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The Property Council of Australia has appointed Kathy MacDermott as its chief operating officer.
MacDermott has been the Property Council’s executive director for Queensland for the past four years.
The Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison made the announcement last week.
Queensland chief operating officer Chris Mountford will replace MacDermott as state executive director.
Her career included 11 years as a ­journalist for the Australian Financial Review.
The announcement follows recent appointments of new executive directors in South Australia and Tasmania.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Kathy MacDermott appointed Property Council of Australia COO

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Sydney’s newest laneway retail precinct, Kensington Street, has been launched on the eastern boundary of the $2 billion masterplanned Central Park project in Chippendale.
Kensington Street by Greencliff is seeking 26 tenancies, including 14 food and beverage and 12 specialty retail, comprising 3,000 square metres of gross floor area spanning 160 metres of direct street frontage in the heritage-conversion lane way precinct.
Part of the precinct includes the Unlisted Collection’s boutique hotel, The Old Clare, which has secured top UK chef, Jason Atherton (Pollen Street Social, Equina) to head up a line-up including Clayton Wells (Momofuko Seiobo) and Sam Miller (Noma).
Greencliff executive director, in charge of leasing, Marcus Chang says it presents a rare opportunity to showcase talents.
“Greencliff are in the midst of carefully curating a melting pot of some of the edgiest and highly acclaimed talents in the world,” said Chang. 
“Tenancies range from intimate and affordable 25sqm spaces which offer really cool unique opportunities for someone like a barista, chic pastry chef or even a cocktail bar – to spaces within soaring warehouses with graffiti on the walls, exposed beams and hundreds of years of history etched in every crevice," he said.
"This is inner-city retail gold dust.”
<img src="/images/2014/11/26/kensington-nov-26-two.jpg" alt="">
The community of Central Park is already 2,000 plus residents now living at the precinct with a further 3,000 set to move into the precinct by 2015.
The Greencliff CEO Dr Stanley Quek said that the concept was developed as a major drawcard for innovative and ambitious retailers looking to contribute to the newest vibrant ‘eat street’ in the heart of Sydney’s new downtown.
“Visitors will be reminded of the streets of Brooklyn in New York, Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, LA or Brick Lane in East London. It will be quite unlike any pedestrian laneway precinct currently in Australia,” he said.
The Kensington Street precinct is expected to be open in early 2015.  
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Kensington Street, Chippendale seeking edgiest retail tenants

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Chinese millionaire Qiu Yafu, the Forbes Rich Lister who headed the Cubbie Station cotton acquisition, has bought the swimming pool lot of his Sydney waterfront property, known as the Bang &amp; Olufsen house.
He bought the house <a href="/expert-insights/investing/cubbie-stations-chinese-millionaire-qiu-yafu-secures-point-pipers-bang-olufsen-house-as-victoria-nabs-the-first-significant-investor-visa-from-china">for $33.5 million in July last year</a>.
The recent 270 square metre swimming pool and lawn lot offering cost $2.86 million, after the conversion from leasehold to freehold by the Roads &amp; Maritime Services (RMS), who previously held title. The boat shed remains on a recently negotiated 20-year RMS lease, according to documents obtained by Property Observer.
Qiu Yafu - who Property Observer gathers is known by the name Jerry - is the chairman of global textiles group Shandong Ruyi.
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/74/biz_07china_Qiu-Yafu_XQNJ" target="_blank">He ranked 356</a> on the Forbes 400 Richest Chinese in 2007, but with no mentions subsequent.
Qiu Yafu is an engineer from Shandong and a senior Communist Party member. He is a self-made man who first joined the textile company when it was previously a government managed woollen mill at the age of 17. He rose through the ranks to the head of the company at 39. He was a deputy of Tenth National People's Congress which held plenary sessions between 2003 and 2007.
He reportedly bought the Point Piper house on 1,358 square metres after spotting it during an Australia Day cruise with friends. The house got is nickname in similar circumstances. Singer Elton John nicknamed the house the Bang and Olufsen house due to its distinctive tinted glass stereo speaker design, spotting it while sailing Sydney Harbour.
Yafu headed the syndicate that purchased the 93,000 hectare Queensland Cubbie Station cotton property for $232 million in 2012. There was a subsequent purchase, a cotton ginnery in South Queensland.
Yafu was recently slotted to speak at the 89th Textile Institute World Conference in early November in Wuhan, China given his experience.
Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal reported the major textile production company backed out of a deal for control of a Pakistani company after banks in the Chinese company’s home balked at lending the $62 million needed to complete the acquisition.
<a href="https://online.wsj.com/articles/china-textile-maker-cancels-pakistan-acquisition-deal-as-local-banks-wont-lend-1415192513" target="_blank">As stress is mounting in China’s banking system</a>, Masood Textile Mills Ltd.’s chief executive officer, Shahid Nazir, said Ruyi pulled out of the deal to buy 52% of his company, noting Shandong companies "were feeling the squeeze” as credit from China’s state-owned banking system was no longer readily available.
Ruyi is based in Jining, a coal town of 1.8 million people that sits by the Grand Canal, a waterway built more than a millennium ago to ship grain north to Beijing. The company started life as a collective, a type of state firm, but over time it took on new investors. It is now dominated by its chairman, Qiu Yafu, and his family, according to a person familiar with the Masood deal.
According to people familiar with the deal, Ruyi had received approval to invest in Masood from all the necessary Chinese regulators, well in advance of the deal falling apart.
In January, Ruyi signed the agreement to invest in Masood, which produces polo shirts and underwear and lists J.C. Penney, Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger among its customers, in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Yafu's Point Piper abode, which has been refurbished since its purchase from Channel 7 executive Bruce McWilliam, is registered in the name of his accountant, Christopher Walker.
Click to open in new window:
<a href="/images/2014/11/24/wolseley-cres-nov-24-one.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2014/11/24/wolseley-cres-nov-24-one.jpg" alt=""></a>
 
