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The construction of a new eight storey mixed use Pyrmont development, comprising a residential flat building and ground floor commercial premises has been proposed by property developer Denis O'Neil.
The cost of works were calculated in accordance at $7,260,000.00 including GST. The proposed development will provide 13 residential apartments if accepted by Sydney City Council.
The site is located at <a href="http://addenbrooke.com.au/collections/67-69-murray-street-pyrmont/" target="_blank">67-69 Murray Street</a>, on the corner of Bunn Street and Murray Street.
The site is rectangular, with an area of 291 sqm. The site, which holds a convenience story, last traded at $3.4 million in 2002. There is no paperwork showing  any recent transfer to Addenbrooke. 
Surrounding land uses are a combination of residential and commercial, including multistorey residential development, and significant tourist accommodation.
The site is separate to, but contiguous, with a group of warehouse buildings, with the two buildings furthest to the north being heritage listed (47-49 and 51-53 Murray Street).
SJB Architects say their proposal responds "sympathetically to the surrounding urban grain and form."
The developer's website says “Murray Street” is a super high end boutique development of only 13 apartments set in the heart of Pyrmont. The building is set on a corner boasting 270 degree views with a glass façade wrapping the building. Construction is set to take place in November 2018."
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Addenbrooke, which has become an O'Neil family business, previously developed apartments at <a href="http://addenbrooke.com.au/collections/goldsbrough-copy-3-copy-copy/" target="_blank">the Goldsbrough Mort woolstore at Pyrmont</a> in the late 1990s.
Addenbrooke has developed some of Sydney’s most prestigious properties spanning over 3,500 apartments, retail precincts and commercial buildings..
The O'Neil family know Pyrmont well since founding nearby Hymix Concrete, the largest private quarrying, transport and concrete business in Australia in 1956 which was sold to Pioneer, now Hanson. in 1998.
Following of Hymix Concrete, Denis focused his attention on property development, establishing Addenbrooke Pty Ltd.
Addenbrooke’s baton has been taken up by Denis’s three son’s Ned, Jake and Toby.
 
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Denis O'Neil's Addenbrooke is back with a Pyrmont residential project

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Last financial year NSW property buyers paid $9.8 billion in stamp duty after a record 228,000 sales. Close to $3 billion has been paid by buyers since July.
This stamp duty is paid by the already stretched Sydney property buyer to the NSW state government based on the price of their land and the building acquisition.
The tax has been stuck at current 4.5% level since the 1986 Unsworth government, a time when the median stamp duty paid was $1500.
Given the rise in the median Sydney property price over the 31 years, the typical buyer now pays $36,000 duty for a $905,000 median dwelling price acquisition.
Stamp duty affects affordability by making buying a home dearer, especially for first home buyers.
It has emerged over recent times that stamp duty also leads to the inefficient use of housing by constraining the capacity of many to move towards downsizing into a more appropriately sized home or for workers to take advantage of new employment opportunities elsewhere.
Many tax reviews, including the Productivity Commission’s recently completed five year productivity review, have proposed that the one-off stamp duty be removed and replaced by a universal land tax paid annually on all properties. At the moment only some investor pay land tax.
This universal land tax differs from the current situation in that it would apply to all properties, residential and commercial, whether they are owned as an investment or by an owner-occupier.
The Henry Tax Review in 2010 proposed such a land tax.
More recent AHURI research modelling of a universally applied land tax forecast 46% of the land tax revenue would be raised from land plots within 10 kilometres of CBDs where land is most expensive, while only 4% of land tax revenue would come from the urban fringe 30 to 50 kilometres out.
AHURI went further suggesting as a consequence of introducing the tax, overall land values would decline leading to more affordable housing. 
Political reality dictates that changes to stamp duty and land tax would be implemented over a long timeframe. This is happening in the ACT where stamp duty is being abolished progressively over 20 years having started from 2012.
Any move in NSW from stamp duty to land tax would involve transitional arrangements so that landowners would only begin paying land tax if they have not already had to pay stamp duty, i.e. as each property is sold it would move onto the new land tax arrangements.
It has been concluded that during this transitional phase the revenue shortfall experienced by state and territory governments would require bridging finance from the Commonwealth Government, although this revenue shortfall will quickly recede as more and more owner-occupied housing joins the universal land tax base.
Our politicians have yet to bite the bullet, and perhaps never will.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph.
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Move from stamp duty to land tax not without challenges

