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Local developer PDG Corporation is in the process of replenishing its development pipeline, with two apartment projects currently at planning.

The two new residential projects are located in two heavily influential suburbs in terms of apartment activity, namely West Melbourne and Brunswick. These two have hit advertising with their respective councils at a time when PDG Corporation's two current apartment projects are nearing construction completion.

The West Melbourne endeavour at 17-37 Abbotsford Street is the larger of the two expected projects, encompassing a sprawling 4,795sqm island site adjacent to North Melbourne Station. Pushing $60 million in terms of construction value, PDG Corporation are hoping to add 200 dwellings to the West Melbourne landscape, including a sizeable number of lofts.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image27_7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="West Melbourne's landscape will be further changed. Planning image: DKO Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="366" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image27_7.jpg?itok=f1-1kxFj" title="West Melbourne's landscape will be further changed. Planning image: DKO Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>West Melbourne's landscape will be further changed. Planning image: DKO Architecture</figcaption></figure>The overall apartment breakdown sees 113 dual bedroom apartments, supplemented by 44 single and 43 triple bedroom dwellings. Retail and commercial spaces are also found over lower levels.

DKO Architecture have been tasked with the West Melbourne design, whilst Formium acts as landscape architects. The J.Gadsen building which fronts Abbotsford Street and Ireland Street will be incorporated into the development, flanked by either a public piazza or an Abbotsford Street oriented pocket park.

Although a similar height to PDG Corporation's West Melbourne intentions, Brunswick's 311-315 Barkly Street encompasses 69 apartments in total across 10 floors.

Covering a 1,393sqm plot and in proximity to the soon-to-be revamped Jewell Station Precinct, the Barkly Street scheme by Disegno Australia further pushes the trend of higher density urban renewal around rail stations that flank Sydney Road.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image25_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Barkly Street may soon have a new addition. Planning image: Disegno Australia"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="479" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image25_6.jpg?itok=htIzyaVS" title="Barkly Street may soon have a new addition. Planning image: Disegno Australia" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Barkly Street may soon have a new addition. Planning image: Disegno Australia</figcaption></figure>18 single, 47 double and four triple bed apartments constitute the living options within the proposed building, with extensive bicycle parking and a 425sqm commercial/retail space defining the project's ground level plane.

The brick-clad 311-315 Barkly Street shapes as PDG Corporation's fourth consecutive project north of the CBD, after having focused on the CBD/Southbank apartment market for many years. Construction for the firms Arden Park project is well advanced, whilst the Haymarket Roundabout precinct has gained another unique design by way of Royal Elizabeth.

Ostensibly complete, work on internals for the Elenberg Fraser-designed bronze and green tower continues, before it's imminent settlement which has been nominated for March.

PDG Corporation is also Melbourne City Council's developer of choice for the Munro site opposite Queen Victoria Market at 151 Therry Street, Melbourne. Whilst various development outcomes including a 200m residential tower have been touted for the site, the project's final composition is still unknown.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_3309.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Royal Elizabeth is approaching completion"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="711" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_3309.jpg?itok=cjfcMU82" title="Royal Elizabeth is approaching completion" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Royal Elizabeth is approaching completion</figcaption></figure>
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silvermb

PDG Corporation usher in its next wave of apartment projects

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In a low key process held mostly over the summer break, land owners and developers have had the chance to offload their prime Fishermans Bend holdings to a blue chip buyer, with The Victorian School Building Authority, Department of Education and Training and the Fishermans Bend Taskforce jointly on the prowl for additional sites capable of accommodating further education facilities.

An <a href="http://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Pages/Fishermans-Bend-EOI.aspx">Expressions of Interest</a> campaign is currently drawing to a close, requesting private landowners and developers to sell or lease land located within one of Fishermans Bend's four major precincts: Montague, Lorimer, Sandridge and Wirraway.

Parameters for the Expressions of Interest campaign include a site ideally no less than 4,000 square metres and with multiple street frontages.

The eventual site or sites will likely mirror South Melbourne Primary School's <a href="/news/hayballs-south-melbourne-vertical-school-wins-on-an-international-scale">internationally award-winning design</a>, with that project's construction beginning in earnest after the festive break.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image17fbv.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="South Melbourne Primary School. Image: Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="365" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image17fbv.jpg?itok=sTFUqJh0" title="South Melbourne Primary School. Image: Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>South Melbourne Primary School. Image: Hayball</figcaption></figure>Appointed builder ADCO Constructions will deliver the new multi-level, Hayball-designed campus alongside expansive community spaces, with the intent of effectively integrating the new school with its Montague Precinct surrounds. The main school building is expected to begin rising above ground during April, after onsite excavation is complete.

