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GUEST OBSERVER
Population growth is bouncing of the slowest annual pace in almost 10 years.
If population is growing near 1.3 percent, we will need productivity growth near 1.7 percent to maintain the “speed limit” of the economy at 3 per cent. As the Reserve Bank has intimated, the speed limit of the economy has probably come down to a rate closer to 2.75 per cent.
Victoria is still the population leader. You have to go back to 1888 to find a time when Victoria held the position of the state with the fastest population growth. In fact population in Victoria is growing at the fastest pace in six years. In comparison Western Australia and South Australia have the weakest annual population growth rates in 12 and 11 years respectively. A result that resonates with the slowdown and weakness in the driven mining states. Only NSW and Victoria now have an annual population growth rate above long-term averages – important in absorbing the record amount of homes being built.
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<img src="/images/2016/06/24/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-24%20at%2010.14.31%20AM.png" alt="">
It is clear the labour market was the stellar performer over 2015. But there have been a number of signs that employment growth is now in the midst of a consolidation. Job advertisements have shown signs of consolidating in the past couple of months while the monthly employment statistics suggest employment growth has softened. Interestingly the data by industry provides a telling breakdown about where the jobs are being created. Over the three months to May employment grew by almost 47,000. Overall 10 of the 19 industry sectors recorded job gains in the past three months, with the hiring dominated by Healthcare &amp; social assistance, Wholesale trade and Accommodation &amp; food services.
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<img src="/images/2016/06/24/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-24%20at%2010.16.03%20AM.png" alt="">
Overall the labour market remains relatively upbeat. The lift in consumer confidence and business conditions should boost spending, investment and employment once the election is out of the way – a result that should see the jobless rate trend lower to 5.5 per cent by the end of this year.
  Healthcare remains the biggest employer and was also the biggest job creator over the past year. Interestingly Finance &amp; insurance, Construction and Retail were amongst the major employers over the past year – a result that resonates with the lift in activity across the economy.
What does the data show?
Industry employment:
Employment rose by 46,700 over the three months to May after a gain of 4,000 in the previous three months.
Over the past year employment lifted by 224,000 well above the decade average of 190,600.
Employment rose in 10 of the 19 industry sectors. Employment rose most in Health Care and Social Assistance (up 40,700), followed by Accommodation and Food Services (up 20,100) and Wholesale trade (up 17,500).
In the quarter, the number of jobs fell the most in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (down 34,800), followed by Retail Trade (down 21,900), and Administrative and Support Services (down 18,800).
Healthcare remains the biggest employer with 1.6 million employees (13 per cent of the total) followed by Retail Trade (1.3 million jobs or 10.5 per cent) and Construction (1.08 million or 9.1 per cent).
Population Statistics: 
Australia’s population expanded by 326,100 people over the year to December 2015 to 23,940,300 people.
Overall, Australia’s population growth rate rose from a 10-year low of 1.36 per cent to 1.38 per cent.
Australia’s population grew by just 71,300 people over the December quarter – the weakest quarterly result in 41⁄2-years.
A total of 177,000 people migrated to Australia over year to December, well down on the 315,700 peak migrants in the year to December 2008.
There were 305,300 babies born in the past year, just shy of the record 312,200 births in the year to December 2012.
Over the past year population growth was the strongest in Victoria (1.87 per cent – the fastest growth in 6 years), followed by NSW (1.40 per cent), the ACT (1.36 per cent), Queensland (1.26 per cent), Western Australia (1.20 per cent – weakest in almost 13 years), South Australia (0.66 per cent –weakest in 11 years), Tasmania (0.41 per cent) and the Northern Territory (0.35 per cent).
Population growth is above decade averages in NSW (7 per cent) and Victoria (5.6 per cent).
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<img src="/images/2016/06/24/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-24%20at%2010.18.45%20AM.png" alt="">
What is the importance of the report?
Demographic Statistics are issued by the Bureau of Statistics each quarter. The figures include estimates of births, deaths, in-bound and out-bound migration movements and estimates of population change by State.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides detailed labour market figures one week after releasing ‘top level’ statistics of employment &amp; unemployment levels across states and territories. The detailed data is useful in identifying broader underlying trends and instructive about the health of the economy. 
What are the implications for interest rates and investors?
The latest data has few implications for interest rate settings. But if population growth remains soft, the Reserve Bank may need to make further adjustments to economic growth assumptions.
CommSec expects the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates again in August. 
Savanth Sebastian is an economist for <a href="https://www.commsec.com.au/" target="_blank">CommSec</a>.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Baby boom; Healthcare leads hiring: CommSec's Savanth Sebastian

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EG Funds' residential development, The Flour Mill of Summer Hill is set for its next stage launch.
The Malthouse release in the new master-planned community located on the heritage Flour Mill industrial site in Summer Hill has its display suite officially opening this weekend. 
The earlier stages are now sold out primarily to local buyers.
The Flour Mill of Summer Hill development is a joint venture by EG and Daiwa House.
Dr Michael Easson, executive chairman of EG inspected the display suite ahead of the launch with Grant Flannigan, from EG, confirming settlement for stage 1 of the Flour Mill will occur in February 2017.
Designed by architects, HASSELL, Summer Hill’s newest residential community and retail hub began construction in early 2015.
The next stages will have 233 apartments - studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments located in the Flour Mill’s existing silos.
The prices and sizes of apartments (square metres internally) range from 1 bedroom 55 m2 internally $710,000 - $735,000; 2 bedroom 71-90 m2 internally $840,000 - $1,110,000 and the 3 bedrooms 89-125 m2 internally $1,120,000 - $1,635,000. 
HASSELL has taken its cues from the Flour Mill’s landmark silos to echo the site’s industrial proportions, retaining the remarkable heritage and form and redefining the structures to revitalise this beloved monument to the city’s rich industrial heritage.
The three vertical layers of the nine-storey Malthouse work in unison to celebrate the building’s industrial heritage. 
A central vertical cut-out creates a 20-metre high void in the lobby while horizontal cut outs on each level form a spinal corridor open at the northern and southern ends.
Each apartment has been cleverly designed to bring the outside in – balconies and windows have been carefully placed to provide an interesting outlook from every aspect while maximising natural light and airflow.
The four circular towers of the original wheat silos, dubbed the Durum Silos now form 56 contemporary apartments across 14 storeys, at the peak of which sit two penthouse apartments with roof terraces enjoying spectacular 360 degree views.
The Granary has been converted to one and two bedroom apartments that mimic the scale of the original buildings on this site.
Housing 27 two and three bedroom apartments, The Wheatstore’s triangular structure stands out as the only design within the Flour Mill that started from scratch.
EG’s Development Manager Raja Jamal says a key focus of the development was on community and connectivity.
“We have integrated a communal public park featuring existing mature avenues of brushbox and a new retail precinct which includes cafés, restaurants and retail offerings to complement Summer Hill’s existing village atmosphere,” said Mr Jamal.
Colliers agent Ian Bennett said the majority of initial buyers were locals looking to buy a piece of the area’s history, with investors and first home buyers looking at the 1 and 2 bedroom apartments due to the connectivity with the light rail, train station and bus services flanking the development. 
For more information, <a href="https://summerhillflourmill.com.au/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
 
