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The Sustainable Urbanist: Are helmets the only woe to Melbourne bikeshare, Matt O'Leary in RMIT Catalyst. <a href="http://www.rmitcatalyst.com/the-sustainable-urbanist-are-helmets-the-only-woe-to-melbourne-bike-share/">http://www.rmitcatalyst.com/the-sustainable-urbanist-are-helmets-the-only-woe-to-melbourne-bike-share/</a>
Bike black spot plan cut back, Adam Carey in The Age.  <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/bike-blackspot-plan-cut-back-20130529-2nam8">http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/bike-blackspot-plan-cut-back-20130529-2nam8.html</a>
Infrastructure tended to in surprise-less budget, Nathan Stanogias in RMIT Catalyst. <a href="http://www.rmitcatalyst.com/infrastructure-tended-to-in-surprise-less-budget/">http://www.rmitcatalyst.com/infrastructure-tended-to-in-surprise-less-budget/</a>
Victoria's Taxi revolution will cost passengers more, Amelia Harris and Matt Johnston in the Herald Sun. <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorias-taxi-revolution-will-cost-passengers-more/story-fni0fiyv-1226652542691">http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorias-taxi-revolution-will-cost-passengers-more/story-fni0fiyv-1226652542691</a>
Peak demand for road and rail: is that all there is? Alan Davies on Crikey's The Urbanist blog. <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/05/28/peak-demand-for-road-and-rail-is-that-all-there-is/">http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/05/28/peak-demand-for-road-and-rail-is-that-all-there-is/</a>
How walkable are Australia's largest cities? Alan Davies on Crikey's The Urbanist blog. <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/05/27/how-walkable-are-australias-largest-cities/">http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/05/27/how-walkable-are-australias-largest-cities/</a>
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Alastair Taylor

Editor's picks for good transport reads on the web 29/05/13

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Andrew Leoncelli, Director of Residential Projects at CBRE, speaking at ICD Property's ground breaking ceremony of <a href="http://youandi.net.au/" target="_blank">You &amp; I</a> said "on too few occassions do you actually sit back and celebrate milestones and today we're doing that". Indeed today marked the celebration of the next phase of ICD Property's You &amp; I apartment complex with ICD Property team members, representatives from Carr Design, Orbit Architecture and Harris HMC, purchasers and the local community all packed out the display suite at 450 Smith Street to join in.

<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_4557.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="ICD Property Managing Director Michael Mai (centre) during the ground braking ceremony"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Img_4557.jpg?itok=Y6vg7aax" title="ICD Property Managing Director Michael Mai (centre) during the ground braking ceremony" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

Apartments.com.au was invited to the You &amp; I display suite to winess the ground breaking ceremony, and we also got our first up close and personal look at the You &amp; I model. When we first wrote about You &amp; I back on <a href="/news/you-i-enters-construction-phase#content" target="_blank">May 9</a>, 60% of the apartments had been sold and since then Andrew Leoncelli's team have now pushed that figure up to 70%.

<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_4545.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="You &amp; I model, including etched precast panels over the eastern facade"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Img_4545.jpg?itok=-KnNatLV" title="You &amp; I model, including etched precast panels over the eastern facade" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

Today we also learned the on-site display suite will be open for a further two weeks and demolition of the existing building will be begin on June 2nd. ICD Property representatives also explained the building will have a 15 month construction timeframe with settlements scheduled for September 2014.

<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_4563.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The current building and display, soon to be demolished"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Img_4563.jpg?itok=rLQHb079" title="The current building and display, soon to be demolished" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

Apartments.com.au will follow and report on You &amp; I's progress throughout construction. Of particular interest will be the installation of a large art panel fronting Smith and Mater. Along with a strong retail focus at ground floor and an impressive all-round design, You &amp; I is destined to impress.

You can register your interest on the <a href="http://youandi.net.au/" target="_blank">youandi.net.au</a> website, contact the sales agents directly - Andrew Leoncelli 0405 523 451 or Nathan Passas 0422 304 410 - and don't forget to have a look at You &amp; I's very own <a href="/buildings/you-and-i-450-smith-street-collingwood#content" target="_blank">project page</a> on Apartments.com.au.

This is advertiser content for ICD Property.
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You & I's ground breaking ceremony

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Australian Pacific Airports Corporation - owner of Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport  - has released its latest Master Plan draft for public viewing. The full document suite is available <a href="http://melbourneairport.com.au/About-Melbourne-Airport/Planning/Master-Plan" target="_blank">here</a>.

The highlight of which, and mentioned in mainstream media toward the end of last year, is the announcement Melbourne's 3rd runway will be a shorter arrivals-focused runway to the south of the terminal precinct running parallel to the existing 9/27 (East-West) runway.

