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The level of residential property sale listings fell nationwide during August, according to new figures released from SQM Research.
According to SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher said it is another surprise result and a reversal of the surge in listings during July.
“Normally listings start to rise in August ahead of the spring selling season. We will wait until the September reading before drawing too many new conclusions on the market,” he said.
National listed properties dropped to 333,923 in August 2015, a decrease of 4.3% from July 2015. The amount of sale listings are down 3.9% from a year earlier. According to SQM Research, a monthly fall in sale listings for August was expected due to abnormally high sale listings for the month of July 2015. 
"Asking prices for Sydney houses continued to climb over July, with a total monthly rise of 1.2% for houses and 0.7% for units. The median asking price for a unit has now reached $630,300, while the median house asking price in Sydney is $1,124,500," he said. 
"In contrast, median asking house prices in Canberra recorded yearly falls with a year-on-year comparison showing a 12 month decline of 4.8% for houses, and 1.4% for units. Perth median asking prices continue to record yearly falls, in particular asking prices for houses are down 4.6% over the last 12 months, and 1.2% for units.
"Year-on-year results indicate that Melbourne and Hobart experienced excessive yearly falls. Melbourne recorded the biggest yearly change, with listings falling by 20%, reducing the number of properties for sale to 35,474. Hobart soon followed with records indicating a yearly change of 12.6%."
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mick.cee-iDmgDDAmu8

National property sale listings fall in August: SQM Research

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The level of fresh listings nationally has increased 4.9% when compared to the same period one year ago, with homes in capital cities increasing 8.9% compared to this time last year, according to CoreLogic RP Data's latest Property Pulse.
According to the report some 233,119 properties were added to the listings pool over the past month, with the largest increase in listings numbers for the four weeks ending August 30 in Sydney (16.4%), Melbourne (9.7%) and Canberra (17.7%).
Sydney's total stock levels are -0.5% lower than a year ago, with Melbourne listings down 4.7% lower than a year ago.
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Fresh listings nationally increase 4.9%: CoreLogic RP Data

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The valuation firm Herron Todd White has issued its latest property clock for units - a simple broad brush means to suggest where property markets are - and what direction prices are moving in.
The valuation firm has included capital and regional cities on the property clock for unit price direction.
<a href="/images/2015/09/03/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-03%20at%202.32.37%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click here to enlarge</a>.
For more information, <a href="https://www.htw.com.au/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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Rockhampton, Horsham, Newcastle units at peak pricing in September HTW property clock

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Combined capital city dwelling values are 5.3% higher for the three months to the end of August, according to CoreLogic RP Data, despite a slowing in the appreciation rate.
CoreLogic RP Data head of research Tim Lawless said dwelling values across Melbourne were 8.0% higher over the rolling quarter, and Sydney values were up 7.4%.
"Both cities have seen dwelling values trend substantially higher than other capitals, where the third highest growth rate over the three month period was Brisbane, which showed an increase in values of 2.2%," he said.
"While the three largest capital cities, together with Hobart, have all recorded growth in dwelling values over the past three months, half the nation’s capital cities have recorded a fall in values. Darwin recorded the most substantial decline in values with a fall of 3.2% over the three month period, while Perth values were down by 1.5%, Canberra values were 0.8% lower and Adelaide values are slightly lower, at 0.1%.”
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Slowdown in the rate of appreciation in dwelling values: CoreLogic RP Data

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Unit values rose 0.8% over August, higher than the rise in house values at 0.3%, according to CoreLogic RP Data's latest Hedonic Home Value Index.
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The rolling quarterly rate of growth for units is 6.7%, with detached housing at 5.1%.
CoreLogic RP Data head of research Tim Lawless said over the past three months across every capital city except Melbourne and Brisbane, it has been the apartment sector that has shown the stronger growth result,” he said.
“This result comes at a time when apartment supply has ramped up substantially more than detached housing supply. To see such a broad-based over performance of units relative to houses, provides some comfort for developers and purchasers that higher density stock values are appreciating," he said.
"Since May 2013, dwelling values have risen at a faster pace than weekly rents. The result of the disparity between dwelling values and dwelling rents has been a consistent downwards trend in gross rental yields."
 
