<html><body>
The cut-price online estate agency Purplebricks may have to abandon its struggling Australian operation to survive in the United Kingdon, analysts at investment bank Berenberg have warned.
Berenberg slashed its share price forecast for the embattled company from £4.70 to 80 pence.
It switched its rating from "buy" to "sell", sending the stock into an 8.4 per cent tailspin on the British share market on Friday.
The Financial Times reported: "It was more bad news for Purplebricks as Berenberg analysts turned sharply bearish on the online estate agent."
The analysis by Berenberg suggests Purplebricks is “running out of steam” in the UK.
However Purplebricks hit back saying it is looking to boost the business in Australia.
Investment bank Berenberg also said the company might have to quit the US to survive in its core British market.
"Having flown too close to the sun, with operations in five countries and cash burn of circa £7 million [$12.9 million] a month, we believe the group will be forced to seek additional equity at a significant discount or a doubtless expensive debt facility; or to abandon the Australian and US operations and retrench to the UK and Canada," the German private bank said in a note to its clients.
But Vic Darvey, the London-based group's global chief operating officer, rejected the analysis, reaffirming that Purplebricks was committed to the Australian market.
"Our transformation over the last six months is bearing fruit, and we are pleased with the recent growth in instructions and sales," he told The Australian Financial Review.
"Recently, we have boosted our agent numbers and expanded to new regions, bringing our proposition to more Australians."
Darvey joined the firm in February from MoneySuperMarket.com with experience of tech-focused, customer-centric businesses.
Purplebricks shares closed at 129.6 pence on Friday, down about 75 per cent from a mid-2017 high point of about £5.13.
The company's current bout of share price doldrums began in February, when it cut its revenue forecast.
One of the agency's co-founders, Michael Bruce, is now running the US business full-time, having previously divided his time between there and Britain. Meanwhile, his brother Kenny Bruce has only just returned from Australia to focus on the British business.
"In our view, the limitations of the upfront fee model are being laid bare," according to the Berenberg analysts' note which joined other analysts in questioning the business model.
"In our view, the limitations of the upfront fee model are being laid bare and the addressable market is proving much small than initially hoped," the Berenberg analysts said.
In Australia, the newly-installed CEO Neil Tavender and Kenny Bruce have overhauled the charging model, so that half the fee is paid upfront and half on completion of the sale.
"While the local market has softened, the fixed fee model continues to be an attractive proposition for sellers who want to maximise their returns," Mr Darvey said on Sunday.
The pressure on the Australian business was exposed when it reported an $18 million interim loss for the six months to October.
While Purplebricks has sold more than 5000 homes since launching in Australia in September 2016, the company now spends about 84c in advertising to generate a dollar of revenue.
The Australian Financial Review has regularly revealed an exodus of estate agents along with allegations of a "toxic culture" within the company.
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Purplebricks Australian agency may need to be abandoned to save UK mothership

<html><body>
Ravenswood, the former Victoria country getaway of Offspring star Asher Keddie and her husband, Archibald Prize-winning artist Vincent Fantauzzo, is back up for sale just over two years after they sold it.
Keddie and Fantuazzo secured their sale in late 2017. Now the 43 hectare farm is up for sale at $2.45 million.
There's been no updates to the Hesket property in the Macedon Ranges north of Melbourne.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-hesket-130865634" target="_blank">The Scandinavian style residence</a> has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. A lake, two dams, a spring fed mountain creek and original shedding amid old yards and English trees feature in the grounds.
The property also lends itself to equine interests, with an original stable complex and tack room.
Keatings Real Estate Woodend agent Sandi Barry-Mueller, who sold the home for Keddie and Fantauzzo, is the listing agent again.
This article was first published in The Weekend Australian
</body></html>

Ravenswood, the former country getaway of Asher Keddie and Vincent Fantauzzo, returns to market