The Victorian School Building Authority's push into vertical campuses across the inner city and the requested Fishermand Bend site of 4,000 square metres plus suggests that additional open space is also on the agenda, side by side with new vertical education facilities.

The benefits of Integrating community into the design of new schools is outlined by Hayball’s Sydney Studio Director David Tordoff, <a href="http://www.educatoronline.com.au/news/opinion-integrate-community-into-the-design-of-schools-229649.aspx">within this article</a>.

As was <a href="/news/vertical-schools-to-feature-at-australian-smart-skyscrapers-summit-2017">outlined last week</a>, vertical schools will also be on the agenda for the upcoming Australian Smart Skyscrapers Summit which will be held next month in Melbourne.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image18fb.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The first, with more to follow within Fishermans Bend. Image: Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="365" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image18fb.jpg?itok=ZW4s3N8f" title="The first, with more to follow within Fishermans Bend. Image: Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The first, with more to follow within Fishermans Bend. Image: Hayball</figcaption></figure>
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First one, now more schools on the agenda for Fishermans Bend

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It seems many of inner Melbourne's pubs are in trouble. Times have changed, but more specifically the core demographic, entertainment options and the city itself have changed.

Long gone are the days where the corner pub was the staple (and in some cases the only) option of previous generations; Melbourne is now a 24 hour city with a multitude of entertainment options. And so in this respect it should come as no great surprise that many of inner Melbourne's pubs are under pressure in terms of remaining viable businesses.

The list of pubs under threat in recent times has ballooned. Apartments.com.au first broke the news that <a href="/new-apartments/port-melbourne-vic-3207">Port Melbourne's</a> London Hotel and <a href="/new-apartments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne's</a> Palmerston Hotel were both subject to apartment-based developments.

In recent times the CBD's Great Western and St Kilda's Greyhound Hotel have been added to the list, whilst the latest endangered venue is <a href="/new-apartments/kensington-vic-3031">Kensington's</a> The Quiet Man - a pub with heritage dating back to the 1880's.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image7_12.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Quiet Man's new purpose? Planning image: Plus Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="338" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image7_12.jpg?itok=4dGHVyG_" title="The Quiet Man's new purpose? Planning image: Plus Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Quiet Man's new purpose? Planning image: <a href="/architects/plus-architecture">Plus Architecture</a></figcaption></figure>The Quiet Man's planning application would see the structure, which has been augmented at various times over its existence, demolished completely for a 9 level apartment building containing 46 dwellings and ground floor retail.

<h2>The why</h2>

So why has the pub scene across Melbourne declined to the point where many of this city's well known venues are struggling, or have conceded? In the broader sense, Australians are drinking less alcohol overall than any time in the previous 50 years, as per this <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestProducts/4307.0.55.001Media%20Release12013-14">ABS media release</a> and this <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-06/craft-beer-australia-changing-drinking-habits/7677250">ABC news article</a>.

Whilst top end consumption is lessening, the humble pub is also under attack from the bottom end, aka the microbrewery.

Evolving drinking habits are backed by current planning trends; planning applications for genuine 'pubs' are few and far between, but not so the humble microbrewery.

Melbourne City Council for instance are currently handling at leash three planning applications for new small-scale breweries/bars, namely 38-44 Barrett Street Kensington, 40-48 Stubbs Street Kensington and 22-24 Bennetts Lane Melbourne. The latter replaces a mid-rise apartment proposal for the narrow CBD site.

In this sense people are not necessarily turning away from the enjoyment of alcohol, but increasingly heading down a different avenue - an avenue which shuns 'old school' pubs' or at least pubs which haven't moved with the times.

Whilst the increasing popularity of microbreweries is merely a more recent contributing factor to many a pubs woes, it along with a gradual cultural shift away from the humble pub has led to the rash of closures and development.

<h2>The how</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/bsubq3u.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Great Western Hotel no more? Planning image: DKO Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="363" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/bsubq3u.jpg?itok=qFLJNMjX" title="Great Western Hotel no more? Planning image: DKO Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Great Western Hotel no more? Planning image: <a href="/architects/dko-architecture">DKO Architecture</a></figcaption></figure>So how is it that many of inner Melbourne's grand pub venues can be bowled over for development? Pubs are no more or less important than many of Melbourne's heritage structures that have fallen in recent years, but they represent a very tangible link to Melbourne's past for many people - memories and first-hand experience go a long way. Just ask the masses who fought to save The Palace on Bourke Street.

