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Architects Elenberg Fraser have designed a four-tower, 1,162-apartment development for Eureka Funds Management and developer Clement Lee for the former Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre site.
The site has current approval for a 75,000 square-metre office project across two towers.
The Australian Financial Review says it is a $400 million plus high density residential project.
The syndicate acquired the property from the state government four years ago for about $40 million.  
The site falls under the City of Melbourne’s flexible CBD zone.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Residential planned for former Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre redevelopment

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The former Commonwealth Bank of Australia boss Ralph Norris will be the next chairman of the New Zealand based building products group Fletcher Building.
He will take over from the long-serving Ralph Waters who will retire on 21 October following Fletcher's annual general meeting, bringing an end a 13-year involvement with the company.
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Fletcher Building released its full-year results yesterday with its net profit for the 12 months to 30 June at NZ$339 million (A$308.49 million) up from NZ$326 million in the prior financial year.
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The 2014 net profit was hit by a NZ$3 million one-time cost.
Fletcher Building chief executive Mark Adamson said the underlying result was strong, with double-digit earnings growth despite currency headwinds and mixed trading conditions in Australia.
Fletcher Building is the biggest company on the NZX 50 Index.
The construction and building products company is benefiting from rising construction activity especially rebuilding work in the earthquake struck, Canterbury.
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Ralph Norris to chair Fletcher Building

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Geoff Harris, the co-founder of Flight Centre, and former vice-president of AFL club Hawthorn, who's worth an estimated $975 million on the latest BRW rich list, has bought in Albert Park. 
The $12 million purchase of Hollyford, the much admired 1873 residence, nows hold the mantle of the suburb's top sale.
It is the suburb's first $10 million plus double digit million dollar sale.
David Wood's Hockingstuart is being credited as the selling agency.
Hollyford was built about 17 years after St Vincent Place was laid out, modelled on the English idea of houses clustered around its central landscaped gardens.
The heritage listed St Vincent Place home comes with <a href="https://nma.net.au/project/st-vincents-place/" target="_blank">rear Nicolas Murray-designed extension</a> on its 480 square metre block.
The project involved restoring the front four rooms of an Italianate Victorian double fronted house along with a full width linear pond which marks the transition to the modern more informal living spaces which flows onto the garden and lap pool.
It last sold in 2002 at around $2.2 million.
<img src="/images/2014/05/13/albert%20park%20may%2013%20two.jpg" alt="">
Hollyford, which has its 1873 construction date on its gorgeous vined facade, was the home of the mariner, Thomas Mowbray Hutchinson, according to the land title documents that Property Observer has researched. He owned the holding from 1867 to 1875, there with his wife, Honora and six children. He died in 1888 in Chusan Street, St Kilda with a subsequent <a href="https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&amp;d=ST18890325.2.7" target="_blank">1899 court case</a> over his estate.
<img src="/images/2014/05/13/albert%20park%20may%2013%20one.jpg" alt="">
Then pawn broker James Healy owned Hollyford for just 14 months. The Hammond family held the property from December 1876 until its sale to the Ryan family from Tipperary in 1899. It seems they gave the house its name as Hollyford is a small village in County Tipperary. The best known family member was George Ryan, who died in 1986, and was old enough to recall the picket fence left over from St Vincent Place's days as a racecourse. The Ryans sold around 2002.
St Vincent Place's previous highest sale was $6.62 million when <a href="/expert-insights/buying/12590-weekend-auction-wrap-where-the-hammer-fell" target="_blank">Rosebank</a> sold unrenovated at its 2011 Marshall White auction. The 1866 double-fronted Victorian home was up for sale for the first time in over 52 years, and is now finally being restored.
Albert Park's prior record was Duart, the $7.25 million mansion sold in late 2009 on Beaconsfield Parade by the Salvo family to Sonia Hill, wife of Globe International founder Stephen Hill through Hockingstuart.
Harris quit full-time duties at Flight Centre in 1998, and left the board in 2008.
Gallery photos courtesy of <a href="https://nma.net.au/" target="_blank">Nick Murray Architects</a>.
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Flight Centre's Geoff Harris the $12 million Hollyford, Albert Park record setter