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Unit values rose 0.8% over August, houses 0.3%: CoreLogic RP Data

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Four out of the top ten locations for the highest proportion of auction listings for units are in Melbourne, with Kew East and Carlton North beating the Sydney suburb of Bronte to round out the top three.
According to CoreLogic RP Data, Balaclava and Surrey Hills were the only other Melbourne suburbs to make the list.
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Top ten suburbs for highest proportion of unit auction listings: CoreLogic RP Data 

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Queens Park, Clovelly and Malabar are the top three Sydney locations for the highest proportion of house auction listings nationally, according to CoreLogic RP Data research director Tim Lawless.
He said Queens Park had 59 out of 60 house listings (98.3%) being taken to auction. 
"Across the unit market two suburbs of Melbourne topped the list for auction listings with Kew East recording 33 out of 34 unit listings (97.1%) as being advertised for auction," he said.
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Top ten suburbs for highest proportion of house auction listings: CoreLogic RP Data 

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The valuation firm Herron Todd White has issued its latest property clock for houses - a simple broad brush means to suggest where property markets are - and what direction prices are moving in.
The valuation firm has included capital and regional cities on the property clock for house price direction.
<a href="/images/2015/09/03/Screen%20Shot%202015-09-03%20at%2010.05.13%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click here</a> to enlarge.
For more information, <a href="https://www.htw.com.au" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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Sydney, Perth, Gippsland houses at peak pricing in September HTW property clock

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Increasing the supply of housing in areas where the existing transport infrastructure is able to accommodate the additional demand is the recommendation of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development to the inquiry into Home Ownership.
"The release of additional land for residential development in areas with poor transport connections can lead to poor accessibility for residents, which can result in marginalisation from employment, education and essential services. 
"If planning is not undertaken in a coordinated way, residential land releases may require substantial infrastructure investments to subsequently deliver an acceptable level of transport service. 
"Especially in cases where adequate transport corridors have not been reserved and tunnelling is required, the additional cost of these investments may prove unaffordable in the long run. 
"Based on ABS Series B (medium growth) projections, the population of Australia’s capital cities is expected to grow by 6.1 million people between 2011 and 2031, and by 15.5 million between 2011 and 2061. 
"By 2061, both Melbourne and Sydney are expected to be home to around 8.5 million people. Perth is expected to experience the highest level of population growth over the next half century, almost tripling from around 1.83 million people to 5.45 million. 
"The Department has analysed changes in population and dwelling approvals in Australia’s major cities for two periods: 2006 to 2011 and 2012 to 2014. 
"During those two periods, the ratio of population increase to new dwelling approvals generally declined, suggesting that newer households tend to consist of fewer persons than in the past. 
"Assuming the recent trend continues, with the occupancy of new housing development remaining near the 2012-2014 levels of around two people per dwelling in Sydney and Melbourne, then it is expected that the two cities would respectively require around 40,000 and 45,000 new dwellings per year to accommodate the forecast population growth. 
"This is well above the average dwelling approval rates for the two time periods considered. If the figure going forward were instead closer to the long-term average of 2.6 people per household, then the number of new dwellings required would be around 30,000 for Sydney and 35,000 for Melbourne. 
"During the period 2001-2011, Sydney experienced an overall increase in housing density with 44% of all new housing stock consisting of apartments, 20% semi-detached units and 36% detached housing. 
"This saw the city’s share of apartments and semi-detached units increase from 36% to 41%, with detached housing’s overall share declining from 64% to 59%. 
"Over the past two decades, the Australian economy has reduced its reliance on manufacturing industries, with a greater economic focus on high paying jobs in knowledge intensive industries, which tend to be concentrated in the inner suburbs of major cities. 
"Specialist business parks, including those in close proximity to airports, are also emerging as key employment and economic centres in the landscapes of major Australian cities. 
"These highly productive, high paying and centralised jobs form a small but increasing proportion of the number of jobs overall, but are critical drivers of growth for Australia’s urban economies."
The continued growth of detached housing on the urban fringe, combined with the consolidation of many jobs in inner suburbs, creates a policy challenge for governments to effectively connect homes and workplaces. 
"This is placing pressure on Australia’s urban transport networks and leading to growth in road and public transport congestion." 
In the submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development supported the increase of housing supply in areas that complement the existing patterns of employment growth and that take advantage of existing transport networks. 
"Meeting the future transport needs of Sydney will be a significant challenge under any growth scenario, but it will likely become even more difficult if housing supply is added in areas that are poorly supported by transport services. 
"In formulating long term housing supply policy, the Department recommends a considered approach that takes account of the broader costs and benefits of housing development, including the costs of infrastructure connections and impacts on transport networks (such as road congestion). 
"While greenfield developments will be appropriate in some instances – a more holistic assessment may result in certain development proposals proving uneconomic." 
The Department believes that there are a number of other ways in which greenfield developments can be more costly than infill development, including reducing the supply of suitable land for agricultural, recreational, environmental and other uses; infrastructure connection costs; productivity and social costs.
"Overall, however, there is a clear body of evidence showing that, on average, the aggregate cost of infill development is well below that of greenfield development. 
"According to a study by the Centre of International Economics for the Australian Infrastructure Audit, urban consolidation can lower costs and environmental impacts. 
"Findings indicated that the resource costs of providing infrastructure associated with urban infill development are seven to 12 per cent lower than on the urban fringes."
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Transport infrastructure key to housing development