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The cooling in the Sydney property market reflected a combination of factors, including increased supply of new dwellings, some tightening of credit conditions, higher interest rates on loans to investors and some reduction in offshore demand.
That's the conclusion of the RBA governor Philip Lowe, speaking at the annual dinner of the Australian Business Economists in Sydney on Tuesday.
"The increasing unaffordability of prices for many people has also probably played a role," he added in a speech tonight to economists.
In Melbourne, where the population is growing very strongly, Lowe suggested housing prices are still increasing faster than incomes, although the rate of increase has slowed.
"Elsewhere, housing prices have been little changed over recent months.
"Conditions are subdued in Brisbane, where the supply of apartments has increased significantly, and remain weak in Perth, owing to slowing population growth following the unwinding of the mining investment boom."
After noting the state of price growth in the capitals Lowe advised it was "important to be clear that the RBA does not have a target for housing prices."
But he added that "a return to more sustainable growth in housing prices does reduce the medium-term risks.
"These risks have not gone away, but the fact that they are not building at the rate they have been is a positive development."
While suggesting the central bank's next move in official interest rates is more likely up than down, Dr Lowe said there were still too many people out of work and inflation was set to remain below the 2-3 per cent target through to 2019.
"There is not a case for a near-term adjustment in monetary policy," he said.
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Melbourne housing prices still increasing faster than income growth: RBA

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Sunland Group’s new residential tower in Brisbane’s CBD has seen a $3.9 million resale.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-brisbane+city-126365802" target="_blank">The half-floor 36th level sub-penthous</a>e in the 24-hour concierge block, Abian fetched $240,000 more than paid for it two years ago off the plan.
Settlements were in August on the $3.66 million sale, with its offered for resale in early September.
The apartment at 3601/140 Alice Street comes with four bedrooms and three bathrooms covering 322 sqm.
There are three car parks.
It offers 270 degree views of the Brisbane River, Kangaroo Point and South Brisbane.
<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/2017/11/20/Nov20Trophy2.jpg" alt="">
The apartment also includes a separate media room, full sized laundry and a guest powder room.
The Abian tower, overlooking Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens, attracted buyers including celebrity chef Matt Moran.
Simon Caulfield and James McKinlay of Place Kangaroo Point secured the sale to a local family downsizing from a riverfront home at Yeronga.
The building's 40-level features a resort-style pool and spa, plunge pool, sauna, Hammam thermal stone room and steam room.
Other early insoles have been showing above trend price growth.
A three bedder sold off the plan on the 16th floor at $2.09 million in 2014 has been onsold for $2,635,000.
A two bedder on the 12th floor has been onsold at $1,135,000. It was bought off the plan in 2014 at $968,000.
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Abian, Brisbane secures bullish $3.9 million resale

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A local developer has paid a reported $32 million for the Everton, Pymble residential development site after a development syndicate of Chinese buyers failed to settle.
The development syndicate blamed capital transfer constraints in China, according to Fairfax Media.
NSW Land &amp; Environment Court approval was secured in July 2016 by BFD Pymble's solicitors, Lin Tang &amp; Co Lawyers for the project.
The site at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-nsw-pymble-502567694" target="_blank">2-8 Pymble Avenue and 2-4 Everton Street</a> had most of its construction certificate works completed.
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It has been approved for 98 apartments over three buildings with 156 basement parking spaces.
The design was done by the architects, <a href="http://www.become.com.au/projects/everton-pymble/" target="_blank">Become</a>.
Savills' Neil Cooke marketed the site with colleagues Stuart Cox and Johnathon Broome which attracted interest from around 20 developers.
The property is zoned R4 High Density Residential under the Ku-Ring-Gai LEP 2012 with a height limit ranging between 11.5 and 17.5 metres and a blended FSR of 1:1.
The apartments are expected to come to market early 2018.
 
