<html><body>
Double Bay estate agent Michael Pallier will leave Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay after 11 years to head Sotheby's Sydney flagship after a three year absence from the Australian market.
''We know the overseas market has some exceptional properties but now we have the opportunity to showcase our finest to the world,'' Pallier told his local paper, The Wentworth Courier.
The first Sydney property to be listed under the Sotheby's brand will be a 2,000-square-metre estate on the Vaucluse waterfront with $25 million-plus price expectations.
The agency will compete with Christies International and Savills, the other international residential agencies with a strong presence in Australia.
Pallier says joining Sotheby's is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He can't advise on the sign-up franchise fee or the ongoing commissions of possibly five percent or higher.
He was previously at Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay, having taken up real estate in late 1997 at McGrath after being a leading Mercedes car salesman. His clients from his car sales days have continued to deal with him including most recently, Stephen Brown, the boss of the 1st Fleet trucking company, and his wife, Corrine.
Pallier's earliest property listing in March 1998 was the Rose Bay unit of the retired ballet dancer Anna di Cardi for $420,000. His next listing was Radford, one of the two contemporary Point Piper waterfronts built on the Paradis sur Mer site, which sold to the Magid family at $7.35 million.
He left McGrath for Laing &amp; Simmons Double Bay and has been at Raine &amp; Horne since 2001.
"I have the highest respect for the Raine family and I would not have left for any other brand but this is Sotheby's and it's a chance to be part of a worldwide network,'' says the agent, who secured over $200 million in property sales in 2010-2011.
Pallier has signed an exclusive 25-year master franchise agreement with Sotheby's, and fellow Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay agents Warren Davis and James McCowan will join him at the re-activated agency.
McCowan will take up the role of Sotheby's NSW and ACT director of sales.
The Sydney office will be located at Double Bay, with additional offices planned in Sydney's north shore and CBD between 2013 and 2015.
It was in 2009 when the prestigious international art auction house sold its Australian arm to a rival company headed by Sydney businessman and auctioneer Tim Goodman that the real estate side of the company was closed.
This week Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay, led by principals Martin Maskin, Barry Goldman, Ric Serrao and Mark Goldman, beat off challenges from the likes of Raine &amp; Horne Gladstone and Raine &amp; Horne Darwin, to scoop most of the major office annual awards within the Raine &amp; Horne network including Top Office (Number of Sales), Top Office (Dollar Value) and Top Office (Auction Listings).
Mr Serrao grabbed second place in the Top Salesperson (Dollar Value) category and was runner-up in the Top Principal 
(Number of Sales) behind Raine &amp; Horne Charmhaven’s Andrew Sorensen.
“We’ve come a long way since our foundation as a small office with just four real estate agents in 2001,” says Mr Maskin.</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Michael Pallier quits R&H to re-open Sotheby's Australian real estate office

<html><body>
A high-profile Melbourne buyers' agent has called for the introduction of a limit on the number of vendor bids allowed to be placed at Victorian property auctions.
There is no cap on the number of vendor bids at Victorian auctions.
Buyers' agent Frank Valentic’s call came after he attended a recent Clayton auction where the auctioneer placed three vendor bids.
“Should we allow only one like NSW?” Valentic tweeted.
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FrankValentic"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/valentictweet.jpg"></a>
Peter Mericka, who runs the Lawyers Conveyancing website, has noted previously that the legislation permits an auction to be "crippled" if mutiple permissible vendor bids are used by the auctioneer.
Robert Larocca, the REIV spokesman suggested "auctioneers must make a judgement on what's in the best interest of their client."
Many auctioneers are loathe to lodge more than two vendor bids, one to open and another to close proceedings where buyer interest is restrained.
But last October there were three vendor bids when the West Hawthorn home of former Hawthorn AFL premiership captain Sam Mitchell was <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/victoria/former-hawthorn-captain-sam-mitchell-s-house-passed-in-at-auction/2011101651947">passed in at its weekend auction</a>.
The onsite auction opened with a $1.05 million vendor bid. There was then a $1.1 million vendor bid. It concluded with a $1.15 vendor bid.
”Three or four of you have been through three or four times,” said the auctioneer Steve Abbott as he tried to get a bid. It subsequently was sold by Mitchell for $1.18 million. 
In May a Gordon Street, Clifton Hill house was passed in at $980,000 after the Collin Simms auctioneer Antony Woodley placed four vendor bids.
"Unfold the arms, sir," he implored one attendee, but to no avail. It subsequently sold for $1,049,500.
At a late 2010 auction in West Melbourne four vendor bids were placed on an offering with a touted $680,000 selling price. It was passed in at $650,000 and sold a month later at $685,000.
In 2004 the REIV chief executive Enzo Raimondo suggested: "If no one is showing interest, there is not much point using five or six vendor bids."
Industry reform elsewhere to the auction vendor bidding process is already underway following new industry advice that changes how agents conduct post-auction negotiations after vendor bid auctions.
Under the Victorian sale of land regulations, when a Victorian property is passed in on a genuine bid, the estate agent must negotiate immediately and first with the highest bidder.
However what’s not been spelt out in the law is what happens when a property is passed in on a vendor bid.
Common practice, according to a recent report in The Sunday Age, is that an agent is free to negotiate with anyone.
But a legal memo issued by the pro-active Real Estate Institute of Victoria advises its members that free-for-all negotiations was no longer considered best practice.
"[The REIV's solicitor] is now inclined to the view the vendor should negotiate with the bidder whose bid immediately preceded the auctioneer's vendor bid that closed the auction," REIV members have been advised.
“This scenario is more in line with the intent of [the regulations], as that bidder is the 'highest bidder' before the vendor bid is made."
Thus, if a genuine bid is received before the final vendor bid an agent would have to deal with that bidder first rather than throw the process open to all comers.
The advice does not apply if no genuine buyer bids were received during the auction.
REIV data shows that more than 40% of all properties going under the hammer are currently being passed in, with nearly two in three of them on vendor bids.
Chris Vedelago, The Sunday Age's property reporter, noted the advice was sent to REIV members at the end of last month.
 
