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EXPERT OBSERVER
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates a sharp drop in apartment approvals in NSW and Victoria.
The overall housing approval figures are falling in NSW and Victoria with the major falls being in the apartment market.
House approvals in NSW have dropped from 2,504 based on trends in March 2018 to 2,336 in August 2018 while house approvals in the smaller state of Victoria were more robust at 3,174 in August 2018.
It is the apartment market where approvals are falling fastest with NSW having 3,764 in September 2017 but this has fallen to 3,041 in August 2018. The Victorian apartment approvals have fallen even further from a high of 3,542 in December 2017 to less than half of this in August 2018 at 1,642 approvals.
It appears that confidence in the apartment market in both Melbourne and Sydney is slowing rapidly with many developers indicating that presales are much less than a year ago.
The Urban Taskforce urges governments to develop policies that support new housing supply as population growth targets have not changed. The pre- election environment in NSW has led to back downs on a number of planning policies including the ‘Missing Middle’ code, the Sydenham to Bankstown Planned Precincts and planning proposals in Ryde.
The concerns by some community groups about the extent of new development in Sydney seems to have led to a move away from housing supply targets and this is lowering confidence in the development industry.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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NSW and Victorian apartment approvals falling fast: Chris Johnson

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The NSW Government must appoint a new Government Architect to replace Peter Poulet (Pictured above).
The recent move of the current NSW Government Architect, Peter Poulet, to a reduced role in the Greater Sydney Commission leaves a vacant leadership role for design in the NSW Government.
For 200 years NSW has led Australia in having a champion for the design of the built environment with a state architect.
The current Government Architect has successfully managed the transition of the role from one of designing buildings to one of setting the framework for the quality of buildings and their urban setting.
Peter Poulet has set policies and produced guides and systems that champion design quality at a time when the community has raised concerns about increasing density in urban areas.
He has also chaired the Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Awards jury and demonstrated a willingness to work with the industry.
We thank Peter for his contribution the New South Wales.
The Urban Taskforce is concerned that there seem to be a number of senior executives leaving the Department of Planning and Environment at a crucial time in the growth of the state’s cities.
The development industry needs stability and strong leadership in planning particularly with the current down turn in home prices and in housing approval numbers.
The recent government back downs on key policies related to town houses, planning policies in Ryde and on the planned precincts on the Sydenham to Bankstown line also indicate a softening in support for development.
There are clearly important roles in the Central District of Greater Sydney but there are also opportunities for someone of Peter Poulet’s experience to develop design quality across Greater Sydney generally and the Urban Taskforce would support this.
The Urban Taskforce encourages the NSW Government to ensure that the tradition of the NSW Government Architect continues particularly as an advocate for the quality design of greater urban density as populations increase.
Chris Johnson is the CEO of the Urban Taskforce
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NSW Government Architect role important for the state’s urbanisation: Chris Johnson

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The green light announcement for the release of the Bayside West Plan has more than half the area as being subject to further investigation,.
The media release from Planning Minister Anthony Roberts (pictured above) says the green light has been given to land use planning for the Arncliffe, Banksia and Cooks Cove Precincts but more than half the area is subject to further investigation. 
The announcement stated that the ‘finalisation of the Bayside West Plan was a big step forward’ but the map within the Plan clearly indicates that all of Cooks Cove and Arncliffe West are ‘subject to further investigation.’
There are a number of illustrations linked to the media release but these only show bicycle paths and parks with no images of actual buildings. It seems in a pre-election environment that announcements are mainly focusing on open space, walkways and cycle-ways. A Green Plan will guide planning and the design of open space.
The areas close to the railway stations at Banksia and Arncliffe do have significant density with expanded retail centres and apartment dwellings.
The Urban Taskforce looks forward to more detail planning and rezoning across the whole of the Bayside West Precinct including the large areas marked as being subject to further investigation.
See map below from the Bayside West Precincts document:
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/10/BAYSIED.jpg" alt="">
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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Bayside West plans subject to further investigation: Chris Johnson