 
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Chinese residential developer defaults on Everton, Pymble project

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Just one month ago, the investment bank Credit Suisse, advised the Sydney housing market looked set to be stronger for longer, as Chinese buyer demand defied a clampdown on capital outflows.
“There is little evidence that new capital controls by the Chinese authorities, announced in December 2016, have slowed demand for Aussie housing,” its analysts wrote.
“We think the tailwind of Chinese wealth creation will mean more, not less, foreign buying of Aussie housing.”
Now the investment bank advises they have detected a sudden withdrawal of Chinese investors from the Australian property market.
They forecast Sydney price growth to stall given Chinese buyers appear to have gone cold. 
I guess we are all intriguingly learning how the Chinese phenomenon plays out - not just the analysts contradicting each other from the same investment bank.
The latest research by Credit Suisse's economics and equity teams spotted a tight correlation between Chinese capital flows and Sydney housing prices.
Movements typically impacted on local property demand around 12 months on from events occurring in China.
Credit Suisse advised over the past year, Chinese capital flows have fallen considerably, in part reflecting the impact of stricter capital controls in China.
"This fall foreshadows weakness in NSW housing demand in the year ahead," they suggested adding the Sydney housing market had already cooled over the past few months.
It noted revised auction clearance rates — accounting for the many late reported results — had now dipped below 60 per cent in Sydney.
"This is a significant development because recent RBA analysis suggests that a 60 per cent clearance rate is typically the break-even point for house price inflation," Credit Suisse noted.
"House prices tend to fall when the clearance rate is below 60 per cent."
Credit Suisse suggested Chinese buyers have previously driven up valuations in expensive Sydney suburbs and apartment blocks with this then having a spill-over effect for higher pricing in other suburbs and segments of the market.
"We believe that Chinese buyers spark the cycle, while local investors chase the momentum," Credit Suisse said.
Credit Suisse even suggested the Reserve Bank of Australia might be forced to cut rates again, as without a healthy housing market, our economy has few other growth drivers to rely on.
It acknowledged the central bank was in a difficult position because of lack of timely, accurate data about Chinese capital flows and their impact.
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But recent data on the Brisbane apartment market suggest it is facing an emerging challenge with one in five foreign buyers failing to settle on their off the plan purchases.
According to rival investment bank UBS, unlike Brisbane, Sydney's strong residential price growth over the past two to three years ago is ensuring a strong incentive for the foreign buyer to settle.
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UBS say they will be watching to understand how foreign buyers react in Sydney over the months ahead.
It advised Brisbane resale prices are 10 per cent or more below purchase price and bank valuations are frequently below the off the plan purchase price especially on poor quality projects.
Sydney is not immune from poor quality projects or softening prices. 
This story first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.
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Credit Suisse casts doubt on continued Chinese property buying in Australia

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A McGrath spokesperson has dismissed a newspaper report that McGrath could soon be back in private hands.
The Australian Financial Review reported founder John McGrath and former Sydney franchise boss Shane Smollen were "understood to be working on a deal to take back control of the listed real estate flop."
The article quoted one source, identified only as "a senior industry source."
They had reportedly told The Australian Financial Review there was a "lot of movement" going on behind the scenes at McGrath.
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"Private equity is sniffing around and the shareholders, including John McGrath and Shane Smollen are trying to do something," the source said adding an announcement could come before the company's annual meeting, due to be held November 22.
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<div class="cq-article-content-media section">"We have absolutely no knowledge of these plans," a spokeswoman for McGrath told the newspaper.</div>
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<div class="cq-article-content-media section">John McGrath, who stepped down as CEO last year, remains the company's biggest shareholder with his 25.9 per cent stake.</div>
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Smollen has an 8.9 per cent share.
The share price - after McGrath's latest profit warning - ended Friday at 52 cents, down from its IPO value of $2.10.
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McGrath dismisses AFR report on estate agency company returning to private hands