 
</body></html>

Vendor bid auction reform needed: Melbourne buyers' agent call

<html><body>
Interior designer Tina De Salis has listed the Castlecrag home that she's modernised since she purchased it for $2.59 million in 2009.
The 1960s home has five bedrooms. It sits on a 696-square-metre mostly level block on The Redoubt.
Mark O'Brien of Richardson &amp; Wrench Castlecrag &amp; Northbridge has the listing for <a href="https://www.rwnc.com.au/506596/">September 12 auction </a>with $3 million-plus hopes.
Property Observer has contrasting then (below left) and now (below right) images from the two sales campaigns.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/castlecrag1.jpg">
Edward de Salis and Tina de Salis, who is a partner in Tina &amp; Louise Interiors, has just had it photographed for Belle and Vogue Interiors, no doubt attracted by the decorative wallpapers by Vivienne Westwood for Cole &amp; Son.
It was designed and built by architect Ervin Mahrer in 1966 with its solid brick and reinforced concrete, extensive use of Californian redwood, mudgee slate stone walls, and polished brushbox flooring.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/castlecrag2.jpg">
<a href="https://www.randw.com.au/65601/">Mahrer sold in 2009 </a> through Mark O'Brien, but went back at the weekend inspection to take a quiet look at his former home of 43 years.
Positioned highside in one of the Crag's sought-after cul-de-sac's, it has a  north to rear aspect.
Orhan Ayyüce, the senior editor for Archinect, <a target="_blank" href="https://archinect.com/orhan">recently noted</a> Ervin Mahrer was a Hungarian immigrant and a great modernist architect in Sydney.
"He is still active and designing buildings in his 80s," Ayyüce blogged.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/castlecrag3.jpg">
The property at 2 to 4 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach, is an Ervin Mahrer design.
Ayyüce described its as a beautiful apartment building overlooking Bondi Beach.
"Great capture of the sculptural aspect of the building as it beautifully takes the curve of the street and the slope," he observed.
Title Tattle recalls the 30-unit block – most recently updated by Stanic Harding – was built by Bill Shipton in 1981, with the venture capital provided by tycoon Kerry Packer.
</body></html>

With dash of Vivienne Westwood wallpaper, designer Tina De Salis lists Castlecrag mid-century home as past meets present

<html><body>
Chasing yielding in the range of 8 to 10%, property syndicates have emerged as the dominant player in WA’s commercial property market in 2012.
They are accounting for more than half of all major commercial sales and continuing to look for opportunities, according to Knight Frank.
The company recently sold 1 Adelaide Terrace (pictured below), which is being syndicated by GDI Property Group for $102.55 million. It sits adjacent to the 40-hectare urban renewal project called Riverside that will extend Perth's CBD grid down to the waters edge. The property fund manager GDI launched the unlisted GDI No 36 Perth CBD Office Trust earlier this month seeking to raise $65 million of equity.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/1adelaide3.jpg">
GDI suggested its purchase of $102.55 million from Fortius Funds Management reflected a yield of more than 10%.
The 1 Adelaide Terrace property is an A-grade office building totalling 19,825 square metres that was when offered earlier this year 95% leased to five blue-chip office tenants, including the WA government and ASX-listed companies.
The award-winning seven-storey building formerly the headquarters of Woodside was built with large floor plates ranging from approximately 2,500 to 3,000 square metres.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/1adelaide4.jpg">
The building has an extensive curved glazed façade with views across landscaped parklands to the Swan River.
The prominent location will be further enhanced with completion of the Frasers suites development directly opposite and the proposed Waterbank project.
It followed on from other significant syndicator purchases of 255-267 St Georges, which sold for $26.7 million.
Another syndication came at 251 St Georges Terrace, which sold for $61.3 million.
Knight Frank managing director John Corbett says syndicates have always been active in the Perth market, but in 2012 they have become the truly dominant player across both the commercial and industrial sectors.
He says while individual developers and private investors struggled to obtain financing in the current market, syndicates are able to bring together a myriad cashed-up smaller investors to secure larger properties.
“The market is working in the favour of syndicators like GDI and Primewest, who have established track records and have excellent data bases of potential investors,” Corbett says.
“Many smaller investors are being frustrated by the lack of quality properties in the $1 million to $5 million range, so the option of being part of a larger purchase is quite appealing.”
“At the same time the traditional competitors for the larger properties are being restricted by issues like flexibility and bank financing.”
Corbett says small investors are also able to secure better yields as part of a syndication, with yields in the range of 8-9% currently being achieved.
“It is still very much a buyers' market, and the syndicators are making hay while the sun shines,” Corbett says.
“The large super funds and other investors will soon be getting more aggressive with their strategies, but for now the syndicators are cherry-picking the best deals.”
</body></html>