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More Flour Mill, Summer Hill silo apartments for sale

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A lowkey establishment Darling family member have secured Linx, one of Cape Schanck's most prestigious properties, for a record $5.3 million record.
The coastal home's large outdoor terraces offer views across the bay back to the Melbourne skyline from the grounds of The National Golf Club.  The expansive home of 100 squares was designed by the architect West Valentine. The five bedroom property on the 4709 sqm holding is amid four world-class championship golf courses.
There's a commercial indoor barbecue area, a sound proof cinematic theatre with eight recliners along with a 1000 bottle wine cellar accessed through 17th century French doors.
The home was sold by Rob Curtain and Patrick Sinn at Sotheby's International Realty.
This article was first published in the Weekend Australian Mansion Australia property section.
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Linx, Cape Schanck sold for record price

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
A National Broadband Network (NBN) based on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) was, and still is, the right answer for Australia’s broadband needs.
Compared to the original FTTP-based NBN, we are currently on the way to a much poorer performing broadband network with a mix of FTTP, fibre to the node (FTTN) and other technologies. It will entail increased long-term costs and be completed at about the same time as the original project would have been completed.
Around the world, the direction in which new builds of fixed broadband networks are headed has become clear. The world is increasingly moving towards FTTP. As a consequence, advances are being made in FTTP technology that make it cheaper and easier to deploy.
These developments, which have taken place in the last few years, have only reinforced the rationale for basing Australia’s NBN on FTTP.
<h2>Not too late to change</h2>
It is not too late to change the current direction of the NBN, but that change would need to be made in a controlled and managed way to ensure the project is not subject to another major disruption.
Why has it been so hard to get at the facts regarding the costs and timing of the FTTP-based NBN? The answer, as we all know, is that the NBN project has been from its inception a contentious political issue.
Initiated by the Labor party back in 2009, it was a good example of a government being courageous enough to initiate a large and complex project for the public good.
The original NBN was a visionary project and would have created a valuable asset for the Australian public. It didn’t take long, though, for the attacks on the project to start.
But the fact – confirmed this week - remains that over the past three years, Australia’s world ranking for average peak connection speeds dropped from 30th to 60th. We shouldn’t have been happy with being ranked 30th in the first place.
Yet the drivers of faster speeds and capacities for fixed broadband have not abated. Quite the contrary.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows internet usage has been increasing over the years, from 191,839 terabytes downloaded in the month of December 2010 to 1,714,922 terabytes in December 2015. That’s nearly a ninefold increase in five years.
What’s more, Cisco is forecasting that global broadband speeds will nearly double between 2015 and 2020.
<h2>From megabits to gigabits</h2>
That’s why the debate in the United States and Asia is about gigabit per second speeds, not about whether 25MBps or 50Mbps is sufficient.
It is a bit surprising that we continue to hear the argument that nobody is buying a 1Gbps service today, so why build a network that can deliver that much speed? 25Mbps to 50Mbps is more than enough.
This has been a mantra for the Coalition, and it was supported in the view by the Vertigan committee, which was set up to review the NBN. In its final report, the committee assumed that the median household would require only 15Mb/s by 2023.
It seems especially curious that a government that styles itself as the innovation and infrastructure government should argue this. Because this argument betrays a complete lack of understanding of what the original FTTP NBN was all about.
It was about providing the vital infrastructure that Australia needs in order to remain competitive internationally in the 21st century.
It is arguable that, today, most homes and businesses can get by with speeds of up to 50Mbps. But already there are many home-based businesses that can’t and are demanding 100Mbps or more.
Gigabit services are just starting to emerge elsewhere in the world, so the applications that can take advantage of this type of speed are in their infancy. But we all know they are coming.
To spend billions of dollars on building a major piece of national infrastructure that just about meets demand today, but doesn’t allow for any significant growth over the next ten or 20 years is incredibly short-sighted.
It is such a pity that so much time and effort has been spent on trying to discredit and destroy the original FTTP-based NBN plan. Equally, it’s a pity the Coalition has put its faith in what has turned out to be a short-sighted, expensive and backward looking multi-technology mix (<a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project/what-is-the-nbn-multi-technology-mix">MTM</a>) plan based on copper.
The nation is going to be bearing the consequences of those decisions for years to come – in higher costs and poorer performance in an area that is critical to its long-term future. Betting tens of billions of taxpayers dollars at this time on copper access technologies, as the Coalition has done, is a huge miscalculation.
The number of telcos still focussed on squeezing out the last bit of value from their old copper networks continues to decrease every year. Even the UK’s BT, which has been the poster child for FTTN, is now planning to increase its FTTP deployment, in part as a response to pressure from the UK regulator, Ofcom.
<h2>Come the election</h2>
No matter what the outcome of the upcoming election, the original vision of a broadband network built largely on a future-proof FTTP solution is now going to happen over a longer period and at a greater cost to taxpayers.
The Coalition is likely to continue with the FTTN and Hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) deployments and the peak funding is likely to be in the range of A$49 billion to A$56 billion. It will take a “heroic” effort, as NBN Co’s chairman Ziggy Switkowski has said, to have the network completed by the end of 2020.
Just when the FTTN equipment will need to be upgraded to provide higher speeds is an unknown but given what is happening overseas, it is unlikely to be very long. No one has yet made public the estimated costs of this upgrade.
Should the Labor party win the election, we can expect a managed transition from FTTN to FTTP, increasing the number of premises served by FTTP by about two million.
Given what we now know about the deployment costs of FTTP versus FTTN, I would not expect this transition to FTTP to make a big difference to deployment costs or timing of completing the NBN. It will result, however, in a network that is a step closer to the desired end state.
While it is impossible to turn back the clock on the MTM, it is still possible to make changes to the current direction, without introducing another major disruption. Changes that will get us closer to building the right network for the long term.
It is becoming increasingly obvious, especially to customers, that an NBN based on FTTP is a much better network than an MTM-based NBN from every angle – speed and capacity delivery, maintenance costs, reliability, longevity and upgrade costs.
An FTTP network would be a much more valuable public asset and could generate greater cash flows for the government due to lower maintenance, higher revenues and almost no upgrade costs. And it would be vastly superior in driving growth through the wider economy.
So it is a great pity that before making the shift to the MTM, the Coalition did not heed the words re-quoted by the then independent MP for New England, Tony Windsor: “Do it right, do it once, do it with fibre.”
Mike Quigley is adjunct professor in the School of Computing and Communications, University of Technology Sydney and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-quigley-276502" target="_blank">here</a>.
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The need for speed: there’s still time to fix Australia’s NBN