In red is the area swimming pool lot purchased from RMS. In yellow is the former extent of the freehold lot.
The RMS leasehold conversion is being offered to Sydney Harbour foreshore leaseholders on Point Piper.
Maritime administers more than 2,000 wetland leases covering foreshore structures in Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay, Newcastle Harbour and Port Kembla Harbour. Sydney Harbour includes North Harbour, Middle Harbour, Parramatta River, Lane Cove River and Duck River. This body of wetland covers approximately 317 kilometres of harbour foreshore with an area of 5,255 hectares. Leases cover structures ranging from private recreational facilities such as jetties and pontoons, to community facilities such as boat ramps and wharves, through to commercial and industrial business activities.
The website suggests RMS offers its lessees the options of 20-year unregistered or registered leases and three-year unregistered leases.
A 20-year unregistered lease does not require a plan of subdivision.
When a plan of subdivision is required the lessee must engage a registered surveyor to prepare a plan for lodgement with the Land and Property Management Authority which defines the site and is suitable for the issue of a new certificate of title in RMS’s name.
Deposited plan preparation, lodgement and registration requirements are outlined in RMS’s “Practice Statement for the Preparation of Subdivision Plans for Long-term Leases” available at RMS’s internet site. 
If a lessee does not wish to enter a 20-year lease, RMS offers a three-year lease which does not require registration or subdivision. Generally a lessee may convert from a three-year lease to a 20-year lease at a later time if they choose. 
Providing lease conditions are met, RMS normally issues new leases rather than holding over existing ones. Subject to a deed of assignment being entered into by the existing lessee prior to completion of the sale of the adjoining freehold property, leases are normally transferable upon the sale. 
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Chinese millionaire pays Maritime Services $2.86 million for Bang & Olufsen, Point Piper harbour pool

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The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has advised the Reserve Bank of Australia to lift interest rates in the first half of 2015.
It would prevent housing prices rising to risky levels and then unwinding sharply, say the OECD.
The OECD’s semi-annual economic outlook from the Paris-based agency forecasts the Australian economy to expand at a below average 2.5% next year and recommends the Reserve Bank begin lifting interest rates from the second quarter of 2015.
Noting the cash rate at an historic low of 2.5% since August 2013, the OECD suggested persistent low rates were causing a “search for return” among investors.
“This requires close oversight of asset-market developments, particularly rising housing credit, which is now being driven by investors,” the OECD said, according to a Fairfax Media report.
“Further prudential measures on mortgage lending should be considered as a targeted means to cool the market, thereby heading off risks to financial stability,” the OECD says.
The think tank said "the momentum in property prices is uncertain and could unwind sharply.” 
“Any economy faces the risk that debt build-ups particularly from real estate and problematic loan origination, will lead to financial accidents with the real economy,” said Catherine Mann, the OECD’s chief economist.
 