<html><body>
Australia's biggest property developer Harry Triguboff says Sydney's apartment boom had relied too much on Chinese buyers.
"We depend too much on Chinese purchasers," the Meriton boss said in a letter emailed last month to local Sydney estate agents.
"Foreigners must only be an additional bonus," said the veteran who has overseen the construction of more than 75,000 residential dwellings over the past six decades.
"I don't want us also to depend on high priced foreign lenders to provide the finance instead of our banks."
"We must stand on our own two feet," he said adding this independence was "far away".
"We will have stability," he said when Australia depends on itself.
Triguboff concedes the Chinese played a big part in pushing the property prices up, and says even in the current reduced turnover were still significant buyers.
On the price front Triguboff says "the rapid price fall is slowing down, maybe completely stopped".
"We will only know later," he indicated.
He says everything must be done to ensure that property prices don't drop any further.
"They should rise otherwise, no one will build," he warned.
"If prices fall the economy suffers."
The developer, who employs 898 staff, was motivated to send the letter to estate agents with a desire to generate sales amid negative media headlines.
"We are all talking about Reserve Bank lowering interest rates, but that is only a minor matter.
"Banks must lend, but they do not because they are afraid.
"Now that we have shown where they were wrong (at the Royal Commission), we must encourage them to lend, and use their discretion." 
The optimist developer says young buyers face a wide choice.
"There's no dreadful hurry ...it's not going to jump up tomorrow."
He said Sydney's planning system must also change.
"A lot of the costs are because of the planning system," he said. 
Ahead of the declining property market, the apartment king posted after tax profits of $384 million in the financial year ending June 2017, according to Meriton's latest annual return which was lodged last month.
The $384 million profit was up from the $230 million profits Meriton saw in 2016.
There was $1.7 billion in revenue.
He said buyers and renters "flocked" to new apartment blocks.
"The old blocks with few facilities and in the wrong places will suffer.
"Some of our leaders think that people suffer when we build units.
"That is nonsense. 
"We see even councils who were against units now trying to allow high rise because they are left behind. 
"We must remember the demand for housing is great," said Triguboff who founded the company in 1963.
He says his was not unduly concerned about the low sales turnover in the short term.
"It is so easy for me to lease," he told Channel 9 finance editor Ross Grenwood.
"I'm not buying any land," he added.
He warned if the State Government refused to fix the planning department and the banks didn't lend that construction would stop.
"And prices will rise because of a lack of supply," he forecast.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
</body></html>

Harry Triguboff says apartment boom relied too much on Chinese buyers

<html><body>
Multiplex has pinpointed incomplete grouting as having caused crumbling of precast concrete columns at its $1.2 billion Collins Arch project.
The issue halted work at the Collins Street, Melbourne CBD work site of the CBUS project, nicknamed the Pantscaper.
The builder would not say how many columns had been affected or what levels of the 44-level twin-tower project had been affected.
The embarrassed super fund, which provides superannuation and income stream accounts to more than 790,000 members, prides itself as being a leading commercial and residential property developer across the country.
The concerns triggered an <a href="/news/precast-column-movement-concerns-stops-work-at-cbus-447-collins-street-pantscraper-twin-tower-project">investigation by structural engineers</a>.
"In limited locations the liquid grouting solution between the column and the floor slab has been found not to have fully penetrated, leading to minor spalling of the precast column edges," Multiplex said on Wednesday.
"The columns in question have since been remediated in accordance with the engineers’ recommendation and a full audit of all precast structural columns is expected to be complete later today."
The builder said there were no structural problems with the building, the design or the precast columns separating floors.
But is acknowledged that "spalling", or crumbling, of the pillars had occurred where pressure built up because the grouting was not evenly spreading the load of the column above.
RCP was appointed by Cbus Property in 2015 to project manage the redevelopment of 447 Collins Street, Melbourne. The quantity surveyor is Rider Levett Bucknall.
It is understood CBUS Property board members were briefed on the issue after the stopwork gained national attention on the Nine Entertainment website.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">
Mark Ford has been the CBUS Property chair since 2006. Ford is a professional director with extensive property industry experience, including previously being managing director, head of DB Real Estate Australia.</div>
The CBUS Property board includes trade union construction boss Dave Noonan who worked as a builder’s labourer, and managed major union sites at several iconic Melbourne landmarks.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-text">
Noonan’s qualifications now comprise the RG146 for Superannuation.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">
Chris Kakoufas is the CBUS Property general manager of development.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">A CBUS presentation indicated there were unique design considerations for 447 Collins Street due to its complex form, and focuses on the linking of East and West Towers via the skybridge.
</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"Each tower experiences permanent lateral deflections in different directions due its unique geometry," Rob DiBlasi, Director, 4D Workshop said in 2017 at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"This is all about construction...by tieing them together it's an extremely stiff building" said DiBlasi.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The architectural aspiration was to maintain an uninterrupted façade across connecting towers," he advised.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The skybridge structure has been utilized to link the towers and avoid expansion joints. </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"Design considerations include individual tower movement during construction and construction tolerance, skybridge and link structure design and detailing, consequential design effects on stability elements, and skybridge construction methodology. </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The linking of towers can be carried out successfully to create a unique continuous and homogenous architectural form," </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">The presentation advised internal linking forces can be significant and may affect design, detailing and construction.</div>
</div>
Poor grouting was part of the problem at Sydney's troubled Opal Tower, from which residents were evacuated on Christmas Eve.
Along with the poor assembly of beams, there was also insufficient grout – concrete glue made up of water, cement, and sand – at the joints between the hob beams and panels, causing stress in the panels,<a href="https://www.afr.com/real-estate/residential/poor-design-and-construction-at-opal-breached-national-codes-and-standards-20190221-h1bjch" target="_blank"> </a>the Opal investigation found.
Opal Tower also had unique <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/293076036" target="_blank">construction challenges</a>.
 