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World-renowned classical ballerina Darcey Bussell and her fund manager husband Angus Forbes have snappily sold their Vaucluse home pre-auction.
Title Tattle gleans as much as $4.9 million was accepted.
The Federation Arts and Crafts property was bought in 2005 for $4.15 million, 18 months before Darcey retired as principal ballerina with the Royal Ballet.
The five bedroom, three bathroom home was<a href="https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house-vaucluse-nsw-2030/225396/?searchID=41540890" target="_blank"> scheduled for 30 August auction with cautious $4 million-plus expectations</a> through McGrath agent Ben Collier, who acknowledged that the views of the harbour from the house had been diminished since its purchase.
It was Guy Strapp, then BT's investment chief, and wife, Pru, who sold have sold in 2005 for $4.15 million having bought it in 2003 from internet entrepreneur Mark Cramer-Roberts for $4 million.
It now only has harbour views from upstairs.
Another Vaucluse house at 47 New South Head Road sold at $7.5 million which was $500,000 over the reserve at Cooley auction.
An overseas-based buyer secured the Tuscan-style, five-bedroom, five-bathroom home sold by James McCowan of Sotheby's International by Monique and Boris Ulis, director of Pacific Union.
However the property had been listed back in mid-2008 with $7 million hopes, suggesting it was a long time waiting the current sales spurt.
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Ballerina Darcey Bussell sells as Vaucluse prestige market takes flight

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A corner development site at the junction of Main Road and Fairbank Road, Clayton will go to auction this Friday with $900,000 expectations through Crabtrees Real Estate.
The site known as 91-93 Main Road has a land area of 1,885 square metre with an older style brick workshop building that has been occupied by a motor repairer for many years. 
It has a building of 388 square metre with the remainder of the level site vacant. 
Crabtrees agent Casper Janholt notes that the property holds an Industrial 1 zoning.
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Clayton industrial site with development potential to go under the hammer this Friday

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Gloria Jean’s Coffees has leased a 22 square metre retail space at Melbourne’s Flinders Street train station.
The rental was not disclosed, however deals in the area have been done in excess of $5,000 per square metre per annum.
It is Gloria Jean’s ninth in the Melbourne CBD, including two Docklands stores.
It is a sublease from Melbourne Metro Trains with Gloria Jeans taking a 10 year lease for the space at the Elizabeth Street junction.
Savills’s Michael Di Carlo and Jock Thomson brokered the lease deal.
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Gloria Jeans takes Flinders Street Station space

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An undisclosed religious group has purchased Hobart’s historic Gasworks Village, located at the entrance to Hobart City.
It sold for around $7.5 million, its first sale for 21 years when sold for $300,000 to developer Robert Hosken.
Located at 2 Macquarie Street, the property forms part of the historic Sullivans Cove Precinct.
Knight Frank’s Tasmania chief Scott Newton negotiated the sale reflecting a yield of 7%.
The historic strata property was redeveloped in 1995 as a commercial hub currently tenanted to Vantage Hotel Group and Hogs Breath Café.
The remaining three lots were sold as vacant.
The Hobart Gas Company was established by an act of parliament in 1854 and started pumping gas from the site in 1857.
The town gas supply ended in 1978.
The buildings that remain include the original engine house and the stables.
 
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Hobart's historic Gasworks site sold for $7.5 million

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The Sydney Opera House has signed a 10 year agreement with the Solotel group to operate the Opera Bar.
The group includes principals Bruce Solomon, Anna Solomon and John Gallas from Solotel, and Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan from MorSul. 
Solotel has operated the venue since 2001.
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Solotel secures 10 year Opera Bar renewal

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Billionaire Lang Walker told Bloomberg  last week that property prices in Sydney and Melbourne have climbed too much.
It was in part an explanation to why his focus is increasingly Malaysia.
“Sydney is a little too hot at the moment,” Walker, executive chairman of Walker Corp, said in an interview in Singapore.
“Melbourne has gone through a period of intense growth and that’s plateaued off.
"The residential market in Brisbane, in Queensland state, still has some potential, he said.
Walker is converting land, previously used for prawn-breeding farms, into swanky apartments, the Bloomberg report said.
 The Johor project in southern Malaysia is expected to be valued at about $US7.5 billion along with an adjoining plot it will develop with a Singapore-based company.
Walker Corp made its foray into Asia in 2008 to develop <a href="https://www.senibongcove.my" target="_blank">Senibong Cove, a waterfront residential project</a>.
Walker said he is looking to increase investments in the Johor region after putting in about $2 billion in the Senibong Cove project. 
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Walker Corp pursuing more Malaysian residential projects