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OECD advises RBA to lift interest rates and cool house prices in 2015

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The former High Court judge Michael Kirby and his partner Johan van Vloten have sold their Rose Bay, Sydney harbourfront home.
Selling within two weeks of its marketing campaign, it fetched more than its recent $10 million guide and Property Observer presumably gleans slightly closer to the initial expectations when listed in 2011 with overly ambitious hopes of $12 million.
It sold through Wayne Yates, of Laing + Simmons Double Bay.
Kirby bought the property on Dumaresq Road for $190,000 in 1976.
The modernist classic home, which has no heritage order, was designed in 1949 by the late architect Neville Gruzman for his aunt Mollie Lapin. He designed the Lapin House before he graduated.
Kirby and van Vloten have indicated they plan to downsize closer to the city.
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Michael Kirby's Rose Bay Gruzman-designed modernist classic fetches $10 million plus

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This dilapidated home last sold for $15,000 in early 2011 and was on the market for $20,000 this year.
It has now been secured for $19,000, reflecting a 7% annual growth.
It was Victoria's cheapest detached house, albeit uninhabitable, on offer at the time, listed through Wayne Heard at Elders Real Estate in Bendigo.
<a href="https://www.eldersrealestate.com.au/office/bendigo/residential/buy/property-house-vic-korong-vale-566293" target="_blank">124 Vernon Street, Korong Vale</a> is on 998 square metres of land, a short drive from gold mining town Wedderburn.
<a href="/news">Korong Value</a> is about two and a half hours from Melbourne CBD.
The dearest in the town <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-korong+vale-113713363" target="_blank">now for sale is $75,000</a>.
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Victoria's cheapest house sold …. tool kit needed

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Sydney Kiis FM breakfast broadcaster Kyle Sandilands has put his five bedroom St Ives home up for sale.
The 39 Bundabah Avenue house has been listed through <a href="https://chadwickrealestate.com.au/4728501/39-Bundabah-Avenue-St-Ives" target="_blank">Chadwick Real Estate</a> with $3 million hopes.
The now empty two storey home on 1,600 square metres was bought in 2008 for $1.9 million, shortly before his marriage to pop singer Tamara Jaber.
Kyle Sandilands now rents acreage in <a href="/news">Ingleside</a> with girlfriend Imogen Anthony.
CoreLogic RP Data puts the <a href="/news">St Ives median house</a> price at $1.29 million. In 2008 it was sitting in the $900,000s.
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Shock jock Kyle Sandilands lists St Ives, Sydney home

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One of the biggest Western Sydney land developers, Perich Group managing director Tony Perich, says it would a "disaster" if interest rates were to go up 2-3%.
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"If its just 0.5%, I think we will be right," he recently told News Ltd papers.
The official cash rate is currently at a record low 2.5%.
Perich also thinks there are too many investors in the market who are pricing out first home buyers.
"It worries me a lot,’’ he told The Australian when asked about his fears of a potential housing bubble.
"People are going to start to get scared of the market. Are there too many investors in the market? There probably is.
"I worry about investors at times. First-home buyers should always be first in the line and they are not."
Perich, who has just been named the Urban Taskforce Property Person of the Year, said the market was "getting too expensive in a lot of areas".
The Perich family’s Greenfields Development Company has housing lots in Western Sydney, a 50% stake in the Narellan Town Centre, and the 1,100 hectare Oran Park Town project in south-west Sydney.
“What we have tried to do in the west and the south-west in particular is keep the land prices down. They are still very affordable. We haven’t pushed the prices up like everyone else has. You can still buy in our area for a reasonable price," he said.
"We could put a lot higher prices on our blocks and still sell them, but we haven’t.
"So if we can keep it at a sensible price, we think the market will keep coming out there.
"You can buy a block out there for $250,000 to $300,000. The price is going up, but not like it is everywhere else."
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First home buyers should always be first, not investors: Tony Perich

