<html><body>
A house in Peppermint Grove looks set to break the selling price record for the Perth suburb if it sells near its $25 million asking price.
Chiritta, an 1896 to 1899-built seven-bedroom house on 4080 square metres is being sold by the founders of Channel 9 Perth, Ann and Denis Cullity.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/03/march11chiritta]}
The couple bought the heritage-listed home 52 years ago from the Roe family – descendants of Perth’s first surveyor-general John Septimus Roe, a name strongly associated with Perth.
The limestone federation bungalow-stlye home was built for John’s son, Augustus Roe, the police magistrate from 1897 onwards.
It comes with six bathrooms and views over the city and the Swan river.
It features wide verandahs, high ceilings, arched passageways and french doors.
According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-peppermint+grove-113062699">the listing</a>, the house has been expanded over the past 52 years. It now has grand formal drawing and dining rooms, a study, two offices, a sunroom, a family room, an informal dining room and a five-car garage.
The bungalow-style house compromises a central limestone structure with verandahs and is capped by a large roof.
The house was designed by turn-of-the-century architect and World War I general J Talbot Hobbs, who also designed the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Windsor Hotel, St Luke's Rectory and Newspaper House – all in Perth.
The house is being listed by co-agents Mack Hall from Mack Hall Real Estate Claremont and William Porteous from William Porteous Properties International Pty Ltd Dalkeith.
Mack Hall says the sellers are looking to sell because they are downsizing.
The highest sale price achieved in Peppermint Grove was 43 View Street, which sold for $16 million in 2010, according to the REIWA.
If it sells the property will be among some of the most expensive sales in WA.
In 2009, a Saunders Street property in Mosman Park sold for $57.5 million and in 2007 a Bindaring Parade home in Claremont sold for $23 million.
</body></html>

awalsh-7Ub9EypybQ

Peppermint Grove home set to shatter price record

<html><body>
Property prices on the east coast are expected to rise by between 5% and 10% over 2013 as part of an overall turnaround in the property market, according to John McGrath.
Strengthening economic conditions overseas, falling mortgage rates, improving business and consumer confidence, low unemployment, low inflation and growing rental yields all bode well for the property market in Australia, says McGrath, CEO of McGrath Estate Agents, in his Autumn report.
He says east coast property prices are improving with certain areas receiving a noticeable uptick and people are sensing that the bottom of the market has been reached.
Most notable for the east coast region is a rise in activity at the upper end of the market, which has been “stagnant for several years”.
He says Sydney is the best performing market with positive signs also being seen in Brisbane.
Across the east coast, McGrath is predicting 5% to 10% growth in all major markets.
“In a recovery, confidence is key. The GFC had an impact on Australians’ confidence and while the property market has presented fantastic opportunities for some time, many have been slow to respond, preferring to wait until the market has ‘found its bottom’,” McGrath writes.
“This now appears to be changing.”
He says the US and Europe appear to have stabilised while the ASX All Ordinaries Index increasing 25% since June will give a boost to the top end of the market.
McGrath says interest rate cuts have boosted consumer confidence, which he says will provide strength to the lower end of the market.
A Coalition win at the federal election, which looks increasingly likely, will provide further confidence for corporate Australia.
Though there have been talks of the end of the mining boom, McGrath says Australia will continue to reap the rewards for some time, especially as the Chinese economy is set to grow by 8% this year.
He says rising home loan applications are a key indicator of an improving market and notes that mortgage broker AFG, have reported a 24% increase in applications in January while between 35% to 50% of loans in NSW and Queensland are going to investors.
“The investor trifecta of cheap money, rising rents and price growth is bringing them back in droves. Cash and term deposits are far less attractive and there’s continuing strong interest in purchasing via self-managed super funds,” McGrath says.
“This year will be the turnaround year. Those who get in first will reap significant rewards as they ride the wave of price growth from the bottom,” McGrath writes.
“As prices continue to rise, we’ll see a surge of confidence and ‘fear of missing out’, which will stimulate continued investment over the next 3-5 year cycle.”
</body></html>