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The Brisbane property market chugs along, largely under the radar in the national headlines, although NSW purchasers are increasingly attracted by its cheaper prices.
CoreLogic has taken a look at the relationship between housing market growth in the two cities to determine whether the emerging slowdown in Sydney could translate into an acceleration in home buying in Brisbane.
The gap between median home values sits at a price differential of 85% - Sydney's $909,000 median versus $490,000.
The three decade average premium of Sydney dwellings over Brisbane prices has been 55% indicating that the current gap remains attractively above the long-term average.
Over the past 20 years the average gap has been 56% and at 41% during the past decade.
Such a price gap has made Queensland a popular migration destination for people choosing to leave New South Wales.
This has been the case especially following past Sydney surges.
The average quarterly number of persons migrating from New South Wales to Queensland sits at around 12,000 persons per quarter.  
The peak migration to Queensland at around 18,000 per quarter took place in 1989, and again 2002.
The wide gap in the cost of housing between the two cities was evident in both 1989 and 2002, CoreLogic researcher Cameron Kusher noted.
At its 1988 peak, Sydney dwelling values were 104% higher than Brisbane and in 2001, 107% higher than Brisbane.
Kusher concluded the past trends suggest that Brisbane could be well positioned for a pick-up in value growth as the Sydney housing market slows from its current peak.  
But he says there have been instances where value gap surge hasn’t been followed by a price surge in Brisbane.
So a lift in Brisbane activity and prices is no certainty, Kusher concluded, adding that although interstate migration out of NSW is increasing, it is yet to hit anything close to those two previous highs.
He also noted that people leaving NSW for Queensland won't necessarily settle for Brisbane as much as they have in the past.
Both the Gold and Sunshine Coasts are much bigger cities in their own right than they were in 1989 and 2002.
Ignoring the troubled Brisbane apartment market, Hotspotting website founder Terry Ryder recently advised the Brisbane house market was generally buoyant with some suburban precincts even recording double-digit annual growth for which Sydney has been renown for in recent years.
Ryder nominated the leading precinct as the Moreton Bay Region in Brisbane’s far north, where affordability, infrastructure and proximity to jobs nodes are key factors.
The Redcliffe Peninsula, which is part of the Moreton Bay Region LGA, had received particular impetus from the completion of the Moreton Bay Rail Link, a long-awaited piece of transport infrastructure.
Logan City, the mirror image of Moreton Bay in the south of the Greater Brisbane Area, had been a market leader in the past two years, though had perhaps faded a little of late.
Ipswich City, the south-western precinct with similar qualities to Logan City, had many suburbs now delivering good price growth.
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.
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Brisbane housing market chugging along

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Delayed demolition works in the Melbourne CBD after an objection by the owner, have triggered the sales of 556 off the plan apartment buyers being cancelled by its Singapore-based developer.
Developer Chip Eng Seng bought a commercial tower at 150 Queen Street in 2011 with plans for a 71 storey project, known as Tower Melbourne.
It has become one of the first cancelled buildings in Melbourne, with the group now considering its options for the thwarted site.
The decision, announced to the stock exchange in Singapore, comes amid the broader local concerns about the mooted outlook for apartment market oversupply.
Demolition works on the original building have stalled since 2013 after an objection by the owner of an adjoining property at 140 Queen Street worried the demolition might damage its property.
Chip Eng Seng said the legal cases “may still take a considerable period of time” and it was “not possible for the company to ascertain when they can be resolved” nor when demolition could restart.
The group could not meet its deadline to register the plan of subdivision due to the delay, so advised the appropriate course was to terminate all sales contracts.
Some 579 units had been sold, but some buyers had already cancelled their contracts due to the delay.
Some 556 contracts remained with full buyers’ deposits set to be repaid in full with any interest accrued.
Construction of Melbourne’s envisaged highest residential tower was due to start in 2013 with an expected completion date of late 2016.
The CEL development was to come with a 25-metre pool, spa, sauna, steam room and a gym.
One-bedroom apartments in Tower Melbourne had a starting price of $381,000.
Two-bedroom apartments start from $492,000 and three-bedroom apartments start from $763,000.
The skyscraper had been designed by local architects Elenberg Fraser.
“Tower Melbourne is a city defining project,” says Callum Fraser, principal of Elenberg Fraser said at the time of its launch.
“If you take a high-rise tower and add a twist, we have a continuously evolving form and the result is a luxurious living sculpture,” he said.
Property Observer first <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/developments/singapore-developer-cheeky-for-selling-unapproved-melbourne-cbd-high-rise-project-off-the-plan-lord-mayor/2012101657194">reported on the problematic development in October </a>2012 when the Singapore developer was selling apartments, despite not yet receiving planning approval from then Victoria Planning Minister Matthew Guy.
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Tower Melbourne stuck in demolition dispute, so 556 off the plan contracts cancelled