Chasing yields of 8 to 10%, property syndicate investors seek Perth offices

<html><body>
An international design competition for the central precinct of Sydney’s massive 22 hectare Barangaroo urban renewal project will be launched this month.
The Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) will seek proposals for the site, which sits between Lend Lease’s $6?billion Barangaroo South development and the new Headland Park.
The winner will provide a revised concept plan for the 5.2 hectare site.
The BDA said it expected to appoint a team in time to start work in early 2013.
The central precinct is expected to be dominated by cultural and civic facilities, with spaces for recreation, events and entertainment.
BDA chief executive John Tabart said the precinct would be a “stimulating new place with commercial and cultural development, creating spaces for living, work and leisure”.
“This is a rare opportunity for the future of Sydney. What is eventually designed at Barangaroo Central will shape how people experience Barangaroo in the future,” John Tabart said.
“On the western edge of Sydney’s CBD, Barangaroo is a 22 hectare former container port, being transformed into a vital new extension of the city, as a new global financial hub and the spectacular Headland Park,” he added.
“Playing a pivotal role between these two icons, is Barangaroo Central, planned to be a stimulating new place with commercial and cultural development, creating spaces for living work and leisure.
“We are looking for a world class team, with the skills and experience to collaborate with the Authority to provide master planning services that achieve the vision and objectives for Barangaroo Central,” he said.
</body></html>

International design competition for Barangaroo cultural and civic precinct

<html><body>
FKP Property Group boss Peter Brown will step down as managing director by February continuing the exodus of veteran chief executives from Australia’s listed property sector companies.
Its adds to the departure of Stockland’s boss, Matthew Quinn, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/why-stockland-s-departing-ceo-matthew-quinn-is-leaving-on-a-win-despite-fallin-profits-bartholomeusz/2012080855926" target="_blank">who unexpectedly handed in his resignation last month</a>, and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/mirvac-s-nick-collishaw-surprise-departure-that-hands-reins-to-susan-lloyd-hurwitz/2012081556038" target="_blank">the departure of Mirvac boss Nick Collishaw last week.</a>
Late last year<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/industry-news/no-changing-course-for-dexus-as-darren-steinberg-readies-to-step-in/2011112852577" target="_blank"> Dexus chief executive Victor Hoog Antink led the charge</a> with his retirement.
Brown has been in charge at the FKP since 2002, having replaced the founding managing director Rod Forrester. 
His departure comes after Brown signed an open-ended contract in June last year.
At the time he indicated to the board that he did not intend to stay more than four years.
While a search is under way for Brown's replacement, chairman Seng Huang Lee will assume the position of executive chairman. Seng Huang Lee is the head of FKP’s largest shareholder, Mulpha.
The Malaysian conglomerate Mulpha owns 26% of FKP, a property developer and retirement village owner that has more than $4 billion worth of assets under management.
In 1999 Forrester headed one of Queensland's largest property developers, Forrester Kurts Properties, with total assets of more than $270 million and annual sales of more than $200 million.
The company announces its full year results on August 28.
</body></html>

FKP's Peter Brown to step down as lightening strikes thrice in the property sector

<html><body>
The Pomeroy, Potts Point, apartment of the slain Sydney racing identity Les Samba has been finally sold, some 14 months after its initial listing.
Listed for sale with $2.75 million initial hopes through Richardson &amp; Wrench Elizabeth Bay, the Macleay Street unit fetched $2.1 million.
Its most recent list price was $2,295,000.
It cost $1.7 million when bought off the plan by Samba Group Pty Ltd in 2003 from the Winten development group, with settlement in 2004.
The Pomeroy apartment came with extensive 54-sqare-metre terrace overlooking the Yellow House on Macleay Street but went without more than one forlorn potted planting during the eight-year ownership.
It's been bought by veterinarian Raoul Wanner and his wife, Ingrid.
Samba was shot dead as he tried to flee from a gunman police believe lured him to an ambush on a busy street in Melbourne's bayside suburb of Middle Park in February last year. His unsolved murder was the subject to a recent Four Corners program.
The Sydney-based Samba, a former horse trainer, was considered an expert judge of yearlings and was a big spender at sales around the country for many years.
He and his family owned several top racehorses and had success with the 2006 Victoria Derby runner-up Gorky Park. In 1969, Samba was the strapper for Rain Lover when it won the Melbourne Cup.
</body></html>