East Coast property prices could rise 10% in 2013: John McGrath

<html><body>
Certain Victorian suburbs deemed to have significant local character will be protected from towering apartment developments as part of changes to residential zoning.
Residential zones 1,2 and 3 will be replaced by neighbourhood residential, general residential and residential growth zones.
The 'neighbourhood residential' zone, billed as the strictest zoning in Australia, was created to ensure that any developments in areas with character that are of predominately single and double storey residences “respect the identified neighbourhood character, heritage, environmental or landscape characteristics".
New residential developments will have an eight metre height limit, if there is no other height limit in the area, as well as lot size restrictions.
The zone also allows for easier approval of medical centres and convenience stores to cater to an aging population.
The zone prohibits brothels, cinemas, nightclubs, certain retail premises, offices and others.
The boundaries of the zoning will be revealed with its implementation on July 1.
“This is the first time we will have a zone to genuinely protect neighbourhoods from inappropriate development,” planning minister Matthew Guy told The Herald Sun.
“It provides mandatory controls for councils on the numbers of lot, and on height – it is a very strong zone and it will help communities protect their streetscapes.”
Higher density residential development and office and retail projects will be restricted to the other two new zones – general residential and residential growth.
The reforms may prove unpopular with developers depending on where the boundaries fall.
“Melbourne is home to many important thoroughfares and activity centres which are ideal locations for appropriate housing developments,” Property Council of Australia state executive director Jennifer Cunich told The Herald Sun.
“It is important these areas be zoned correctly in order to provide housing choice for our growing population.”
Guy told The ABC the criteria councils will use to determine the new zones will be developed over the next two months.
"We will work with the Municipal Association and councils to make sure we have a criteria that looks at heritage issues, environmental issues, areas around existing transport links," he said.
The general residential zone will allow moderate housing growth and diversity with a nine metre height limit. The residential growth area will allow for medium density unit developments and will enable minor commercial uses.
</body></html>

New Victorian zoning rules to keep high-rise developers out of heritage suburbs

<html><body>
Property development group Sunland will build $700 million worth of new residential projects across Australia this year with more than half of those in south east Queensland.
Of the nine projects Sunland will undertake this year, five will be in south east Queensland with $378 million worth of developments planned, adding 389 luxury homes, apartments and town houses.
Sunland’s Queensland projects include a new development at Mariners Cove and a 47-storey apartment building in the Brisbane CBD.
Victoria is the next biggest development hotspot with $221 million worth of developments planned adding 479 luxury homes on land purchased last year in Point Cook and another Melbourne suburb.
And in Sydney Sunland will start work on their $100 million ‘Dahlia’ development with 170 homes in North Kellyville, in the city’s outer north west, on the 10 hectare site it paid $10.6 million for in February this year.
Managing director Sahba Abedian told The Australian Financial Review Sunland had been “very selective in our acquisitions” and said he was expecting the Queensland market to make a cautious recovery.
In an ASX release he said the announcements were fuelled by strong first-half financial results for the company.
The Sunland portfolio now comprises 3,248 apartments, residential homes and land allotments with a realisable value of $1.4 billion, excluding Gold Coast multi-storey developments.
Last month, Sunland reported a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/palazzo-versace-hotel-sale-helps-lift-sunland-interim-profits-as-residential-sales-slow/2013021459356" target="_blank">strong rise in interim profits</a> for the half-year to December 31 on the sale of the Palazzo Versace hotel on the Gold Coast for $68.5 million at the end of 2012.
This was up from profits of just $185,000 in the previous corresponding period.
</body></html>

Sunland's unveils $700 million pipeline of mainly SE Queensland residential projects