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<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5 ms-rteFontSize-2">The Tenancy Unit within Consumer Affairs provides services to tenants and landlords/agent of residential properties in the Northern Territory.</div>
<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5 ms-rteFontSize-2"> </div>
<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5 ms-rteFontSize-2">The legislative responsibilities of tenants and landlords are outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act.</div>
<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5 ms-rteFontSize-2"> </div>
<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5 ms-rteFontSize-2">The landlord/tenant relationship is usually harmonious but difficulties do arise, and sometimes landlords and tenants have different ideas of their respective rights and responsibilities.</div>
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<div>Landlords are allowed to pass on the full cost of water consumption provided:</div>
<div>•          the rental premises are individually metered, and</div>
<div>•          the tenancy agreement states the tenant must pay for water consumption.</div>
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<div class="ms-rteFontFace-5">However, a landlord cannot ask a tenant to pay for charges, levies, rates or taxes, other than a charge payable by the owner or occupier of the premises for electricity, gas or water supplied to the premises.</div>
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<div>From 1 June 2015, applications in relation to the Residential Tenancies Act  are heard by the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).  Applications are required to be lodged on a NTCAT form.</div>
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<div>This form, as well as advice on NTCAT procedures and processes, can be found on the NTCAT website: </div>
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<div>Northern Territory Consumer Affairs will continue to provide assistance with information and advice on all tenancies matters and notices, excluding Residential Tenancy Applications and processes.</div>
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<div>For more information, <a href="https://www.ntcat.nt.gov.au%20%20" target="_blank">click here</a>.</div>
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Property 101: NT rental tenancy rights and responsibilities

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There is no reason why most homes can't be put up for sale in the upcoming cooler months.
Indeed quiet winters are pretty much a thing of the past in many Sydney suburbs.
The motivation to sell or buy doesn’t go away just because it’s a bit colder or pouring on Saturday.
The federal election might distract some potential vendors but recent July auction volumes have been Sydney’s busiest on record.
Homes that get great winter light can really stand out during these cooler months.
And those west-facing windows that are a summer issue can look cool from June through August.
Just draw back the curtains and blinds on the windows to let as much light in as possible.
Your focus should be on making the house or apartment feel warm and comfortable. So definitely light the fire and switch on the heat.
Turn on all the atmosphere-creating side lamps.
Even add some warm reds and oranges to your soft furnishings around the house.
Be sure to consult your agent about the best time of day to show your home for its open for inspection.
It's not quite a never-ending, year round selling season as agents do take a break from Christmas until late January, but winter is not the same compulsive period of hibernation.
Lower winter market listings will commence from the Queen’s Birthday holiday break. 
Auction hibernation happens more so in Sydney's higher-priced suburbs through winter as overseas vacations are de jour for owner and agents alike. Garden suburb vendors tend to hold back too.
But if you can find an agent who hasn't taken off for a European sojourn, then why wait for spring when there is always a flood of offerings especially at year end.
The demographic reasons for buying and selling don't take a pause so growing families who need more space do not suddenly stop needing that extra bedroom. Those downsizers who've got their off the plan settlement coming up, will want to lock in their house sale too.
This year may see higher levels of activity than usual from prestige markets reflecting the recent momentum in these sectors. Last week CoreLogic had a 91 percent success rate among eastern suburbs offerings which means there are plenty of fresh buyers still looking and the success rate also might encourage fresh vendors.
It wasn't just the east which showed a resilience over autumn which finished with a wet Saturday with none the less well attended auctions.
CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless noted the upcoming election and debate around taxation policy hadn't dampen the renewed bounce in Sydney home values.
He noted the bounce in the Sydney home value index was around 3.4 percent over May with Sydney clearance rates holding above the 70 percent mark through late April and May. 
Common sense would tell you that less people are inclined come to an onsite auction if the weather isn’t so friendly, however while the sticky beaks might drop off during the colder months, the percentage of serious bidders among the attendees actually increases. 
The strong autumn sales period must ensure there are still plenty of committed buyers around as we head into winter, James Pratt, director of auction services at Raine &amp; Horne noted.
John McGrath recent noted that winter is not a bad time to sell.
"Actually, the opposite is usually true," he said especially as buyers with approved finance are typically only given six months to buy before they have to re-apply, so they don’t have time to take three months off over winter.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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The demographics make winter worthwhile to list property