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A leading Melbourne buyers' agent, Mal James, has demanded Consumer Affairs Victoria provide a report on the conduct of The Block Elsternwick auctions.
His concerns revolve around the pass-in of Ronnie and Georgia’s offering:
<ul>
<li>in law</li>
<li>in fairness</li>
<li>in Frank Valentic’s dudded buyer</li>
<li>in the the message it sends about what’s ok at Victorian auctions going forward.</li>
</ul>
James said he thought the auction did not follow Victorian legislation where the passed-into highest bidder has met the reserve in first-up negotiations.
The house passed in on a $2.6 million bid, $20,000 shy of the reserve. The buyers' agent Frank Valentic made two offers higher than the reserve, but his bids were not accepted.
He or she, by law, buys the property when you meet the reserve, James maintained, noting it did not happen.
James cited the CAV and the government website, adding that the CAV had got caught up in 'the Hollywood' of the televised show.
A Consumer Affairs Victoria inspector monitored the auction.
<a href="https://marketnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Laws21.jpg"><img src="https://marketnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Laws21-540x448.jpg" alt="Laws2" width="540" height="448"></a>
<a href="https://marketnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Laws2.jpg"><img src="https://marketnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Laws2-597x441.jpg" alt="Laws2" width="597" height="441"></a>
"I am not talking about a minor technical breach here," James said.
"If CAV says this is ok, what sort of chance of fair play does any buyer have at any auction?
"Does nobody care about the buyer of was dudded?"
Television viewers saw Ronnie and Georgia’s home passed into Frank Valentic’s buyer as the highest bidder.
His client’s quick post-auction offer met the reserve.
"So why did he not buy it then and there – why did further negotiations continue?" James asked.
"In fact why did Frank’s buyer not buy it at $2,620,000 – the reserve?
"Why would anyone bid at auction under what we saw on The Block – what protections do we as buyers really have?"
Another buyer, represented by Nicole Jacobs, who it wasn’t passed into, who James suggested didn’t even bid during the auction, bought it.
"Why do we have auction laws and rules? Why are Frank or Nicole not speaking out about this – the rightful buyer (Valentic’s) appears to have been completely dudded and by their silence, they as licensed representatives of buyers, seem to imply this sort of auction behaviour is OK," James claimed.
"Fairness was trampled on, the rightful owner tossed aside, the professional selling agent ignored, the spirit and the laws of Victorian auctions sidelined – I suppose that makes it OK."
Valentic told Fairfax Media that he made two offers — $2,675,000 and $2,725,000 — but both were rejected after the auction. 
The house sold for $2,781,000.
A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokeswoman said the auction process was legally compliant.
"Frank Valentic’s first offer of $2,675,000 technically should have bought the property – yet he didn’t buy it," James noted.
Valentic was resigned to having been outdone by Jacobs.
“We had the money to buy that, we offered more than the reserve price," Valentic told the Herald Sun.
“But that’s The Block auctions. It’s a rollercoaster,” the veteran Block bidder said.
He had been bidding for a young upsizing family with two young children from Malvern East.
White it was "a very disappointing result for our clients" he managed to secure Hannah and Clint’s beautiful house for them for what he believed was the bargain of the auction finale at $2,615,000.
After the auction, Jacobs claimed due process was followed.
“Not unlike most auctions on the street where they pass in, there was a bit of confusion,” she said.
“Clearly I probably should have started bidding a little earlier but I was really waiting, because the other auctions had all stalled, for it to start again.”
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Consumer Affairs Victoria - and buyers' agents - let down bidders in The Block Elsternwick auction outcome

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/consolidated-properties">Consolidated Properties Group</a> (CPG) is approaching the launch of its latest Brisbane riverfront development, Castile, on the dress circle Skyring Terrace in Newstead.

VIP buyers are now being engaged, with a full public sales launch coming later this year.

Positioned as the final opportunity to secure a new absolute riverfront residence on the East bank of Newstead, Teneriffe or New Farm, Castile at 47 Skyring Terrace has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a> as a timeless addition to the Brisbane skyline.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371113]

The name Castile draws on themes of permanence, sophistication and legacy, reflecting a broader vision centred on enduring architecture and timelessness in the rarest of riverfront positions.&nbsp;

CPG Chairman and CEO Don O’Rorke said the project had been envisioned as a future Brisbane icon.&nbsp;

“With 47 metres of direct river frontage and never to be built out views, 47 Skyring Terrace is the definitive address on the Brisbane River,” O’Rorke said.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371114]

“Rather than following trend-based apartment design, Castile draws inspiration from Brisbane’s great heritage buildings, reinterpreting classical architecture into a contemporary riverfront landmark designed to stand proudly for the next 100 years,” he said.&nbsp;

The approved development will comprise 227 apartments across a 25-storey tower alongside a boutique six-storey riverfront building of just 12 residences.&nbsp;

Construction is scheduled to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150489]

Joel Robinson

CPG unveils Castile Newstead ahead of upcoming sales launch

Australia’s online shopping habits have shifted dramatically over the last decade. As eCommerce volumes surged, so too did the frustrations that came with traditional parcel delivery: missed deliveries, long Post Office queues, parcel theft and the challenge of being home during business hours.