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A possible development site in South Yarra's Forest Hill has sold to a Hong Kong purchaser for $14.6 million - a new record for unpermitted sites in the street.
The 1,030sqm site at 6-8 Claremont Street is currently occupied by the Victorian Aids Council, who will continue to operate in the premises for the short term.
CBRE’s Mark Wizel, Josh Rutman, Julian White and Scott Orchard negotiated the sale through public expression of interest under instruction from transaction managers Nick Moore and Marcus Conabere of real estate advisory firm Urbis. 
Josh Rutman said apartment developments in the area have been sold at strong sales rates to a mixture of owner occupiers and investors, both local and offshore.
“We have been fortunate to handle the past seven development site transactions in the Forrest Hill precinct, and given the new record land rate achieved it is fair to say that we are now seeing a whole new level of confidence from local and offshore groups, especially off the back of the apartment pre-sale success that many developers are continuing to experience in the precinct,” he said. 
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South Yarra office sells for $14.6 million

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

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One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

Joel Robinson

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

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The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

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Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

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While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

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WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

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Developer GURNER™ Group has revealed $1.65 billion in residential sales nationally across the 12 months to December 2025, driven largely by the continued momentum of its Docklands wellness-focused precinct, Elysium Fields.

The sales result was generated across seven projects in Victoria and New South Wales, headlined by Elysium Fields, GURNER™’s $2.75 billion mixed-use precinct planned for Harbour Esplanade in Docklands.

The project has recorded more than $500 million in sales across the first three towers, equating to around 580 apartments sold.

The first tower, Helios, has now sold out of its 240 private residences, with GURNER™ preparing to release a premium penthouse collection comprising 15 three-bedroom penthouses in coming weeks.

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Elysium Fields is being developed on the long-held 20,000 sqm Docklands site at 208-226 Harbour Esplanade, which had remained undeveloped for more than two decades prior to GURNER™ taking over the project around four years ago.

Construction has now commenced across four towers ranging between 18 and 30 storeys, with Hamilton Marino and Maxcon appointed as builders.

Once complete, the precinct is expected to comprise around 1,100 residences, alongside retail, hospitality and public realm uses integrated throughout the site.

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Designed by Fraser &amp; Partners in collaboration with GURNER™ Design House, the project has been positioned around the developer’s broader focus on wellness-led residential living.

“We don’t sell apartments. We create a true luxury lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist elsewhere in the market today,” Founder and Executive Chairman Tim Gurner said.

“To deliver that requires an extraordinary level of detail, coordination and discipline across multiple verticals, from design and hospitality through to wellness and service.”

“We’ve always believed that living extends far beyond the physical residence. It’s about how you feel the moment you arrive, how you live day-to-day, and the ecosystem that supports that.” 
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The project’s design places a heavy focus on landscaping, wellness amenities and biophilic design principles.

Plans include around 3,700 sqm of landscaped gardens and open space throughout the precinct, alongside a retail and dining offering spanning approximately 5,000 sqm.

The broader public realm strategy centres around what GURNER™ describes as the “Path of Life”, an urban forest and landscaped pedestrian environment intended to connect the various buildings and wellness spaces across the precinct.

The apartments themselves will incorporate a range of wellness-focused inclusions, including purified air and water systems, circadian lighting, antimicrobial surfaces, and optional in-home wellness upgrades.

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Gurner said the company’s experience through its Saint Haven wellness clubs had directly informed the residential offering now being incorporated into Elysium Fields.

“We’re seeing a clear global shift toward longevity, performance and proactive health,” Gurner said.

“Our role is to deliver that in a way that feels seamless, highly private and beautifully resolved within the environments we create.”

A large component of the wellness offering is planned through the resident amenity and health facilities proposed within the precinct.

That includes plans for bathing and recovery facilities spread throughout the towers, incorporating mineral pools, saunas, steam rooms, flotation therapy, red light therapy and wellness lounges.

The developer is also seeking approvals for what it describes as a “reverse ageing medical clinic” within the precinct.