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
In 1960, when the America computer scientist Ivan Sutherland developed Sketchpad, described as the first computer graphical user interface, it changed the course of architecture.
It was the first recorded tool enabling designers to interact with the computer graphically, using a light pen on the monitor.
This laid the foundation for computer aided design (CAD), which, over the next 60 years, replaced the drafting pen and tracing paper with the mouse and monitor in most architectural practices.
But while, for most, computing in architecture is a replacement technology, there are always rebels who want to experiment.
Architects think and draw at the same time, at the design stage as well as detailing the building for construction. And it quickly became apparent that no software can think or design as fast as a doodle on paper (or the infamous napkin). Nor could a program replace the lateral problem solving ability of a human.
All CAD software has limitations. Developers simply cannot program enough tools within the software environment to cater for all the possible applications, let alone to condition creative and lateral thinking.
<h2>The architect programmer</h2>
But why only work within the software written by others when you can write your own? Since the 1970s, a number of pioneering architects and designers have taken it on themselves to be both programmer and designer. In other words, they started to program design.
What emerges at first are the use of algorithms in design to develop forms and spatial organisation through programming logic. With advancement of software and interjection from other disciplines such as film, aerospace and product engineering, architects are now designing ever more complex geometries to explore unprecedented spatial conditions and relationships.
A built example is the Atrium at the Federation Square, in Melbourne, Victoria, by LAB architecture studio. This urban atrium not only constructs new relationships between the city and the river, it also creates a multi-layered space for social encounter and art installation. Structures like these are difficult to conceive in the human mind.
This experimentation in programming design has surfaced as the main stream of architecture design in the past ten years. Computing in architecture is having a deeper impact than ever before: from complex analytical and design tools that allow us to understand the spatial syntax of cities to fully integrated three-dimensional models (commonly known as Building Information Modelling or BIM) and, eventually, linking design with structural analysis to name a few examples.
<h2>Programming materials</h2>
When an architect thinks through drawing and three-dimensional modelling, this is essentially stimulating what the real materials (brick, concrete, steel or timber) can or could be. That’s to say we design in a virtual environment before implementing it in the physical world.
With the recent availability of 3D printers and numeric control machinery, such as CNC routers and laser cutters, designing with computers is bringing architects closer to the material.
Not surprisingly, computer aided manufacturing (CAM) has a history as long as CAD. It was originally designed as a parallel workflow by computer scientist Patrick Hanratty in 1958.
The first known CAD/CAM software is called PRONTON (program for numerical tooling operations). CAM software translates drawing directly into machine code which can be used to cut, print or shape material.
Thanks to the pioneering work of Hanratty, designers can now “talk” directly from computer to machinery. This direct interface with the computer allows us to build very complex geometry.
The Articulated Timber Ground pavilion is recent design research project at the Melbourne School of Design (MSD). Consisting of 1,752 unique components, the pavilion changes its form throughout the sections.
The geometry captures the various ergonomic positions from seating to lounge position. Here, computing allowed us to generate an integrated three-dimensional model for digital fabrication.
The model contained the geometric information, ergonomic data, structural analysis as well as fixing and joint detailing. The position of every single drill hole was defined using a custom algorithm.
The entire pavilion took two days to install with prefabricated parts. It also challenged the way we usually communicate building information through indexing and reading the data for assembly using a tablet.
In the same way as designers start to program design, we can now program how we build things. In other words, we can program material. If we understand its behaviour, we can start to manipulate this as well.
Research at the ETH Zurich, in Switzerland, has developed a number of research pavilions that explore precisely this method of designing using robotics.
At this level of computing using numeric control tools, materials can be stretched and transformed into shape. Our research is developing a new way of fabricating a uniquely curved wall system that can be used as a temporary meeting pod in a flexible working and learning environment.
From the straight line of early CAD software to free form geometry, computing has liberated the creativity of the profession in the past 60 years. The impact of computing in architecture is immense and this will continue to shape the future of our cities.
Imagine the day where our building materials are programmable to suit any design.
Paul Loh is lecturer in digital architecture design, University of Melbourne and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-loh-252075" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Computing helps with the complex design of modern architecture