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The proposed value capture policy by the City of Parramatta Council has not responded to earlier industry concerns that the policy could stop development.
The Draft Planning Agreement Policy to go to the meeting of the City of Parramatta Council on 10 September has not responded to industry concerns despite referral to an Independent Panel Review.
The Urban Taskforce presented concerns to a council meeting on 25 June and specifically requested deferral to a workshop with industry groups.
The concern our members had was that the consultant advice that council was getting on the policy did not seem to understand real world economic viability. We expected the Independent Panel to request submissions or hold public hearings as required by item 4 of the council resolution that established the panel but it seems they only relied on advice from council’s consultants.
The Review Panel in item 9 of their overview state ‘This review did not specifically test the 50% value sharing … as to feasibility.’ The review only relied on advice provided by council’s consultants. These are the same consultant that the Urban Taskforce met with previously where a number of errors in testing feasibility were found.
The Urban Taskforce urgently requests the City of Parramatta Council to have a detailed workshop with the development industry as we originally requested and as was required by the motion that established the Review Panel. We recommend that council defer the item until there has been proper industry input into the financial viability implications of the policy.
The value capture policy was evolved in the first half of 2017 when the housing market was very healthy and put on exhibition on 23 August 2017. Since this time there has been a big drop in home sales prices and in apartment pre-commitments which is leading to a drop in the economic feasibility of projects. The Urban Taskforce assumed we would have the opportunity to convey these concerns to the Review Panel and that this would have led to a rethink of the policy.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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Parramatta value capture will stop development unless industry input is considered: Chris Johnson

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The announcement by NSW Planning Minister, Anthony Roberts, that the Liverpool city centre has been rezoned for mixed-use is a good model for all centres across Sydney.
American urbanist, Jane Jacobs, championed the need for mixed-use urban centres and the NSW Government is now supporting a similar approach for Liverpool.
The 25 hectare city centre in Liverpool is now planning to house 10,000 new homes and 22,000 new jobs as a result of the change from commercial only zoning to mixed-use zoning.
The Urban Taskforce has been critical of the zoning of strategic centres as outlined in the Greater Sydney Commission’s District Plans that did not support mixed-use zoning but preferred separate zones for housing and for jobs.
Most cities in the world are moving away from restrictive single use zoning towards a mixed-use approach that gives incentives to ensure a viable mixture of uses related to market needs.
The Liverpool model is following this approach.
A similar approach to mixed zoning should be considered for city centres like North Sydney, St Leonards, Chatswood, and Parramatta.
Each of these city centres needs the vitalisation that comes from people living, working and shopping in an urban centre.
Restaurants will have evening activity from the nearby apartments as well as lunch time activity from office workers.
The Urban Taskforce encourages the Greater Sydney Commission and the NSW Department of Planning &amp; Environment to develop planning policies that ensure viable mixed use precincts can flourish across Sydney’s urban centres.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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Liverpool mixed-use city centre should be the model for all centres: Chris Johnson

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The announcement by the NSW Department of Planning that a record 42,529 housing completions occurred in Sydney in the year up to June 2018 demonstrates the success of earlier policies but approvals are dropping fast.
The current record housing completions in Sydney of 42,529 over the year to June 2018 are a result of the record approval of nearly 60,000 homes in the year to September 2016. 
Unfortunately approvals in Sydney have now dropped to 52,277 in the year to June 2018 and this will flow on to reduced housing completions in the coming year.
The 42,529 completions is well above the average required of 36,250 a year required across 20 years and this high supply number has helped reduce the cost of new homes.
Our concern is that a number of policy settings from the three levels of government are now slowing down housing approvals.
The tightening of bank lending to house purchasers is reducing the number of buyers, the levies on foreign investors has reduced these purchasers and recent back-downs on planning policies for increased densities in key precincts in Sydney has undermined confidence in the housing development industry.
The Urban Taskforce developer members have been working very hard over recent years to follow the NSW Government’s lead in where to build new housing but in a pre-election environment the government has put the brakes on planning in these areas and this will lead to a big drop in housing supply in one to two years-time.
The Urban Taskforce encourages the NSW Government to get behind the need to plan for and support a consistent flow of new houses across Sydney so that the large number of jobs involved in housing are sustained.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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NSW future housing supply under threat despite record completions

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The announcement by the Victorian Government that they have allocated $500,000 to give councils funds to work with developers on the provision of affordable housing is a positive move.
The Victorian Government approach to delivering affordable housing seems to be based on councils and developers working together to achieve outcomes.
The government has allocated half a million dollars to help councils improve skills in negotiating a pathway for councils and developers to lock in affordable housing delivery as part of a project.
This approach seems to open the door for individual project based agreements where a developer can get some uplift to provide affordable housing.
A case by case approach is much better than a top down mandatory levy that can undermine the economic feasibility of a development project.
The Urban Taskforce believes that the NSW Government should also support an approach to the provision of affordable housing that allows a case-by-case approach where a reasonable uplift in floor space could be provided to support the provision of affordable housing.
This could be managed through the Affordable Rental Housing State Environmental Planning Policy that gives a floor space bonus if the developer includes a component of affordable housing that can be rented for a 10 year period.
The NSW Government’s Landcom agency is using this approach for the provision of affordable housing at Tallawong Station Precinct.
The Urban Taskforce is keen to work with the NSW Government and the Greater Sydney Commission to develop feasible policies that can provide affordable housing in Sydney and throughout NSW.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO
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The Victorian Government's affordable homes initiative is positive