<html><body>
Perth’s CBD is set to undergo a transformation as the street level of the CBUS property at 140 William Street gets converted into a Melbourne laneway-style series of bars and restaurants.
Under the proposed changes to plans, 140 William will include a series of laneways with artworks from local artists.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/12/perthlaneways.jpg">
The development has been used as the site of a number of pop-up shops after it struggled to attract shoppers and retain tenants.
Kristi Dempster, the building's retail manager, says it has proposed the alteration of a number of architectural elements of the building to create a well-connected and enticing space with increased light and a strengthened structure of laneways and public spaces.
The three-tower development was designed by architectural firm Hassell.
It consist of 36,000 square metres of commercial office space, leased to the state government, and 6,000 square metres of retail, food and entertainment tenancies.
The building also incorporates Perth’s new underground station the City Railway Station.
Located at the corner of Murray Street Mall and William Street, it comes with pedestrian entrances from William Street, Murray Street Mall and Wellington Street along with access from Forrest Place.
It is the largest building in Western Australia to gain a five-star green star office design rating.
The development has two basement level car parks with two levels of retail and three linked commercial towers above and a restored heritage precinct facing Wellington and William streets.
“Together with Cbus Property, our challenge is to create a more accessible and inviting retail and dining destination at 140,” Dempster says.
“Redevelopment will attract more people to 140 and the Perth CBD to experience the cosmopolitan laneway culture. The existing heritage buildings will provide the perfect backdrop for the engaging artworks, making 140 the place to visit in Perth.”
</body></html>

Perth to get series of Melbourne-style laneways

<html><body>
Global office rents and values were largely unchanged across quarter three of 2012, according to CBRE.
CBRE’s statistics show capital values ticked up 0.6%, while rents edged down 0.07%.
Gains in America were offset by weaknesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific.
“Commercial real estate investors and occupiers turned more cautious in response to political, fiscal and economic uncertainty,” says CBRE global chief economist Raymond Torto.
“Despite this, office rents and values have held their ground as both the leasing and value indices remain above year ago levels.”
The Americas had the strongest quarterly and yearly gains, reflecting the strength of the US and rising prices in Latin America and Canada, according to CBRE. The rent index rose 0.3% over the quarter and 2.9% over the year.
EMEA had a decline in capital values over the quarter with figure of 110, staying flat over last eight quarters.  The EMEA index reached a peak in 2007 at about 130 and a trough of 100 in 2009.
Asia-Pacific was the only region where the capital value index rose above the 2007 peak level.  The region experienced a recovery from mid-2010, which has stalled in the face of reduced export opportunities to Europe and the US.
Rents for EMEA and Asia-Pacific were down over the quarter and flat over the year.
The countries that bucked the trend include Germany, Poland, Norway, and Finland in Europe all performing strongly, as well as Taipei and Manila in Asia.
</body></html>