Emotional attachment aside, Melbourne stands to lose some historic buildings, a loss that is detrimental to this city's urban fabric. The Stork, Duke of Kent, Footscray's Belgravia Hotel and The Corkman Irish Pub fiasco are but a few examples.

The right to development exists, but at what cost? Is it the failure of successive councils to adequately protect of heritage? Undoubtedly some Apartments.com.au members would argue yes, and emphatically. So many of Melbourne's historic pubs are disappearing for the sake of development, when in many cases the heritage structure could be incorporated into the development.

When lamenting the loss or likely loss of many of Melbourne's historic pub venues, Prahran's Station Hotel comes to mind. An equitable outcome of both development and heritage...if only it were more commonplace!

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/croppedimage1200640-ec150302-ecp7852-web.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Prahran's Station Hotel: a blend of old and new. Image: Figurehead"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="309" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/croppedimage1200640-ec150302-ecp7852-web.jpg?itok=5GzC0Mek" title="Prahran's Station Hotel: a blend of old and new. Image: Figurehead" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Prahran's Station Hotel: a blend of old and new. Image: Figurehead</figcaption></figure>
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Rise of the microbrewery, fall of the pub and the demise of Melbourne's historic built form

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The march of apartment living into Melbourne's outer east has gained pace over recent years, with suburbs not generally accustomed to apartment living now attaining their own share of the expanding apartment market pie.

The latest suburb to enter the fray is <a href="/new-apartments/bayswater-vic-3153">Bayswater</a>, with a nine level residential building slated for <a href="/new-apartments/711-717-mountain-highway-bayswater">711-717 Mountain Highway</a>. The prospective apartment project represents Bayswater's first entry into the Apartments.com.au Project Database, and enforces the growing presence of apartment projects in areas that were until a short time ago the exclusive domain of detached housing.

Hudson Bond Commercial handled 711-717 Mountain Highway's sale last year, with development entity NewLee Pty Ltd now pushing through with plans for the 1,252 sqm site. Moull Murray is the architect in charge, with the project put before City of Knox during December.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image31_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Moull Murray's new take on Bayswater"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="534" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image31_3.jpg?itok=7VmFZWc8" title="Moull Murray's new take on Bayswater" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Moull Murray's new take on Bayswater</figcaption></figure>At the time of 711-717 Mountain Highway's sale last year, Hudson Bond Commercial billed the site as capable of accommodating a 5 storey built form encapsulating 900sqm of retail space and 45 apartments.

The advent of 711-717 Mountain Highway now sees Bayswater join the likes of <a href="/new-apartments/rowville-vic-3178">Rowville</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/wantirna-south-vic-3152">Wantirna South</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/chirnside-park-vic-3116">Chirnside Park</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/croydon-vic-3136">Croydon</a> as suburbs which were formally the sole territory of detached housing, but are now receiving an increased share of higher density living options. Croydon for example is now home to the James Kerr building, with the Erfanian Developments project adding 56 apartments to the heart of Croydon during 2016.

As one of the eastern suburbs more prominent developers, Eefanian Developments will this year embark upon another Croydon apartment project at <a href="/buildings/orphic-176-mt-dandenong-road-croydon">176 Mt Dandenong Road</a>.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image33art.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Orion International Group have grand intentions for Ringwood"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image33art.jpg?itok=QXBA6Fga" title="Orion International Group have grand intentions for Ringwood" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Orion International Group have grand intentions for Ringwood</figcaption></figure>Of course, the outer east's rise cannot be overviewed without mentioning <a href="/new-apartments/ringwood-vic-3134">Ringwood</a>.

Whereas suburbs such as Bayswater and the like are spoken of in dozens of apartments, Ringwood can be spoken of in the thousands as much larger apartment developments enter the suburb. An established Activity Centre with a strong although predominantly low-rise apartment market, Ringwood can expect some change in the near future.

Leading the charge is <a href="/developers/orion-international-group">Orion International Group</a>'s latest version of their pending development adjoining Eastlink (seen above) which has been dubbed The Ring.

Whilst surrounding suburbs are unlikely to reach the height of Ringwood, the general upswing of apartment projects demonstrates that there is a market for the product in the leafy outer east.
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Eastbound and down for the apartment high life 

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Having heard of the importance of street setbacks and tower separation over the previous two years as part of the Government's push for better tower design outcomes, somewhat of a built form quirk is emerging on Southbank's Coventry Street.