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A Chinese developer has paid $36 million for the former Matilda Bay Brewery in North Fremantle.
The light industrial site in the Perth suburb is a 2.9-hectare holding.
The 130 Stirling Highway site was a Ford factory before it was a brewery. 
It is expected to hold between 350 and 400 ­apartments, as well as retail and commercial property, subject to council approval and design guidelines, Knight Frank’s WA managing director John Corbett suggested.
It previously sold at $2 million in 1988. 
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Chinese developer pays $36 million for former Matilda Bay Brewery site

Kew has long been regarded as one of Melbourne's premier residential suburbs. It's a location defined by its grand period homes, leafy streets and some of the city's most prestigious schools, yet it has often sat just outside the spotlight cast on neighbouring Hawthorn and Camberwell.

Increasingly, however, buyers are recognising that Kew offers much of what draws people to those suburbs, with a quieter residential setting, exceptional amenity and long-term owner-occupier appeal.

Within a few minutes' walk, residents can access Kew Junction, one of Melbourne's most established village centres. Cafés, bakeries, restaurants, supermarkets, boutique retailers and everyday services are all on the doorstep, with local favourites including Centonove, Adeney Milk Bar Cafe, and Frank &amp; Harri creating the type of walkable lifestyle that has become increasingly difficult to find in Melbourne's inner east. Beyond the immediate neighbourhood, Glenferrie Road's renowned shopping and dining precinct in Hawthorn and the retail, dining and entertainment offerings of Camberwell Junction are both just a short drive or tram ride away.

The suburb is equally well connected. Tram routes 48 and 109 provide direct access to the CBD, while High Street and Cotham Road connect residents to the wider inner east.&nbsp;Nearby access to the Eastern Freeway also places the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne Airport within easy reach, adding another layer of convenience for weekend travel.&nbsp;It's a rare combination of connectivity and tranquillity, where quiet residential streets sit just moments from some of Melbourne's most established shopping and lifestyle precincts.

For families, Kew remains one of Melbourne's most tightly held addresses. Carey Baptist Grammar School, Xavier College, Methodist Ladies' College, Trinity Grammar, Ruyton Girls' School and Genazzano FCJ College are all nearby, while the Yarra River parklands, walking trails and sporting clubs provide another layer of lifestyle appeal.

It's within this established pocket that developer Ricdanic is delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/wimba-ave-kew-9-11-wimba-avenue-kew-vic-3101">Wimba Ave</a>, a boutique collection of just 13 residences across two buildings named after its location on the tree-lined Wimba Avenue,&nbsp;within one of Kew's most prestigious pockets where homes have been known to sell up to and above $8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140755 project_image_fid=354809]

The residences prioritise the space that buyers are increasingly searching for but struggling to find in established suburbs. Living areas extend beyond five metres in width, ceiling heights range from three to five metres, and apartments open onto private gardens averaging around 125 sqm. Selected residences also feature balconies of approximately 60 sqm, while premium inclusions include Miele appliances, double-glazed windows, EV readiness, fully electric systems and a 7.2 NatHERS energy rating.

Architect Chris Idle says opportunities to deliver homes of this scale within established suburbs have become increasingly uncommon.

"There are very few opportunities to do these kinds of developments in leafy, established suburbs," he says. "To get this level of amenity, natural light, and architectural freedom in such a setting is extremely rare."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140755 project_image_fid=366267]

The architecture draws on Kew's established character through the use of handmade Krause bricks, while landscaping by John Patrick introduces 23 plant species, including nine native varieties, creating an environment which focuses just as much on nature as it does the building.