For years Melburnians have seen in their Melway street directories the proposed 3rd and 4th runways locations, and now we have less fluid and slightly more concrete dates on when the 3rd runway will be operational - 2022 at the latest. And it was somewhat amusing to watch a report on ABC News24 2 nights ago where locals living in Gladstone Park were overall quite supportive of the project and were happy to list the benefits of the expansion.

I've always believed that Tullamarine was one of those rare examples of good planning foresight from different levels of government at the time. Thereafter successive governments have maintained strict suburban development controls to the west and north of Tullamarine, minimising complaints and maximising the airport's usefulness through its 24 hour operation - a demonstrably genuine example of a good balance between the needs for housing and and the needs for connectivity expansion over time.

Contrast that with the decades-old biff which the powers that be in Sydney have had to contend with, it's not hard to sit back and just have a smug look on your face when you read about the latest cacophony taking up valuable air time on national TV when the country knows Sydney has an infrastructure paralysis problem and time would be better spent sorting the issue out in the domestic media rather than the NSW government smearing egg all over its own face infront of us all.  

I'm not alone by the looks of things, Chris Woodruff, head honcho at Tullamarine, has even publicly gloated about <a href="http://www.afr.com/Page/Uuid/bda9d0cc-c0d3-11e2-a4e8-dad4012b432c" target="_blank">"taking the fight to Sydney and outgrowing them"</a>. <a href="http://urbanmelbourne.info/policy-culture/2013/05/07/the-melbourne-versus-sydney-debate-isnt-boring-its-useful#content" target="_blank">As I've argued previously</a> - Sydney and NSW need Melbourne's growth plans and demonstrated success so they can dig themselves out of their own complacency.  

The three runway configuration as outlined in Tullamarine's masterplan is expected to increase the maximum aircraft movements per year (currently hovering around the 240,000 mark).  Terminal 2 - International has yet more scope for expansion over the next 10-20 years as seen in this image taken directly from the master plan itself.

<img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" height="608" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/mel_T2_expansion.png?itok=bV-NRe93" title="Image courtesy Melbourne Airport Master Plan" width="702">

We've already seen the plans for the new dedicated <a href="http://urbanmelbourne.info/forum/tullamarine-news-projects-construction#comment-501" target="_blank">Low-Coast Terminal - T4</a> thanks to forumer Fedsquared who provided renders via graphic artist Gareth Servant. Combining T3/T4 and T2 expansion together, the southward additions to the Terminal precinct and the new 3rd runway further illustrate Tullamarine's management mean business and the future is bright for attracting new international airlines as well as a domestic expansion to support a growing Melbourne.

Yet the biggest grey area in the masterplan and further confused by the recent Airport Rail Study is ground transportation access. Airport management claim via <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/six-million-people-would-use-train-to-melbourne-airport/story-fni0fiyv-1226647198690" target="_blank">this Herald Sun article</a>, they hope for 25% of all trips to/from the airport to occur via public transport and that 6 million passengers (15%) would use an airport rail service in 2022, should that link be built. Only attracting 15% of an eventual 40 million passengers to a rail service appears to be very conservative given Melbourne current receives approximately <a href="http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/Documents/tra/National%20Visitor%20Survey/2013/Travel_by_Australians_December_Quarter_2012.pdf" target="_blank">15 million domestic visitors</a> per annum (yet not all use the airport to get here) plus another <a href="http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/Documents/tra/International%20Visitor%20Survey/2013/IVS_%20December_Qtr_2012.pdf" target="_blank">1.7 million international visitors</a>.  Those figures will grow over the coming decade and so will residents using the airport to travel elsewhere.  I'd very much like to see the detail behind that prediction.

Even on the airport's own target of having 25% of all trips to/from the airport on a public transport mode, the gap (10%) between the goal (25%) and the rail-use prediction (15%) suggests it will be filled with a large bus network, presumably there to primarily serve airport employees who live direct easy, south and west of the airport.

I can't help feel my suspicions about the do-nothing Airport Rail Study was just that: a study to say do nothing - or at least make the case for a rail line dependent on a litany of other projects.  Here we have a private organisation happy to plan and put money where its mouth is and expand infrastructure to support more growth but the public sector refuses to see the wood for the trees and get rail access to the airport sooner by piggy-backing off the <a href="http://urbanmelbourne.info/transport/2013/03/27/half-of-the-melbourne-airport-rail-link-is-currently-under-construction#content" target="_blank">Regional Rail project</a>.