Should the recently submitted 31 Coventry Street gain approval, it would allow four towers to be built wall to wall, with the quartet each spanning approximately 20 levels. With no street or tower setbacks involved, the result would be a solid build form that stretches roughly 90 metres on the horizontal plane.

This seems to fly in the face of what has been drummed into all and sundry in recent years. But of course it's not a black and white matter when considering equitable development opportunities, discretionary design controls which veil the site/surrounds and existing built form precedents.

It could be argued that having this solid wall of towers is a poor design outcome, yet at the same time why should 31 Coventry Street be treated any differently than the towers which have been approved before it over recent times.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image3cov.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Elenberg Fraser's initial renders for 31 Coventry Street"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="299" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image3cov.jpg?itok=JDFhyyRZ" title="Elenberg Fraser's initial renders for 31 Coventry Street" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Elenberg Fraser's initial renders for 31 Coventry Street</figcaption></figure>In isolation, 31 Coventry Street is one of two apartment developments for Headland Properties which are currently at planning.

With precinct-specific design controls in a state of change, the developer has taken the opportunity to push through with the project which is the amalgamation of the Coventry Street plot and 22-24 Wells Place. The latter southern facing site did hold approval for a slim Pandolfini Architects-designed residential tower.

The amalgamation of the Wells Place and Coventry Street plots has allowed for an increased apartment yield, which totals 120. This sum is split between 40 single and 80 dual bedroom options, with premier two bed, two bath layouts facing Coventry Street.

Assisting the proposed tower is basement car parking for 94 vehicles, a ground floor showroom and rooftop amenities.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image16cov.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Pandolfini Architects' superseded Wells Place design"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="444" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image16cov.jpg?itok=zQ7rtLWC" title="Pandolfini Architects' superseded Wells Place design" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Pandolfini Architects' superseded Wells Place design and Elenberg Fraser's equivalent</figcaption></figure>Project architect Elenberg Fraser describes the design as follows:

<blockquote>
The Wells place facade references a New York style masonry brick facade. This treatment wraps around to the Eastern and Western facades to provide privacy screening to the adjacent properties. Additionally this facade treatnent acts as an effective solar shading device.

The proposed design for the 31 Coventry sheet facade is an architectural screening element. This provides the opportunity to set the buildings glazing line back from the sites northern title boundary.
<cite>Elenberg Fraser</cite>
</blockquote>

The remaining trio joining Elenberg Fraser's vision for Coventry Street are at different stages of delivery.

Evolve Development has seen the completion of The Guilfoyle at 39 Coventry Street come and go, with the developer also poised to begin construction on Botanic Melbourne at 25-29 Coventry Street which includes 288 apartments over 20 levels. The project has an end value of $190 million and has a targeted 2019 completion date.

Botanic Melbourne is also noteworthy in that Evolve Development control the adjoining 23 Coventry Street, thus preventing development of that site in order to preserve views and amenity from their pending tower.

Rounding out the quartet that combine to create the 'Wall of Southbank' is Coventry Haus, with Hamilton Marino Builders progressing the build that will eventually see 68 apartments within the slim 20 level tower.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_4442.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="31 Coventry Street in the foreground with 33 Coventry under construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4442.jpg?itok=w8ah089q" title="31 Coventry Street in the foreground with 33 Coventry under construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>31 Coventry Street in the foreground with 33 Coventry under construction</figcaption></figure>
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Hitting the wall on Southbank

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Prominent builder Hickory Group has added a third Melbourne project that will utilise the Hickory Building System (HBS). A proponent of prefabricated construction methods, Hickory Group's latest HBS-driven project will be Brisbane outfit Blue Sky Funds' 42-50 La Trobe Street.

In addition to residential projects La Trobe Tower and Collins House which have/will utilise HBS, 42-50 La Trobe Street is the first student accommodation project to do so. Hickory Group expect the build to become one of the world’s tallest student accommodation projects delivered via non-traditional construction methods.

Floor slabs, facades and Hickory’s Sync bathroom pod system will be manufactured offsite, and subsequently trucked to 42-50 La Trobe Street for final assembly.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image5_10.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="42-50 La Trobe Street's modified heritage frontage. Image: Hickory"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="530" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image5_10.jpg?itok=_MY7KyWg" title="42-50 La Trobe Street's modified heritage frontage. Image: Hickory" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>42-50 La Trobe Street's modified heritage frontage. Image: Hickory</figcaption></figure>First entering Apartments.com.au's project database during late 2015, 42-50 La Trobe Street has seen a number of design adaptations to this point, with architecture firm Hayball the design lead.

