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Cosmetic surgeon and hotel tycoon, Jerry Schwartz, is reportedly close to buying the troubled Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley for $45 million.
Colliers have confirmed the sale, saying they received 10 validated expressions of interest in the property.
The hotel in Lovedale, the NSW Hunter Valley district town, has been in receivership with Ferrier Hodgson since 2010, with the current listing going up in May. After being listed since 2010, it was taken off the market in October after bids came in below the $50 million expectations.
It is being sold with possible vacant possession but Schwartz has reportedly struck a deal with current operators InterContinental Hotels Group, who run some of Schwartz’s other hotels.
Two hours north of Sydney, the 4.5-star resort first opened in 2006. It comes with 150 hotel rooms, 169 strata-titled two- and three-bedroom villas, an 18-hole golf course, an award-winning restaurant, and gym and conference facilities. The property also comes with 41 hectares of cleared land.
The report of Schwartz’s interest in the property originally came from the Australian Financial Review.
The property was placed into receivership in early 2010 by National Australia Bank. Chinese construction firm Hightrade Constructions Pty Ltd and two associated entities had borrowed tens of millions from NAB to build the hotel but later ran into financial difficulty.
Hightrade were the subject of criticism after failing to pay millions of dollars to sub-contractors on their other Hunter projects and later being involved in a $130 million battle with the Australian Tax Office.
The hotel has reportedly also attracted interest from Chinese buyers who have targeting wineries in the Hunter Valley.
Jerry Shwartz is the son of Hungarian dentist turned property investor turned property magnate, Bela Schwartz. After emigrating to Australia in 1938 he starting buying up properties and building a portfolio. He founded The Schwartz Family Company, and after the death of his wife Eva started consolidating his assets. Jerry controls the company now and has been building the property portfolio extensively.
The company currently owns 10 hotels across Australia and is worth more than $200 million.
Jerry Schwartz has recently made a habit of buying up struggling properties near Sydney.
Most recently he bought the Fairmont Resort in the Blue Mountains from receivers for $26 million – about half what it traded for in 2006. He then undertook a $10 million renovation.
According to sales documents the hotel is forecast to make $26 million in revenue for the 2012 financial year. Before tax and depreciation this is expected to earn the owner $2 million. The expected revenue per available room is $111 RevPAR.
The property has been marketed by Colliers International agents Matthew Meynell and Steam Leung.
<img alt="crowneplaza" src="/images/stories/2012/crowneplaza.gif" height="225" width="400">
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Jerry Schwartz set to buy Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley

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This seventh placed cinema in our 20 home cinema countdown is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.verseproperty.com.au/Buying/Search/Detail.aspx?id=VPG215&amp;wlid=8dc7898f-d920-406c-b1e6-5ec7310eb8a2">from South Perth</a>. It comes with overhead lighting like a night sky and cinema-style furnishings. Watching a movie in a room like this is really an immersing experience, in every sense of the word.
The room is dominated by the massive screen and nothing else really jostles for you attention. It opens out into the marble-clad giant dining area. The 513 square metre property, aptly titled La Stupenda, is available from Prakash Dayanandan of Verse Property and has $5.85 million-plus price hopes. The listing assures us that the home is anything but humble.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre7.jpg" width="470">
To see which home theatres placed eighth click here, ninth click here and tenth here. For the list of theatres in 11th to 20th place click here.
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Wide screen seventh-placed cinema in Property Observer's top 20 home cinemas worthy of Academy recognition

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The Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott says his government would have tighter restrictions on Chinese state-owned companies taking control of existing businesses in Australia, but says he supports them starting new businesses here.
Speaking in China, he warned against Chinese takeovers in Australia, but says he supported Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) developing greenfield start-up businesses here, especially in mining and northern agriculture.
“It would rarely be in Australia’s national interest to allow a foreign government or its agencies to control an Australian business,” he said, mentioning that Chinese investment is dominated by state-owned enterprises.
"That's because we don't support the nationalisation of businesses by the Australian Government, let alone a foreign one."
Trade Minister Craig Emerson has criticised the speech as dangerous.
“In effect, Mr Abbott is saying to China that its investment will not be welcome in Australia. This is a dangerous and stupid thing to say,” Emerson says.
"He has made the journey to China to tell them investment by their SOEs is unwelcome," Emerson says.
"This would create Chinese perceptions of high sovereign risk in Australia, since Mr Abbott has indicated that if he became Prime Minister he would overrule a Foreign Investment Review Board finding for a Chinese SOE, and that his decision on their investment would be no."
Abbott’s deputy, Julie Bishop is co-leading a review of foreign investment rules.
“The Coalition welcomes foreign investment but the increase in sovereign wealth funds and state-owned entities in recent years has meant we, like other countries around the world, have to make sure the rules are appropriate and that there is transparency and clarity around how they are applied,” Bishop says.
“Australia has to be able to make a judgement on national interest grounds and Tony Abbott has restated our position.”
The announcement is a win for views of the Liberal senator Bill Heffernan who has long campaigned against foreign ownership, especially by sovereign-based entities.
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Tony Abbott moves to limit Chinese sovereign investment in Australia