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Councils are taking over the NSW Planning system with the latest being North Sydney Council’s request to be excluded from planning proposal policy.
At its meeting on 30 July North Sydney Council voted to put all planning proposals on hold until 1 July 2020 as this would be consistent with what the government allowed Ryde Council to do.
The impact of this resolution, if accepted by the NSW Government, will be to put a hold on all major projects in North Sydney for the next 2 years.
Ryde Council seems to be now driving the planning system in Sydney as it is able to bypass Department of Planning policies with the support of the NSW Government.
Now the rest of Sydney’s councils are following the Ryde approach so they can also be exempt from NSW Government policy.
Northern Beaches Council recently requested the Minister for Planning to exempt them from planning policies related to affordable rental housing, seniors housing and disabled housing.
Now North Sydney Council wants to be exempt from having to consider planning proposals from the private sector for a two year period.
The NSW Government must exert its authority as the responsible agency for the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and not allow a feeding frenzy driven by small councils that are keen to undermine the state government’s authority.
We have seen the NSW Government allow 50 councils across NSW to be allowed to delay the introduction of the ‘Missing Middle’ code for terrace houses for a year and then the NSW Government delegated planning along the Sydenham to Bankstown corridor back to the local councils who had been fighting the extent of development.
Private sector developers are finding that there is major confusion about who is running the planning system and that is leading to a Sovereign Risk issue that is undermining investments that assumed state government policies gave some certainty to outcomes.
It is looking like NSW is going into a lock down mode for two years to appease a noisy minority who are concerned about change.
The losers will be the young couples and families looking for somewhere to live.
Chris Johnson is the Urban Taskforce CEO 
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North Sydney Council latest to reject the government's planning process: Chris Johnson 

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Statements by Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, that the proposed renewal of social housing at Waterloo will create ‘ghettos’ is a wrong interpretation of this project.
Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, has slammed the recent options for the redevelopment of the Waterloo social housing estate as a ‘planning disaster’ that will produce ‘ghettos of the future’. Her comments are an emotive exaggeration of the proposals and use negative words that will upset residents in the estate. The comments are part of a growing approach by Sydney politicians to use very negative language about new development so they appear to be championing their voters. 
The Waterloo redevelopment will provide around 800 people per hectare which is less than the award winning Central Park project on Broadway which has around 1,000 people per hectare. It will certainly not be a ‘ghetto of the future’ as the Lord Mayor has stated. The most dense option with 7,200 apartments has 4 hectares of public park within the 18 hectare site which is a significant size. On top of this the nearby Alexandria Park has another 6 hectares and adjoining parkland to the Waterloo site has another 3 hectares. 
As well as the extensive amount of parkland on and adjacent to the site there will be a new metro rail station as part of the urban renewal project as well as community facilities and shops and restaurants.
The Lord Mayor’s alarmist statements talk about ‘dark’ towers yet they haven’t been designed yet and ‘overshadowed’ parks yet the location of tall buildings has little impact on the public park. Importantly the government’s options allow a diverse mixture of housing from market to affordable and social housing.
It is the state government that is funding the metro rail line and who is responsible for the social housing tenants so it is the state government’s role to ensure that an economically viable solution occurs that will bring about real change. The Council of the City of Sydney should get behind the project rather than use exaggerated language to try to derail the project by creating fear in the eyes of the social housing tenants. Governments and councils have talked for decades about the importance of a new character for the Waterloo social housing estate. We now have a number of options that can lead to real outcomes and this needs support rather than attack. 
Chris Johnson is the CEO of The Urban Taskforce
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Emotive language on ghettos wrong for Waterloo renewal: Chris Johnson