Chief of which is the facade retention of 50 La Trobe Street, which was to have been demolished along with its neighbour under initial plans. Dated 1862, 50 La Trobe Street's retained facade will now serve as an entry point to the student accommodation project, with a public through link to connect La Trobe Street and Bell Place.

Onsite demolition is freshly completed, meaning Hickory will soon take control of the site in order to deliver the 43 level tower, with a smaller 7 level building to the rear of the site; combined they will house 783 student beds.

In line with Apartments.com.au's <a href="/news/blue-skys-ambitious-student-accommodation-project-42-50-la-trobe-street">overview of the initial planning application</a>, the current build will also include a ground floor café, numerous communal spaces, terraces and collaborative learning spaces, in addition to the public access laneway.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_9474.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Hickory Building System's first Melbourne endeavour: La Trobe Tower"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_9474.jpg?itok=0W-Ya0Jt" title="Hickory Building System's first Melbourne endeavour: La Trobe Tower" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Hickory Building System's first Melbourne endeavour: La Trobe Tower</figcaption></figure>Key to the HBS construction method is the speed at which any given tower can be completed.

42-50 La Trobe Street with a gross floor area approaching 25,000sqm is slated to be delivered 8 months faster than traditional construction methods would allow, resulting in a 30% saving over conventional construction methods.

Similar to La Trobe Tower, 42-50 La Trobe Street will employ an electric crane to lift the modules into place outside of traditional work hours, minimising traffic disruption and site congestion. This will allow shotcreting during normal work hours, with the high-velocity concrete spray work essentially binding the modules together.

Between 42-50 La Trobe Street and Collins House (which will be a HBS structure above level 14), Hickory Group's innovative construction method has found its niche in the Melbourne construction landscape.
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Hickory Building System scores another major Melbourne skyscraper

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City of Yarra's recent commercial planning application at 370-374 Swan Street has gone a long way to solidifying the municipality's push toward becoming the most active office sector behind those of the CBD and Docklands.

Increasing in both number and size, City of Yarra's prospective commercial developments have the combined ability to add in excess of 100,000sqm of new office space across the municipalities four major commercial nodes; Richmond, Burnley, Cremorne and Collingwood.

Many of these proposals are still at planning, meaning that City of Yarra is in many ways its own master in terms of how actively it chooses to push the commercial credentials of the municipality. At a point where many other municipalities around Melbourne are so heavily dominated by apartment developments, City of Yarra's wave of commercial proposals shapes as something of an oddity.

370-374 Swan Street becomes City of Yarra's 13th commercial entry within the Apartments.com.au Project Database.

Combined City of Yarra's development pipeline could yield an additional 80,000sqm plus, with prospective projects such as the <a href="/news/yarra-receives-a-commercial-boost-including-plans-for-fitzroys-tallest-office-building">Victoria Cross commercial tower</a> pushing that figure beyond 100,000sqm.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image1_7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Swan Street's latest commercial prospect. Planning image: Bruce Henderson Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image1_7.jpg?itok=maRjP6Hd" title="Swan Street's latest commercial prospect. Planning image: Bruce Henderson Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Swan Street's latest commercial prospect. Planning image: Bruce Henderson Architects</figcaption></figure><a href="/developments/richmond-vic-3121">370-374 Swan Street</a> is very much symptomatic of the larger format commercial proposals before City of Yarra.

Currently occupied by a two storey showroom/office building, and with Zuster and Agnews Fireplaces as tenants, the site is a short distance to Burnley Station and sits directly north of the rail corridor. Zoned Commercial 2, the preferred built form for this sub-precinct is for 7-10 storeys, although this is subject to further investigation.

Looking to capitalise upon the area's growing popularity, entity 370 Swan Street Pty Ltd enlisted Bruce Henderson Architects to create a 14 storey office building with a gross leasable area of 14,804sqm. Of that, two ground floor retail premises account for 580sqm, with the balance cast as new office space.

Weighing in as one of Yarra's largest commercial proposals, 370-374 Swan Street is supplemented by 245 basement car parking spaces and 111 bicycle parking spaces.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image6_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Grocon's prospective view from Wellington Street. Image: Grocon"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="324" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image6_11.jpg?itok=sFLsuE9V" title="Grocon's prospective view from Wellington Street. Image: Grocon" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Grocon's prospective view from Wellington Street. Image: Grocon</figcaption></figure>Other large commercial projects looking for the nod of approval include Grocon's <a href="/buildings/2-16-northumberland-street-collingwood">Northumberland Street</a> tower which encompasses 15,000sqm, <a href="/developments/collingwood-vic-3066">80-90 Johnston Street</a> with close to 8,000sqm and <a href="/developments/fitzroy-vic-3065">423-425 Smith Street</a> which includes 7,500sqm of prospective commercial space.