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Building owners in Melbourne will let curious punters visit previously restricted properties as Melbourne Open House kicks off for another year this weekend.
The two-day event will let the public have access to Melbourne’s top architectural developments and structural oddities. It runs over July 28 and 29.
The event has grown significantly over the last five years with last year’s event attracting 106,000 visits over the weekend. That’s 10 times as many volts as runs through the JA substation in Spring Street, which is one of the buildings open to the public.
There are 100 buildings open this year, including places like the Peter Mac radiation therapy bunkers, The Windsor Hotel, Melbourne Town Hall and Melbourne University’s Yarra-side boathouse.
Spokesperson Robert Larocca says the most popular buildings are inevitably those which offer a view of the city from up high.
Some of those offering views this year are Edgewater Towers at 1 Spring Street, the Urban Workshop, Orica House and the Royal Melbourne Hospital Towers.
“This is the only weekend in the year when you can see the very best and most loved buildings in the city for free,” Larocca says.
Some smaller spaces have been booked out but most spaces remain open.
For information visit <a href="https://openhousemelbourne.org">openhousemelbourne.org</a>.
<img alt="RMHTunnels" src="/images/stories/2012/RMHTunnels.gif" height="225" width="400">
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Lofty view vantage points for Melbourne Open House weekend

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This home theatre is for stars, not just cinephiles. It comes with inspired overhead lighting.  
This home theatre is in a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-coolum+beach-107392615">Coolum Beach property</a> named Casa Del Mar. The seats are made from Italian leather and there’s a bar at the back of the room. Fear not, the rest of the house is just as ostentatious with complex lighting systems, a removable glass ceiling over the master bedroom, a 10-person spa and an extravagant pool.
It was sold in 2011 after being listed through Leon Butt Oracle Realty Sunshine Coast.
<img width="470" src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre6.jpg">
To see which home theatres placed ninth and tenth click here and here. For the list of theatres in 11th to 20th place click here.
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Stars overhead in this eighth-placed home theatre in Property Observer's Top 20 home cinemas 

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The Peppers Anchorage hotel in Port Stephens has been listed for sale by Bay Holdings Ltd, a joint venture company owned by Greg Shand and Allan Vidor.
Set on a 1.5 hectare site on the Tomaree Peninsula, the 1.5-hectare luxury hotel opened in 1992.
The 80-room hotel development project was first unveiled in 1988 then built at around a reported $23 million cost. It was designed to resemble a New England fishing village consisting of a series of coastal-style cottages, linked by covered walkways.
<img alt="anchorage6" src="/images/stories/2012/anchorage6.gif" height="306" width="460">
CBRE Hotels agents Andrew Jackson and Rob Cross are selling the property, with the campaign ending August 23.
The hotel is attached to a 90-berth marina, which is being sold concurrently through Knight Frank.
Many of the visitors to the hotel come for dolphin and whale watching as well as game-fishing, jet-skiing, kayaking and scenic flights in the hotels seaplane.
The area is also a sailing hotspot and home to a number of sailing regattas.
The Peppers lease finished in 2011, and the building is being offered vacant.
No price indication has been giveb for the Peppers officering. 
The hotel almost sold to Macquarie Bank in 2002, and then was last listed in early 2008.
Its 2008, Jones Lang LaSalle expressions of interest campaign sought around $30 million for the hotel with marina.
<img alt="anchorage7" src="/images/stories/2012/anchorage7.gif" height="289" width="460">
Jackson says the Colette Point Road hotel is an icon in Port Stephens. 
“The property benefits from a diverse business mix, which includes corporate clientele, as well as conferencing, leisure trade and weddings,” Jackson says.
“The hotel and restaurant are also very popular with the locals, and there is an opportunity for a more hands-on owner to achieve further upside by developing the conferencing and wedding business.”
The development got its 1988 approval after two years of negotiating with the Lake Macquarie City Council by the Peppers Hotel Group, the headed by Mike O'Connor, reportedly in partnership with Mercantile Credits Ltd, Centennial Developments and McAndrew &amp; Associates.
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Peppers Anchorage Hotel in Port Stephens listed for sale