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
The federal government’s recently released Smart Cities Plan is built on three pillars: smart investment, smart policy and smart technology. Yet, it also suggests that cities are first and foremost for people and if our cities are to continue to meet their residents’ needs, it is essential for people to engage and participate in planning and policy decisions that have an impact on their lives.
Despite this quintessential policymaking statement, the plan largely uses language that conveys a limited role for people in cities: they live, work and consume. The absence of a more thorough response is surprising considering the rich body of work calling for better human engagement in the smart city agenda.
South Korea’s early “U-city” (ubiquitous city) experiments, such as New Songdo, were engineered by the national chaebol such as Samsung and SK Telecom, and their deployment was assisted by top-down policy directives. Germaine Halegoua laments a missed opportunity to use the ubiquitous computing at the core of the U-city for community engagement and participation.
Eric Jaffe critiques Rio de Janeiro’s flawed smart city brain, the Integrated Centre of Command and Control, made by IBM. He <a href="">proposes four key lessons</a>, all of which point to the forgotten focus on people. In the same city, however, there is also hope.
<h2>People-first approach</h2>
Alessandra Orofino founded Meu Rio, Rio de Janeiro’s largest mobilisation network, which is now expanding to the rest of the world. In her TED talk, she suggests:
It’s our city. Let’s fix it.
What this simple statement entails is profound: the citizen’s right to the digital city. It is a cultural shift in thinking that people have to be at the core of any smart city agenda. And urban dwellers ought to be enabled not only to actively participate in city-making, but also to lead such initiatives.
There are more and more accounts reminding us that the city is more than just a space governed by investments, policies and technology. Martijn de Waal describes his notion of city as interface. Barbara Thornton considers the city as platform. And Ethan Zuckerman takes us back to when cities were appreciated for their function as serendipity engines that allow for the sagacious discovery of diversity.
<h2>Open and agile cities</h2>
What comes hand in hand with this renewed focus on people is a changing role of local governments away from roads, rates and rubbish, and towards enabler and facilitator, and towards cities being open and agile.
Open data is a pertinent example to illustrate this process. In the early days of Government 2.0, the focus was on identifying government-held datasets that could be made available in public repositories such as data.gov.au.
These days, the Open Data Institute Queensland, the Open &amp; Agile Smart Cities network and other entities are prompting governments to go further: to support new private-public partnerships that bridge the common triad of disconnect between technology and government, government and people, and people and technology. Nationally, a leader of such partnership models is Code for Australia.
Cat Matson is on a quest as the City of Brisbane’s chief digital officer to transform it into a truly smart, connected city. From her recent visit to Singapore, she brought back key lessons for Brisbane and other local governments:
<ul>
<li>Design a city (or a solution/system) that, when you’re no longer in government, you’ll be proud of.</li>
<li>Identify real problems, for industry, citizens or government, which could be solved with a digital solution.</li>
<li>Use design thinking to develop solutions to those problems.</li>
<li>Get as many stakeholders involved in that design-thinking process as possible.</li>
<li>Be smart about the role of government and industry in executing those solutions.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Spaces for urban and civic innovation</h2>
Cities have not only to focus on people first and be open and agile, they also have to provide space – digital and physical – for people to come together and collaborate on urban and civic innovations. The most successful examples demonstrate an appreciation for a diverse range of places that form a network or a local innovation ecosystem.
Such spaces are not limited to the typical business startup incubators. In fact, they are often skunkworks that are free, open and messy, because the process of creative imagination that leads to innovation is messy.
In London, the British government’s innovation program devoted to cities, the Future Cities Catapult, has paired up with 100 Resilient Citiesand Ordnance Survey’s Geovation Hub to create the Urban Innovation Centre.
In Vancouver, local universities and the City of Vancouver have partnered to create CityStudio Vancouver:
… an innovation hub inside City Hall where staff, university students and community members co-create, design and launch projects on the ground. The central mission of CityStudio is to innovate and experiment with the ways cities are co-created, while teaching students the skills needed to collaborate on real projects in Vancouver with City staff and community stakeholders. These projects improve our city and enrich our neighbourhoods, making the city more liveable, joyful and sustainable.
In Melbourne, Code for Australia has opened the first Civic Lab.
Considering Australia’s staggering level of urbanisation – close to 90 percent of the population – it will be paramount to think carefully about how best to invest in the future of our cities. Governments and policymakers have to recognise and enable people as active agents of change towards more habitable and sustainable cities.
Marcus Foth is professor, Urban Informatics, Queensland University of Technology and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marcus-foth-199317" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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Early experiments show a smart city plan should start with people first

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Two iconic Sydney trophy homes have been listed for sale that now go head to head in a battle for upmarket buyers.
Altona, the oft-called eight bedroom home of conspicuous consumption in Point Piper, has hit the market, along with the seven bedroom Elizabeth Bay harbourside home, Boomerang.
Both were prior record setting homes, but not this time around as James Packer's $70 million contemporary Vaucluse sale, after some serious site amalgamations, seems unbreakable for the time being.
The low-key Wang family have listed Altona, their prized Point Piper harbourfront home last sold at $52 million in 2013 on 2400 sq m.
But it won't be setting any price records given its listing follows the sale earlier this week of their adjacent 1000 sqm garden block, reputedly for around $18 million to Chinese buyers.
The iconic Victorian Italianate home was last sold by Deke Miskin, a former teenage magazine publishing industry entreprenuer, and his wife Eve who hosted many social events.
Its been a little quiet since being sold to the Melbourne-linked Chinese property developer Wang Zhijun.
The recently sold garden block had been added to Australia’s most famous trophy home by publisher Matt Handbury and his then wife, former model Fiona in the mid 1990s. 
The Handburys sold their merged 2400 sqm holding - envisaged as a tennis court - to publisher Deke Miskin and his wife, another former model Eve in 2002 for $28 million.
Rosaline Ho of Goldfield &amp; Co has been appointed to sell the home, with Alison Coopes. The Lowy family and actor Russell Crowe rank among a who's who having previously toyed with buying Altona.
Property observers suggest it might sell at $45 million plus this time given the reduced land size.
Boomerang, which doesn't come with Harbour Bridge and Opera House views, quietly hit the market earlier this month with ambitious $60 million hopes through Ray White Double Bay.
Sydney's finest Spanish mission-style trophy home, is being off-loaded by Lindsay Fox, the Melbourne-based billionaire trucking magnate who has hosted many charity fund raisers in the 4100 sqm grounds.
The Elizabeth Bay landmark harbourfront home was bought for $20 million in 2005.
The Hollywood-style mansion has often been ranked as the most expensive house in the country as it was the first property to crack the $20 million level.
It was also the first Sydney home to fetch more than $1 million when sold by the original owners in the 1970s.
It was built at a cost of 60,000 pounds for music book publisher (Sir) Alexis Albert, who lived there until he died in 1962 with it then being vacant for more than a decade. 
Perth-based developer Warren Anderson owned it from the mid 1980s until 1993, when he was evicted by the Bank of New York and it was sold by the mortgagee to the now jailed fraudster Nati Stoliar for $6.6 million.
Then merchant banker Malcolm Turnbull was interested at the time, underbidding at its 1993 auction, for the home with its majestic Moorish porte cochère, arcaded loggias, oak panelled library with Tudor-style fireplace and its so-called peacock room conservatory.
Australia’s record house price was set last August at $70 million when James and Erica Packer sold their Vaucluse mansion, La Mer to Chinese-Australian businessman Dr Chau Chak Wing.
The historic Double Bay estate Elaine remains the most expensive property for sale in Sydney after agents set an official price tag of $80 million.
The trophy home, which sits over 6900 sqm on the harbour, has been on the market for two years through Ken Jacob’s of Christie’s International Real Estate. 
“It is one of the world’s most exciting opportunities,” he said. 
For more than 125 years it has been in the hands of the Fairfax family.
The Wang's concealed ownership of the property behind a complex shelf company structure, with Chaimovitch Investments Pty Ltd fronted by an elderly relative in Melbourne. 
It's purchase attracted the interest of the Foreign Investment Review Board at the height of Treasurer Joe Hockey's crackdown on illegal Chinese property purchases last year.
But Wang and his wife Guan Hongyan are now permanent residents, and deciding on downsizing, looking at what next to buy in either Sydney or Melbourne.
A spokesman said the sale was voluntary, not a forced divestiture.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Altona versus Boomerang - battle of the Sydney trophy homes