</body></html>

Grouting issues cause of embarrassing crumbling in CBUS's Pantscraper construction project

<html><body>
<div class="_2vba1">
Overcoming his dread of the trade union influence, the Meriton apartment developer, Harry Triguboff has ditched Sydney to try his luck in the Melbourne property market.
Triguboff has bought a serviced apartment site at 140-146 King Street near Southern Cross Station, between Bourke Street and Collins Street.
He will develop a Meriton Suites apartment hotel to replace the three storey building.
The deal, worth about $29 million, will be Meriton's first development outside of NSW and Queensland, where it has completed about 70,000 apartments over the past six decades. Triguboff recently admitted the recent Sydney apartment boom had <a href="/news/harry-triguboff-says-apartment-boom-relied-too-much-on-chinese-buyers">over-relied on Chinese foreigners</a>.
The King Street, Melbourne site last sold at $10 million in 2013.
The vacant, three-storey concrete building had been expected to fetch more than $20 million, according to a report by The Age in February.
It was offloaded by Besgate Group, a little-known Sydney-based developer, backed by wealthy Chinese families, who got cold feet about Melbourne’s development market.
Besgate Group, led by the Alexandria-based Justin Gao, had burst into Melbourne’s development market in 2013 when it snapped up three city sites within six months.
Besgate's shareholders are Gao Pty Ltd; Baohua Pty Ltd directed by the Pyrmont-based Hua Gao; and Elda Group Pty Ltd, which is directed by Justin Gao, Xiao Han Sheng, Li Fan and accountant Peter Hedge. 
The site at 140 King Street could support a high-rise tower on the 781-square-metre site with an existing 2016 permit for a 57-storey building with 263 apartments.
ROTHELOWMAN's design for 140 King Street was <a href="http://www.besgate.com.au/portfolio/melbourne-king-street/" target="_blank">reminiscent of a luxury watch wrist band</a>. 
There were 11 offers on the site in the recent tender.
The listing agents <a href="http://www.meltoday.com/content-101910651106054" target="_blank">told the Chinese press</a> the flexible site was also suitable for the development of mixed-use, commercial, student residences, hotels or serviced apartments.
Triguboff's wealth was recently put at $12.3 billion in the Rich List published last weekend by The Australian.  
<div>Considered the most comprehensive study of the country’s wealthy elite ever undertaken in Australia, The List was curated and edited by wealth expert John Stensholt and a global team of researchers and journalists.</div>
<div>
 Triguboff's wealth is apparently set to soar to over $13.5 billion in the upcoming, belated Financial Review Rich List. </div>
“It is very exciting for us to bring Meriton to Melbourne, giving the hotel business a complete presence from Melbourne, throughout Sydney and up to Brisbane and the Gold Coast," Mr Triguboff told Nine Entertainment. 
</div>
<div class="ztzrw">
<div class="_3t7hh">
<div class="_1kIOl">
"Guests have been asking for a long time, ‘when are you coming to Melbourne’, but it hasn’t been the opportune time, until now.
"It is a great location for us and our early discussions with local government made us feel very welcome – they want us to get started quickly," said Mr Triguboff.
Trade union power wasn't the only issue Triguboff has had with Melbourne.
 In a 2017 interview he said he had a problem with the weather.
"I don’t like it that it is cold. I’m too old. Old people need warmth," he said.
Meriton’s director of construction, David Cremona, said the company would seek tenders shortly, with construction due to commence later in the year.
Meriton founded its burgeoning serviced apartment business in 2003.
It currently comprises 18 hotels and 4644 self-catering suites, making it one of the country's largest owner of hotel rooms.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Harry Triguboff overcomes dread of CFMEU trade union influence and buys first Melbourne project site