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Westpac took a Twitter poll to see which rooms people most want to renovate. Kitchens came out on top, as most people are sick of poorly designed and ageing cooking areas.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/Westpac/status/226125444737544192" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/2012/07/wpactwitter.jpg"></a>
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Consumers have a taste for kitchen renos: Tweet of the day

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The landmark Westpac Bank site in Church Street Parramatta, first taken up by Bank of NSW in 1874, has been listed for sale.
The imposing sandstone building on the site was built in 1938.
The façade of the two-storey interwar stripped classical building is dominated by large ashlar sandstone columns, flanking timber four-panelled double doors.
Prior to and during its early life as a bank, the site was also operating as the Australian Arms Hotel.
After leasing for some years, the Bank of NSW acquired the two-storey inn, altered it and used it till 1938 when it was demolished and the current premises were built.
The land was originally granted to Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s superintendent of public works, Richard Rouse, in 1823. He built the Australian Arms Hotel in 1838.
The new building was designed by architect firm Spain, Cosh and Dods, also responsible for Edwards Dunlop Building in Brisbane, Daily Telegraph Building in Sydney and St Brigid's Catholic Church at Red Hill.
The site now includes an adjacent three storey modern building bringing the total area to 1,275 square metres and includes on-site parking for up to nine cars.
The site is 100% leased to current tenant Westpac, which emerged from Bank of NSW in 1982.
The site earns a net income of $536,000 per annum plus GST. There are 2.5 years left on the lease with two five-year options.
Westpac sold the site for $3.03 million in 2000 to two partners. One partner then bought the other’s 50% stake for $3 million in 2007.
Agent George Khoury from Khoury &amp; Partners says the property is attracting significant investor interest.
He is looking to sell the property for $7.5 million to $9 million.
Parramatta was established in 1788 and is the oldest inland European settlement in Australia.
The town was founded after the first fleet settlers built farms there to support the 1,000 convicts, soldiers and administrators. The site was the furthest navigable point on the Parramatta river and the soil was deemed significantly better than those around Sydney Cove.
Growth in the area was minimal until the 1850s when development was aided by the construction of a railway line. Then rapid expansion continued through the late 1800s, with Parramatta becoming a commercial hub for the western Sydney area.
Some of the most significant development in the city happened during the post-war years with industrial growth, immigration and the establishment of public housing estates.
The town is home to many of Australia's earliest colonial buildings, with more heritage-listed buildings in than Sydney's historic Rocks quarter.
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Historic Westpac Parramatta bank listed with $7.5 million-plus hopes

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It’s like going to a Gold Class cinema and having it all to yourself – plus you can pause the movie while you get another Coke and popcorn top-up. A simple TV just doesn’t suffice for a lot of home owners these days. Many enthusiasts will buy a large LED TV and an expensive sound system, which is great, but even that isn’t enough for some cinephiles. Many house now come with home theatre rooms – rooms dedicated to the ultimate audio-visual experience. 
The most opulent of offerings include banks of tiered oversized reclining chairs, giant projector screens, overhead lighting like a night sky and cinema-style furnishings. Watching a movie in a room like these really is an immersive experience, in every sense of the word.
Queensland and Perth consistently delivered the homes with the most luxurious home theatre rooms, but New South Wales and Victoria had their fair share.
Property Observer found these homes on the market in the last year or so with the grandest home theatre systems available. Here's 20 to 11, then next week we countdown the best 10 home cinemas.
20
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre20.jpg">
This elegant 10-seater arrangement comes from a <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Sale/House/QLD/Hope-Island/?adid=2007637175" target="_blank">home in Hope Island</a>. The tiered seating matches the pastel colour scheme of the rest of the room. The hidden projector is a nice touch that keeps the room looking polished. The rest of the home is as you’d expect for its initial $19 million asking price. The mega-mansion sits on a 5,400-square-metre block and has a 176-metre water frontage. The seven bedroom, 10-bathroom house is being marketed with an eye to the foreign market. It now's been listed through Ray White Surfers Paradise with $16.5 million hopes.
19
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre19.jpg">
It’s just you and the movie in this theatre. The stark austerity of the room caught Property Observer’s eye. It almost matches the aesthetic of The Matrix playing on the screen. There’s little else in the room except for the cinema seating and a 120-inch screen. It’s part of an 893-square-metre home in Ascot with extensive gardens and a waterfall. It was recently on the market through Anjanette Parker of Anjanette Parker Property Clayfield.
18
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre18.jpg" width="470">
This home theatre in Paradise Point is an understated theatre room. It’s from a three-level, five-bedroom home that sits on a 30-metre waterfront with mooring facilities for a 30-metre yacht. It also has a 10-car garage in the basement and a commercial-grade elevator. It was recently available through Sarah Filippini from Island Realty. 17
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre17.jpg" width="470">
These look like the sort of sofas that have been in the family for years and get comfier with each passing day, but apparently they’re made to order. A very friendly way to provide seating in a home theatre. The roof looks suspiciously like audio panels as well. It’s part of a <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-whitfield-107314869" target="_blank">five-bedroom megahome in Whitfield</a> with two swimming pools, spa, several lounges, a private library, a music podium and a tropical fruit tree orchard. It is listed through Sue Clyde-Smith of Elite Cairns and Beaches with $2,495,000 hopes.
 
