal Melbourne Hospital tunnels & helipad

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<p>Yesterday the Premier <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/7401-flinders-street-station-designs-revealed">revealed</a> the six short-listed designs in the $1million competition for Flinders Street Station's future. Despite the predictable yarn from the public transport advocates who have an inability to think beyond their next gunzelesque rant (refer to tweet) the amount of people engaging with the people's choice competition has been outstanding.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Of course, first step towards.making the trains run on time is ensuring the station has a functional ballroom. <a href="http://t.co/kxyKrqzUNJ">pic.twitter.com/kxyKrqzUNJ</a></p>
— Daniel Bowen (@danielbowen) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/danielbowen/statuses/359513312146358273">July 23, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>We don't get large-scale architectural competitions all that often, well - we barely get them at all, so it was an interesting exercise watching the discussion unfold - especially on the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23voteflindersst">#voteflindersst</a> hashtag.</p>

<p>One thing I found quite interesting (or ironic?) in mainstream media reporting was the quote the Premier doesn't see any construction happening on site for a decade, yet the <a href="http://vote.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/">site</a> maintains 440,000 people are expected to use the station every day by 2021. That's either an extraordinary belief that Flinders Street has plenty of capacity to cope for the next 8 years (most likely does with some track reconfiguration) or just another State Government <a href="/news/how-to-ruin-an-improving-landscape-east-west-tunnel">faux pas</a>.</p>

<p>The people's choice is not going to affect the judgement of who will win the competition however the feedback provided by the community will be an almighty barometer into how the public thinks of Flinders Street Station as is and where they see it going.</p>

<p>After spending a good two hours downloading all the associated images and drawings, in all honesty, and as I posed on the dedicated <a href="/news">transport forum thread</a> we created for this discussion, I still don't have a clear favourite. There's no single proposal which encompasses all the elements I feel are really positive.</p>

<p>Rather than go into an in-depth proposal-by-proposal I thought I'd just point out common themes which are more positive than negative.</p>

<h2>Tram network changes</h2>

<p>Many of the proposals see varying degrees of network changes: be they new road bridges to fix the awkward 90 degree corner from the current northbank side of Queens Bridge or re-positioning of tram stops. The new Queens Bridge concept has the benefit of removing a left and a right hand turn from the #55 tram route which currently runs along Market Street, Flinders Lane and then onto William Street. ARM and Hadid+BVN should be commended for thinking well beyond the station site and any project, should it go ahead, I believe should incorporate this feature allowing the existing Queens Bridge to be a part of an enlarged Queensbridge Square.</p>

<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/1013-images16of60a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="New Queens Bridge at left - image © ARM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1013-images16of60a.jpg?itok=M03_epdH" title="New Queens Bridge at left - image © ARM" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>New Queens Bridge at left - image © ARM</figcaption></figure><p>Furthermore many of the proposals saw re-positioning of tram stops: Velasquez + Pineda + Medina and Hadid + BVN moved the main tram stop southward to be positioned on Princes Bridge and ARM moved it to the eastern side of Swanston Street. Many proposals see a complete rebuild of the Elizabeth Street tram terminus which is very welcome and special mention to the HASSELL + Herzog and Hadid+BVN proposals for depicting the underground tunnels necessary to connect with the "CBD South" Station to be built as part of the Melbourne Metro tunnel project.</p>

<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/1170-image38of39a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="New Elizabeth Street tram terminus - image © Hadid + BVN"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1170-image38of39a.jpg?itok=efzES6Im" title="New Elizabeth Street tram terminus - image © Hadid + BVN" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>New Elizabeth Street tram terminus - image © Hadid + BVN</figcaption></figure><h2>The Eastern Entrance</h2>

<p>Whether the entrants have labeled it "Federation Square" entrance or "Eastern" entrance, the clear 'winners' (for lack of a better term) are those that flatten the roadspace and remove the barriers (namely the tram stop).</p>

<p>Hadid + BVN are taking a really radical view. Their main entrance canopy is space-age and very [insert any new Chinese airport terminal built in the past 5 years here], but most dramatic of all looks to be, thanks to the repositioning of the tram stop to the south, even more traffic calming measures put in place on Swanston St allowing for no pedestrian crossing lights and what can only be described as complete integration with Federation Square.</p>

