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Becton has sold its development site at Malvern East. The site – which was held in the group’s Retirement Alliance with the Oman Investment Fund – was offloaded to the Melbourne-based developers, Knowles Group at book value.
The site had been slated for development as a proposed further Retirement Alliance retirement village, however given Becton's challenging funding environment, the board resolved that it was better to sell the non-revenue generating asset. Oman Investment Fund is a sovereign wealth fund of the Sultanate of Oman.
It was the former Reg Hunt Holden car dealership premises on Dandenong Road.
On its 2008 purchase it was anticipated to become a $59-million seven storey parkside 75 apartment retirement living project.
It was the site of Cooper's Timber Yard between 1926 and 1979, before Hunt bought the site. Hunt sold the site in 2002.
The Becton sale will reduce the Retirement Alliance’s debt with the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank – which is anticipated to be fully repaid by the end of 2012. It was drawn at $2.6 million.
The developer and fund manager had been expanding into the aged-care sector since the late 1990s until the global financial crisis.
It got to six villages in three states, with 1205 residents in 987 dwellings.
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Becton and Sultanate of Oman syndicate abandon Malvern East retirement village plans 

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The Block's delayed return to Bondi has been scheduled for 2013, but just when is still undertermined.
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/renovating/its-back-to-bondi-for-the-block-home-renovation-realty-series-after-they-sell-south-melbourne/2012033054098" target="_blank">four semi-detached cottages were bought by the television production company</a> last November. The first unsuccessful development application was lodged with council in February.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/bondiblock.jpg">
The second attempt for the Brenchley Architects development application still awaits Waverley Council approval. Neighbours have until June 29 to lodge objections.
<a href="https://homes.ninemsn.com.au/theblock/updates/8482328/applications-for-the-block-2013-are-now-open" target="_blank">Application for contestant couples is now being sought for the gruelling 10-week filming period scheduled for early 2013.</a> The official application forms suggests the location of The Block 2013 is yet to be confirmed, given The Block is scheduled to shoot two series for airing during the year.
Subject to council approval one will be the semi-detached cottages at 6-12 Tasman Street, Bondi.
The delay may be because the semis are listed as "historically significant" having architectural, aesthetic, group value and streetscape significance on the NSW government heritage database.
It dates back to the council’s 1989 Waverley heritage study by Perumal Murphy Alessi, the heritage architectural firm.
All the semis between 2 and 12 Tasman Street are described on the heritage site as an “outstanding row of early 20th century semi-detached. Unusual to find such an intact row in this area. The buildings also have special interest for their detailing. Local significance. circa 1915. Slate roof with terra cotta ridge capping. Main roof pitched with gablet over entries. Skillion corrugated iron roof on either side for remainder of verandahs. All retain original turned timber posts and spindle valences. Tessellated veranda tiles. Casement windows in unusual sets of four, with small coloured panes. Good chimneys with unusual pots. Tuckpointed face brick. Let down only by fences and minor alterations.”
It is envisaged there will not be any decision made into July, a council spokesperson said recently.
The cost of the development application works is put at $800,000 plus, having had a $900,000 cost in the initial withdrawn application.
It involves a first-floor extension – lower than initially sought – and which is suggested as not visible from the street.
The application seeks demolishing the back half of the houses on the basis that they are outdated.
The purchase price of the four semis hasn't been revealed although it reputedly could have been as much as $5.2 million. The initial sale price estimate by Property Observer was $4.4 million or more.
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The Block’s return to Bondi scheduled for 2013 as development application caught up in heritage red tape

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The Corrigan family have snappily sold their Woollahra residence as they head off to the penthouse of Cadigal on the Campbell Parade, Bondi beachfront.
The sale price of their neo-Georgian, Wellington Street, Woollahra residence hasn’t been revealed, but it’s been estimated at about $6.85 million since they were seeking around $7 million. The property, marketed online with no print media advertising, sold to north shore buyers.
It was designed in the early 1990s by the South African architect David Walker for Murray and Serena Crawford, who sold the property to Valerie Corrigan for $4 million in late 2000.
The Vogue Living featured house has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a grand formal sitting room and a large family living room with wide sandstone fireplace. The 457-square-metre property comes with pool, a separate home office building, a studio apartment and double garaging.
The Bondi Beach purchase jointly made by Valerie Corrigan, the wife of the shipping industry entrepreneur Chris Corrigan and their daughter, Lucinda has not yet been revealed, although its came with $7 million plus hopes.
The savvy push to online-only advertising was spear-headed by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sallyhampshire.com.au/#!for_sale/cf2y">Sally Hampshire of Laing+Simmons Double Bay</a>, Bill Bridges of Ballard Property and Savills Residential's Martin Schiller
 