The smug look on my face, as you can imagine, has by now disappeared - maybe we do have a NSW-like problem after all.
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Tullamarine's Master Plan goes for more growth

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It's abundantly clear now, the urban versus suburban transport infrastructure battlelines have been drawn and an enormous wedge has been squarely placed between Alexandra Parade and Grattan Street in the inner North.
Last night's federal government budget saw the Treasurer commit the federal government to $3 billion in funding destined for later this decade and early next decade for the construction of the Melbourne Metro project and <a href="http://budget.gov.au/2013-14/content/bp2/html/bp2_expense-17.htm" target="_blank">no reference</a> to the East-West Tunnel favoured by Spring Street.  The Leader of the Oppostion, Tony Abbott, has been quoted as saying a potential coalition government post September would not be funding urban public transport projects and would instead stick to funding road projects.
No matter what your political beliefs - I have mine, and you have yours - this transcends traditional Left versus Right, it's now a question of a more sustainable urban future versus entrenched auto-centric suburban growth.  The upcoming Federal election, in Victoria at least, will no doubt be fought around these two big ticket projects given the NDIS has bi-partisan support and Gonski Education reforms are not likely to stir up any political biff.
With respect to Spring Street, they have publicly stated it wants both projects to go ahead and they remain committed to both. However with the opposing nature of both last week's Victorian government budget release and the federal government's budget release, it looks like the Victorian component of the federal election campaign will be loosely fought on the same themes the Baillieu/Napthine government campaigned on in 2010.
On one hand there is scant evidence the East-West tunnel will do what the state government and the associated road lobby groups say it will do, and on the other hand there's a Melbourne Metro business case submission to Infrastructure Australia, which one would assume (and putting the politics aside for a moment) was the basis for the federal government announcing its intention to help fund the Metro Tunnel.
<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/warning-on-high-tunnel-toll-20130514-2jkjj" target="_blank">The Age</a> is going hard on the state government with regards to its justification for prioritising the East-West tunnel ahead of Melbourne Metro - and I applaud it, this is absolutely the right thing to do. The Melbourne Metro project, although still requiring more planning work, has been far more transparent than the East-West link. You need only look at how the Melbourne Metro tunnel project has already begun its working life through the Federal bureacratic hoops and the Infrastructure Australia status of ready to proceed and the East-West tunnel's status at the lower level of real potential.
Most will see this as Labor versus Liberal choice, I actually see it as a question of holding onto the past and pursuing a same-same auto-centric "balance" versus looking toward to a future of actually seeing a more timely implementation of the PTV Heavy Rail plan - the plan which will bring the urban core of Melbourne closer to everyone in the metropolitan area.
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Federal Budget 2013: the urban versus suburban battlelines are drawn

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Forum member Fedsquared recently created a <a href="/news">thread in the UM forum</a> linking directly to the "'Access Docklands' - A Strategy for the Docklands Transport Network" document - it warrants much more exposure and discussion.  The strategy was devised by Places Victoria and the City of Melbourne in collaboration with <a href="http://www.urbantrans-anz.com/" target="_blank">UrbanTrans ANZ</a> and the original document can be viewed <a href="http://www.docklands.com/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&amp;blobheader=application%2Fpdf&amp;blobkey=id&amp;blobtable=MungoBlobs&amp;blobwhere=1366958913911&amp;ssbinary=true&amp;blobheadername1=Content-Type&amp;blobheadervalue1=application/pdf&amp;blobheadername2=Content-Dispostion&amp;blobheadervalue2=attachment%3B+filename%3DAccess_Docklands_Final_April2013,0.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.

Cutting right to the chase, the strategy provides a long-term view of the individual projects required to position Docklands as another corridor for north-south movement through Central Melbourne.  Key projects which tie in with the long-term E-Gate redevelopment area include a new road and tram line connecting North Melbourne station with Footscray Road and several bridges across the Yarra and a new bridge at the opening to Victoria Harbour immediately East of the Bolte Bridge.

Context of the strategy: 2012-2040 growth predictions for both residents and workers  (Page 27).

<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/docklands_surrounds_growth_context.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title='Docklands &amp; environs growth context - map from Page 27 of "Access Docklands"'><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/docklands_surrounds_growth_context.jpg?itok=eP24WgNJ" title='Docklands &amp; environs growth context - map from Page 27 of "Access Docklands"' typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

Although a major focus for redevelopment for this decade, over time Docklands will look noticeably small once Fishermans Bend, E-Gate and the Arden-Macaulay precincts start turning the first sod of soil. In saying that however, Docklands, like the CBD, is at the centre of the entire region which will be redeveloped over the next 3-4 decades and the report is very strong on developing the transport infrastructure - walking, cycling, public and private transport - in Docklands to support north-south movements across the river and Victoria Harbour.

We get a glimpse of what's to come with regards to bridges across the Yarra in the walking and cycling transport infrastructure concept plans (Page 47)

<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/docklands_walk_cycle_transport.png" rel="gallery-all" title='Docklands walking &amp; cycling infrastructure - map from Page 27 of "Access Docklands"'><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/docklands_walk_cycle_transport.png?itok=ERjEsMvt" title='Docklands walking &amp; cycling infrastructure - map from Page 27 of "Access Docklands"' typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

The new bridges across the Yarra - Collins Street extension starting immediately west of the ANZ HQ, the extension of Bourke Street and at the end of the Victoria Harbour peninsula immediately east of the Bolte Bridge - all have one thing in common: they must cater for marina and large vessel traffic using the waterway.  The report states that Docklands residents, businesses and developers were consulted as part of the Access Docklands process, however there is little detail on how these bridges will work and one would assume boat owners and the developers building the marinas would have stated their access must remain.