Les Samba's Pomeroy Potts Point apartment sells

<html><body>
High Plains Lodge in Dinner Plain has been sold for $1.11 million under the hammer.
There were four keen bidders who drove proceedings from an opening bid of $700,000 to $1.11 million.
Colliers International agents Hamish Burgess and Jeremy Gruzewski, in conjunction with John Castran of John H. Castran Real Estate, had the 185 Big Muster Drive, Dinner Plain property listed under instructions from HLB Mann Judd.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/highplains1.jpg">
“Following a recent price correction in alpine property, there is now lively interest from cash buyers looking for owner-operator and lifestyle opportunities,” Burgess says.
Gruzewski says the campaign generated more than 30 enquiries from across Victoria and interstate, with one would-be buyer bidding over the telephone from Perth.
“This sale represented a genuinely unique opportunity to acquire a substantial alpine freehold property at a very attractive price point,” Gruzewski says.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/08/highplains2.jpg">
The 18-room lodge near Mount Hotham comprises 18 ensuite rooms, along with a manger’s quarters, balcony areas, a licensed bar/restaurant, commercial kitchen and conference room.
The 1,375-square-metre lodge is a short distance from Mt Hotham by car or shuttle bus, and was about 10 minutes from Mt Hotham Airport (QantasLink).
Burgess says local and interstate owner-occupiers had shown keen interest in the property, which had been expected to attract bids in the vicinity of around $800,000 plus.
The property was being offered with vacant possession and as a going concern. The agents weren’t able to go into detail about the purchaser.
</body></html>

High Plains Lodge in Dinner Plain sells for $1.1 million in hotly contested snow auction

<html><body>
Staff from rival Beiling real estate agencies have been caught slugging out their differences in a bloody brawl on the street.
Fists flew as more than 20 well-dressed men came to blows outside the office of the real estate company on a busy city street.
No one has yet concluded precisely what the battle was about, although Beijing Cream suggests its a turf war – white-shirted men on one side and light-blue-shirted men on the other.
Except the white-shirted one attacking his own, which just confuses everything.
<a href="https://twitter.com/beijingcream" target="_blank"><img src="/images/stories/2012/08/beijingcream.jpg"></a>
</body></html>