Global office rents and values remain flat: CBRE

<html><body>
Transaction volumes of commercial property in Australia in quarter three increased 17% from the same time in 2011, bucking the global dip of 6-7%, according to Jones Lang LaSalle research.
There have been $12.07 billion of commercial property sales to date for 2012 in Australia, compared with $12.09 billion for the entirety of 2011, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s Global Capital Flows report for quarter three.
“That’s a solid result in light of the difficult business environment that has prevailed this year. We are operating in a more cautious global economic environment in 2012 compared with 2011,” says Jones Lang LaSalle’s John Talbot.
Foreign investment accounted for US$3.7 billion of transactions in Australia during the quarter – 16% of the total investment.
The report finds that US$2.3 billion of foreign investment was from inter-regional purchasers, including $1 billion in Sydney’s Barangaroo from the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.
Click to enlarge
<a title="Click to enlarge" rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/2012/11/jllnov19.jpg"><img src="/images/stories/2012/11/jllnov19thumb.jpg"></a>
Click to enlarge
<a title="Click to enlarge" rel="shadowbox" href="/images/stories/2012/11/jllnov191.jpg"><img src="/images/stories/2012/11/jllnov191thumb.jpg"></a>
Sydney was the sixth most active market in the Asia-Pacific region for quarter three, with US$3.8 billion of sales. Tokyo had $9.9 billion, Hong Kong had US$6.7 billion and Seoul had US$6.5 billion.
Across the world, there was US$100 billion of direct investment in commercial real estate in the third quarter, down 6-7% from the same quarter last year, as well as when comparing the first nine months of this year to last.
In quarter three the Americas accounted for US$44 billion of investment and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) accounted for US$33 billion.
“China remains very active, as does Hong Kong and Japan, and we see the strong REIT markets supporting further activity across the region. At the same time, large global sovereign and pension funds are returning their focus to Asia Pacific and we maintain our expectation for full year 2012 volumes in Asia Pacific to reach US$88 billion, compared with US$98 billion in 2011,” says Talbot.
Head of office investments in Australia for Jones Lang LaSalle Simon Storry says Australia followed global trends in quarter three.
“Investment activity was robust while leasing activity was subdued. The high transaction volumes reflect, in part, the weight of money seeking exposure to prime grade real estate assets,” Storry says.
“In Australia this trend is underlined by the high level of offshore interest. Over the first three quarters of 2012, offshore investors accounted for 34% of all transactions.  This compares to 25% for the full year 2011. There is no sign that this inflow will diminish as we move into 2013,” says Storry.
</body></html>

Commercial property sales up 17% in Australia as globally sales fall: JLL

<html><body>
Melbourne Music Week’s secret pop-up music venue has been revealed as the gothic Argus building on the corner of LaTrobe Street and Elizabeth Street.
The 86-year-old building has been in decrepit state for decades. Its first tenant, The Argus daily newspaper, closed in 1956.
The Herald and Weekly Times Group bought the Argus newspaper along with the building in 1957 and later closed the newspaper down and sold the building.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/11/argus.jpg">
Education entrepreneur and founder of Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT) Shesh Gale bought the site in 2010. His company, MIT Group Holdings, a holding of Ghale Investments, bought the six-storey building from La Trobe University for a reported $15 million.
In Melbourne the group also own 374-376 Bourke Street, 386-412 William Street, 388-390 Lonsdale Street, 277-279 Flinders Lane (Tomasetti House), 179 Collins Street and 1151-1155 High Street in Armadale. They also own 154-158 Sussex Street in Sydney.
Ghale has the site earmarked as the future flagship campus for MIT, established in 1996.
According to BRW, the Nepalese-born Ghale is worth $269 million and is the 176th richest person in Australia.
The building was constructed in the Beaux Arts style by architecture firm Godfrey &amp; Spowers. It represents a combination of the interwar styles, a stripped classical composition with Beaux-Arts, Chicagoesque and Moderne influences.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/11/argus2.png">
Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle has labelled the site one of the worst bomb sites in Melbourne.
In July Doyle said it was a building of ''historic significance, but it is deteriorating as we look at it and I want to give them the strong message that we will not tolerate the tactic of allowing a building to deteriorate to a point where you can't do anything with it – we will be saying to them we are putting you on notice now''.
 