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According to project information released by the group, the proposed facility would include cryotherapy, IV infusion therapy, infrared and dry saunas, PEMF beds, MRIs, DEXA scans, brain scans and blood analysis services.

Within the first tower, Helios, residents will also have access to a dedicated amenity offering known as the Sky Private Club.

The upper 15 levels of the building will include private lounges, dining spaces, rooftop amenities and optional private wellness studios integrated within residences.

The Helios tower itself comprises 260 apartments ranging between 60 sqm and 300 sqm, including a collection of penthouses.

That includes a planned two-storey penthouse spanning around 600 sqm with uninterrupted bay views.

The Elysium Fields precinct is being delivered in partnership with Digital Harbour Holdings, a consortium that includes the Liberman family, which controls the development rights across the Docklands site.

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The sales result comes as GURNER™ continues expanding its national development pipeline beyond Victoria.

“We have a strong pipeline across Australia and are now focused on scaling into key markets including New South Wales and Queensland, while continuing to build on our Melbourne base,” Gurner said.

“We currently have more than $3 billion in the market, growing to over $5 billion by October, and expect to materially outperform last year in the 2026 calendar year.”

The result also reflects the continued strength of the upper-end apartment market in Melbourne, particularly for owner-occupier-focused product with large-scale amenity and lifestyle offerings.

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Record result anchored by the Group’s “utopian” Elysium Fields precinct – defying market headwinds in Docklands.

Elysium Fields drive Gurner to $1.65 billion in apartment sales over 2025

National Australia Bank (NAB) will fund <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/palmera-residences-gold-coast-18-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Palmera</a>, a $1 billion, 52-level luxury residential tower being developed by Central Equity in one of the Gold Coast’s most tightly held coastal locations at Northcliffe.

The project, launched recently by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-equity">Central Equity</a>, one of Victoria’s largest private residential developers, comes at a time when construction funding for large residential developments has become increasingly competitive as lenders tighten exposure to the sector.

Multiplex has been appointed the builder, and construction is now underway.

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Since its first project, Central Equity has delivered more than 85 residential developments with a combined end value exceeding $8 billion.

Palmera reflects Central Equity’s growing focus on the Gold Coast luxury apartment market and continues a relationship between Central Equity and NAB that dates back to the late 1980s, when the bank funded one of Melbourne’s earliest inner-city residential towers at a time when high-rise apartment living in the CBD was largely unproven.

“NAB’s funding of Central Equity’s $36 million CBD development in the late 1980’s to the financing of the billion-dollar tower today highlights the long-term relationship between the two organisations in delivering major residential projects” said Central Equity Founder and Chairman Eddie Kutner.

He said NAB’s early support was instrumental in helping establish the company’s development model.

“When we commenced our first residential tower in the late 1980s the concept of funding off-the-plan apartments was still largely untested in Australia,” Kutner said.

“NAB recognised the opportunity early and supported the project when others were uncertain. That relationship has now continued for more than 37 years across many developments.”

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Central Equity was established in 1987 when Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank precinct were still dominated by warehouses and commercial buildings. Fewer than 100 residents lived in Southbank at the time, and large-scale residential development in the inner city was not widely considered.

Recognising changing demographics and lifestyle preferences, the company began developing high-rise residential projects designed to bring permanent residents into the city centre.

Central Equity has provided accommodation for approximately 40,000 residents across Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank, while also incorporating supporting infrastructure including essential lifestyle facilities like retail spaces, childcare facilities and neighbourhood activity centres.

Central Equity has spent many years assembling the Palmera development site on the corner of Garfield Terrace and Frederick Street in Northcliffe, creating a supersite of around 3,300 sqm.

The developer said the Palmera apartment tower reflects its long-term view of the Gold Coast as a growing and increasingly diversified economy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365768]

Supported by infrastructure including the light rail network, major road upgrades expanded education, hospital and medical facilities and continued expansion at the Gold Coast Airport with more international and domestic flights.

Positioned in the tightly held Northcliffe precinct, the 52-level tower will deliver 347 apartments, targeting buyers seeking a high-end coastal lifestyle, from downsizers to interstate investors.

Designed by Marchese Partners with interiors by DBI, Palmera has been conceived as a next-generation residential offering, featuring a collection of oversized apartments, with premium three-bedroom residences offering sweeping northern views stretching from Surfers Paradise through to Burleigh Heads.

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NAB funds $1 billion Surfers Paradise apartment development, Palmera

Two years after completing one of the newest developments in North Sydney, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a> is turning its attention to the rapidly evolving St Leonards apartment market.