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The financial adviser Peter Swizter has blogged that economist and academic Steve Keen will one day he will be right about his housing crash predictions.
"Another crash will come and it will be linked to too much debt — the policies used to beat the GFC recession," <a href="https://www.switzer.com.au/the-experts/peter-switzer-expert/free-trade-and-steve-keen/" target="_blank">wrote Switzer</a>.
"Yes, and house prices in some countries, even here, might collapse, taking unemployment over 10% or it could happen the other way, with the loss of jobs causing a huge house price slump."
Switzer noted he usually referred to Keen as the world’s scariest economist.
"Keen is the former Professor of Economics at the University of Western Sydney, which surprisingly closed down its School of Economics. 
"He became famous for raising concerns about the escalation of debt — here and worldwide — before the GFC.
"After that he became infamous for warnings about a house price collapse, another stock market crash and recessions.
"And this is where it gets tricky in assessing Keen.
"He lost a public bet with former Macquarie Bank economist, Rory Robertson, over the likely fall in Australian house prices.
"It resulted in Keen having to walk from Canberra to Mt. Kosciuszko — 224 kilometres — wearing a T-shirt that read: “I was hopelessly wrong on house prices”.
Switzer noted Keen had been hopelessly wrong on house prices.
"If people had listened to him in the media, they might have sold their houses and not bought stocks and they would have lost money, missing out on a house price surge and a stock market recovery."
"One day he will be right.
"In economics, you can be a rooster crowing about your big and correct calls one day, but soon you're a feather duster when you get it wrong."
Swizter added economics was not a science — but a social science.
"It rests on assumptions and these can make you look smart or dumb.
"Let me remind you that a lot of the media went along for the ride with Steve Keen but then quickly crucified him when he was proved wrong.
"For my part, I like to avoid being biased and I like to be open to challenging points of view.
"I test them and I hope my tests are rigorous enough to make a reasonable assessment on them."
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Steve Keen will be right one day on Australian housing crash: Peter Switzer

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Most property investors only own one property and fall into the category of middle class, according to Ed Chan, the founder of Chan &amp; Naylor Property Accountants.
"They certainly are not considered 'rich'," he said.
"In fact they should be applauded for the sacrifice to their lifestyle (due to the shortfall created by negative gearing) as they attempt to invest for their future and in so doing, reducing the government's burden in providing them an old age pension when they retire."
Chan said these investors saved the government billions of dollars by not having to provide public housing for those unable to buy their own homes currently. 
Supply is a very important factor as successive governments have not provided the policies to generate more supply in past years, said Chan.
"You may recall that the Keating government attempted to remove negative gearing in the eighties but reversed their decision when the queues for public housing doubled."
"Whilst taxpayers have claimed a total of $13 billion in losses in their tax returns the actual revenue forgone by the government is calculated at their individual tax rates. 
"Thus at an average tax rate of 35% the lost revenue is only $4.5 billion.
"So the government has not lost $13 billion dollars by allowing negative gearing but rather $4.5 billion is the actual dollars forgone.
"Public housing provided by the government only accounts for around 4% of investment properties.
"The other 96% of housing is provided by the private investor," he argued.
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Middle class sacrifice lifestyle to become property investors: Ed Chan

A trio of Queensland property groups have unveiled plans for a $300 million mixed-use redevelopment of the former Noosa Bowls Club site, a proposal that would deliver more than 200 new homes in one of the Sunshine Coast's most supply-constrained markets.

Kilter Property, Frank Developments and Calile Malouf Investments are behind the plans for the 1.8-hectare site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-noosa-drive-noosa-heads-qld-4567">99 Noosa Drive</a>, which would transform the long-vacant site into a new residential precinct featuring 208 apartments, retail, hospitality and public space.

The proposal comes as Noosa continues to grapple with housing affordability and a shortage of permanent accommodation, particularly for key workers. The site's location in Noosa Junction, close to shops, public transport and employment, aligns with the direction of Noosa Council's Housing Strategy, which encourages higher-density housing within established activity centres rather than continued urban expansion.

The draft plans include 48 affordable-by-design apartments and 48 rooming accommodation units aimed at key workers. Around 2,000 sqm of ground-floor retail and food and beverage space would activate the street frontage, alongside a new public town square and landscaped open space.

<img alt="Noosa" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2dd02f53-1360-4e51-801e-bfd61a6c980e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-26%20at%208.44.34%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=x1iNs3BSMN6Jy7YUwaBZMHRrrKX2hMpy" />

&nbsp;

Frank Developments Founder and Director Frank Licastro said the development would continue the company's focus on architecturally-led residential projects while addressing one of the region's biggest challenges.