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
 
The six-storey Argus building was built in 1926 and is riddled with asbestos.
La Trobe University bought the site for $8 million in 2004 to use as a campus but sold it after asbestos removal and renovation costs proved too high. The university reportedly spent more than $34 million developing the site.
In 2010, Ghale had indicated he would spend about $50 million on the renovation, which would be completed by the end of 2011. Any evidence of this has yet to be seen.
"We have been working on a number of design options over the last two years which are ready to go ahead and currently considering the option of staged development, which we hope to  finalise in the very near future," a spokesperson for the company told Property Observer.
Prior to La Trobe University's ownership, the building was owned by the Stamoulis family’s Ryssal-Three Pty Ltd, who tried for many years to sell and sell the property.
La Trobe University took legal action against the vendor claiming it was misled over the state of the building. The action was settled out of court.
A large portion of the roof and several floor sections in the 1920s building are missing. Badly cracked concrete exposes rusty iron beams and severe water damage throughout. Much of it will remain off limits, with just the two lower floors to be used.
<a href="https://blog.melbmusic.com/" target="_blank">Melbourne Music Week</a> has taken on a short-term lease for the building to use a festival site. The tenancy was meant to be kept a secret until November 16, the opening day, but details were leaked to The Age.
The tenancy was orchestrated by event entrepreneurs Kevin Karlberg and Starr Guzman of Marksthespot in conjunction with the City of Melbourne.
''Our main theme is reclamation,'' Guzman told The Age.
''We become a living organism in something that has decayed and we bring out the beauty in it.''
The festival will be restricted to the bottom two floors, with most of the building off-limits due to missing roof and floor sections, exposed rust and water damage.
Festival organisers say asbestos has been removed and stress tests allow 400 people upstairs and 800 downstairs once stairs are built.
The festival starts on November 16 with French dance duo Housse de Racket.
</body></html>

Argus building to host Melbourne Music Week before long-awaited MIT campus transformation

<html><body>
The managing director of Savills Queensland says government promises to cut red tape have been successfully delivered.

Matthew Buckley says recently released policies show the length the government is willing to go to rebuild certainty and stimulate construction as an important pillar of the Queensland economy.

Buckley says measures to cut red tape have been welcomed by “a development industry hungry for certainty in the planning of their developments”.

Recent moves to scrap the $7000 first home buyers grant and replace it with a $15,000 first home owners construction grant is “clearly going after immediate activity in the residential construction market.”

He says widening stamp duty concessions to all home-buyers will encourage migration to the state. 

Buckley was particularly pleased with moves to reduce certain infrastructure charges for businesses.

“The most valuable and immediate stimulus is the complete removal of transport, recreation and stormwater infrastructure charges for projects that commence in the next six months and complete by March 2015. Then, for projects that start in April 2013 to September 2013 and complete by March 2015, they will receive 50% discount to the same charges,” Buckley says.

“The Government cannot change the post GFC economic environment by themselves. But these policy initiatives, alongside a clearly more accessible and business-friendly approach might just create the incubator for recovery that we have all be waiting for.”

</body></html>

Savills welcomes Queensland government moves to kick-start development

<html><body>
Leighton Properties intends to start building a 55,000-square-metre office building at 567 Collins Street within weeks, according to a company statement.
It has plans to building a 26-level tower at the site between Spencer and King streets after signing an anchor tenant agreement.
Leighton Contractors has been appointed to build tower and is considering signing an anchor tenant lease for building, occupying the podium campus component of the building.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/11/5672.jpg">
Law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth has also agreed to lease 8,800 square metres of the building.
The company has bought the entire site having exited a partnership with APN in 2008.
“This is an exciting new chapter for Leighton with Leighton Properties and Leighton Contractors  working together as a team to achieve an outstanding result in leasing, design and construction,” says managing director Mark Gray.
“567 Collins St will be an iconic contribution to the Melbourne central business district, and an exemplar of Leighton’s expertise in the development of high sustainability, architectural and urban quality and amenity.
“We are confident of the prospects for a new premium building on Collins Street which will redefine the centre of business activity in Melbourne.”
The building includes a two-three level high foyer comprising a lobby, cafe and retail component, two levels of health club, seven levels of podium campus office and 16 levels of upper tower office with a net lettable of 54,770 square metres.
The tower will occupy a 3,942-square-metre site with a 74-metre frontage to Collins Street.
It is designed by architects Cox and Spowers and is hoped to achieve a six-star green star office design v2 rating with the Green Building Council of Australia.
</body></html>

Leighton Properties to begin construction of 567 Collins Street, Melbourne, within weeks

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]

“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]

Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]

Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]

Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]

Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

<main data-perf-region="main">
Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
</main>

Alistair Walsh

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News