Construction on Wimba Ave is well underway by renowned high-end builder Sinjen, with completion expected in late 2027. Prices start from $2.22 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=140755]

Joel Robinson

The enduring appeal of Kew's tree-lined streets and village lifestyle

"For me, it's the location." That was the first thing Chris pointed to when reflecting on why he and his wife Marita decided to purchase at Candela Ivanhoe, the under-construction new apartment development by Salter Brothers in the heart of the north-eastern M​elb​ourne​ suburb. ​

"We've lived here before… everything is here," Chris said.

"Our doctor is around the corner, there's dentists, pilates, everything we need, restaurants, fast food places, two train stations, Ivanhoe and Darebin, both in walking distance. You don't need anything else."

<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/X8K0Bozug7A?si=Puwc6vx_ZO0qQZF8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Just 10 kilometres from Melbo​urn​e's CBD, Ivanhoe combines direct city connectivity with the amenity of an established village community. Residents have access to highly regarded schools, expansive parklands, public transport, and a thriving retail and hospitality precinct centred around Upper Heidelberg Road, all within a neighbourhood that has retained its leafy character despite its proximity to the city.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/candela-ivanhoe-40-upper-heidelberg-road-ivanhoe-vic-3079">Candela Ivanhoe</a> sits within the heart of this established landscape, positioned just moments from Ivanhoe Village and within walking distance of many of the suburb's most sought-after amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=364553]

From Candela, residents can access cafés, grocers, wine bars, restaurants and essential services on foot, while Ivanhoe Station and Darebin Station provide direct connectivity across Mel​bour​ne. The development is also surrounded by some of the suburb's best-known lifestyle destinations, including Pinkie, Laurent, Enni, Docasa and Woodfire Pizza e Cucina, alongside Ivanhoe Plaza, Woolworths, pharmacies and specialty retailers.

Green space is another defining feature of the suburb. Darebin Parklands, Ivanhoe Park, Nellie Ibbot Park and the Yarra River trail network provide extensive opportunities for recreation, while Ivanhoe Golf Course and Ivanhoe Tennis Club continue to underpin the area's long-established lifestyle appeal.

The suburb's education offering further strengthens demand. Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Mary Immaculate Primary School and Ivanhoe Primary School have helped establish the area as one of Melbou​​rne's most sought-after schooling precincts, attracting families and downsizers alike who want to remain connected to the area.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=357510]

While location was the priority for Marita and Chris, the project itself also needed to meet their expectations.

"Whilst location was paramount, I was also looking at design of the environment and Candela ticked every box," Marita said.

"We're just thrilled with our choice."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=336455]

Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/salter-brothers">Salter Brothers</a>, Candela Ivanhoe has been designed to complement its village setting, with an emphasis on generous floorplans, natural light and practical everyday living.

Residents will have access to a range of shared amenities, including a communal rooftop garden and dedicated residential lounge, complemented by a ground-floor café and lifestyle wellbeing centre, helping foster the sense of community already emerging among future owners.

That approach has resonated strongly with the market. More than 90 per cent of purchasers at Candela Ivanhoe are owner-occupiers, with buyers ranging from downsizers and second-home buyers to young families and first home buyers, creating a genuinely multi-generational community of grandparents, parents and children. It reflects a broader shift across Melbo​​urne's apartment market, where buyers are increasingly prioritising neighbourhood quality, lifestyle amenity and long-term liveability.

Currently under construction by Ironside, Candela Ivanhoe comprises 58 apartments. Candela Ivanhoe is scheduled for completion in the coming months, and residents can move in from September. One to four bedroom residences, prices from $649,000 and limited opportunities remaining.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=342]

Location and lifestyle drive demand at Candela Ivanhoe

As apartment buyers increasingly look beyond the four walls of their residence, the quality and depth of shared amenity has become a defining factor in how developments are designed and experienced, particularly in the high-rise, new apartment development space.

In Southbank, where high-density living continues to evolve, developers are placing greater emphasis on creating environments that support wellbeing, connection, and convenience as part of everyday life.