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EXPERT OBSERVATION 
The Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report indicates a rise in housing stress so now is not the time to slow down housing production.
The rise in housing stress in Sydney from around 10% in 2005-08 to 13% in 2013-16 needs a response from the housing market.
Clearly the price of housing has risen dramatically in the last decade and this has created problems for the lowest 40% of income earners who spend over 30% of their income on housing.
The best way for the housing industry to help is to ensure there are lots of new homes built at a range of affordability levels.
Housing supply needs to be encouraged by councils and the state government but a number of recent decisions by the NSW Government in a pre-election environment will have the effect of reducing supply dramatically.
The government has allowed 50 NSW councils to defer a terrace house code for a year, stopped planning proposals in Ryde for two years and pulled back from Planned Precincts on the Sydenham to Bankstown rail corridor.
The result of these back-downs from previous policy will be to slow down housing supply and therefore push home prices up again.
The Urban Taskforce is keen to assist with the provision of more affordable housing in line with the direction taken by the NSW Government agency Landcom.
The Landcom approach uses the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP to provide a percentage of affordable homes for a 10-year period. With a reasonable uplift in floor space we believe that thousands of affordable rental apartments could be provided across Sydney.
The supply of affordable homes must be an economically viable component of the overall housing supply system in NSW.
Sydney’s housing problems can only be solved in two ways.
The first is for the NSW Government to fund affordable and social housing and the second is for the private sector to be given incentives to provide affordable housing. 
Sydney’s future housing supply will need a combination of government and private sector commitment to ensure a diverse range of housing is produced.
Chris Johnson is chief of the Urban Taskforce.
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High housing stress in Sydney needs more housing supply: Chris Johnson 

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-5" data-turn="user" data-turn-id="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" data-turn-id-container="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" dir="auto">Time &amp; Place’s plans to transform the former David Jones factory building in Surry Hills into a mixed-use residential precinct have gone on exhibition through the NSW Government’s In-fill Affordable Housing pathway.</section>

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" dir="auto">
The Marlborough House proposal, lodged for the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marlborough-house-47-97-marlborough-street-surry-hills-nsw-2010">47-97 Marlborough Street</a> site, would see the adaptive reuse of the heritage-listed warehouse building alongside the construction of new residential additions and a separate apartment building on the northern portion of the site.

The proposal seeks approval for 172 apartments across three buildings, including 15 per cent affordable housing managed by a community housing provider for at least 15 years from occupation.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d1d3c2a-bf13-47d6-a335-7c01102cdee1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cjMYrbR.BLUlWH4dar0RVDDo0bG.u2YT" />

Interior view from the Northern Building Penthouse overlooking the park

&nbsp;

The redevelopment is planned for the prominent 3,413 sqm site bounded by Marlborough Street, Goodlet Street and Lansdowne Street, directly opposite Eddie Ward Park and around 200 metres from the Surry Hills light rail stop.

Time &amp; Place acquired the former David Jones building in 2024, marking the first time the property had changed hands in around 50 years.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal centres around the adaptive reuse of the former David Jones factory, originally constructed between 1913 and 1935 in the Inter-War Chicagoesque architectural style.

Wardle noted in its Architectural Design Report that the building “occupies a significant place in the industrial and cultural history of Surry Hills” and at its peak was “the largest department store manufacturing facility in Australia, employing over 800 people and fuelling the growth of Sydney’s fashion and retail industries.”

The practice said the project positions itself “not as an isolated intervention, but as a contributor to the civic, social, and architectural grain of the precinct.”

The proposal would deliver 75 apartments within the retained southern heritage building, 59 apartments within the central addition, and a further 38 apartments within the new northern building fronting Lansdowne Street.

Planning documents show the scheme would comprise a mix of heritage apartments, new-build apartments, townhouses and penthouses.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="57758518-40a3-4b83-958c-d06e96a2cffa" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.42%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VerlX9ST5xgBi8.1_YRsqdWTJeT6ygjs" />Interior View of the Heritage Building Apartment

The development would also include a ground-floor retail tenancy on the corner of Marlborough and Lansdowne streets, rooftop communal open space, a landscaped pedestrian link along the western edge of the site, and basement parking accessed from Lansdowne Street via a car stacker system.

&nbsp;

The scheme emerged from a competitive design process run by Urbis, with Wardle ultimately selected as the winning architect ahead of FJC Studio, TZG, Architectus and Wilkinson Eyre.

The Design Integrity Panel later described several aspects of the Wardle scheme as fundamental to the project, including “the stepped character of the new addition to the north of the site”, the landscaped western pedestrian link, and the “garden arrival” experience separating the original Marlborough House from the heritage addition.

Wardle’s design heavily references the site’s industrial and heritage history, while also responding to the surrounding Surry Hills streetscape.

The Architectural Design Report describes Surry Hills as “a finely grained neighbourhood with beautiful and expressive brickworks throughout the suburb,” with the proposal introducing a material palette intended to sit comfortably alongside the existing warehouse fabric and neighbouring terraces.

The report also outlines the project’s relationship with Eddie Ward Park and the broader landscape context of the area.

“Marlborough House occupies a site of deep cultural memory and the neighbouring Eddie Ward Park is of local ecological significance, where natural systems, topography, and stories have long shaped human experience,” Wardle noted in the report.