Fists fly in Chinese real estate agent brawl: Tweet of the day

<html><body>
<img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">
Los Angeles self-betterment entreprenuer Siimon Reynolds is selling his Double Bay bachelor pad (pictured above). Last traded for $788,000 in 1997, the two-bedroom 1930s apartment was then renovated by BKH architect Ian Halliday in collaboration with architect and feng shui master Howard Choy. His late mother, Jennifer, had spent years house-hunting with her numerical disciple son indulging his quest to find the perfect property, with the right "lucky" number: apartment 3, number 1.
Title Tattle recalls the then Nationwide Realty auction, which had a total 133 bids, ending the six years of searching.  It was deemed the location had good feng shui elements; it’s near water, with a hill behind and a park nearby. The apartment is also a pure rectangle, which is apparently considered auspicious. Sydney architect Howard Choy had been applying classical feng shui principles in his local practice for more than two decades when he was commissioned by Reynolds.
“Feng shui is defined through energy,” he once said. “It’s the flow and containment of energy in our environment.” 
Practised widely throughout China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries feng shui – literally "wind" and "water" – is the belief that aspects of a living environment can affect a person's health, happiness and prosperity. Among the beliefs commonly held by Chinese about properties include not having the front entrance directly opposite the back door because the family's earnings will pass through the house
The Wiston Gardens, Double Bay abode has been listed through BHR agents Daniel Baran and Reece Coleman, who expect more than $1.5 million. It has just the aeroplane galley kitchen given Reynolds typically ate out during his bachelorhood and a bath as big as a room given his predilection to read during lengthy baths. The <a href="https://www.mybhr.com/509232/">Double Bay offering </a>had been scheduled to be auctioned by BHR Estate Agents on May 30, but who knows why, its instead rescheduled to September 18.
Reynolds, who married the writer, pop culture commentator and television presenter Kathryn Eisman in a ceremony at Palm Springs in the US last year, came to fame at 21 when appointed creative director at Grey Advertising in 1986. His belief in numerology saw his adding another "i" to his name on the advice of a fortune teller/numerologist, whom he found when he was 17. He'd been told  if he put an extra 'i' in his name, he'd be famous and successful. O<a href=""></a>f course many have since tried since to emulate his numerological pathway, as noted by Doug Anderson, the irreplaceable SMH television columnist, who recently referred his devoted readers to Dannii Minogue and The Shire participant Beckaa.
<img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg"> Even the selling price – not just the street number and name of the owner – means much when it comes to property nunerology, which could put Siimon in a quandry. Preferably without any 4s in the sale price as of <a href=""></a>course in Chinese numerology four means death. Something with a 3 and 8 could be a good figure because three is a lucky number and eight stands for riches. Last year in Castle Cove on Sydney’s Middle Harbour a mainland Chinese buyer paid $6.006 million through Adam Ross and Shayne Harris of Savills Residential, in conjunction with Raine &amp; Horne World Square, for the impressive Neerim Road offering. Its Hong Kong-based expatriate owner had no qualms about there being no rounding down, as one would typically expect. Neerim House, an even more opulent estate in Castle Cove, last sold in 2005 for $9,008,000. Its an eight-bedroom mansion on 9,400 square metres of waterfront reserve overlooking Middle Harbour thats currently listed for sale. This year's oddest price in Castle Cove has been $1,291,588.   
<img style="margin: 5px; float: left;" src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg">Numerology isn't just about mystic well being as Title Tattle recalls the strong opposition from residents of Churchill Street Jamberoo a few years back when Kiama Municipal Council sought to re-number properties in the street to allow four new lots. When first proposed the Churchill Street residents expressed concerns over several issues surrounding the re-numbering including the legal status of property records, even the postie's likely confusion. One resident expressed an unwillingness to change because his house number served as his "lucky number". The council's response was: "Council ... and many other organisations make no allowances for the application of numbers in regard to lucky numbers, religious or cultural value, astrology, numerology or otherwise." Apparently renumbering had happened in Riverside Drive without a fuss. Title Tattle recalls that Cr Monique Dare-Ward was a Churchill Street resident and was living at number 50 – rather than 38 – until her house sold in May this year for $565,000. As she was a Churchill Street resident, Dare-Ward was excluded from the vote – a spooky 4-4 deadlock – only split by mayor Sandra McCarthy's casting vote.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="margin: 5px; float: left;">Smart real estate agents have learnt much about feng shui since Asian migrants started to see Australia as a desirable residential destination.  Although few agents still know much about the spiritual origins of feng shui (pronounced fong shwee), it's now almost part of our real estate cliches along with position, position, position. Just recently the penthouse in the Residence overlooking was marketed through CBRE by the developer Galileo Group with emphasis on it being apartment number 88 at 18 College Street. Not that it's all gone perfectly to date, as the 800-square-metre penthouse came close to setting a new price record for an apartment last year but at the last minute an offer fell through. The block's most recent developer stock sale was $3.85 million for a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.laing.com.au/518730/">three-bedroom 14th-floor apartment</a> through Simon Polito at Laing Estate Agents. He's yet to see the need for any extra 'i's!
 
</body></html>

Siimon Reynolds hopes his auction number comes up right September 18: Title Tattle

ASX-listed developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/stockland">Stockland</a>&nbsp;is continuing its push back into the new apartment market, filing plans for a prominent gateway site between Collingwood and East Melbourne.

The development giant, which moved back into the new apartment space when it announced Stanton Place in Sydney's Rosebery and have since filed plans for a 50-storey tower, are jumping into the off the plan Melbourne market.

They are hoping to create a mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/79-81-victoria-parade-collingwood-vic-3066">79-81 Victoria Parade</a>, replacing an existing commercial building with a scheme by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/john-wardle-architects">Wardle</a>&nbsp;for 478 apartments,&nbsp;ground-floor retail, new public open spaces and a publicly accessible pedestrian laneway.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="72dbbca9-3918-4073-afad-a0c0c35be8e7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%20pers.png?VersionId=bzMVUKKxvwuNK1m0v_td126Rgct32uk_" />

The design report identifies the public realm as a central driver of the proposal.

"Collingwood has limited access to high-quality parks and public open space, and the proposal delivers valuable new areas for respite, social interaction and fine-grain retail activity."

The development would deliver a diverse mix of housing, including studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments alongside townhouse-style residences. Two basement levels are proposed beneath the development, providing resident and retail parking as well as extensive bicycle facilities.

Wardle's design draws heavily on Collingwood's industrial character, using articulated building forms, brickwork and robust materials inspired by the suburb's warehouse and manufacturing heritage. The built form has been broken into a series of smaller volumes to better respond to the surrounding streetscape while extensive communal gardens, rooftop amenities and shared resident spaces are integrated throughout the project.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7b2135ed-65df-4253-ad53-f216f06bd467" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%20podium.png?VersionId=l1B6Hqn8zs772VxH6L1fDPg0KHshan9v" />

The planning documents describe the existing office building as offering little engagement with the public realm, with the redevelopment intended to create a more permeable and active neighbourhood destination.