That approach sits at the heart of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aura-at-melbourne-square-7-hoff-boulevard-southbank-vic-3006">AURA</a>, the latest residential tower in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/osk-property">OSK Property</a>’s $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct. Rising 67 storeys above Hoff Boulevard, the 673-apartment development has been conceived around what OSK describes as a “vertical wellness ecosystem”, a layered collection of amenities that extends throughout the building rather than being confined to a single podium level.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370263]

The amenity offering begins on the seventh level within the AURA Club, a dedicated resident hub focused on health, relaxation, and daily convenience. Here, residents will have access to an indoor swimming pool, cold plunge, spa, sauna, and steam room, alongside a fully equipped gym, reformer Pilates studio, and yoga room.

The wellness facilities are complemented by a range of spaces that acknowledge the changing ways people live and work. Work-from-home lounges and co-working areas sit alongside a library, music room, games room, cinema facilities, and open-air terrace spaces, providing residents with flexible environments that can adapt throughout the day.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367468]

Beyond the internal amenity, AURA introduces a series of Japanese-inspired gardens that form a quieter counterpoint to the tower’s social spaces.

Landscaped retreats feature curated outdoor dining, tranquil courtyard seating, fire pit, and a tea house pavilion. Rather than functioning as simple recreational areas, the gardens have been designed as places for reflection and informal gathering, drawing on principles of balance, nature, and calm that underpin the project's broader design philosophy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367810]

The social amenity continues to evolve as residents move higher through the building. Levels 49 and 50 house the Meridian Club, where a lounge bar, conservatory spaces, and private dining rooms take advantage of elevated city views. At the summit of the tower, the exclusive Cumulus Club spans Levels 66 and 67, offering additional lounges, private dining, and meditation and treatment rooms positioned above Melbourne’s skyline.

For OSK Property, the extensive amenity offering reflects a broader focus on wellbeing as a core component of apartment living rather than an added feature.

“Aura stands tall as an exemplar of holistic wellness – its focus on social, physical and mental health culminate in a building that is calming, restorative and relaxing, where residents will have their own sanctuary within the well-connected and sought-after Southbank,” says OSK Property CEO Chong Boon Woon.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=367796]

AURA’s amenity strategy extends beyond the tower itself through its integration with the wider Melbourne Square precinct.

Residents will have direct access to Kennedy Park, Southbank’s 3,745 sqm landscaped public park, alongside a full-line Woolworths supermarket, childcare centre, hospitality venues, and approximately 1,600 sqm of additional retail planned within AURA’s lower levels. Together, these elements create a highly connected residential environment where daily needs, recreation, and wellness are woven into the fabric of the community.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151921 project_image_fid=370253]

As Melbourne’s apartment market continues to mature, developments are increasingly judged by the lifestyle they provide beyond individual residences.

Through its combination of wellness facilities, landscaped retreats, social clubs, and precinct-wide amenity, AURA represents a shift toward a more comprehensive model of vertical living, one where shared spaces play as significant a role as the homes themselves.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151921]

AURA elevates amenity living at Melbourne Square

Builder-developer Scion is the latest to target Sydney's booming Hills Showground Metro precinct, filing plans for more than 100 apartments within walking distance of the station.

Scion has lodged a concurrent rezoning and State Significant Development Application for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/27-33-middleton-avenue-castle-hill-nsw-2154">27–33 Middleton Avenue</a>, where it plans to replace four existing homes with an 11 and 14-storey mixed-use development comprising 109 apartments, six affordable housing dwellings, and a ground-floor café.

Designed by BHK Architects, the proposal includes three levels of basement parking with 174 spaces, more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space, and extensive landscaping across the 3,791 sqm site.

The development has been designed as two buildings connected by a recessed wintergarden spine, with the 14-storey building positioned to the south and the 11-storey building to the north.

<img alt="Scion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="64dc359d-736b-43b8-87a8-70a8285cab47" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-25%20at%208.47.01%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=PXh.m8id_aevBPHEckPf88wQ2RQThPos" />

The apartment mix has been weighted towards owner-occupiers, with 13 one-bedroom apartments, 55 two-bedroom residences, 31 three-bedroom apartments, six three-bedroom lofts, and four four-bedroom homes. Six apartments will be dedicated as affordable housing in line with the NSW Housing SEPP.