<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/1170-image03of39a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Extreme traffic calming measures to excite the urbanist in all of us - image © Hadid + BVN"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1170-image03of39a.jpg?itok=zBxnT6rI" title="Extreme traffic calming measures to excite the urbanist in all of us - image © Hadid + BVN" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Extreme traffic calming measures to excite the urbanist in all of us - image © Hadid + BVN</figcaption></figure><p>Likewise the UniMelb students Velasquez + Pineda + Medina have also provided an excellent integration with Federation Square, again thanks to moving the tram stop further south. Yet with this proposal, we would get a double amphitheatre effect with Swanston Street becoming somewhat of a stage owing to the existing slope of Federation Square opposite and the Colombian guys' vision to have a (Canberra) Parliament House-like grass-on-roof type arrangement.</p>

<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/1110-image01of43a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Double amphitheatre with Swanston Street as the stage - image © Velasquez + Pineda + Medina"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1110-image01of43a.jpg?itok=inpXuA-O" title="Double amphitheatre with Swanston Street as the stage - image © Velasquez + Pineda + Medina" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Double amphitheatre with Swanston Street as the stage - image © Velasquez + Pineda + Medina</figcaption></figure><h2>Central Plaza / Amphitheatre + River Stage</h2>

<p>Hadid + BVN, HASSELL + Herzog and NH have a strong similarity in this regard. Hadid + BVN and NH feature shading utilising canopies and in Hadid+BVN's case, the join between the two main parts of superstructure canvassing the entire site appears to provide shade to their smaller amphitheatre fronting the Yarra. NH's inclusion of a new bridge (below) - piggybacking off the newly finished Hamer Hall concourse - running from St. Kilda Road to near the Western entrance / Elizabeth Street axis warrants further investigation.</p>

<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/NHA001%20V04%20RETOUCHED.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Central plaza/concourse with canopy concept - image © NH"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/NHA001%20V04%20RETOUCHED.jpg?itok=OXWjVNwg" title="Central plaza/concourse with canopy concept - image © NH" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Central plaza/concourse with canopy concept - image © NH</figcaption></figure><p>One wonders what the plaza in HASSELL + Herzog's proposal would be like in summer. Doubtless to say it would have a lot of foot traffic, passing through but not utilising the space other than as another transit route (however Federation Square is in the same boat, so there may be some merit in it).</p>

<h2>Integration with the Yarra</h2>

<p>One of the strongest proposals in this area is Wardle + Grimshaw's. Bricks: love them, small spaces: check, wooden boardwalk: it's there. It appears as if this would have the effect of extending the same style of riverfront usage like on the eastern side of Princes Bridge where Riverland and the other vault businesses are located - I feel that's a big plus.</p>

<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/1014%20Images%20%20%2830%29a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Small spaces for small businesses - image © Wardle + Grimshaw"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1014%20Images%20%20%2830%29a.jpg?itok=5KHWNcZC" title="Small spaces for small businesses - image © Wardle + Grimshaw" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Small spaces for small businesses - image © Wardle + Grimshaw</figcaption></figure><h2>Open Air platforms or Train shed?</h2>

<p>I'm a sucker for the Victorian-era train sheds that exist all over the world, so ARM and HASSELL + Herzog's proposals caught my eye. Big Kudos to ARM for referencing the original Swanston St entrance proposal.</p>

<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/1019-image25of75a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Reminiscent of the train hall of old - image © HASSELL + Herzog"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/1019-image25of75a.jpg?itok=FN6CGU8c" title="Reminiscent of the train hall of old - image © HASSELL + Herzog" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

<figcaption>Reminiscent of the train hall of old - image © HASSELL + Herzog</figcaption></figure><h2>I tried so hard to only be positive</h2>