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Chris and Valerie Corrigan sell in Woollahra as they plan Bondi penthouse relocation

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For more than five decades the humourist Barry Humphries has tracked the trends in Australia without dutiful reference to any census data.
Unencumbered by the niceties required of the Bernard Salts and George Megalogenises, his observations emerge every so often in his stage shows.
Some are subtle but mostly shocking.
His latest show starts with leaf blower over-usage, then Marrickville, our man in Ecuador, an apology to Today Tonight, fanta pants, estate agents selling Glen Iris to Asian buyers, the downward dog yoga move, beige Canberra, kaftans and all those celebrity chefs like Matt Moran and Donna Hay.
All wrapped within Humphries' unparalleled audience name recall and sharp repartee.
The weekend was the opening shows for his farewell tour, Eat Pray, Laugh.
It was in the nation's capital Canberra – "the gateway to Queanbeyan" – and with a hint of Bollywood Dame Edna Everage was in scintillating form, at one point almost apologising if her pheromones were bothering the nearest of her audience.
There was Elaine from Gundagai. In a "dead end" bank telling job. Living in a two-storey brick house.
"Impossible dream for you," Dame Edna advised the paupers in the cheap seats at the rear of the theatre.
Bernadette from Kambah, one of the few Canberra suburbs not designed according to the neighbourhood philosophy, only had her single-storey brick house.
"Don’t gloat, Elaine," Dame Edna ruled.
Spelling Kambah's final letter left Dame Edna in little doubt as to Bernadette's religion.
"Certainly not C of E," she suggested, before going on to suggest Kambah would be "Aboriginal for meeting of the waters".
"That's what they all mean," she suggested to the groans of the audience, who'd either heard it before or weren't happy with the tone directed towards the Ngambri people.
Dame Edna wasn't convinced that Bernadette's current bedroom renovation ought to be painted in the hog bristle colour.
"It's not likely to be conducive to a good night's sleep," Dame Edna opined.
And despite the mauling – all victims were soon up on stage – on team Edna, participants on Dame Edna's "journey."
Spoiler alert.
Sir Les Patterson, in casual colourful shirt and shorts and sombrero, and just back from the G20 in Mexico, had opened the Sunday matinee show.
The bulge in his trouser pocket comprised Cabcharge dockets.
Either the advance team of the US ambassador aren't that thorough, or Jeff Bleich is a masochist. Bliech was in the middle of the front row of yesterday's performance, so right in the spittle firing line of the diplomat extraordinaire Sir Les Patterson.
The hospitable Sir Les soon had, without much awkward hesitation, Jeff and wife Becky onstage – guests at his suburban backyard barbecue.
Bleich looked a tad awkward in tieless suit, but was soon in charge of turning the meat.
"You seppos call them meatballs, we call them rissoles," Sir Les said.
Given Sir Les has gotten worse over the years, it was very near a degrading experience – but the Bleich couple were good sports.
When Sir Les asked Becky to get down on her knees to scratch his mossie bite, the quick-witted Jeff gave his wife the long barbie tongs to allow her to keep some distance.
However nothing could have prepared the couple for the barbecue blow-in guest, Father Gerard Patterson, the rarely sighted appalling paedophile brother of Sir Les.
Father Patterson yielded just a little information from Jeff – he went to non-denominational Massachusetts college and had never toyed with the priesthood.
By show's end, Jeff was the first to get the gladioli from Dame Edna – which was promptly passed onto his wife. And they participated in the standing ovation.
It all seemed rather cosy, especially as the embassy had quickly tweeted their boss's starring theatrical role.
Bumping into Barry Humphries as he was catching his plane out of Canberra, it was all denied.
A set-up, I asked, with the US ambassador?
"Oh no," Humphries affirmed.
"Was he the ambassador?" he enquired back, barely concealing his delight.
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Dame Edna Everage advises against hog bristle colour scheme even in beige old Canberra