The new Collins Street extension bridge is mooted to carry trams from Collins Street and into Fishermans Bend, and I'm looking forward to seeing a more detailed concept design.  As mentioned, the design will need to include an opening mechanism so maritime traffic can make their way up / down river and interesting questions will need to be answered with the regards to the level of service a tram or bus route on the bridge.  Sure, the bridge opening could be timetabled just like a tram can be, however this reduces the flexibility to run as many trams as possible through to Fishermans Bend.

I like out of the box thinking, and there's a great snippet on Page 48 about the procurement and operation of dedicated bus services, potentially utilising existing tram rights of way, to start operating Docklands - CBD connections.  For instance, Access Docklands provides scope for greater utilisation of Flagstaff as an interchange with Docklands - dedicated short route and high frequency bus routes could run down La Trobe Street with a terminus at the curb on the William &amp; La Trobe street intersection.

Indulging for a moment, the La Trobe Street and William Street intersection could be reconfigured to allow shorter buses to perform a U-bolt from the northern curb of La Trobe Street to the southern curb of La Trobe street utilising the space in the middle of the intersection.  Perhaps a 2 minute timer where all traffic - tram and car - is stopped and buses waiting at the northern curb are given the highest priority to turn 180 degrees to go back West along La Trobe Street.  From the southern curb outside Flagstaff station's entry, buses can move onto the westbound tram track and run on the tram lines all the way down La Trobe street and turn left to go south down Harbour Esplanade to Collins Street and then use the new tram/bus bridge through to Yarra's Edge and Fishermans Bend.  No need to widen roads for bus lanes in this case.

<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/docklands_public_transport.png" rel="gallery-all" title='Docklands public transport infrastructure - map from Page 49 of "Access Docklands"'><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/docklands_public_transport.png?itok=pZcXcgo5" title='Docklands public transport infrastructure - map from Page 49 of "Access Docklands"' typeof="foaf:Image"></a>

In the above map we get a clear picture of Places Victoria &amp; City of Melbourne's thinking with regards to new public transport infrastructure in the area.  One concept that ties directly into the redevelopment of E-Gate and eventually the Arden-Macaulay area is the new tram route utilising the current track on Harbour Esplanade and Footscray route and building a new road and tram extension across the current Melbourne yard.  Access Docklands lists this as a medium term goal and given any road connecting to North Melbourne station will be need to be elevated to connect with Abbotsford or Dryburgh Street (the rail lines are below street level), the structure to connect Footscray Road and North Melbourne station would need to be elevated for near on its entire length to traverse the still used Melbourne yard.

The objective is to make yet another interchange for Docklands in the short-medium term - North Melbourne Station.  The current Melbourne yard is a barrier and the lack of any link, when rectified, might go a long way to stimulate the northern end of MAB's Newquay and drive visitors back into the Waterfront City precinct.

So it's over to you, what are the positives and negatives that stand out from the strategy?  What do you think of the short-term goal of implementing more bus routes before larger more capital intensive tram projects come along?  What's missing?

Let the discussion begin.
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The Access Docklands transport strategy

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Firstly, thanks to everyone who's visited Apartments.com.au so far.  

We started in early March, doubled the amount of people using the site in April and 12 days into May, double the amount of people have already visited the site compared to the same time last month.

Special thanks goes directly to the industry participants who have allowed us to expand their respective project pages with more renders and directly placing their marketing material with us - it's our ongoing goal to obtain richer content about Melbourne's development scene as it enhances everyone's experience on Apartments.com.au.

To this point, we've been marketing the Apartments.com.au brand almost exclusively via social media and have recently been dabbling with some minimal Google Search and Display network advertising.  In the next few weeks we will be kick-starting a larger, more traditional, marketing campaign to get the word out that Apartments.com.au should be the first place people visit to start researching an apartment purchase, the first place to come to see what's proposed in your local area and the first place to come to discuss our urban future.

We do appreciate every effort our exisiting user base contributes have provided in getting the Apartments.com.au brand awareness out there and we ask you keep on posting comments in articles and the forum, liking posts on facebook and retweeting our tweets.

We'll also be publishing our first user survey in the next few weeks - we need to know how people are using the site and what they'd like to see improved and I'd be very greatful that as many of you fill out the survey when we publish it.