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<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
With no deal current to build Sydney's tallest residential tower, the Chinese developer Greenland has raised the prospect of undertaking their own construction on the Greenland Centre.
The construction giant Brookfield Multiplex severed its contractual agreement due to commercial differences last month.
The Australian Financial Review suggested last month Brookfield Multiplex thought Greenland had been difficult to deal with and there had already been significant delays in what was already an extremely tight program. 
The arrival of the Chinese-based Greenland to Australian shores was heralded by Property Observer as an auspicious occasion with their 2013 plans for building Sydney's tallest residential highrise on the former Water Board site in the CBD, but little has gone right for the group ever since.
The overly ambitious Chinese developer were lured to overpay for the CBD site, after abandoning, at the eleventh hour, well advanced plans for a suburban project that would have not given them their desired world beating, global expansion status. 
Today's article in The Australian said the Chinese developer was still committed to <a href="https://www.greenlandaustralia.com.au/en/greenland-centre/" target="_blank">the $700 million, 235 metre tower tower</a>, which has seen almost all its apartments sold off the plan through CBRE Residential with a completion date at the end of 2017. It now has a 2019 anticipated completion.
“We will figure out what to do in the coming weeks,” was the best the Greenland spokesperson could advise The Australian last month.
Today the Greenland assistance managing director Kang Xue advised The Australian it was "actively pursuing the most productive way to complete the tower."
Only last week Greenland told the Urban Developer website that new builders had “come knocking.” 
</div>
<div class="cq-article-content-media section"><img class="lazy620x0" src="https://www.afr.com/content/dam/images/g/h/c/b/z/e/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1432863576024.jpg" alt="The proposed Greenland Centre in Sydney is virtually sold out before construction has started." width="620" data-src="/content/dam/images/g/h/c/b/z/e/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1432863576024.jpg"></div>
<div class="cq-article-content-paras section">
The tower, at the former Water Board site at 115 Bathurst Street, was Greenland's first project in Australia. 
There are 470 apartments in the tower for which only a last lucky eight reportedly remain unsold. There are three so-called penthouses for sale.
It was promoted boastfully as Sydney's highest residential block. 
<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/stories/2013/10/24/sydney-oct-23-one.jpg" alt="sydney-oct-23-one" width="470" height="569">
Marketed as 'Like a diamond in the sky' - Sydney's tallest residential tower had prices starting at $528,000.
Set on the former Water Board site, the 115 Bathurst Street and 339 Pitt Street site had stage-one development approval in its purchase for up to 70 levels reaching 235 metres high. 
Beating off Harry Triguboff Meriton's 230-metre tall World Tower, which dates back to 2004, the new tower will, if built, appear considerably taller as it is located further up a ridge than World Tower.
</div>
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Greenland suggests it won't replace Brookfield Multiplex as Greenland Centre builder

Apartment buildings are increasingly being designed around how people actually live day to day, not just how they want a building to look.

For buyers, that shift is showing up in practical inclusions that respond to changing habits. Work-from-home spaces, EV charging, wellness amenities, secure bike storage and parcel management are becoming part of the broader apartment conversation, reflecting a move toward buildings that reduce friction in everyday life.

Online shopping has become one of the clearest examples of that change.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion online in 2025, with nearly one in four retail dollars now spent online. That has made parcel delivery a regular part of apartment living, rather than an occasional inconvenience.

For apartment residents, however, the delivery process can be less straightforward than it is for detached homes. Parcels may be left in lobbies, redirected to Post Offices, missed entirely, or placed under the responsibility of building managers and concierge teams.

That is why secure parcel infrastructure is increasingly being considered alongside more familiar apartment amenities.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VjjLwoViX0?si=A3k7ws9NX35Uac7_" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Australia Post Parcel Lockers offer one way to address the issue. When a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS, then collect it using a QR code or one-time PIN. The parcel is kept secure, accessible and removed from common areas.

The broader Parcel Locker network now includes more than 1,500 locations across Australia, positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and other accessible locations.

For new apartment projects, the relevance is clear. A building’s amenity offering is no longer only about lifestyle spaces, but also about convenience, security and functionality.

As buyer expectations evolve, secure parcel delivery is becoming part of the same design conversation as flexible working, sustainable transport and resident wellbeing.

It is one less thing for residents to worry about, and another example of apartment design adapting to the way Australians now live.

Joel Robinson

Apartment design is adapting to the way Australians shop

While school holidays and trips to Europe tend to define the winter property market, there's been no cold snap at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-walden-north-sydney-177-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">The Walden</a> in North Sydney.

Developer-builder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aland">ALAND</a> sold more than $35 million worth of apartments throughout June, including a $6.8 million apartment that now ranks among the highest apartment sales ever recorded in North Sydney.

SRM Residential agent Ben Stewart said buyer demand throughout June reflected a mix of improving market confidence and longer-term thinking from owner-occupiers.

"We're seeing strong demand from owner-occupiers who are taking a longer-term view," Stewart said.

"Many recognise the opportunity to secure an apartment in an iconic building and premium location while values remain attractive. They may initially lease the property, but the intention is to eventually move in themselves, rather than purchasing purely as an investment."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=367129]

Located at 177 Walker Street, The Walden will deliver 161 one, two, three and four-bedroom residences across a 30-storey tower designed by Rothelowman. Every apartment occupies a corner position, maximising natural light, cross ventilation and views across Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, Sydney Heads and the northern districts.

Rather than a traditional balcony, the residences feature winter gardens that seamlessly extend the open plan living areas, creating versatile spaces for relaxing or entertaining throughout the year. Floor-to-ceiling glazing draws in natural light while showcasing sweeping views from the building's elevated Walker Street position.

Every apartment features high-end Calacatta marble, bespoke joinery, and fully integrated appliances.