Australia Post’s Parcel Lockers emerged as one of the more practical responses to that changing consumer behaviour.

What started as a relatively niche delivery option has evolved into a nationwide network of more than 1,400 self-service Parcel Lockers positioned at train stations, shopping centres, supermarkets and Post Offices across the country. The system allows Australians to send, collect and return parcels 24 hours a day, fundamentally changing how many people interact with deliveries.

The appeal is relatively straightforward: flexibility.

Instead of waiting at home for a delivery driver or rushing to a Post Office before closing time, users can direct eligible parcels to a Parcel Locker location of their choice. Once the parcel arrives, Australia Post sends a notification with a collection code or QR access through the AusPost app, allowing customers to retrieve their package at any time within the collection window.

For apartment residents in particular, the system has become increasingly valuable.

Higher-density living has created logistical challenges around deliveries, especially in buildings without concierge services or secure parcel rooms. Missed deliveries are common, while parcel theft has become an increasing concern as online shopping volumes continue to rise.

Australia Post itself has repeatedly highlighted the growing issue of “porch pirates” during peak shopping periods, encouraging customers to use Parcel Lockers as a safer alternative to unattended home deliveries.

That security aspect is one of the key reasons the Australia Post Parcel Locker network has grown so rapidly.

Parcel Lockers are positioned as secure, monitored collection points that reduce the risk of theft while also improving delivery efficiency for Australia Post. Instead of multiple redelivery attempts, parcels can be consolidated into a single secure destination.

The Parcel Lockers themselves are free to use through a MyPost account and support a range of parcel sizes up to 16 kilograms and dimensions of approximately 35 x 44 x 61 centimetres.

Beyond receiving parcels, the system has increasingly become integrated into the broader eCommerce ecosystem.

Customers can now use Parcel Lockers to return online purchases, while retailers have embraced the model as a way to improve delivery success rates and reduce friction in the shopping process. Australia Post has actively expanded partnerships with major retailers and promoted Parcel Lockers as part of a broader out-of-home strategy.

The timing of that expansion aligns with broader changes in Australian shopping behaviour.

The acceleration of online retail during and after the pandemic placed enormous pressure on delivery infrastructure. Parcel volumes reached record highs, particularly during Black Friday and Christmas periods, with Australia Post delivering more than 100 million parcels during peak festive seasons.

That growth forced logistics providers to rethink the “last mile” of delivery, widely regarded as the most expensive and operationally difficult stage of the process.

Parcel Locker systems have increasingly been viewed as part of the long-term solution.

The concept itself is not unique to Australia. Parcel Locker networks have become common globally, particularly across Europe and Asia, where dense urban environments and apartment living create similar logistical challenges. But Australia’s geography and suburban sprawl made adoption slower initially.

Now, however, the convenience factor is driving mainstream usage.

For commuters, Parcel Lockers near train stations allow parcels to be collected on the way home from work. For apartment dwellers, they remove the uncertainty around access and missed deliveries.

The rise of the AusPost app has also streamlined the experience, centralising notifications, tracking and Parcel Locker access into a single platform. Australia Post has increasingly pushed customers toward app-based delivery management, partly as a way to combat phishing scams and fake delivery notifications, which have become more sophisticated in recent years.

The Parcel Locker model is also beginning to influence property development itself.

Parcel management has become a growing consideration in apartment building design, particularly as online shopping becomes embedded in everyday life. Many new residential developments are now incorporating dedicated parcel rooms or Parcel Locker systems into foyers and communal spaces.

For developers, parcel management is increasingly viewed as part of the broader resident amenity offering, alongside gyms, wellness spaces and communal work areas.

That reflects a wider evolution in how residential buildings are designed.

Apartment buyers are placing greater emphasis on convenience, security and operational functionality, particularly in higher-density urban environments. Parcel delivery, once considered a minor operational detail, has become an increasingly important part of that equation.

Australia Post’s Parcel Locker network sits at the centre of that behavioural shift.

What began as a simple alternative delivery option has evolved into a key piece of infrastructure supporting Australia’s growing eCommerce economy and changing urban lifestyles.

And as online shopping continues to expand, the role of Parcel Lockers is likely to become even more embedded in how Australians live, shop and receive goods.

How Australia Post Parcel Lockers changed parcel delivery convenience in Australia

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;

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;

Jonathan Chancellor

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