Mark, myself and Chris all volunteer our time to operate this site - and we've decided Sundays are a no-editorial content day (day jobs + UM work = long hours during the week).  We are still open to expressions of interest to anyone who would like to volunteer time and write on any range of topics - we generally pursue the following pattern:  

<ul>
<li>Mondays: Development / Any new planning application information.  </li>
	<li>Tuesdays:  Environment Sustainability and Design.  </li>
	<li>Wednesdays: Transport.  </li>
	<li>Thursdays: Policy / Cutlural topics.  </li>
	<li>Friday:  Op-Ed.  </li>
	<li>Saturdays: Visual Melbourne.  </li>
	<li>Sundays: open to anything.</li>
</ul>
You can write as frequently or infrequently as you like - the pattern above is not set in concrete, its a simply a general guide. If you have a topic you're passionate about and want to share with the Apartments.com.au community, use the <a href="/contact">Contact Us</a> form and we'll get started.  Apartments.com.au / Alamar AV Communications Pty Ltd doesn't assume any copyright over any material you provide and you're free to link to external sites with further information.       

Students, Industry participants, Academia and the community at large: all are welcome to use Apartments.com.au as a platform to expose your ideas, opinions and products.  

So again, thanks very much to everyone who has contributed to our growth thus far and we look forward to seeing much more growth and a greater diversity of content on Apartments.com.au going forward.
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A thank you & an update on our road map

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Williams Landing is the newest station to be added to the Metro network.  Costing $86 million for the station itself + track, catenary and signalling rework.  Lack of foresight with regards to including higher-density development around the station aside, it's quite a handsome station - and came with a feeder bus network from opening as well (however, as is mostly the case in the outer suburbs, the bus frequencies leave a lot to be desired).
I could go on about the futile nature of why the outer suburbs should not expect infrastructure such as this as soon as the first sod of soil on the next contribution to Melbourne's sprawling expanse is turned (that's for a future Transport Wednesday), however given the infrequency of any new public transport infrastructure being proposed let alone built, it's best not to kick an own goal.  Right? 
All photos taken by and copyright Ryan Seychell.
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Williams Landing station, a photographic overview

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<a href="http://youandi.net.au/" target="_blank">You &amp; I</a>, ICD Property's first foray into the Collingwood area is commencing construction on May 29th.

Designed by <a href="http://www.orbitsolutions.com.au/" target="_blank">Orbit Solutions</a>, interiors by <a href="http://www.carr.net.au/" target="_blank">Carr Design</a> and to be built by <a href="http://www.harrishmc.com.au/" target="_blank">Harris HMC</a>, You &amp; I will be a community built over seven levels comprising 28 one bedroom and 35 two bedroom apartments.

<img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" height="485" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/ExteriorFacade02_0.jpg?itok=ifl5ExhS" title="You &amp; I - render © ICD Property" width="702">

Developer Michael Mai, Managing Director of ICD Property said, "We know You &amp; I will have great appeal to owner-occupiers and investors. It's a unique building in a vibrant area and we hope it will give its residents a real sense of community".

Every apartment comprises a balcony, there will be a roof top community garden and recreation area, secured parking as well as a generous amount of bike spaces further enhancing the appeal to residents who wish to get around town with more sustainable transport modes.

As the building is located on Smith Street, residents will have prime access to the #86 Waterfront City-Bundoora RMIT tram offering a 10 minute journey into and out of the CBD with 7-8 minute frequencies in weekday peak and 12 minute frequencies on the weekends. A short 300m walk south on Smith Street, residents will have access to the Doncaster Area Rapid Transit bus routes running on Johnston Street (200, 201, 203 and 207) offering an alternative route to the CBD or a trip out to Kew Junction or Doncaster Shoppingtown with a service frequency of 10 minutes.

You &amp; I will be adorned with three public artworks offering both shade and privacy to residents and at the same time making a statement for the new top end of Smith Street.

ICD Property have announced 60% of the apartments have been sold, so if you'd like to secure a piece of the new top end of Smith Street, register for more information on <a href="http://youandi.net.au" target="_blank">youandi.net.au</a>.

Urban.com.au has also updated our <a href="/buildings/you-and-i-450-smith-street-collingwood#content" target="_blank">project page</a> and we will of course be covering You &amp; I's construction in our <a href="/news">forum</a>.

<iframe align="middle" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0V2vJE6ikDM?rel=0" width="100%"></iframe>

This is advertiser content for ICD Property.
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You & I enters construction phase

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The Victorian Budget was released yesterday with the majority of headlines throughout the media consumed by the announcement that the proposed East-West Tunnel has been given an additional <a href="http://budget.eyemedia.com.au/CA257B16002775DE/WebObj/Infrastructure2013-14/%24File/Infrastructure2013-14.pdf">$294 million</a> to further preliminary design and procurement works. Mainstream media outlets have also questioned why the business case for such a project has not been publically released. At this point the Victorian public are still in the dark as to why nearly $300 million has been allocated to this project, even though Infrastructure Australia rates this project lower in importance than the proposed Melbourne Metro Tunnel that builds for the city's expansion rather than its congestion.