The developer, which completed AURA by Aqualand on North Sydney's Walker Street, has lodged plans for a 5,918 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/33-37-herbert-street-st-leonards-nsw-2065">33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards,</a> seeking approval for a pair of residential towers rising above a shared podium opposite Royal North Shore Hospital.

The proposal forms part of the broader transformation underway across the St Leonards-Crows Nest precinct, where former industrial and commercial sites are increasingly being redeveloped into high-density mixed-use projects tied to major transport infrastructure.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc428cf-fe70-4cac-9cd5-264ad53af62c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=otKSnHtbjAvAddOnovyXQMgcAwE6DMe1" />

According to the planning documents, the site sits “within the St Leonards–Crows Nest Strategic Centre, identified by the NSW Government as a key area for accommodating future jobs and housing across Sydney.”

The proposal has been designed by fjcstudio, formerly FJMT Studio, and is being progressed through the State Significant Development pathway due to its scale and affordable housing provision.

The scheme would comprise 413 apartments, including 46 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses fronting Herbert Street. The project would also include communal open space, landscaping, a swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s play areas and podium-level resident amenities.

Planning documents show the development would consist of a part-13, part-39 storey tower form positioned above a four-storey podium.

“The development comprises a unified podium that activates the street interface, and two setback towers to accommodate new housing supply while maintaining an appropriate human scale at ground level,” fjcstudio noted in its Design Report.

The northern and southern towers have been shaped to respond to the surrounding skyline while also limiting overshadowing impacts to nearby public open space, particularly Talus Reserve.

The design report said the differing tower heights were intended to “contribute to a varied skyline while responding to the surrounding built form context and solar access considerations.”

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36da62dc-ff9e-41f2-a7e3-7be38373751c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.45%E2%80%AFAM_0.png?VersionId=Mo6Rp2r.XRLTzIfg_PEEpw8NepDH8UBs" />

The site sits directly opposite Royal North Shore Hospital and within walking distance of both St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

While the site itself sits just outside the formal Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development boundary, the planning documents repeatedly reference its alignment with the broader TOD objectives reshaping the Lower North Shore.

“The site is located adjacent to St Leonards Station and in close proximity to Crows Nest Metro which is within the Crows Nest Transit Orientated Development Accelerated Precinct which has been identified by the NSW Government to support housing delivery,” the Design Verification Statement noted.

According to fjcstudio, the project has been designed to respond to the broader transition occurring across St Leonards, where increasing residential density is being concentrated around transport infrastructure and employment hubs.

“The broader precinct is undergoing significant change, with a mix of existing mid-rise buildings and newer high-density developments,” the report stated.

“Recent and approved projects indicate a consistent shift toward taller built form, typically organised as tower-and-podium typologies with more active ground levels.”

The proposal includes close to 6,000 sqm of retail and commercial space across the ground floor and podium levels, designed to create a more activated street edge along Herbert Street.

Aqualand’s plans would also introduce a landscaped podium shared between the two towers, with communal open space in the form of a podium rooftop designed to support resident interaction and improve urban greening outcomes. The scheme would also introduce pocket parks at the northern and southern ends of the site, including a landscaped area at the corner of Herbert and Ella streets designed to improve pedestrian amenity and soften the streetscape.

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The proposal is being progressed through the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway, which was introduced to accelerate housing supply across the state. The application was declared State Significant Development in April 2025 following an expression of interest process.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="faf6d97d-2671-454f-b85a-fe1c6a7be608" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.49%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=diVd28OBVr5.YV.7prrOz.uAanwwwm7a" />

St Leonards has been particularly active with new developments in recent weeks. Developer SP Setia’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-sp-setia-targets-st-leonards-skyline-with-40-storey-tod-tower">plans for a new 42-storey tower</a> recently went on exhibition through the same pathway, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">Stockland’s 52-storey tower proposal</a> was also recently unveiled.

Aside from the St Leonards project, which is expected to take around nine months to move through the approvals process ahead of a potential 2027 launch, Aqualand is also preparing to launch Boronia, a new apartment project in Roseville comprising around 111 apartments on Larkin Street.

The developer also has approvals in place for the next stage of the Barangaroo precinct, which will feature new residential, retail, hospitality and community uses, alongside a new metro entry across the five-hectare site.

More than 50 new retail destinations are planned for Central Barangaroo, alongside a 270-metre-long boulevard connecting Hickson Park to Nawi Cove. Together with Harbour Park, more than 50 per cent of the precinct will comprise public open space and parkland.

Michael Crawford

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