"The proposed scheme presents a significant opportunity to deliver a vibrant retail plaza and a local neighbourhood hub serving both existing and future Collingwood residents."

The 79–81 Victoria Parade site occupies a strategic location about 1.5 kilometres east of Melbourne's CBD, at the threshold between Collingwood and East Melbourne. It is well served by tram services along Victoria Parade and sits within walking distance of St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy Gardens, the Fitzroy activity centre and a broad range of employment, retail and hospitality destinations.

Joel Robinson

Stockland plans new mixed-use neighbourhood precinct for Collingwood gateway site

An 1880s timber cottage that has survived Kangaroo Point's transformation from riverside suburb to high-density apartment precinct is set to become the centrepiece of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/zephyr">Zephyr Group</a>'s proposed Banksia development.

Rather than see the locally heritage-listed Alpha Cottage as an obstacle to navigate, plans integrate the landmark home into a new 18-storey residential tower, giving one of the suburb's oldest surviving residences a new role as the project's communal hub.

The development application covers a 1,177 sqm amalgamated site at 127-133 Lambert Street and 30 Shafston Avenue, where Zephyr Group plans to deliver 64 apartments above three basement levels. Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/joe-adsett-architects">Joe Adsett Architects</a>, the proposal carefully weaves the retained heritage cottage into a contemporary residential scheme, with the tower elevated above the historic building to preserve its presence within the Lambert Street streetscape.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f9dc5bdb-d691-4c60-bf2b-c3ed405a3e75" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Banksia.png?VersionId=Jh4bjlewU.o8HXWt0V4KaFA_lPcF7KWM" />

Named after the native Australian Banksia flower, the project draws inspiration from its distinctive form through curved balconies, sculpted planter boxes and cascading subtropical landscaping that soften the building's profile.

As the design report explains: "The tower's identity is defined by its feature facade, drawing direct inspiration from the Banksia wildflower. The building departs from traditional rigidity through the use of elegant, GRC-moulded planter boxes that appear as if shaped by the breeze."

Plans propose 64 apartments, comprising 32 two-bedroom and 32 three-bedroom residences, across an 18-storey tower. Residents would have access to rooftop amenities including a swimming pool, spa, gym, sauna, private cinema, dining spaces and landscaped recreation areas, while more than half the site is dedicated to planting and open space.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="16041b5f-033e-47fa-8fbe-9886e072c1f2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pool.png?VersionId=kpx5w4EbLx0_TdWfDoD1vrSs0_cZ5Ao1" />

The heritage component is the defining feature of the proposal. Constructed in the early 1880s and occupied from at least 1883, Alpha Cottage is recognised by Brisbane City Council as an important surviving example of Kangaroo Point's nineteenth-century residential development and as a representative transverse-gable timber cottage. Despite extensive redevelopment across the peninsula, the building has retained a high degree of its original form and internal fabric.

As part of the redevelopment, the cottage will be carefully relocated a short distance within its original allotment to facilitate construction before being returned to a prominent position along Lambert Street. Original verandah elements will be dismantled, catalogued and reinstated, while significant internal features, including timber flooring, wall linings, joinery, doors, windows and hardware, will be retained. Later additions, including the enclosed rear verandah, will be removed to better reveal the building's original form.

Once restored, Alpha Cottage will accommodate the building manager's office, mail room and parcel facilities, providing an active everyday use that supports its long-term conservation rather than preserving it as a static display. The heritage strategy also maintains landscaped space around the building, allowing it to remain visually distinct beneath the new tower.

<img alt="First look: Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="43b027e1-576e-4624-a66c-7cc54ea8b7be" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/banksia%20tower.png?VersionId=2W6E2yfkj2AQlWlLeV986grA5zB9f817" />

The Heritage Impact Assessment concludes that "the proposal secures the ongoing occupation, maintenance and conservation of Alpha Cottage," finding the development would result in "no more than a minor impact on the cultural heritage significance" of the building while ensuring its long-term future.

Joe Adsett Architects have designed the tower to sit above the heritage building rather than overwhelm it, creating a clear visual separation between old and new. The development's flowing balconies, integrated planting and organic façade respond to Brisbane's subtropical climate while complementing the restored cottage below.

Banksia occupies a prominent corner in Kangaroo Point within walking distance of the Kangaroo Point Bridge, Brisbane River, ferry services, QUT, the CBD and the Woolloongabba precinct. The site also benefits from direct access to active transport infrastructure and sits within an area earmarked for continued higher-density residential growth.

Zephyr Group's Banksia to wrap new Kangaroo Point tower around 1880s Alpha Cottage

Buying into a masterplanned community often means committing to a vision still years from taking shape. At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a>, that vision is already visible.