The East-West Tunnel as outlined by the government, will require partial private funding in addition to Commonwealth funding. It'll be interesting to see how the state government will incorporate private investment into what is essentially public infrastructure and which firms/conglomerates tender for the private-public partnership section (PPP) given that investors are already trying to bail from Brisbane's 3rd PPP tunnel as reported in the <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/doubts-about-traffic-forecasts-are-already-undermining-brisbanes-latest-tunnel-project-for-investors/story-fnbdkrr9-1226635576967">Courier Mail</a> yesterday. At an estimated price of between $6 to $8 billion for six kilometres of tunnel one wonders if the cast of The Great Escape could deliver a tunnel somewhat cheaper?

<img alt="" class="image-article_full_width_702px" height="346" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/THE-GREAT-ESCAPE-006.jpg?itok=boFlDhpg" width="702">

Puns aside, all eyes will be focused on Canberra for next week's Federal budget - in <a href="http://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/2012_coag/files/Brief_Melbourne_Metro_2012.pdf">2011-2012 Spring Street made a request for $130 million in funding</a> to do the necessary design and initial preparatory work for Melbourne Metro - is that what Wayne Swan might announce next week? Or will they attempt to lever their electoral chances by committing to help fund the actual construction of the project?

Nevertheless, large questions still remain over the East-West project. Rather than summarise what's been said by other media outlets, I'm going to just directly link to them. Updates will be posted throughout the day if any new sources become available.

<a href="http://budget.eyemedia.com.au/CA257B16002775DE/WebObj/Infrastructure2013-14/%24File/Infrastructure2013-14.pdf">Direct link to the Victorian Budget Infrastructure Investment documents.</a>

Wednesday:

UPDATE 2:30pm, 8/5/13

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/compromising-photos-treasurers-budget-quip-20130508-2j75s#ixzz2SfkqQ02t">Compromising photos: Treasurer's budget quip (Deborah Gough - The Age)</a>

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-08/government-begins-budget-sell/4676304?section=vic">Government begins budget sell (ABC)</a> * Premier to be interviewed with John Faine this morning, will link to any podcast/video the ABC put on their site as it becomes available.

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/voters-will-punish-those-who-dither-on-transport-20130507-2j5p1">Voters will punish those who dither on Transport (Tim Colebatch - The Age)</a>

UPDATE 10:30am, 8/5/13: In the above linked article Time Colebatch argues:

<blockquote>
If the road is built as announced, without off-ramps to the city, it will reduce traffic in the inner suburbs, not add to it. Melbourne is a spread-out, low-density city in which most traffic is driving from one suburb to another. We need freeways to improve inter-suburban access, just as we need a Metro to improve access to the city and inner suburbs.
</blockquote>

Curious, given that previous studies have shown that less than 10% of the traffic coming to the end of the Eastern Freeway actually travel on to the Tullamarine Freeway. I think Colebatch is missing something here: this new connection is about inducing more traffic to the area. What on earth is this freeway supposed to do otherwise? It's about a 2nd East-West link and the mess of Eastern Freeway/Hoddle Street is coming to Parkville/Travencore/Ascot Vale in 2020!

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/wasteful-budgets-mar-state-projects-20130507-2j5v9">Wasteful budgets mar state projects (Kenneth Davidson - The Age)</a>

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/napthines-road-rules-20130507-2j62s">Napthine's road rules (Josh Gordon, Richard Willingham and Henrietta Cook - The Age)</a>

<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/pm-warned-to-back-8bn-road-project-or-face-home-city-revolt/story-e6frgczx-1226637240901">PM Warned to back $8billion project (The Australian - Paywall)</a>

<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/hospitals-and-transport-infrastructure-to-get-cash-injection-in-new-state-budget/story-e6frf7jo-1226636365889">Victorians promised new toll road by 2020 (Matt Johnson - Herald Sun)</a>

<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/no-new-money-for-melbourne-metro-rail-tunnel-in-the-budget/story-e6frf7jo-1226637152262">No funds for Metro Tunnel (Amelia Harris - Herald Sun - Paywall)</a>

From Tuesday:

<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/your-five-minute-guide-to-the-victorian-budget/story-e6frf7kx-1226636885392">Five minute guide to the Victorian budget (Herald Sun)</a>

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/government-pins-hopes-on-road-link-20130507-2j57b">Government pins hopes on road link (The Age)</a>

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/gain-outweighs-the-pain-20130507-2j57f">Gain outweighs the pain (The Age)</a>

<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/central/state-government-budget-reprehensible-for-prioritising-roads-over-public-transport-yarra-mayor/story-fngnvlpt-1226636989685">State Government budget 'reprehensible' for prioritising roads over public transport: Yarra Mayor (Herald Sun)</a>

<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/victorian-budget-a-blueprint-for-building/story-e6frgczx-1226636890071">Vic budget a 'blueprint for building' (The Australian - Paywall)</a>