The larger residences have been planned with distinct entertaining and private zones, with many master suites positioned on corners to capture natural light and harbour views. Walk-in dressing rooms, freestanding baths and refined stone finishes reinforce the house-like feel that has resonated with downsizers and owner-occupiers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6393]

Rothelowman Principal Ben Pomroy said the project was designed to make the most of its unique position overlooking the harbour.

"The Walden is a celebration of all things beautiful, curated for those who expect nothing less than exceptional," Pomroy says.

"Meticulously designed entertaining spaces and light-filled living areas that capitalise on capturing the natural beauty of Sydney's iconic harbour."

Residents will also have exclusive access to The Pavilion, a dedicated amenity building featuring a rooftop pool, wellness studio, gymnasium, sauna, concierge service, residents' lounge, private dining spaces and work-from-home facilities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6402]

The project marks ALAND's first major luxury apartment development in Sydney's inner-city market after more than two decades delivering residential communities across Greater Sydney.

Founder and CEO Andrew Hrsto previously said the rarity of the Walker Street site made it an opportunity the company could not overlook.

"This is a rare opportunity to bring a truly exceptional project to life in one of Sydney's most iconic locations, and to showcase our craftsmanship and design expertise at a world-class level," Hrsto said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134323 project_image_fid=6383]

The Walden has been introduced to the market at a time when demand for living in North Sydney is at an all-time high. Billions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure, including the recently opened Victoria Cross Metro station, located just 300 metres from The Walden, providing residents with direct access to the Sydney CBD in just minutes.

Private investment has also transformed the area through the arrival of new retail and dining destinations, elevating the lifestyle offering in what was once considered primarily a commercial precinct rather than an aspirational residential address.

The Walden is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134323]

ALAND records $35 million in sales in North Sydney as The Walden bucks quiet winter selling season

The long-awaited redevelopment of the former Eastlakes Shopping Centre site has reached a major milestone, with Conquest's plans for a new mixed-use precinct officially placed on public exhibition.

The State Significant Development Application would transform the 1.7-hectare site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/19a-evans-avenue-eastlakes-nsw-2018">19A Evans Avenue</a> into one of Sydney's largest urban renewal projects, delivering 736 apartments above a new shopping centre anchored by Woolworths, alongside specialty retail, dining, commercial space and new public open spaces.

The public exhibition marks the next chapter for the project after <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/conquest">Conquest</a> acquired the stalled Stage Two development from Crown Group, who completed the first stage across the road prior to their voluntary liquidation.

<img alt="First look: Conquest unveils plans for 736-home Eastlakes Shopping Centre redevelopment" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5fca22c5-d1ed-4e2c-8801-03f7df1eafc8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/eastland%20podium.png?VersionId=uomwr41nF8CmLUZRDcu3mHQechlbxucS" />

&nbsp;

Designed by DKO Architecture, the proposal comprises four residential buildings ranging from 14 to 18 storeys above a two-level retail podium. The development would deliver 736 apartments, including 74 affordable homes, 215 Build-to-Rent apartments and 521 market residences. Provision has also been made for dual-key apartments, which could increase the total number of dwellings to 877.

At ground level, the shopping centre has been designed as the suburb's new meeting place, anchored by a full-line Woolworths and complemented by a curated mix of fresh food retailers, cafés, restaurants, health services and everyday convenience shopping. Generous pedestrian links and landscaped public spaces will connect the retail precinct through to Jack Mundey Reserve, creating a more walkable and connected neighbourhood.

Conquest CEO Michael Akkawi said the redevelopment was about far more than replacing a shopping centre.

"Eastlakes has been overlooked for too long, and this is the community’s moment. We are building a shopping centre and homes, a genuine heart for the suburb, and we genuinely want locals to help shape it."

"We enrich communities through the creation of homes, places, and experiences designed for life, built to last, and owner for generations. That starts with listening, so we warmly encourage everyone with a connection to Eastlakes to view the plans and share their thoughts."

<img alt="First look: Conquest unveils plans for 736-home Eastlakes Shopping Centre redevelopment" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="22f6fb20-54fb-4bd7-8a92-48fafdd00608" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/eastland.png?VersionId=cugp7s9hrMHGJJdYzkeAkrFoQgnF4GXf" />

DKO said the design had been shaped by the site's landscape setting and surrounding open space.

"Our vision for the site embraces its unique Bidjigal identity by blending the residential living with generous landscaping and a material palette inspired by the Bidjigal locality, and celebrating the panoramic views to Botany Bay and the wetlands reserves."

"Taking cues from Country, we seek to harmonise built form with the landscape and lightly touch the earth. By reconnecting, retaining and regenerating existing ecology, and weaving in natural elements, we can deepen our connection to Country."

The landscape strategy extends across the podium and rooftops, incorporating communal gardens, children's play areas, lawns, community gardens, family gathering spaces and extensive tree planting. New landscaped links will also strengthen the connection between the precinct and Jack Mundey Reserve, while publicly accessible open spaces have been integrated throughout the development.

The proposal builds on Conquest's broader placemaking strategy for the site. Through an ongoing partnership, local artist Joe Rashbrook has been appointed Urban Art Curator, working alongside young residents to transform the project's site hoardings into a public art gallery that allows the community to engage with the redevelopment before construction is complete.

Conquest has rapidly expanded its development pipeline since acquiring the Eastlakes site, with more than $6 billion worth of mixed-use projects now in planning across Sydney, including Stanmore, Castlecrag and Waterloo.

Conquest CEO Michael Akkawi said the redevelopment was about far more than replacing a shopping centre.

First look: ‘Far more than replacing a shopping centre’ as Conquest unveils 736-home Eastlakes redevelopment

Abadeen has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for one of Mosman's largest apartment developments in recent years, seeking approval to transform the former Honeysuckle Garden and Midas site on Military Road into a 100-apartment mixed-use development.

The SSDA, lodged with investment partner Phoenix Property Investors, proposes around $230 million worth of new housing on the prominent <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/494-516-military-road-mosman-nsw-2088">494-516 Military Road</a> site.

The proposal comes as Mosman Council continues to progress its recently endorsed Masterplan, which identifies the precinct for increased housing density while maintaining the suburb's established character.