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A double oceanfront block on Collaroy Beach (pictured below) – complete with a rare tennis court offering on Sydney’s northern beaches – was the weekend’s highest seller at $8.7 million.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2012/06/june16collaroy]}
It was offered for the first time in five decades.
It was the home of the late lawyer William Michie, of the law firm Michie and Shahadie.
The <a href="https://www.maxwalls.com/buying/search/detail.aspx?id=ID116&amp;wlid=a380d6a6-5c0c-41ef-ba58-fea99d7a8e5a">five-bedroom, four-bathroom house</a> that sits on a 1,365-square-metre Seaview Parade holding had come with initial $10 million expectations.
Weekend auction clearance rates in both Sydney and Melbourne both stood at 56%, according to APM (Sydney) and REIV (Melbourne).
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Double oceanfront $8.7 million block on Collaroy Beach weekend’s top seller

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The Block 2012 television reality series is building to its hopeful weekend auction crescendo.
Sunday night’s final rear terrace landscaping renovation reveal was watched by 1.91 million people. The audience peaked at 2.4 million during the night, easily the night's top show.
There had been a 1.89 million audience on the previous Sunday and 1.52 million the Sunday earlier,<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/renovating/potential-buyers-seemed-few-and-far-between-as-crowds-thronged-the-block-2012-s-open-for-inspections/2012061755152" target="_blank"> before the open for inspection.</a>
Its Monday night debut in April was watched by 1.4 million.
The auction finale will have to surpass 3.09 million to beat The Voice's finale last week.
 
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The Block 2012 audience extends to 1.91 million, with auction less than a week away

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The modest 1920s brick home that was used for external shots in the 1980s Mother and Son ABC television series starring Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald has been listed for sale for the first time in 85 years.
Some $1.475 million is being sought for the Rickard Street, Rodd Point property in Sydney’s inner west.
It’s been listed by Peter Cockerill, whose grandfather built the two-bedroom house in 1927 on its 594-square-metre block.
Unfortunately the crowds at its recent auction were mostly sticky-beaks.
The shots of the kitchen and lounge room were filmed in a television studio.
The property is currently on the market with Anthony Natoli from Century 21 Natoli Real Estate. The street’s last sale was $1.54 million in October 2011, which followed a $1.55 million sale in April 2011.
Rodd Point, set between Five Dock and Drummoyne, is among Sydney's smaller suburbs.
It has just 15 streets, seven of which run north-west off Henley Marine Drive.
Rodd Point was originally part of Five Dock Farm, a 600-hectare parcel of land granted to military surgeon John Harris in 1806 by Governor Philip King.
In 1836, Harris sold the property to Samuel Lyons for £4,000. In 1837 Bruce Clements Rodd bought Lot 130, which had waterfrontage to both Iron Cove and Iron Creek, plus what was described in the original auction advertisements as "a remarkable tongue of land", now Rodd Park.
Brent Clements Rodd and his wife, Sarah Jane, raised eight sons and four daughters at Barnstaple Manor, the home they built in Five Dock. Many streets and features are named after the Rodd family including Brent, Brisbane, Burnell, Clements, Janet, Lenore, Rodd, Barnstaple, Trevanion and Undine.
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Rodd Point home that starred in ABC series Mother and Son seeking a new family

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Australia’s dairy farms are attracting the attention of the top end of town along with international interest.
The Macquarie Group has set up an agricultural fund to?buy dairy farms.
To be known as Harris Dairies, the fund has former Norco Co-operative chief executive Murray Richardson and former Warakirri Dairies chief executive Robert Burbury among its directors.
Macquarie Group declined to advise the Australian Financial Review on how much it aims to raise for the fund.
The move coincides with New Zealand’s $700 million New Plymouth District Council seeking to raise $200?million to expand its Australian dairying vehicle, Van Diemen’s Land Company.
It is based at Woolnorth Station in Tasmania’s north-west.
In Western Australia, China's top beverage producer Hangzhou Wahaha Group, chaired by China’s third-richest man, Zong Qinghou, is planning to invest up to $220 million in dairy farms.
“Our investment in Australia’s dairy farms and related industry will guarantee stable supply of quality milk powder,” Zong Qinghou advised.
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Cream of Australia’s dairy industry attracting international and local interest 