"Not only will this project exude a sense of luxury, it will also enhance not only the built environment but also the surrounding community," Licastro said.

"Noosa's success relies on the people who live and work here. Providing well-designed accommodation for key workers is critical to supporting the local economy and ensuring the Shire can continue to thrive."

Kilter Property Co-Founder Huw Williams said the focus was on delivering additional permanent housing while creating a mixed-use destination that benefits both residents and the wider community.

"Our focus is on delivering a well-considered mixed-use project that provides more permanent housing options, supports local workers and businesses, and delivers an exceptional product for the local market," Williams said.

"The redevelopment vision aligns with the long-term evolution of Noosa Junction as a vibrant activity centre, creating a destination that enhances the area's character while delivering significant economic and community benefits."

Calile Malouf Investments, best known for its role in Brisbane's James Street precinct and The Calile Hotel, will bring its place-making experience to the project. The company recently commenced construction on The Calile Noosa hotel and says the residential development will complement its growing investment in the region.

CMI Director Cal Malouf said the aim was to create a walkable precinct combining housing, retail and hospitality while remaining true to Noosa's character.

"We see a similar opportunity in Noosa to deliver a vibrant, walkable destination that combines exceptional housing, hospitality and retail in one integrated project," Malouf said.

Brisbane-based Cavill Architects has been appointed to design the project.

Joel Robinson

Noosa Bowls Club to be redeveloped into mixed-use apartment precinct

One of Brisbane's last major riverfront redevelopment opportunities has taken a significant step forward, with Lendlease selected as the Queensland Government's preferred development partner for the former Visy site in South Brisbane.

The seven-hectare industrial site, positioned between South Bank and West End and 1.3 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, will be transformed into a mixed-use precinct expected to deliver more than 4,000 new homes alongside extensive public open space and riverfront parkland.

The project is one of the largest urban renewal opportunities currently planned in Brisbane and is expected to play a key role in accommodating the city's growing population ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Plans for the precinct include a network of riverfront promenades and boardwalks, new public plazas, parkland, amphitheatre-style gathering spaces and shared pedestrian and cycling links designed to reconnect the long-isolated site with the Brisbane River.

The Queensland Government is targeting delivery of the first homes and key public spaces before the 2032 Games, allowing the precinct to begin contributing new housing and public amenity well before the broader masterplan is complete.

The redevelopment is also expected to support more than 3,000 jobs across planning, construction and ongoing operations.

For Lendlease, the appointment adds another major urban regeneration project to its Queensland portfolio. The developer has operated in the state for more than 70 years and has delivered a number of large-scale mixed-use precincts in partnership with government.

Lendlease Development CEO Claire Johnston said the project represented one of Brisbane's most significant redevelopment opportunities.

"The transformation of the former Visy site represents a rare opportunity to reimagine one of Brisbane's most significant riverfront locations, deliver thousands of much-needed homes, and create long-term legacy," Johnston said.

"In partnership with the Queensland Government, we have the opportunity to create a new riverside destination that will help shape Brisbane's growth and how people experience the city for decades to come.

"This is exactly the type of large-scale, city-shaping development that will provide lasting benefits for Queensland, bringing together housing, jobs and world-class public spaces."

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie said the riverfront transformation would deliver a thriving new community precinct.

“The Crisafulli Government is delivering this golden opportunity to unlock a riverfront jewel for all Queenslanders,” Deputy Premier Bleijie said.

“This is a once-in-a-generation moment to reshape a significant slice of Brisbane and deliver lasting benefits – thousands of new homes, and public spaces for all Queenslanders to enjoy well beyond the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games – unlike Labor’s plan which would have delivered zero benefits and zero new homes.

“Queensland is well and truly open for business and through partnership with the private sector, we are accelerating delivery while ensuring strong housing, community and economic outcomes."

Early works on the precinct are expected to commence in April 2027.

Lendlease selected to deliver transformative South Brisbane riverfront precinct

Eddy Haddad's <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/level-33">Level 33</a> is levelling up its approved Wollongong development, as the coastal city south of Sydney continues to prove popular in the high-density development space.

Level 33, a longtime developer in the Wollongong area, has gone through the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority to upsize its approved two-tower development on the corner of Crown Street and Gladstone Avenue, just 100 metres from Wollongong Station.