<html><body>
The listing of the landmark building, Wirrara in Potts Point coincides with the lease of Arida formally expiring this August.
The luxury retailer of international clothing brands and distinctive interiors has been on a five year lease at $158,000 a year, the local listing agents have advised potential buyers.
It has been trading there for almost two decades.
The tenancy intentions of Arida have not been made public, with Hemmes leaving it to the next owner to negotiate.
The neighbouring Hemmes-run restaurant The Fish Shop has been on a $170,000 a year lease which Hemmes could continue subject to the buyers' wishes.
It has been many restaurants through the decades including Juillet's, Moran, Giraffe, Clochemerle, Lotus and Merivale.
At one point it was leased by Thelma and Terry Clune, the gallerists, who are best associated with the adjacent acclaimed Yellow House. 
The corner building has been listed for sale with a reported $11 million plus guide. 
It has been offered through Alan Levy from Metro Commercial inconjunction with the local R&amp;W office.
The building has been scheduled for May 8 auction by the unassuming Justin Hemmes. 
However the seemingly full of themselves listing agents claim in the marketing it was "without doubt a listing of nationwide magnitude, the coming to market of this block is a headline-worthy event."
Set in the corner of Macleay Street and Challis Avenue, the mixed-use freehold investment located features four large apartments and two retail shopfronts. 
It boasts Merivale’s Fish Shop at street level and the Arida clothing retail outlet next door. 
There is current $520,950 total rental income with $328,550 from the shops and $192,400 from the four upstairs units per annum. 
The total internal 741 sqm area comprises 300 sqm of the ground floor, 225 sqm of the first floor, and 216 sqm of the second floor. 
There are $10,000 estimated council rates, $93,000 water rates and $55,000 land tax. 
Through the years, as the Hemmes family expanded their fashion and restaurant business, they also started buying up the buildings in which they operated their different businesses.
One of their first Merivale coffee shops was in Potts Point.
Justin Hemmes' late father, Mr John bought the property at 61-63 Macleay Street for $1.428 million in 1988 from Peejays Developments.
The property is part of the Santa Fe row of 1905 Queen Anne style terraces that once ran from 45 to 63 Macleay Street.
It is part of the surviving half of a set of 10 terraces, designed by architect Maurice B Halligan, some of them demolished to make way for the Chimes. 
 