The architects said the proposal sought to “rebind built form to Country” through landscape, materiality and the adaptive reuse of the heritage structure.

<img alt="Marlborough House" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9ae3f2f9-c85f-477a-a6f8-b43f6cb97c41" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.53%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=B.qUCLqRvJOR.n9CvYcTpaknIX9LuqKZ" />

The project is also being progressed under the NSW Government’s in-fill affordable housing provisions, allowing developments that include affordable housing to access additional height and floor space incentives.

Under the plans, 2,593 sqm of the project’s floor space would be dedicated to affordable housing, slightly exceeding the required 15 per cent threshold.

In its Design Excellence Strategy, Urbis said the project aimed to “sensitively adapt and enhance the heritage-listed building on site through alterations and additions that preserve its historical significance” while delivering “high-quality market and infill affordable housing development in Surry Hills.”

Time &amp; Place has been one of the most active developers nationally in the last 12 to 24 months. Late last year they completed&nbsp;The Queensbridge in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, a mixed-use tower with 353 apartments and a hotel. They are currently selling Park Modern, 246 apartments near the famous Botanic Gardens in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne</a>, and have future projects, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-wilmot-173-burke-road-28-hope-street-glen-iris-vic-3146">The Wilmot</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/glen-iris-vic-3146">Glen Iris</a>, the redevelopment of the Northcote Plaza, and another tower in South Melbourne.

The developer broke into Sydney just a few years ago with Two Tides in Manly. They have another project nearby, which is at the ultra-luxury end of the market on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/shoreline-manly-beach-89-90-north-steyne-manly">North Steyne</a>, fronting the beach.

It is also continuing to work through the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-time-place-settles-on-design-for-the-chimes-potts-point-redevelopment">redevelopment of The Chimes building</a> on Macleay Street in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/potts-point-nsw-2011">Potts Point</a>, as well as a project on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/time-place-to-take-on-mosman-apartment-market">Mosman's Redan Street</a>.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Time & Place unveils Marlborough House redevelopment designs for former David Jones warehouse in Surry Hills

The residential transformation of St Kilda Road is set to continue into with more new apartment plans for the sought-after boulevard.

Wing Tai Asia has lodged plans for a major residential tower at 464-466 St Kilda Road, replacing the former VACC House with an 18-storey mixed-use development designed around a retained heritage podium and a sculpted contemporary tower.

The proposal, prepared under Victoria’s Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway, would deliver 325 apartments and ground-floor retail across the prominent 4,653 sqm boulevard site in Melbourne’s St Kilda Road North Precinct.

The project centres on the adaptive reuse of the site’s heritage-listed VACC Building, an eight-storey office designed by Bernard Evans that has occupied the address for decades. Planning documents state the development would involve “carefully dismantling and conserving off-site the original metal fabric of the podium visible from St Kilda Road,” before reinstating it as the defining frontage of the new scheme.

Above the restored podium, Wing Tai is proposing a curvilinear residential tower. The scheme includes 172 one-bedroom apartments, 63 two-bedroom apartments, 66 three-bedroom apartments, and 24 four-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor food and beverage tenancies fronting St Kilda Road.

The tower has been designed with substantial articulation and variable setbacks to minimise perceived bulk and maintain view corridors along the boulevard. Urbis, which prepared the planning report, said the design “has been significantly articulated through a curvilinear design” with “an interplay with materials, façade expression and depth” to create visual separation and visual interest.

The proposal also includes 254 basement car spaces, landscaped pedestrian links connecting St Kilda Road and Queens Lane, and a biophilic landscape strategy featuring canopy trees, raised planters, cascading greenery and a glass oculus pool overlooking the eastern frontage.

Planning documents confirm the $270.1 million development will contribute 3 per cent of project costs to the Social Housing Growth Fund as part of the application process.

Wing Tai acquired the St Kilda Road property in 2018 alongside Abacus Property Group for $95.38 million, before later consolidating ownership of the site. The property previously served as the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce headquarters for around 60 years.

The transformation of the St Kilda Rd boulevard is already beginning to materialise, with a number of high-profile projects recently completed, launched, or approaching launch as developers continue to back the long-term appeal of the precinct.

Among the most notable recent completions is Louise by Samuel Property Group, just off the strip on Queens Lane, the same pocket Hirsch &amp; Faigen recently launched The Queensbury. Mirvac is too on the same street with The Albertine, which is approaching completion.

Dexus recently secured approval for its slice of St Kilda Road, while Gurner also has approved plans for the precinct.

Wing Tai unveils 325-apartment St Kilda Road tower on former VACC House site

Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Chris Johnson

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