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Jackie O, the top-rating 2Day FM breakfast announcer, and her farmer husband, Lee Henderson, spent about $2.7 million last month on their family home in Vaucluse, in Sydney's posh eastern suburbs.
It’s a cosy five-bedroom 1920s abode, suggesting there's plenty of room for siblings for their baby daughter Catalina. It sits on almost 800 square metres with a substantial back yard even if they extend out using the current architect-designed development approved plans.
It was marketed by the Laing &amp; Simmons Double Bay agent Bart Doff as an "under-capitalised blank canvas awaiting an imaginative buyer". There are harbour glimpses from the upper level and polished floors throughout.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/stories/2012/06/jackieo2.jpg">
Its purchase belatedly <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/news/title-tattle-jackie-o-swaps-paddington-pad-for-highlands-hideaway/2011071450812">follows the $2,897,500 sale of their 1890s four bedroom Paddington terrace in July last year.</a>
The three-level, four-bedroom Paddington terrace that sat on a 210-square-metre block had been bought in 2009 for $2.75 million from Shine producer Jane Scott. Their redundant Karori, Elizabeth Bay apartment sold for $910,000 in 2009 having paid $512,500 in 2001 for the two-bedroom, top-floor unit.
Until the renovation, t<a href=""></a><a href=""></a><a href=""></a>he couple are presumed to continue to rent at Vaucluse in the interim while maintaining a 42-hectare Kangaroo Valley farm.
The Vaucluse property was sold by the Drexler family of the Matt Blatt store group. <a href=""></a><a href=""></a>
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2Day FM's Jackie O buys family home in Vaucluse with five bedrooms

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{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2012/06/june20fairfax]}
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">
Hopewood House (pictured above), the occasional Southern Highlands retreat of current Fairfax Media director Michael Anderson and his wife, Susie, has been freshly listed with Bill Bridges and Meagan Cotten at Ballard Property with $7 million hopes. The latest marketing says its "renowned as one of Sydney's premier wedding venues." Set on about five hectares of gardens on Bowral's outskirts, Hopewood House dates back to 1884 when built by Ben Osborne and his wife, Lucy Throsby. The grand Dutch colonial-style mansion first sold in the early 1900s to Lebbeus Hordern, a son of Samuel Hordern and a grandson of retail company founder Anthony Hordern. 
Hopewood was listed it in 2010 with $10 million hopes, with the couple signalling they were off to Paris, France for two years, with Michael Anderson travelling back regularly for his corporate commitments while Susie pursued her passion for French antique trading. Susie set up her interior decorating company, French &amp; Country about ten years ago, following the sale of their then country house in the Blue Mountains. Anderson’s radio commitments have meant his time in France has been less than initially anticipated.<a target="_blank" href="https://hopewoodcountryhouse.com.au/Hopewood_Country_House/Home"> Hopewood offers weddings with the backdrop of the grand mansion</a> with the indoor ceremony location being within the conservatory room, which is adorned with crystal chandeliers.
Bridges had recent success in the high-end wedding venue market when Woodbyne near Berry was sold sold for $5 million to Rosie Jennings, who's set to expand her wedding venue operations from its existing base, Terrara House Estate outside Nowra. Set in gardens with avenues, garden rooms and a swimming pool, Woodbyne was developed by entrepreneur and designer John Pegrum. Woodbyne was sold by Jeff and Annette Moore, who bought it from Pegrum for $942,000 in 1997. When Pegrum bought the property two deacdes earlier the Woodbyne weatherboard former schoolhouse building was in a dilapidated state in a bare paddock.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Golfing enthusiast Frank Williams, who helped Greg Norman set up Great White Shark Enterprises, has sold his Bowral property. Its most recent McGrath Estate Agents asking price was $2.85 million, and Title Tattle gathers it went very close. Williams paid $3.2 million in 2005, having initially moved to the highlands in 2000.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/aberdeen.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">It was a case of keeping up with the Joneses in the Southern Highlands when Michael Jones, former owner of Rex Airlines, and wife Michelle bought their 44-hectare Fitzroy Falls estate (pictured above) next door to the weekender of radio broadcaster Alan Jones. With their cattle interests now far further south into NSW, it’s been listed through Drew Lindsay at Drew Lindsay Browal with a $5.5 million asking price. With no background in cattle, Michael and Michelle founded Aberdeen Estate Angus in 2008 after his career in aviation, merchant banking and international yachting. The farming couple hit the headlines in 2009 after paying a record $42,000 for powerhouse donor matron Ardrossan Princess W38 from the Bulle family, of Holbrook. The most recent press had them having a stud herd of around 88 cows, 105 recipients and 350 commercial females all split between Fitzroy Falls and Tumut, in southern NSW where they have a 2,105-hectare property The Poplars which was bought in 2010. It also runs a flock of 2,500 superfine Merino ewes.  Michael Jones’s other passion is sailing, having been the director of the Olympic sailing team for the Beijing Olympics. Jones founded Rex in 2002 by merging the remains of Ansett subsidiaries Kendell and Hazelton.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/exeter.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">After 15 years' ownership, medico David Smith and wife Bernadette are selling Whare-Tau (pictured above), their 1904 Exeter property, with $3.3 million-plus expectations through Drew Lindsay at Drew Lindsay Real Estate Bowral. The restored four-bedroom Federation residence, with extensions, stands on three hectares. Just 18 years ago, Title Tattle recalls that inspections of the house were like discovering a colonial Miss Havisham's home, with climbing vines inside the residence, cobwebs on the chandeliers, cupboards of mildewed books on the 1798 Irish Rebellion, even emus in the back paddock. James Aubusson, executor of spinster Hope Meek, sold off the then 30-hectare Exeter Road holding for $925,000 to developers Bill Shipton and Mark Bouris, who subdivided it. Title Tattle recollects that Meek, aged 86 on her death, had been buried in the family's South Head Cemetery tomb, though her probated 1988 will directed that no name plate should be affixed. The 1993 contents auction of Meek's house, which was bought in 1958 for £11,000, included her barrister father's cornet, used while serving with the 12th Battalion in France during World War I, and her mother's ivory and silver fan, a gift from an Indian maharajah. Whare-Tau, Maori for "Our home", has been restored, with the kauri floorboards having underfloor heating. It stands on a hillside in park-like grounds, which include a restored corn-drying shed believed to date from Henry Badgery's ownership.
 