</body></html>

Hemmes listing on Macleay Street, Potts Point offers option to buyer 

<html><body>
Multiplex has halted construction work at CBUS's high-rise jewel, the 447 Collins Street project after possible movement in precast structural columns on the half-built twin-tower project.
The concerns have triggered an urgent investigation by engineers at Collins Arch.
The decision comes after Sydney's Opal Tower issues with precast over the Christmas-New Year period.
The exact nature of the Pantscraper problem was not clear, according to a report by Nine Enertainment, with neither Multiplex nor its consultant engineers 4D Workshop giving more than limited details.
"A small number of minor column settlements have been identified on the 447 Collins Street project currently under construction," the companies said.
"The builder, Multiplex, places the utmost importance on safety and quality and has already commenced a detailed investigation into the cause, with structural design engineers currently inspecting the columns. As a precaution, work has temporarily stopped while that investigation takes place.”
Rob DiBlasi, 4D Workshop director, assured Collins Street pedestrians that the building was safe.
"There’s no issue with the structural integrity of the building," he told The Australian Financial Review.
"There are some minor issues with regard to precast columns."
CBUS has boasted Melbourne's skyline was to be transformed following the construction of a $1 billion luxury high-rise.
Called the "Pantscraper", after its twin towers joined by a sky bridge, Cbus Property's 42-storey mixed-use development comprises 49,000 square metres of premium-grade office space, a five-star W Hotel and 202 residential apartments.
Designed collaboratively by Melbourne-based Woods Bagot and New York-based SHoP Architects, the Pantscraper will dominate the skyline given its unique silhouette.
Three major legal firms, including King &amp; Wood Mallesons, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, and Gadens have committed to office space.
Completion was anticipated for late 2019.
The current design is the third, after earlier plans for a 100-storey tower and then a 47-storey tower were rejected, in part because of the shadow they would have cast on the nearby Yarra River.
Heritage groups have criticised the proposed park for being smaller than the 2800-square-metre plaza in front of the previous revered brutalist-style building on the site.
Above ground, the two towers meet at level 33. 
The possible fault of precast concrete on a $1.2 billion project in the heart of Melbourne's CBD will ignite to calls for reforms to Australia's construction industry.
The state have yet  to implement recommendations of last year's Shergold-Weir Building Confidence report.
</body></html>

Precast column movement concerns stops work at CBUS 447 Collins Street, Pantscraper twin tower project

<html><body>
Nine Entertainment has reported its chief executive Hugh Marks has been in contact with former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano and Thorney Investment Group chairman, Alex Waislitz over the future of the regional Domain property listings platform.
Bidders are currently in the due diligence on Nine's redundant regional news business, Australian Community Media, with the second round of offers due April 24.
The ACM business includes regional and community titles such as Horse Deals, Cotton &amp; Grain Outlook, Lotfeeding, Collie Mail, Wee Waa News, the Goondiwindi Advocate, Queensland Country Life, Macleay Valley Happynings (published every Wednesday) and the Dubbo Mailbox Shopper. There's also The Byron Shire Echo where Catalano has property interests.
The future of the challenged online real estate group Domain outside of Australia's two biggest cities is potentially in play as part of Nine Entertainment Co's desired sell-off of 170 regional and community newspapers.
Nine's Hugh Marks lunched with Catalano (above) and Waslitz at the Sydney CBD restaurant The Bentley last month, Nine Entertainment reported, sans advising what chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt served up.
However the Nine report did note Catalano is "considered loyal" to Domain, the realestate.com.au News Ltd competitor, notwithstanding the extraordinary attack on Catalano's character in the Australian Financial Review after his dramatic rumour-laden exit from Domain in January 2018.
Nine now owns 59 per cent of Domain.
Last November Catalano attempted to block the Fairfax-Nine merger in an eleventh hour folly that might have gained greater traction had he not left his bid until the Sunday evening before the Monday shareholders meeting.
At the time the SMH advised Catalano held about one per cent of Fairfax and Domain shares.
Jason Pellegrino, who replaced Catalano as its chief executive, has presided over a dramatic share slump.
The Domain shares were at $3.22 when he took over, and are now trading at $2.55 million giving rise to speculation, in The Australian, that the highly regarded Greg Elis could assume the top job following his return to Australia.
Domain director Greg Ellis was a guest on the table of investment giant KKR at the Sydney Institute’s 30th black tie dinner, the paper reported this week.
Ellis recently returned to Australia having finished his gig in Germany running digital real estate and car ads business Scout24, which was backed by private equity giant Hellman &amp; Friedman.
Between 2008 and 2013 Ellis was the boss of Australia’s biggest online real estate classifieds REA Group which now has a $9.8 billion capitalisation.
Domain has a current $1.49 billion market capitalisation. It hit the market with a $2.2 billion valuation under Catalano's leadership in late 2017.
 