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-07/transport-a-winner2c-but-others-are-not-so-happy/4675638?section=vic">Transport a winner but others are not happy (ABC - with video)</a>

<a href="http://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/latest/a/-/newshome/17054613/east-west-link-is-vics-big-plan/">East West Link is Vic's big plan (7 Network - with video)</a>

<a href="http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/05/07/16/04/vic-govt-commits-to-east-west-link">East West Link is Vic's big plan (9 Network - with links to video)</a>

Were you happy or disappointed with the Victorian government's priorities for this year's budget?
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Eagerly awaiting the business case for the East West tunnel

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Annie Stevens, writing in Fairfax's Daily Life, <a href="http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/the-melbourne-vs-sydney-rivalry-is-boring-20130501-2iseh" target="_blank">wrote a piece</a> last Friday (3/5/13) titled "Melbourne versus Sydney debate is boring" and went on to highlight how it's the stereotypes which fuel this debate to the point of boredom. I agree - however to come straight to my point: if we didn't have this boring and mundane debate, we'd have no competition between the cities - not a good outcome!

When cities and their respective citizens, business and political leaders become complacent, everyone loses - competition, and yes - this boring debate - actually has a dramatic effect on each city in such a way that drives both cities to improve.

Every now and again you read in The Age or Herald Sun that Melbourne's icons are smaller and low key in nature, such as our trams, laneways, the AFL, annual events and the list goes on while the stereotypes Annie Stevens was talking about seemingly take on a life of their own. The ensuing mundane nature of the debate does have one positive effect: it filters up to the respective local and state governments, leading business figures, lobby groups and people who are passionate about their city and entices them to hunker down and come up with a strategy to do better.

This in effect is what happened in Melbourne during the late 80's when there was a large exodus of human and financial capital. As a response, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_Melbourne" target="_blank">Committee for Melbourne</a> was formed and later the Kennett era arrived catapulting Melbourne &amp; Victoria out of the financial doldrums on the back of a strategy which focused on engaging the populace through an annual events calendar, laying the foundations for Melbourne to be in the relatively strong position it is today.

Sydney, from a not-so-one-eyed Melburnian, relies heavily on a singular brand and image relating directly to the Harbour, Opera House, Bridge and general relationship the city has with the water - it's the iconography we see in <a href="http://www.sydney.com/" target="_blank">tourism ads</a>, <a href="http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/invest-in-nsw" target="_blank">business investment ads</a> and <a href="http://www.vividsydney.com/" target="_blank">cultural event ads</a>. One thing however Sydney appears to be adamant in doing is building that next icon on par with the Sydney Opera house - you only have to type "Barangaroo Sydney new icon" in google to come up with pieces such as this on <a href="http://designbuildsource.com.au/sydneys-new-icon-barangaroo" target="_blank">designbuildsource.com.au</a>.

<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/they-may-as-well-be-in-dubai-architect-20130505-2j1cc" target="_blank">They're going to struggle to do so</a>.

Melbourne, obviously, is on a different path - one that focuses on real city life aspects of living, working and playing in cities because it's the sum of the whole that matters. Easily branded and packaged iconography and landmarks are great, but what does that tell us about the people who live there? You'd be forgiven for thinking everyone is materialistic, vein and siloed into a tribal culture where everyone fights over their patch of dirt for that view of the Harbour in Sydney.

Not everyone north of the Murray is like this - there are just as many passionate grass-roots ideas people who don't get sucked in to the marketing-speak nor fit into this stereotypical category, but it's hard not to fall for the stereotype: as many people in Sydney do actively embrace it as part of differentiating themselves - how many times have you heard political or business leaders or one-eyed fanboys proclaim at the top of their lungs that Sydney is "Australia's only global city"?

Holding Sydney back is the lack of development space to enlarge its core inner area and a policy of decentralisation of jobs over the decades into robust urban nodes such as Chatswood &amp; Parramatta will now challenge central Sydney's metropolitan dominance for knowledge jobs going forward. Will this be to the detriment of central Sydney in the long run? Time will tell.

Looking to other large global cities such as Paris, London and New York, you'll note despite those 3 cities dominating in various political, economic, cultural or a combination of all three spheres in their respective countries (we don't have a single dominant city in those spheres in Australia), they have incredibly substantial urban hearts - far larger than anything we have in Australia. Who knows much about Paris outside the Périphérique, the 20 Arrondissements &amp; La Défence? What about beyond the circle line &amp; Canary Wharf in London? Where's the first place you visit when travelling to New York? (Manhattan of course!). If we're looking at those 3 cities through a prism of what makes them great and where the attractions, knowledge jobs and cultural icons of these cities are, it's their urban hearts, not decentralised peripheries.

With the westward expansion of Melbourne's sprawlbelt beyond Sunshine &amp; Werribee, so too does the westward march of our urban heart go henceforth. The Napthine government &amp; in particular Planning Minister Matthew Guy have made it clear they want to build a state of cities, and are actively considering the concept of a 20 minute city - 20 minutes to everywhere from your place of residence.