The developer currently has approval for 252 apartments across two buildings rising to 19 storeys. It is now seeking approval for 33 and 38-storey towers that would deliver 467 apartments, including 67 affordable homes.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bka-architecture">BKA Architecture</a>, the development would comprise apartments above a three-level podium with around 1,100 sqm of retail space, along with basement parking for 448 vehicles.

According to the Urban Design Report by BKA, the proposal has the capacity to "reinforce the precinct's identity by strengthening links between health, education, and transport services, while also contributing to Wollongong's ongoing evolution as a key regional centre."

Wollongong is somewhat in vogue. Between Level 33 and Urban Property Group, the two developers have several thousand apartments planned across the city.

Level 33 is currently delivering Easterly Wollongong, one of its most boutique projects to date with just 21 high-end apartments, as well as Atchison &amp; Kenny, a 329-apartment development due for completion later this year.

The developer plans to redevelop the 13,088 sqm WIN Grand megasite into <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crown-square-216-238-keira-street-wollongong-nsw-2500">Crown Square</a>, a new $500 million precinct with nearly 600 apartments. It also has more than 900 apartments planned for the former Bunnings Warehouse site at the intersection of Gipps and Flinders streets.

Urban Property Group is also playing a major role in the city's transformation. Its five-tower Keira Place precinct will deliver more than 800 homes, and it has recently lodged plans for a further 300 apartments near Wollongong Station.

First look: Level 33 upsizes Wollongong apartment towers

Just a week after filing plans for the final stage of its major Keira Place masterplan, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has unveiled another significant housing proposal in Wollongong, this time targeting a prominent site opposite North Wollongong Station.

The developer has lodged a State Significant Development Application for a 38-storey mixed-use tower at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-4a-flinders-street-north-wollongong-nsw-2500">4-4A Flinders Street</a>, around one kilometre north of the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/keira-place-wollongong-120-122-smith-street-wollongong-nsw-2500">Keira Place precinct</a> currently taking shape on the edge of the CBD.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 38-storey North Wollongong tower as Keira Place expansion gathers pace" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2b6428f1-6405-4038-8476-897de440e90d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/flinders%20podium.png?VersionId=QLqEvK0OuCEwRC47oHNftrw2B1YqaHF8" />

Designed by Studio.SC, the proposal comprises a 38-storey mixed-use development containing 303 apartments, including 45 affordable housing units, alongside 174 co-living residences. The scheme also includes ground-floor retail space, extensive landscaping and public domain improvements.

Studio.SC noted in the proposal it "outlines a vision for a landmark transit-oriented mixed-use development centred around North Wollongong Station, designed to support the city’s future growth while responding to the NSW Government’s housing and planning reforms."

The architecture firm said the proposal responds to the opportunities and constraints shaping future growth within the 400-metre catchment of the station and represents "a coordinated and future-focused approach to urban intensification, contributing to the long-term evolution of North Wollongong as a connected, walkable and high-density station precinct."

The site occupies a strategic corner bounded by Flinders Street, Station Street, Stafford Street and the Princes Highway, directly opposite North Wollongong Station.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 38-storey North Wollongong tower as Keira Place expansion gathers pace" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7863adad-1f71-4022-b850-f44b252738fd" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/flinders%20podium%20a.png?VersionId=WsU7av0g8_8R2tGHWxgHeFSlhu7yeY1V" />

The proposal follows Urban Property Group's recent submission for the second and final stage of Keira Place, which would deliver a further three buildings comprising 657 homes opposite Beaton Park. It builds on the first stage, which features 150 apartments across two towers and recently commenced construction.

Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias said breaking ground on the first stage marked a significant milestone for Wollongong and reflected the developer's long-term commitment to regional cities.

"Today's groundbreaking is about turning approvals into homes and moving quickly to deliver much-needed housing in Wollongong's city centre," Elias said.

"Keira Place will provide a diverse mix of homes close to jobs, transport and services, while setting a high benchmark for quality, durability and consumer protection."

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/urban-property-group-unveils-trio-of-towers-for-next-stage-of-new-wollongong-precinct-keira-place">Urban Property Group unveils trio of towers for next stage of new Wollongong precinct, Keira Place</a>

First look: Urban Property Group plans next major Wollongong tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/arada">Arada Australia</a> has wasted little time expanding its ambitions in Campsie, lodging plans for a second major project in the rapidly transforming town centre just months after unveiling its three-tower One Campsie proposal on Beamish Street.