A number of existing planning applications have been adjusted to include commercial office space, with <a href="/developments/abbotsford-vic-3067">344 Johnston Street</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/314-320-swan-street-richmond">314-320 Swan Street</a> notable examples: the latter bumping its commercial floor space up to 5,400sqm. The remaining projects are smaller in nature, with Cobild's <a href="/developments/cremorne-vic-3121">9-11 Cremorne Street</a> and <a href="/developments/richmond-vic-3121">345 Swan Street</a> the standouts.

City of Yarra's commercial surge is put into perspective relative to its commercial projects which are at leasing or under construction; only three projects rate a mention. <a href="/developments/burnley-vic-3121">East Edge Botanicca</a> with 16,000sqm has long been offered for lease, whilst <a href="/developments/richmond-vic-3121">110 Church Street</a> and 13 Cremorne Street are at construction have a combined yield of near on 6,000sqm.

As mentioned earlier, City of Yarra's largest project on the radar is Angelo Property Group and Pulitano Group's Victoria Cross development at 151-159 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy. The 1,684sqm corner block is envisaged as a 16 level commercial tower which would boast the area's largest commercial footprint.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image2_9.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Victoria Cross. Image: Angelo Property Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="436" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image2_9.jpg?itok=cFNFF4oz" title="Victoria Cross. Image: Angelo Property Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Victoria Cross. Image: Angelo Property Group</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

City of Yarra's commercial prospects boosted by 100,000sqm

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A rush of planning applications either side of the festive break are cumulatively seeking to add to South Melbourne's robust development scene, with four major apartment projects lodged.

City of Port Phillip will now assess the respective merits of the fresh applications, along with a handful of other noteworthy towers already at planning that when combined, would provide the popular suburb with thousands of new apartments.

Most recent to planning was 9-13 Park Street, landing with Council in the new year. The current low-rise commercial complex spanning the site is expected to make way for a multi-storey apartment building.

The arrival of 9-13 Park Street follows on from December's lodgement of plans for the adjoining 5-7 Park Street, with that application landing at Council four days prior to Christmas. Located next to Sol Sapir-designed Hallmark which spans 19 levels and includes 155 apartments, the prime 5-7 Park Street plot is currently occupied by a nondescript house that is home to brothel Cherry Blossoms.

Expected to replace the venue is a 20 storey mixed-use building set above basement car parking.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image39_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="5-7 Park Street's days look to be numbered. Image: Google"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="349" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image39_4.jpg?itok=ylawX-Ur" title="5-7 Park Street's days look to be numbered. Image: Google" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>5-7 Park Street's days look to be numbered. Image: Google</figcaption></figure>41-49 Bank Street also entered planning last month, with developer Guangdong Carrington Real Estate Group seeking the right to deliver a 19 level residential tower comprising 174 apartments.

Having secured the 1,441sqm site during late 2015 for over $15 million, Guangdong elected not to proceed with an approved scheme which at a point was known as Aero Apartments during its failed marketing campaign.

Rounding out the quartet is 1-13 Cobden Street which has been subject to development overtones for some years. Agent Lemon Baxter handled the site's sale during 2014, with the plot now subject to a mixed use building containing 229 dwellings and retail spaces at ground level.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image38_7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artisan Architects' revised design for 200-204 Wells Street."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="648" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image38_7.jpg?itok=-efyGqcT" title="Artisan Architects' revised design for 200-204 Wells Street." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artisan Architects' revised design for 200-204 Wells Street.</figcaption></figure>With this South Melbourne pocket underpinned by Park Street and Albert Road perennially popular with developers and soon to boast its <a href="http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/locations/domain">own metro station</a>, Apartments.com.au is tracking 7 additional projects with 14 levels and above in the immediate area.

Projects that have yet to reach a planning outcome, or have yet to begin construction include Australian Unity's <a href="/buildings/the-grace-114-130-albert-road-south-melbourne">114-130 Albert Road</a>, Milbex's <a href="/buildings/park-ave-39-park-street-south-melbourne">37-43 Park Street</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">Niche at 33 Park Street</a>, the combined <a href="/new-apartments/13-21-palmerston-crescent-south-melbourne">13-21 Palmerston Crescent</a> / <a href="/new-apartments/first-light-28-albert-road-south-melbourne">28-32 Albert Road</a> and <a href="/buildings/200-204-wells-street-south-melbourne">200-204 Wells Street</a>.