Policy implementation issues aside, it's an admirable goal and we only have to look north to New South Wales to see how effective decentralisation can be, however above all of this, the Napthine state government like the previous government recognise that Melbourne must continue to grow from within its core as well.

This has just been backed up by a <a href="http://grattan.edu.au/publications/reports/post/productive-cities-opportunity-in-a-changing-economy/" target="_blank">Grattan Institute report</a> on creating spaces for people to live closer to their jobs, not mass-subsidising business to decentralise closer to its workforce.

And we are best placed to do it in Australia.

It all started with Southbank, progressed to Docklands and we have Fishermans Bend and E-Gate to come. Furthermore the current and previous state governments have been murmuring about the long-term viability of the Port of Melbourne in its present location.

Fishermans Bend will start enroaching Port of Melbourne, placing further pressure of the area to be redeveloped and policy discussion surrounding decentralising sea freight movements to Hastings and near Avalon appear to be all about creating, by my estimation, a century's worth of land, right in the inner core for mass-redevelopment should the entire port be moved elsewhere.

Using the following as a boundary of the urban core of Melbourne in 2100 once the Port of Melbourne has completely moved elsewhere...

<iframe frameborder="0" height="450" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=217188856257789802703.0004dc0a66f010077702b&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;ll=-37.8249,144.937821&amp;spn=0.048949,0.082225&amp;output=embed" width="100%"></iframe> <a href="https://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&amp;msid=217188856257789802703.0004dc0a66f010077702b&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;ll=-37.8249,144.937821&amp;spn=0.048949,0.082225&amp;source=embed">View Melbourne 2100 in a larger map</a>.

...we're looking at a space about 75% of the size of central Paris (inside the <a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Paris&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;sll=-37.834598,144.953442&amp;sspn=0.117273,0.264187&amp;hnear=Paris,+%C3%8Ele-de-France,+France&amp;t=m&amp;z=13" target="_blank">Périphérique</a> - the circular road around inner Paris). I'm not saying we should attempt to mimic cities like Paris (although some local academics think we should), London or New York in their entirety - we should forge our own look and feel with a diversity in building use - including building height , strong integration with the waterfronts downstream on the Yarra &amp; Maribyrnong rivers and an even stronger focus on building new public transport corridors to support high density growth in this area.

The combined Fishermans Bend, E-Gate &amp; remaining Port of Melbourne area represents an opportunity to expand Melbourne's core 3-4 times larger than what it currently is, and this is what's useful in the Melbourne versus Sydney debate: it's an enormous, real, threat to Sydney's current primacy. If Sydney doesn't step up to the plate and offer something similar, the powers that be on Macquarie Street will be sitting by for the next 50-100 years watching as central Melbourne grows larger, more diverse and attracts more <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/keep-knowledge-jobs-in-the-cbd-report-20130505-2j1b9" target="_blank">creative &amp; knowledge industry jobs</a> because that's where they're best located - in a dense central urban area where human interaction and knowledge transfer is at its greatest.

The stereotypical Melbourne versus Sydney debate is extremely useful, for the simple fact it drives both cities to compete for talent, grow bigger, grander and attract people not only from interstate, but overseas. Yes much of it is mundane and boring, however with Business lobbies reacting in the way they have in <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/gws-event/barry-ofarrells-head-in-sand-on-second-airport/story-fni0ggqp-1226626206587" target="_blank">articles quoting NSW Premier Barry O'Farrel </a>where he said Avalon is no 2nd airport for Melbourne, it's Geelong's airport prove that the debate goes way beyond some of the immature and cringe-worthy one-liners that get thrown around most of the time.

New South Wales might have a Jeff Kennett moment soon - Kennett moment in the sense that boosterism from leadership spurs more of the populace to work together to project an image of how they want their city to be in future. It will be good for Sydney and good for Melbourne - as, like in the past 178 years of Melbourne's existence, it will generate a competitive response.

Our relationship with Sydney is more symbiotic than either city dominating the other, and it's not likely to change any time soon as Melbourne has just too many competitive advantages especially in the inner and outer land supply, a well rounded infrastructure pipeline and a national-leading population growth record.

How's the catch cry go? It won't happen overnight, but it will happen? Melbourne's icon is the city itself; our icons are our people who recognise differentiating ourselves drives more and more people to be a part of the equation. We have an enormous opportunity to build ourselves to be a large global city like Paris or London over the next century. Searching for that architect and development site to build our own picture-perfect narrow brand and image is the wrong choice for Melbourne - cities are organic, evolving beasts (just look at London building skyscrapers right in the heart of the ancient city), you should never set the bar so high it becomes near impossible to reach it again.
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The Melbourne versus Sydney debate isn't boring: it's useful

<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.
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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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