<p>The only major negative feature of any of the proposals I want to point out is with regards to NH's proposal: lose the existing canopies above platforms, they're outdated and will be out of place with the new concourse. I see them with the least amount of heritage value and actually an impediment; I much prefer an entire roof (like ARM or HASSELL+Herzog) or new canopies and if worst comes to worst incorporate the heritage platform signage. Sorry there's a second negative: Hadid+BVN's over-reliance on shopping centres should be discouraged; hotels fine, but no-one wants another Southern Cross retail outlet shop, no matter how upmarket Hadid+BVN's renders of the retail components are.</p>

<p>While we do have to remember this is a station and its primary function is to have the ability for trains to run more frequently over time to cater for the forecast demand (thanks Daniel), there's a heavy focus - in the imagery at least - on everything above, beside or below the tracks and platforms when the single most important thing in any new development on this site should be focusing on new or less platform space. It might not have been part of the brief, which would explain the lack of detail, but the next stage after a winner is selected (and naturally this should only occur if the State Government is serious about putting this on a long-term road map for actual construction), serious consideration needs to go into what the track and platform layout will be in future.</p>

<p>The primary reason why NH's retention of heritage canopies is not useful is that there are arguments to reduce the number of platforms and therefore space where 3rd overtaking lines may once have existed between two tracks with platforms as the PTV heavy rail plan is gearing itself toward focusing less on Flinders Street station. Melbourne Metro's "CBD South" will remove a large amount of trains from City Loop operations and the dwell times at Flinders Street over time are likely to disappear as driver changes will occur outside the city in future.</p>

<p>While yes, the Ballroom is the least of our concerns, like many have already commented on Twitter and in the mainstream press, we must plan 20 steps ahead for Flinders Street's expansion yet also open the public's mind on what else can be incorporated into the site.</p>

<p><a href="http://vote.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/">See the videos, write-ups and download all the images/drawings</a> from the Flinders Street Station Design Competition.</p>
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Public Transport + Architecture = Seagull on a hot chip; thoughts on Flinders Street Station competition entries

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<p>Yesterday Premier Denis Napthine released further detail on the <a href="http://www.linkingmelbourne.vic.gov.au/pages/detailed-project-design.asp" target="_blank">East-West Tunnel project</a> which will extend the Eastern Freeway to an interchange with Citylink in Parkville/Travancore. My total disdain for prioritising this road lobby/union-pleasing project over the Melbourne Metro tunnel is well documented, however now I want to focus on the impacts this project will have around the redevelopment zones as outlined by the City of Melbourne and State Government itself.</p>

<p>Now we have more detailed renders of the corridor and the superstructure that is proposed at both ends of the tunnel, one needs to feel for the residents of the Elderly Chinese Home which, if not supported by the State Government to move their facilities to another site, will be isolated smack bang in the middle of the triangle interchange at the Western end of the tunnel. Furthermore you have to feel for the people who have bought off the plan in the <a href="http://www.evoapartments.com.au/" target="_blank">EVO Parkville</a> development currently under construction - they're now going to have an off-ramp right up against their property boundary.</p>

<p>I found it odd following all the mainstream media journalists on twitter yesterday as they reported 100 or so properties will be affected and compensated and yet there was no mention of this new development (see 1m 55s in below video) with 175 apartments, the majority of which will face the proposed offramp. Following the course of the day it became apparent the Linking Melbourne Authority is only going to compensate people directly affected - i.e. you're only compensated if your property will be compulsorily acquired.</p>

<p>I'm sure solicitors are going to have some fun with the definition of "impacted" for anyone who's recently built or bought into any area near either end of this tunnel.</p>

<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uKYDqjKyK9Y" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>Enormous outbound flyover with faux bridge from Hoddle Street. Present.</p>

<p>Manningham Street playing fields. Destroyed.</p>

<p>Oak Street / Commonwealth Games wetlands. Obliterated.</p>

<p>Isolation of some of the most vulnerable residents in the area. Confirmed.</p>

<p>Setting Parkville back 2-3 decades. You bet.</p>

<p>What a SUPERB urban design outcome! (That sentence is dripping with sarcasm).</p>
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How to ruin an improving landscape: East-West Tunnel

Summary and thoughts on the community forum for Fishermans Bend

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<p><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/trucks-chaos-threat-to-city-20130705-2phnl" target="_blank">Trucks chaos threat to city</a>, Adam Carey, The Age</p>