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 16
 
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre16.jpg" width="470">
This dark room lets nothing distract from the experience of watching a movie. It’s just you and the screen in a pitch-black room. The room is in a three-level, four bedroom <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-scarborough-106394273" target="_blank">Scarborough, Queensland, home</a> on the waterfront. It comes with an elevator, jet-ski storage, suspended lap-pool and a private beach. It is listed through Maddies Hermans of Century 21 Scarborough.
15
 
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre15.jpg" width="470">
The owners of this place have gone for a different atmosphere. Rather than emulate the feel of a cinema as close as possible they’ve got for a more comfortable and homely approach. The bank of sofas and the striped wallpaper gives it a more social atmosphere than other home theatres. The rest of the four-bedroom property overlooks Bronte Beach and features a spa, a heated swimming pool, a sauna and a wine cellar. 14
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre14.jpg" width="470">
Carpet like this doesn’t exist outside of cinemas. The tiered seating gives an easy view of the screen. It lacks any extraneous clutter to create a comfortable viewing atmosphere. The <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-belmont-107421974" target="_blank">Belmont, Queensland</a>, house also comes with a tennis court, an outdoor granite kitchen, a self-contained pool house and gym and a horse paddock. It is available through Brenton Faehrmann Ray White Bulimba. 13
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre13.jpg" width="470">
This is a big screen. It’s like being seated in the front row of a cinema without having to look up. This three-bedroom house in North Adelaide also comes with a waterfall that cascades into a solar-heated swimming pool while rainforest noises are piped through hidden speakers.
12
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre12.jpg" width="470">
Oddly shaped rooms are apparently perfect for home theatres as they’re good at preventing standing waves. This smaller offering has all of the cinema magic one could hope for, especially with those red velvet curtains. It’s part of a four-bedroom <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-buddina-109092191" target="_blank">Buddina property</a>. It was recently sold by Mark Unkel of Elite Lifestyle Properties Minyama. 11
<img src="/images/stories/2012/07/hometheatre11.jpg" width="470">
You’d be the envy of independent movie makers with a theatre like this. The staggered seating gives uninterrupted views of the massive screen at the front, and the wall-mounted speakers complete the experience. It’s built into a 1,115-square-metre <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-manly+west-109182706" target="_blank">Manly West mansion</a>, which has an eight-person spa, a sauna, a 10-car garage and seven bedrooms. It’s listed through Margaret Vote of Raine &amp; Horne Wynnum / Manly with $2.5 million-plus hopes.
Next week the countdown from 10 gets underway.
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Popcorn and property: Australia's top 20 home cinemas worthy of Academy recognition – 20 through 11

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<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/abcmarkscott/status/225742123734011904"><img src="/images/stories/2012/07/markscott.jpg" width="470" height="268" alt="markscott"></a>
Mark Scott, managing director of the ABC, discusses Griffith University’s Gold Coast development, which has been in the works since 2002.
Works currently in progress include a new library, a new international building, a new commercial building and plaza, a health centre and more.
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ABC's Mark Scott impressed with Griffith University's Gold Coast campus: Tweet of the day

Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

Alistair Walsh

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