The latter, seen above, is a recent candidate for approval and consists of an Artisan Architects-designed 20 level tower with 201 apartments.

Set on a 1,543sqm plot, the scheme for 15 Park Street Pty Ltd includes 75 single and 126 dual bedroom apartments.

Lead image: Bob Mical, Flickr
</body></html>

South Melbourne a magnet for new residential tower applications

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PACE Development Group has rounded out a successful 2016 by unveiling 181 Fitzroy Street. Residents will this week begin moving in to the freshly completed residential project which may just contain the best views of any apartment project in Melbourne.

181 Fitzroy Street spans 10 levels and includes 151 one, two and three bedroom apartments. Designed by SJB, the project has achieved an average energy rating of 7.2 and in an Australian first, PACE has partnered with Origin Energy to provide an integrated energy outcome across the project, featuring solar, EV charger and a communal PHEV (plug in hybrid vehicle) solutions.

The result is substantial energy savings and the generation of power that will, in part, illuminate the project's common areas.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image250.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="181 Fitzroy Street upon completion. Image: PACE"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="406" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image250.jpg?itok=KYKBhwTL" title="181 Fitzroy Street upon completion. Image: PACE" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>181 Fitzroy Street upon completion. Image: PACE</figcaption></figure>181 Fitzroy Street is PACE's latest project in the pocket surrounding the ever popular St Kilda Junction, with recent completions nearby including Allure, Henry Windsor, George Windsor and The Icon which has made a name for itself as one of Melbourne's most unique buildings.

With final touches applied over the weekend, residents can now begin to enjoy the impressive views, with all north facing apartments and the top floor communal area aligning with Albert Park and Lake, Southbank and the CBD beyond.

<h2>What they say</h2>

<blockquote>
The settlement of 181 Fitzroy, which was sold primarily to the local market (83.5%), marks the end of PACE’s most successful year to date.

Despite murmurings of a downturn in the market, 2016 has been incredibly successful year for PACE with 86 at Archer settled in May, 48 settled at George Windsor in October, 86 at Brunswick sold-out in 7 months, Northcote 75% sold in 4 months, Doncaster East selling well and now the completion of 151 luxury apartments at 181 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda.

For 181, the immaculate architectural work of SJB is complimented by the expert hand of interior designer, Sue Carr whose impeccable eye has touched upon every internal element at 181 Fitzroy Street, bringing a level of refinement to the project, reminiscent of the finest contemporary European hotels.

Having undergone an extremely smooth settlement &amp; valuations process, with 95% of apartments valued at or above purchase price, the settlement of the project marks an appropriate end to 2016 for PACE and aptly sets the tone for what is expected to be an even stronger 2017.
<cite>Shane Wilkinson, Managing Director, PACE Development Group</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image256.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Top floor terrace, infinity pool and views. Image: PACE"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="155" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image256.jpg?itok=26CrkbLa" title="Top floor terrace, infinity pool and views. Image: PACE" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Top floor terrace, infinity pool and views. Image: PACE</figcaption></figure>And PACE's <a href="/developments">2017's pipeline</a> is evident within the Apartments.com.au Project Database.

Yesterday, <a href="/buildings/pace-of-northcote-5-beavers-road-northcote">Pace of Northcote</a>'s tower crane was erected; it joins <a href="/buildings/ode-16-grey-street-st-kilda">Ode</a> and 808 Sydney Road at construction, with the latter currently seeing the commencement of piling works onsite. Together these three projects will see roughly 240 additional dwellings added to PACE's development portfolio.

<a href="/buildings/pace-of-doncaster-east-3-mitchell-street-doncaster-east">Pace of Doncaster East</a> is also at sales, having begun its campaign recently. Included within the project are 82 apartments split between one, two and three-bedroom options.

City of Yarra is set to host PACE's next wave of apartment developments. <a href="/buildings/pace-of-collingwood-75-wellington-street-collingwood">73-77 Wellington Street</a> will see a display suite take shape shortly, following on from the project's approval. The remaining project on PACE's immediate agenda and the only project of theirs currently at planning is <a href="/buildings/pace-of-abbotsford-247-johnston-street-abbotsford">247-249 Johnston Street, Abbotsford</a>.

Spanning 13 levels, the project may net PACE another 148 apartments set behind the historic St. Crispin House facade.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image259.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A selection of upcoming PACE projects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="340" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image259.jpg?itok=y1h8rbSZ" title="A selection of upcoming PACE projects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A selection of upcoming PACE projects</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

181 Fitzroy Street rounds out 2016 as PACE shapes up for an active 2017

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With links onsite that span back to the 1890's, St Vincent's Private Hospital is now pursuing a new phase of expansion in order to keep pace with Melbourne's growing population.