<p><a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/07/04/how-did-melbournes-laneway-culture-come-about/" target="_blank">How did Melbourne's 'laneway culture' come about?</a> Alan Davies, Crikey.</p>

<p>- One should make it a weekly habit of reading Alan's blog, the best from this week.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/australia-food-blog/2013/jul/05/melbourne-top-10-best-breakfasts" target="_blank">Melbourne's best breakfasts - Top 10</a>, Anna Spargo-Ryan, The Guardian</p>

<p>- What's everyone's thoughts on that list?  I haven't visited any of them - plug for the best of my locals, <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1588787/restaurant/Melbourne/Brunswick/Fine-Dandy-Food-Stuffs-Brunswick-West" target="_blank">Fine and Dandy Food Stuffs</a>, I'm not a coffee drinker, but the food is top notch and in a superb location - well positioned to take advantage of the increasing development around Albion &amp; Melville Road, get down there before it gets crowded!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/mayor-in-the-market-for-a-revamp-of-queen-vic-20130705-2phll" target="_blank">Mayor in the market for a revamp of Queen Vic</a>, Shane Green, The Age</p>

<p>- Yes, get on with it Mr Lord Mayor.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/05/which-afl-club-support-help" target="_blank">Which AFL club should I support?</a> Katharine Viner, The Guardian</p>

<p>- Sorry Pies supporters, but  see my own reply in the comment thread.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tower-plan-could-doom-iconic-music-venue-20130705-2ph94" target="_blank">Tower plan could doom iconic music venue</a>, Aisha Dow, The Age</p>

<p>- Ryan's sourced a much larger image which you can view in the <a href="/news">Melbourne General News (Projects &amp; Construction) forum thread.</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/a-carfree-yellow-brick-road-were-not-on-george-st-any-more-20130705-2phfv" target="_blank">A car-free Yellow Brick Road? We're not on George Street anymore</a>, Andrew Taylor, Sydney Morning Herald</p>

<p>- Here's hoping <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Keating" target="_blank">PJK</a> has an opinion to broadcast about the art which will be chosen by the <a href="http://www.cityartsydney.com.au/cityart/about/PublicArtAdvisoryPanel.asp" target="_blank">City of Sydney Public Art </a><a href="http://www.cityartsydney.com.au/cityart/about/PublicArtAdvisoryPanel.asp" target="_blank">A</a><a href="http://www.cityartsydney.com.au/cityart/about/PublicArtAdvisoryPanel.asp" target="_blank">dvisory Panel</a>, or will the Sydney media steer clear of him given his reputation for dishing out the <a href="http://designbuildsource.com.au/australian-architects-slam-designs-for-packers-crown-sydney" target="_blank">colourful verbiage</a>, long after leaving Canberra?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/australia-culture-blog/2013/jul/05/chrissy-amphlett-melbourne-laneway" target="_blank">Chrissy Amphlett Laneway would be a perfect Melbourne tribute</a>, Jessica Adams, The Guardian.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Have I missed other good weekend reads?  Post a link in the comments below, and remember:</p>

<p><img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" height="401" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/keep-calm-its-the-weekend-45.png?itok=rSVnUDkw" width="702"></p>
</body></html>

Weekend reads from the Internet

<p data-end="256" data-start="0"><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.</p>

<p data-end="446" data-start="258">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.</p>

<p data-end="645" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="448">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>.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.”</p>

<p data-end="626" data-start="350">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.</p>

<p data-end="928" data-start="628">“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.”</p>

<p data-end="1147" data-start="930">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”.</p>

<p data-end="1510" data-start="1149">“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.”</p>

<p data-end="1510" data-start="1149"><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" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<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">
<p data-end="305" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="0">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.</p>
</section>


Joel Robinson

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

<p style="text-align:start">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;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>“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;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>“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.”</p>


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

<p>Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.</p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>“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.”</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.</p>

<p>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.</p>


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

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>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.”</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>“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.</p>

<p>A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>


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

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p><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" /></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>


Alastair Taylor

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