Residents have moved into the completed first stage, landscaped spaces are established, and the next chapter is now underway. Stage 1 has been completed and settled, with Stage 2 now selling off-the-plan.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/pbd-architects">PBD Architects</a>, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> combines attainable apartment living with sustainability initiatives rarely seen at this price point, including rooftop solar, battery storage and a resident EV-sharing program.

<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/6RNt3AvtBpI?si=JUhuCV2ZRXsYaoJZ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Located on Schofi​elds Road, just moments from Tal​lawong Metro Station and Schof​ields Train Station, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been designed to appeal to a broad mix of buyers, from first-home purchasers looking for a foothold in Sy​dney's property market to downsizers seeking a connected, low-maintenance lifestyle.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> has been conceived as a thoughtfully planned masterplanned community that will evolve over multiple stages, with buyers now able to secure one, two and three-bedroom apartments within a neighbourhood that is already beginning to establish its identity.

One of the project's defining features is its focus on sustainability. Solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure have been incorporated throughout the development, reflecting a long-term approach to both environmental performance and everyday convenience.

Sustainability sits at the centre of the development's vision, with solar energy systems, battery storage and future EV charging infrastructure integrated throughout the community.

That emphasis on future-ready living extends beyond the technology. Landscaped communal gardens, outdoor gathering spaces and plans for a future retail precinct aim to create a neighbourhood where residents can access daily conveniences without travelling far from home.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351027]

The apartments themselves have been designed with liveability front of mind. Rather than chasing maximum density, the focus has been placed on creating practical homes with generous natural light, usable layouts and strong connections to outdoor space.

Importantly, these design principles have been applied consistently across the one, two and three-bedroom apartment offerings.

The appeal of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> is also closely linked to its location within Syd​ney's rapidly evolving north-west growth corridor. Over the past decade, major infrastructure investment has transformed the area, with new transport links, business precincts and community facilities reshaping suburbs like Talla​wong and Schofiel​ds.

The agent says buyers are increasingly recognising the area's long-term potential.

"Typical buyers that we're finding across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> especially are your first-home buyers, your investors, your upsizers as well as your downsizers," Hawes says.

Connectivity remains one of the project's strongest drawcards. Residents have access to both Tallaw​ong Metro Station and Schofi​elds Train Station, providing links to the Sydn​ey CBD, Norw​est Business Park, Macquari​e Park and other major employment hubs. Retail centres including Rous​e Hill Town Centre and Sch​ofields Village are also nearby, alongside schools, parks and future healthcare infrastructure.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351031]

For Stage 1 resident Roji, it is the balance between convenience and comfort that has defined the experience of living at Kew.

"For me, it's a balance of quality and convenience," she says. "Everything I need is right here."

"If I wanted to catch the train, Scho​fields Station is just around the corner. Tallaw​ong Metro connects me to the city."

More importantly, she says, the development has delivered something that cannot be measured in floorplans or specifications.

"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> feels like home."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149637 project_image_fid=351024]

As Stage 2 enters the market, that lived experience may be one of the project's strongest selling points. Buyers are not purchasing into an untested concept or a future promise. They are joining a community that is already taking shape.

Ongoing investment in transport, retail, healthcare and public open space continues to strengthen the appeal of Syd​ney's north-west growth corridor, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a>'s established first stage provides buyers with a tangible sense of the community's future direction.

For a limited time, buyer can secure a new home at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kew-tallawong-23-27-schofields-road-tallawong-nsw-2762">Kew Tallawong</a> with just a $10,000.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149637]

Kew Tallawong: A growing community taking shape in Sydney's north-west

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/freecity">Freecity</a> has received development approval for its 51-storey mixed-use tower at 153-157 Walker Street, North Sydney, set to be one of the tallest mixed-use residential-led buildings in one of Sydney’s most sought-after commercial and residential addresses.

Lodged as a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) through the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) pathway and approved by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure following a comprehensive public exhibition and submissions process, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/153-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">the project</a> will deliver 296 apartments, alongside a 170-room, luxury hotel, activated retail and significant public domain improvements.

Situated just 200 metres from Victoria Cross Metro Station, on one of the largest developable sites in North Sydney, the development will rise to 234 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the suburb. With an end value of approximately $1.5 billion, the project responds directly to the NSW Government’s mandate to accelerate housing delivery in well-located, transit-connected areas.

<img alt="Freecity gets green light for mixed-use residential and hotel tower in North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="192ec455-94bf-4e01-83ef-922b1b269d67" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Freecity%20-%20Walker%20Street%20North%20Sydney%201%20RESIZED%20.jpg?VersionId=Bzqp0SBHCDvLAHjA4QXkjuGoOEIh73Jl" />

The apartment mix will cater to a broad range of buyers, with 65 studio and one-bedroom apartments, 139 two-bedroom residences, 35 three-bedroom apartments, 48 four-bedroom homes, and nine penthouses. Residents will have access to a dedicated amenity level on Level 33, featuring a swimming pool with views towards the Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and North Sydney CBD, as well as a gym, library, shared kitchen, lounge and outdoor entertaining areas.