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<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">The two-storey 1832 sandstone White Horse Inn at Berrima has sold for $1.44 million to television industry pioneer Reg Grundy and his wife, Joy Chambers, who intend to use the building as a private museum. The township is not far from their rural retreat, Comfort Hill, which cost a record $15 million when acquired in 2007 from businessman Michael Ball and his wife, Daria. The Georgian-style White Horse is set on a 5,583-square-metre Wingecarribee River holding sitting prominently on the rise of the Old Hume Highway. Title Tattle seems to recall that it was originally the home of Ben and Lucy Osborne. For the past eight decades it's been a restaurant, having last traded for $1.79 million to the Klumper family in 2009. The neighbouring heritage commercial property is owned by mining tycoon Andrew Forrest's family and it accommodates the Berrima district museum.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/mittagong.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">The Mittagong residence Taliesen, named after the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Wisconsin, has been sold. Designed to take full advantage of the views, the single-level house has floor-to-ceiling glass on its northern side. Built in the 1960s and renovated in the 1990s, it sits on a 7,643-square-metre holding, which last traded for $385,000 in 1983. Located high on Mount Gibraltar, with a tennis court and pool, it’s set on a former walnut grove, hence the two dozen 60-year-old walnut trees in its gardens. It was initially listed in 2010 with $3.3 million hopes. No sale price indication has been offered by Drew Lindsay Real Estate.
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">Dandaloo, the 40-hectare Canyonleigh farm, has been bought by equestrians Sam Lyle and Nicola Turner. Family matriarch Putch Lyle has assisted with the $1.15 million purchase by taking a third equity. It was listed through Andrew Hearn Real Estate. The eight-paddock property comes with a  five-bedroom brick house along with a complex with 13 stables, covered round-yard, feed room and a separate hay shed located near the second cottage.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/gleneagle.jpg">
<img src="/images/stories/flagtitletat.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;">And ever on the lookout for the start of a possible trend, Title Tattle notes the first substantial lifestyle farm acquisition by Chinese buyers within the highlands. It was when the Lin family paid $7.15 million for Gleneagle (pictured above), the 40-hectare Mittagong property, which sold through Richardson &amp; Wrench Bowral agent Mick Maloney. Perched 830 metres above sea level, it overlooks the 75,000-hectare National Park back towards the distant Sydney skyline. The 2001-built house was Alpine lodge style – cosy with huge open fireplaces, warm timber finishes and authentic Snowy Mountains granite stone work inside and out. The Lins export wine from the Canberra region to China, as their customers love the fruity shiraz. The family were the $8.5 million buyers of the record-setting Waverton residence sale in 2010.
<img src="/images/stories/2012/06/gleneagle1.jpg">
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Fairfax Media director Michael Anderson has renewed hopes in the Southern Highlands: 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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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

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