St Vincent's Private is now considered at capacity, with plans afoot to create an 11 storey building across 59-61 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy. With the development's anticipated construction cost approaching $60 million, the overall value of the expansion weighs in at $94 million.

Included in the proposal before City of Yarra is provision for new consulting suites, 91 new multi-day beds for patients, 12 new same-day beds, additional operating rooms and pre/post operation stations.

Set above a new podium to both Victoria Parade and Brunswick Street, the building's overall height is pencilled in at 43.36 metres.

<h2>A need for expansion</h2>

<blockquote>
It is now vital for St Vincent's Health Australia to undertake a major expansion project at this flagship private hospital, including an additional 91 net beds and eight (8) operating theatres, to ensure that it will have the capacity to meet future demand and compete within key market segments. No major footprint expansion of SVPHF has occurred over the past 44 years.
Frequently during the working week SVPHF faces 'bed block' and non-elective or urgent private patients are redirected to other hospitals. In addition all private consulting suite space at SVPHF is fully occupied. Additional private consulting rooms and theatres are vital to the future of SVPHF and improved healthcare to the community.
<cite>Planning report, Meinhardt</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image229.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="St Vincent's Plaza perspective. Image: BLP"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="323" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image229.jpg?itok=e7lUY_jx" title="St Vincent's Plaza perspective. Image: BLP" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>St Vincent's Plaza perspective. Image: BLP</figcaption></figure>To facilitate the proposed expansion, demolition is required across a number of sensitive buildings.

The existing hospital at 59-61 Victoria Parade would partially make way for the new development, as would 77 Victoria Parade, a.k.a. the former Eastern Hill Hotel. The latter is on the Victorian Heritage Register, with the development team seeking removal of its western wing to the rear of the building.

Partial demolition of Edensor House is also proposed, and mainly confined to the Victorian Heritage Register-listed building's rear. Full demolition is sought for 63-71 Victoria Parade (the former Easthill House), with the building considered to be Individually Significant from a heritage perspective.

<h2>Building design</h2>

Shades of natural and midnight copper cladding would provide the design highlight over the east and north facades, with the balance a clad consisting of compressed fibre cement sheet cladding in a banded finish.

The southern facade is predominantly glazed, with elements of purple, charcoal and white, and its angular nature suggesting that it lends in some small way from the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre which was completed earlier in 2016.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image228_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Brunswick Street perspective. Image: BLP"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="327" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image228_0.jpg?itok=kkcOuz_7" title="Brunswick Street perspective. Image: BLP" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Brunswick Street perspective. Image: BLP</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
The proposed new building complements the existing building in terms of height and form but contrasts in colour and material to express it as a contemporary insertion into the existing fabric. Together the existing and the new hospital form a pair of buildings that create a distinct identity to the hospital and an appropriate backdrop to the scale of St. Vincent's plaza.

The proposed podium facade along Victoria Pde complements the fenestration of both the three storey heritage building as well as the existing hospital podium and acts as a transition element in terms of both distribution of openings as well as parapet height

The proposed materiality of the podium responds to both the glazed brickwork of existing hospital and the painted and render brick facade of the East Hill Hotel by utilising a porcelain stone clad finish to complement the existing heavy materiality of the streetscape 

<cite>Urban context report, Billard Leece Partnership</cite>
</blockquote>

Also in the works is an expansion of the existing multi-storey car park at 93-99 Victoria Parade.

Of more interest from a design perspective than in terms of what benefits it could provide to the larger community, an expansion would see the already colourful structure capped with three new levels of parking. 185 additional car parking spaces would be added if approved.

The new levels would be finished in metal screens, accentuated by rectangular openings featuring small planter boxes.

<blockquote>
The design intention is to mimic balconies of an apartment building making reference to the many examples in Melbourne of residential and commercial spaces sitting on top of multi deck carparks. The screen consists of closely spaced vertical steel angles powder coated in multiple colours. The colours ranges change as the screen presents itself to different solar orientations.
<cite>Urban context report, Billard Leece Partnership</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image230.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An expanded 93-99 Victoria Parade. Image: BLP"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="344" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image230.jpg?itok=OJkFLsLg" title="An expanded 93-99 Victoria Parade. Image: BLP" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An expanded 93-99 Victoria Parade. Image: BLP</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

St Vincent's substantial expansion plans unveiled

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

Mark Baljak

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