According to the Architectural Design Report by BKH, the proposal seeks to create "a place-responsive architecture" inspired by the natural landscape surrounding Cattai Creek, while strengthening the public domain through landscaping, active frontages and a neighbourhood café.

Atlas Urban, in its Urban Design Report, says the proposal takes a different approach to increasing density around Hills Showground Station by favouring a more slender, vertically articulated built form over a conventional mid-rise outcome. The report argues this allows for greater deep soil planting, improved solar access and a better public domain outcome, while still delivering additional housing close to rapid public transport.

The site sits around 500 metres from Hills Showground Metro Station, within a precinct earmarked for significant residential intensification following the opening of the Sydney Metro Northwest line. Planning documents accompanying the application note that Greater Sydney's population has grown by more than one million people since planning for the precinct first began, reinforcing the need to accelerate housing delivery around existing transport infrastructure.

Scion is expanding its development pipeline which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/chatham-west-ryde-2-6-chatham-road-west-ryde-nsw-2114">Chatham in West Ryde</a>, 62 apartments which are approaching completion. They also have a State Significant Development Application with the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/96-anzac-avenue-west-ryde-nsw-2114">145 apartments on Anzac Avenue</a>, also in West Ryde.

First look: Scion plots Castle Hill apartment development near Hills Showground Metro Station

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a>&nbsp;has unveiled its scaled-back plans for a pair of towers rising up to 49 storeys directly opposite Bella Vista Metro Station.

The builder-developer will deliver 674 apartments and a new mixed-use hub at the gateway to the station precinct.

The State Significant Development Application has been lodged under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway for the 6,979 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/9-11-mawson-avenue-bella-vista-nsw-2153">9-11 Mawson Avenue</a>, with the apartments sitting above a mixed-use podium. Initial plans were for closer to 900 apartments across two 40-storey towers.

Located around 30 metres from the Bella Vista Metro Station entrance, the development is intended to act as a catalyst for the long-planned Bella Vista Station Precinct, transforming a vacant site into a transit-oriented residential and commercial destination.

Planning documents describe the project as delivering "a high-density mixed use destination that combines housing, retail and community-serving uses in a highly accessible setting."

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 674-apartment Bella Vista towers opposite Metro station" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="21c08216-589e-490d-ad08-2d88b6fa62d9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bella%20vista%20podium.png?VersionId=3TnwjjQCNwTsmyQRaWnFrLTSAF0CJeka" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/turner-studio">Turner</a>, with landscape architecture by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, the project comprises 674 apartments, including 102 affordable housing dwellings representing 15 per cent of the residential floor space. The housing mix spans studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, alongside a collection of townhouse-style residences integrated into the podium levels. The development also includes specialist disability accommodation and an elevated provision of adaptable and liveable housing.

The mixed-use podium has been designed to create an active urban centre around the Metro station, incorporating a 1,423 sqm supermarket, a 3,029 sqm gym, specialty retail spaces, a 100-place childcare centre and a publicly accessible "city room" community space. A secondary laneway, active frontages and landscaped public areas are intended to improve pedestrian connectivity through the site and strengthen links between the station precinct and surrounding neighbourhood.

In the project's design report, Turner said the proposal responds to Bella Vista's emerging role as a higher-density centre within Sydney's north-west growth corridor.

"The project transforms a strategically located site into a high-density mixed use destination that combines housing, retail and community-serving uses in a highly accessible setting," the report states.

"Active frontages, a publicly accessible city room, a secondary laneway and a mix of uses including a local supermarket, child care centre and gym create a more complete and socially useful urban environment for residents, workers and the wider community."

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group plans 674-apartment Bella Vista towers opposite Metro station" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0fde6220-82de-4f6a-9b63-d0fd8157acc9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bella%20vista%20da.png?VersionId=7hEmuSutH8plTd_RqqdmPu055F6qe554" />

Urban Property Group has been one of the busiest developers across Greater Sydney this year.

The developer is progressing around 1,000 apartments across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-urban-property-group-plans-next-major-wollongong-tower">two projects in Wollongong</a>, with several thousand more homes in the pipeline across Newcastle, Castle Hill, Little Bay and Penrith.

Jonathan Chancellor

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