<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/ex-domain-boss-antony-catalano-secures-new-role-20180530-p4zic0" data-track-relatedarticle="inarticlelink"></a>
<div class="_1lwW_">
<source media="(min-width: 1024px)" srcset="https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_1.061%2C$multiply_1%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_110/t_crop_custom/w_800/q_86%2Cf_auto/5bc9351f27d263b8108fc45e9459d81bc1bff1c7, https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_1.061%2C$multiply_1.51%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_110/t_crop_custom/w_1600/q_62%2Cf_auto/5bc9351f27d263b8108fc45e9459d81bc1bff1c7 2x"></source><source media="(min-width: 768px)" srcset="https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_1.061%2C$multiply_1%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_110/t_crop_custom/w_728/q_86%2Cf_auto/5bc9351f27d263b8108fc45e9459d81bc1bff1c7, https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_1.061%2C$multiply_1.37%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_110/t_crop_custom/w_1456/q_62%2Cf_auto/5bc9351f27d263b8108fc45e9459d81bc1bff1c7 2x"></source>
</div>
</body></html>

Antony Catalano seeking small-time backdoor Domain return

<html><body>
Bass Lodge, once the weekender of the family of the supermarket giant Coles, has sold for $6,775,000. 
It was bought by the Newell family who are behind manufacturing company Baron Rubber.
It was sold by the local Barr-Smith family, who paid $5.4 million in 2010 before restoring the grand 1915 built home.
Set on a vast 5,340 square metres, the home has four bedrooms, a formal sitting room, dining room, seven-car garage, wine cellar and an internal lift 
Kay &amp; Burton sold the home for a suburb record for a residential house, but failed to achieve near its initial $8 million to $8.5 million guide.
The record house price of $6.56 million was paid last year for the 2800 square metre 14 Bass Street.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/10/flinders%201.jpg" alt="">
It comes with four bedrooms, formal sitting room, dining room, light-filled kitchen, wide balcony with views across the water, and a seven-car garage. 
Other features include lift, wine cellar, guest kitchen and dining, concealed laundry, drying cupboard, cloakroom, powder room, plentiful storage, and split system heating and cooling.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/10/flinders%202.jpg" alt="">
Bass Lodge is ideally located just a few minutes walk to the shops, cafes and restaurants of the Village, the popular Flinders Hotel, the Flinders Golf Club, the beach and the pier.
The suburb's median house price sits at<a href="/developments/flinders-vic-3929"> $1.67 million</a> according to CoreLogic. 
</body></html>

Bass Lodge, Flinders trophy home sold for $6,775,000

<html><body>
Sydney's newest office building has set the record for the most expensive office rental in the Sydney CBD.
It is at an annual net face rate of more than $1800 a square metre at 60 Martin Place.
The 33-level premium-grade building topped out on Wednesday, in a project being undertaken by Investa Commercial Property Fund and Gwynvill Group.
Higher floors have been leased at an annual net face rent of more than $1800 a square metre, while lower floors were averaging around a net annual face rent of between $1200 to $1300 a square metre, Investa group executive Michael Cook said.
Its three latest tenant signings have taken leases of over 9000sq m on terms of between 10 to 15 years.
<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/2019/3/27/Martin1.jpg" alt="">
Flexible workspace provider International Workplace Group has agreed terms on 4500 square metres within the building's podium across levels one to three, with plans to use them as a co-working hub called "Spaces".
Financial services group, Munich Re secured 2600sq m of space on levels 27 and 28, moving out of its own building on Macquarie Street.
The Japan megabank, Mizuho Bank will relocate from 60 Margaret Street to levels 29 and 30, occupying 1900 square metres.
Other tenants which have committed to 60 Martin Place include Norton Rose Fullbright and Banco Chambers.
"The interesting thing is that incentives had been stubborn, and we are into the teens. I am surprised prices have been sticky on the way down but it is a function of the fact that a lot of organisations struggle to justify the capital expenditure of a fitout," Mr Cook told Nine Entertainment.
"There is more elasticity in rents than fitout costs. I would rather have my incentives and rents a little higher because we are producing a cashflow, and I use the incentives to support a cashflow."
Mr Cook said only four to five floors were still available for lease.
The HASSELL-designed building with state-of-the-art end-of-trip facilities is on track for September completion.
In 2016 Investa Office Management Pty Ltd raised $600 million in equity and another US$150 million through a US private placement after it acquired a 50 percent stake in the 40,000 sqm office redevelopment.
</body></html>

60 Martin Place sets record Sydney rent

One of North Sydney's best-known commercial buildings could become hundreds of new homes, with insurance giant Zurich Australia lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to transform 5 Blue Street into a mixed-use residential development above North Sydney Station.