The UAE-backed developer has now taken aim at one of the suburb’s most strategically positioned sites, filing a State Significant Development Application for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/10-north-parade-campsie-nsw-2194">33-storey mixed-use tower</a> at 10 London Street and 43 North Parade, directly opposite the future Campsie Metro Station. The proposal is currently on public exhibition and represents another significant vote of confidence in Campsie's emergence as one of Sydney’s key transit-oriented growth centres.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a>, the development would deliver 156 apartments above a podium containing retail and commercial space, creating a new residential and commercial gateway to the town centre. The scheme also includes a four-level above-ground parking podium and a dedicated residential amenity floor featuring wellness and recreation facilities. At least 10 per cent of the apartments would be allocated as affordable housing for a period of 10 years.

The proposal occupies a 1,631 sqm site bounded by London Street, North Parade and Dispensary Lane, immediately adjoining the future Metro station precinct and just metres from Beamish Street’s retail and dining strip. According to the Urban Design Report, the project seeks to deliver "a great place that prioritises human-scaled experience and provides spatial improvements to the area."

<img alt="First look: Arada doubles down in Campsie with 33-storey Metro-front tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="175a8324-015b-4856-abe3-ce6f23199fa7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/podium%20campsie.png?VersionId=742UGwXFhFBX4GEl6wX4PYIWREAgn6il" />

Woods Bagot describes the tower as a key marker within Campsie's next phase of growth.

"Located directly opposite the new Campsie Metro Station on North Parade, 10 London Street is a thoughtfully composed 33-storey mixed-use tower that contributes to the ongoing transformation of the town centre," the Architectural Design Report states. The report says the project is intended to provide "high-quality homes within a vibrant, connected urban environment, while helping define Campsie's future skyline."

A strong emphasis has been placed on the public realm. The ground floor incorporates over 500 sqm of retail space and active frontages along both London Street and North Parade, while the podium is wrapped by extensive landscaped planting intended to soften the building's scale and strengthen the pedestrian experience. The development would also widen surrounding footpaths and improve connections between the Metro station and the broader town centre.

Above the podium, residents would have access to more than 1,400 sqm of communal amenities, including a pool, gym and landscaped recreation spaces. A distinctive green-wall treatment extending across four podium levels forms a major architectural feature, helping differentiate the project within the emerging high-density precinct.

The tower's design is closely tied to the broader Campsie Town Centre Master Plan and the arrival of Sydney Metro. The Urban Design Report notes the proposal "directly supports the Campsie Town Centre Master Plan by delivering new homes in a location explicitly identified for growth, improved accessibility, and high-quality urban renewal." It adds that the project contributes to the master plan's vision for a strengthened town centre supported by thousands of new homes around the future Metro station.

<img alt="First look: Arada doubles down in Campsie with 33-storey Metro-front tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bfd17654-253e-489a-bade-6278d63db412" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/base%20campsie.png?VersionId=3roJPMQGs36dazpkhvpvbDDP73Ld.Ica" />

The application follows Arada Australia's recently lodged One Campsie project at 124–142 Beamish Street and 16–18 Ninth Avenue, where the developer is seeking approval for 346 apartments across three towers rising 24, 32 and 39 storeys. Together, the two proposals would cement Arada Australia as one of the most influential developers shaping Campsie's future urban form.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-arada-files-for-trio-of-apartment-towers-in-campsie-town-centre">First Look: Arada Australia files for trio of apartment towers in Campsie town centre</a>

Arada Australia entered the Australian market in 2024 and has rapidly assembled a significant development pipeline across Sydney. Alongside its Campsie holdings, the developer is soon to launch <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/wattle-green-2-fishburn-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Wattle Green</a> in Castle Hill, and has expanded its local operations following its acquisition of construction firm Roberts &amp; Co.

Located around 14 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD, the site sits at the centre of one of Sydney's fastest-changing middle-ring precincts. The Metro conversion of Campsie Station, combined with Canterbury-Bankstown Council's master planning framework, is driving significant residential intensification around Beamish Street and North Parade, with thousands of new homes expected over coming decades.

Jonathan Chancellor

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