The hotel will occupy the lower six levels of the building and include meeting and function spaces, a wellness centre with gym, yoga studio, swimming pool and sauna, further strengthening North Sydney's growing hospitality offering.

At ground level, the development has been designed to improve pedestrian connections through the precinct. More than 700 sqm of retail space will activate the street frontage, while a landscaped through-site link connecting Walker Street, Little Walker Street and Doris Fitton Park will provide new public open space with seating, paving and extensive native landscaping.

Freecity Group Co-Founder and Joint CEO Tony Sun said the project represents one of the most significant development opportunities currently available in North Sydney.

"This is one of the most significant development sites in North Sydney and it comes at a pivotal moment for the precinct," Sun said.

"North Sydney is undergoing a genuine transformation, and this project will contribute housing the city urgently needs while creating a landmark destination."

Executive Director of Development Michael Romano said demand for both residential and hotel accommodation would continue to strengthen as the Metro precinct matures.

"The structural demand for high-quality housing and hotel accommodation in North Sydney is compelling, and will only grow as the precinct continues to evolve around the new Metro station," Romano said.

Architectus has designed the tower, orientating the apartments to maximise views towards Sydney Harbour while introducing a sculpted façade intended to respond to light, wind and the surrounding skyline.

Architectus Principal Marko Damic said the design sought to create a tower that contributes to the public realm as much as the skyline.

"We wanted to design a tower that doesn't just sit in the skyline but actively participates and contributes to city life," Damic said.

First look: Freecity gets green light for mixed-use apartment and hotel tower in North Sydney

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/abadeen">Abadeen</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/perifa">PERIFA</a> have celebrated the topping out of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf,</a> marking a significant milestone in the delivery of one of Syd​ney's most anticipated waterfront communities.

Located on Sydney's harbourfront at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/putney-nsw-2112">Putney</a>, the project has now reached its highest structural point, with construction progressing strongly towards completion in 2027. 
&nbsp; 
The milestone was celebrated on-site with project partners Phoenix Property Investors, Mitsubishi Estate Asia, Versatile Construction, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, consultants and stakeholders, to recognise the collective effort behind the transformation of the historic waterfront site into a vibrant new residential, marina and lifestyle destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362240] 
&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will deliver a mix of waterfront residences and terraces, complemented by a private 36-berth marina, waterfront dining opportunities and a revitalised foreshore designed to reconnect the community with the river's edge. 
&nbsp; 
Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said the project represented a rare opportunity to create the next chapter in Sydn​ey's long history of successful waterfront precincts. 
&nbsp; 
"Throughout Sydney, some of the city's most sought-after addresses have emerged from carefully considered waterfront precincts such as Woolloom​ooloo Wharf, Walsh Bay and Breakfast Point," Brown said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362566] 
&nbsp; 
"What makes these places so successful is that they become much more than residential developments," Brown said.

"They bring together homes, hospitality, marina facilities, public spaces and a strong sense of community in locations where future supply is incredibly limited."

Brown has long described absolute waterfront land in Sy​dney as "finite."

"Once these opportunities are developed, they are rarely replicated. That's why Syd​ney's waterfront precincts have consistently demonstrated strong demand and long-term value growth over many decades. 
&nbsp; 
"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is one of the few remaining opportunities to secure a residence within a masterplanned waterfront community that combines direct water access, marina ownership opportunities and a genuine village lifestyle just moments from the Sy​dney CBD."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=362564] 
&nbsp; 
PERIFA Founder and Managing Director Fabrizio Perilli said the project reflected a shared commitment to delivering exceptional places that create long-term value for residents and the broader community. 
&nbsp; 
"The topping out milestone is a significant achievement for the Versatile Group and a testament to the collaboration between all project partners, consultants and contractors involved," Perilli said. 
&nbsp; 
"Beyond the residences themselves, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> will establish a new waterfront destination that celebrates the history, character and lifestyle of this unique location while creating a lasting legacy for future generations."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=13962 project_image_fid=291195] 
&nbsp; 
Construction is being delivered by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/versatile">Versatile Construction</a>, with structural works now substantially complete across the precinct. Attention will progressively shift to the construction of the waterview terraces, apartment façades, services and interior fit-out works over the coming months. 
&nbsp; 
With limited residences and marina berths remaining, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> continues to attract strong interest from owner occupiers and downsizers seeking a premium waterfront lifestyle within close proximity to Putne​y Village, Rh​odes, Top Ry​de and the Syd​ney CBD. 
&nbsp; 
As one of the last opportunities to secure a residence within a new masterplanned waterfront community on Sy​dney Harbour, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/putney-wharf-harbourfront-precinct-20-waterview-street-putney-nsw-2112">Putney Wharf</a> is expected to remain a highly sought-after address for years to come.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=13962]

Jonathan Chancellor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News