Rather than demolishing the existing building and starting again, Zurich is proposing an adaptive reuse project that would convert the landmark office building into a 15-level residential development delivering 62 apartments, 86 affordable co-living dwellings, activated retail and significant upgrades to the Blue Street Plaza.

The proposal reflects a growing trend of commercial property owners repositioning ageing office assets into residential housing as Sydney grapples with housing supply shortages and changing workplace demand.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0bba7d12-06dc-4375-aad7-238c94b21ac5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.42.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=NJl5oLAEBDGuPmY3RnyliKODjMc8lvRh" />

Located directly above North Sydney Metro and train station, the 3,051 sqm site occupies one of the most strategically positioned parcels of land on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

Designed by fjcstudio, the proposal seeks to retain and adapt much of the existing structure while creating a contemporary residential address that better connects with the public domain surrounding North Sydney Station.

The application proposes two basement levels, ground floor retail, affordable co-living accommodation across the podium levels, and apartments above, while preserving and enhancing the publicly accessible Blue Street Plaza.

Rather than pursuing maximum apartment numbers, Zurich has opted for a housing mix heavily weighted towards larger owner-occupier residences.

The proposal includes 62 build-to-sell apartments comprising 12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom apartments and two premium penthouses. It also incorporates 86 affordable co-living dwellings, which would be managed in perpetuity by a Community Housing Provider.

That balance between traditional apartments and affordable housing reflects the NSW Government's push to increase housing diversity around major transport infrastructure.

The proposal has been lodged concurrently with a rezoning application, with Zurich arguing the site is ideally positioned to support additional housing given its immediate proximity to public transport, employment and services.

"The proposal aims to respond to the housing challenges facing Sydney through the delivery of diverse housing types in a highly accessible location," the design report by fjcstudio states. It also seeks to improve pedestrian amenity through upgrades to Blue Street Plaza while creating a high-performing residential building that responds to the surrounding context.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36082e15-c636-4481-bb68-5a5f6443fe39" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.41.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=5P6VD.fvmqjQfIG3TWWMRXxQWiQBjeFB" />

Rather than replacing the commercial building, fjcstudio has developed a design that works with the existing structural framework above the rail corridor, an approach that significantly reduces demolition while allowing the site to be repositioned as a mixed-use residential precinct.

The existing structural constraints have informed much of the building's design, including its relationship with Blue Street and surrounding public spaces.

The building has been designed as a slender tower rising above a clearly defined podium, with vertically expressed façades intended to reduce the perceived bulk while reinforcing North Sydney's emerging skyline.

According to fjcstudio, the architectural language responds directly to the surrounding commercial towers while maintaining a finer grain expression more closely aligned with the neighbouring Lavender Bay streetscape.

The tower incorporates articulated façade elements, landscaped podium edges and recessed upper levels to soften its appearance and improve pedestrian amenity below.

A significant component of the proposal is the revitalisation of Blue Street Plaza.

The existing public space has long served as one of the primary pedestrian connections between North Sydney Station, Greenwood Plaza and Blue Street, yet its role is expected to become even more important following the opening of Sydney Metro.

Zurich's proposal seeks to strengthen that role by improving landscaping, introducing new retail frontages, enhancing pedestrian permeability and creating more active edges throughout the day and evening.

Ground floor retail would wrap the plaza, while separate residential and co-living entries have been designed to improve wayfinding without reducing street activation.

Landscape design has been integrated throughout the podium and public realm, softening what is currently one of the most heavily urbanised parts of North Sydney.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

fjcstudio has carefully oriented apartments towards Sydney Harbour and the CBD while using privacy blades and articulated façades to minimise overlooking between neighbouring buildings.

Large framed openings along the western elevation maximise harbour outlooks, while the eastern apartments have been angled towards the south-east to improve privacy from neighbouring development.