Designed by DKO Architecture, the development would comprise 100 apartments above ground-floor retail, with a rooftop wellness precinct including a gym, sauna, entertaining areas and landscaped communal spaces.

Rather than pushing to the full 12-storey height identified in Council's Masterplan, the proposal ranges between five and nine storeys, stepping down towards Hale Road. A tenth level would accommodate resident amenities rather than additional apartments.

The project has been designed to appeal to a broad range of buyers, from first home buyers and young professionals through to families and local downsizers looking to remain on the Lower North Shore.

<img alt="Mosman" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5dada03f-5b4c-43ba-ba62-2868add31440" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-27%20at%209.57.55%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=7LBy0B.Jo8_iWAFJsClcV7Q3UnXrv49r" />

Abadeen Executive Chairman Justin Brown said the apartments had been designed as genuine long-term homes rather than investor-focused stock.

"The apartments have been designed as genuine long-term homes, with efficient floorplans that maximise usable living areas, generous storage, natural light and strong connections between indoor and outdoor spaces," Brown says."

"We've focused on creating homes for a broad range of buyers, from first home buyers and growing families through to downsizers who want to remain in Mosman."

The rooftop wellness offering forms a key part of the proposal, with residents set to have access to a gym, sauna, outdoor entertaining spaces, communal dining areas, landscaped gardens and a multi-use recreation court overlooking Sydney Harbour.

<img alt="Mosman" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d37c2d6b-583a-4a0f-b7a9-9f46b893d2f4" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-27%20at%209.58.06%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=FPoa5FCm2RtzjhAh2w5FTWJbV6GHfY8D" />

DKO drew heavily on the site's natural and cultural history, undertaking a Connecting with Country process with local Aboriginal Elders to inform the architectural and landscape design.

Senior Associate Matthew Ritchard said the design sought to create a building that responded to both the site's landscape and its cultural significance.

"The architectural language of the project is a deep expression of Connecting with Country, where the materiality and colour palette serve as a bridge between the site's geological history and its future as a residential sanctuary."

The proposal also retains the site's established blue gum tree as the centrepiece of the communal landscaped gardens, while introducing activated retail fronting Military Road to strengthen the connection between Mosman and Cremorne villages.

If approved, the project would deliver 100 new homes within walking distance of shops, public transport, schools and local amenities, adding to the limited pipeline of new apartments on the Lower North Shore.

<h2>Project Snapshot</h2>

Project: Honeysuckle Garden Redevelopment

Address: 494-516 Military Road, Mosman

Developer: Abadeen and Phoenix Property Investors

Architect: DKO Architecture

Lead Architect: Matthew Ritchard

Value: $230 million

Residences: 100 apartments

Key features:

<ul>
	<li>
	Ground-floor retail
	</li>
	<li>
	Rooftop wellness precinct
	</li>
	<li>
	Gym and sauna
	</li>
	<li>
	Outdoor entertaining and BBQ areas
	</li>
	<li>
	Landscaped communal gardens
	</li>
	<li>
	Multi-use recreation court
	</li>
	<li>
	Retained mature blue gum tree
	</li>
	<li>
	Connecting with Country design process
	</li>
	<li>
	Harbour, CBD and Balmoral views from upper-level apartments
	</li>
</ul>

Abadeen Executive Chairman Justin Brown said the apartments had been designed as genuine long-term homes rather than investor-focused stock

First look: Abadeen plans 100 apartments on former Honeysuckle Garden site in Mosman

The wave of apartment proposals sweeping through Mosman shows no signs of slowing, with another major residential development lodged through the NSW Government's State Significant Development pathway.

Developer First Quadrant Properties, which recently completed Willoughby Grounds and has several projects in planning across the North Shore, has unveiled plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/cove-on-ourimbah-40-56-ourimbah-road-mosman-nsw-2088">Cove on Ourimbah</a>, a 63-apartment development on Ourimbah Road, adding to the growing pipeline of projects reshaping one of Sydney's most tightly held harbour suburbs.

The proposal would consolidate nine properties at 40-56 Ourimbah Road into a part eight, part nine-storey apartment building, continuing the momentum created by the NSW Government's accelerated planning pathways that have seen several significant developments emerge across Mosman over the past 12 months.

Designed by Doroch Architects, the project would deliver 63 apartments, resident wellness facilities including a gym, pool and sauna, landscaped communal spaces and basement parking, while using recessed upper levels, generous setbacks and extensive planting to reduce the perceived scale of the building.

<img alt="First look: First Quadrant Properties eyes nine-storey Mosman apartment project under State Significant pathway" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32ee68e4-141e-4a10-8f83-48e961a5e71e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Ourimbah%20Road%2C%20Mosman%20a.png?VersionId=CUeILFc6APlwXPc.iplElbxHvREKwjig" />

Doroch Architects said the building had been designed to reinforce Mosman's established character.

"The building's aesthetic is grounded in the existing residential character of Ourimbah Road and the broader Mosman context," the architect noted in the planning documents submitted to the NSW Government.

The design adopts a contemporary material palette of natural stone, textured concrete and brown concave metal cladding, complemented by integrated planters and deep balconies. The podium incorporates softened curved concrete forms, while increased setbacks have been provided adjacent to the heritage-listed property at 60 Ourimbah Road to create a more sympathetic transition.

The site sits around 330 metres from Mosman Town Centre, placing it within the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy area, where increased residential density is being encouraged close to shops, transport and services.

The proposal follows a string of major apartment projects lodged or declared State Significant in Mosman in recent months, including Abadeen's 100-apartment Honeysuckle Garden redevelopment on Military Road and several other developments across Awaba Street, Redan Street and Muston Street from the likes of Time &amp; Place, HELM and Prosker Property.

&nbsp;

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/time-place-to-take-on-mosman-apartment-market">Time &amp; Place to take on Mosman apartment market</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-abadeen-plans-100-apartments-on-former-honeysuckle-garden-site-in-mosman">First look: Abadeen plans 100 apartments on former Honeysuckle Garden site in Mosman</a>

&nbsp;

Jonathan Chancellor

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