The project forms part of the continuing transformation of North Sydney from a predominantly commercial CBD into a genuine mixed-use city centre.

Since the completion of Victoria Cross Metro Station, developers have increasingly shifted their attention towards residential projects capable of leveraging the area's unparalleled transport connectivity.

&nbsp;

FiveX recently lodged plans for a 61-storey, 490-apartment tower that would become one of the tallest residential buildings in North Sydney if approved.

Aqualand continues to expand its Lower North Shore presence following the completion of AURA on Walker Street and its recent St Leonards and Roseville proposals.

Developers are also progressing projects throughout Walker Street, Miller Street and the Victoria Cross precinct as demand for well-located owner-occupier apartments continues to strengthen.

Joel Robinson

First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station

Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.

The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.

The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.

<img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" />

The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;

PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.

The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.

Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.

"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.

Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.

A major focus of the design has been the public domain.

The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.

The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.

Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.

Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.

Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.

Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a>

Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]

It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.

Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]

The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.

Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.

At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.

The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]

Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.

The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]

The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.

The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]

Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.

Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]

The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.

The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.

The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.

"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.

"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."

Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]

Otello launches wellness-focused Flowe Bowden with Adelaide-first mass timber apartment design

Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.

Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.

Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.

Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.

For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.

Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.

Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.

<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/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.

The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.

That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.

Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.

It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.

For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.

Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

Inca Property Group has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Dawn, a 53-apartment oceanfront development overlooking Mona Vale Beach.

The proposal, at 35-39 Darley Street East, would replace an existing 18-apartment strata building with a new owner-occupier-focused development comprising 53 two and three-bedroom apartments, including nine affordable built-to-rent residences delivered under the State's infill affordable housing scheme.

Positioned on a 2,679 sqm elevated site around 280 metres from Mona Vale Beach, the development has been designed to maximise panoramic ocean views while responding to the site's sloping topography.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/inca-property-group">Inca Property Group</a> Managing Director Josh Thompson said the State Significant pathway provided greater certainty for projects of this scale.

"This State Significant pathway gives the team real certainty to progress <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dawn-35-39-darley-street-east-mona-vale-nsw-2103">Dawn</a> through to completion," Thompson said.

"It allows us to acquire a one-off site, design it carefully and deliver the right offering for the suburb, assessed by the NSW Government's planning department."

The project is one of the first developments in the area to be assessed under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, with the site sitting on the edge of the policy's designated inner area.

The proposal includes three basement levels providing 124 car spaces, alongside a range of resident amenities including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, wellness facilities and private plunge pools for selected ground-floor and penthouse apartments.

<img alt="Dawn" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc1a1daf-0ce4-4f12-9076-b1fa553c7a91" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-21%20at%208.42.11%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4GZ9h.gpNkTljbxyAET8Jfhv51XUamDm" />

Thompson said Dawn had been designed specifically for owner-occupiers and downsizers, a buyer profile that has driven demand across Inca's recent Upper North Shore developments.

"The majority of buyers in our recent North Shore projects have been downsizers, and we are learning exactly what this market is looking for. Beyond the location itself, we have included resort-style amenities to deliver a genuine lifestyle offering," Thompson said.

Located within walking distance of Mona Vale Beach, the town centre, Mona Vale Golf Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Dawn represents Inca's first Northern Beaches project following the sell-out of Tara on Park in Waitara and Ellis Residences, currently under construction in St Ives.

Construction will be undertaken by Inca's in-house construction arm, GOP Constructions.

Dawn is the latest major apartment proposal for Mona Vale, with the suburb emerging as one of the key beneficiaries of the NSW Government's new Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy.

New developer One Living, led by industry veteran Joseph Scuderi, recently secured a site on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, where it is planning around 140 apartments.

IPM is also planning its third project in Mona Vale, significantly increasing the scale of its previous developments with an 82-apartment proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/159-167-darley-street-west-mona-vale-nsw-2103">159-167 Darley Street West</a>, opposite Bayview Golf Course and less than 800 metres from Mona Vale town centre.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/one-living-enters-sydneys-new-apartment-market-with-northern-beaches-site-acquisition">One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-ipm-plans-third-mona-vale-project">First look: IPM plans third Mona Vale project</a>

Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News