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Malaysia, Taiwan and China are the top three world manufacturing destinations in 2015, according to Cushman &amp; Wakefield’s 2015 ‘Where in the World? Manufacturing Index’. 
Australia ranks 28th on the list of 30, above Italy and Belgium.
According to Richard Middleton, Cushman &amp; Wakefield head of occupier services, EMEA and Asia Pacific, the report reveals how the APAC region is benefitting from a lower cost business environment which is proving attractive to manufacturers.  
“The markets of Asia Pacific continue to remain particularly attractive to manufacturers and this shows in our latest index rankings. Malaysia has retained top place in our main index for the second year running and Vietnam tops our growth index and is maturing as a manufacturing destination," Mr Middleton said.
“From a broader perspective, there remains some volatility at play. While China remains the world leader in terms of manufacturing output and benefits from the scale of its immediate marketplace, rising labour costs have caused a shift in strategy for some manufacturers. This has not only benefitted the APAC regions of Malaysia and Vietnam but has also added to a re-shoring trend with a number of manufacturers moving their plant and facilities back to Western markets.
"This has strengthened the prospects of certain European locations, notably Turkey which has positioned itself at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Russia and Africa.”
Mark Wanic, Cushman &amp; Wakefield’s head of occupier services America's, said there is a genuine sense that manufacturing is now making a comeback in the US as global demand appears to have turned a corner. The cost differential to cheaper markets, which contributed to a number of manufacturers moving ‘off-shore’, has now narrowed –with the US regaining a competitive edge.
“A more competitive energy platform, both in terms of cost and security, is adding to the US as a manufacturing location.  In addition, supply-chain management is also collectively adding to the more positive outlook evident from our latest index ranking," Mr Wanic said.
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Malaysia tops global manufacturing index, Australia 28th

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The Housing Industry Association kicks off their sixth annual Building Better Cities Summit Tuesday, this year themed around tax system reform.
The summit, titled Taxing the Australian Dream: Can we get the tax off housing? will look at how to reverse the tax impost on new housing and how governments can support infrastructure and community services.
HIA spokesman Greg Weller said due to an underlying structural budget deficit and a growing demand for government services, in particular in the health and education areas, a realignment of the taxation and transfer system appears inevitable. 
“With an eye to the future, now is the time to consider the impact of the current unfair taxation burden placed on new housing. This reduces housing affordability and limits growth in the wider economy.”
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 HIA summit to tackle housing affordability, tax reform

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Federation Centres has sold four regional commercial properties for a combined total of $153.1 million.
Goulburn Plaza in New South Wales and convenience centre Katherine Oasis in the Northern Territory were sold to Charter Hall for $94.9 million, Westside Plaza in Broken Hillsold for $33.7 million and the Mount Gambier Central in South Australia has been sold to a private investor for $24.5 million
Angus McNaughton, Federation Centres chief executive officer said with the recent sale of Lutwyche City, we have announced around $220 million in asset sales this month. 
 
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Federation reap $153.1 million in regional commercial sales

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Education and training providers are snapping up office space in Melbourne with a 44% increase in education leasing deals for 2014 when compared to the previous year - a total of 36,000sqm.
According to research from CBRE in the last 18 months educator leasing deals in the Melbourne CBD has doubled from 5% (20,000sqm) to around 10% (45,000sqm).  
CBRE research analyst Anne Flaherty said in contrast to many industries, tenants in the education sector are most likely to lease secondary grade space and are therefore, playing an important role in the absorption.
"In 2014, vacancy in the secondary market reached its highest level in a decade, forcing landlords to increase incentives in a bid to entice tenants.  This is reflected in annual absorption figures, which totalled only 15,000sqm for secondary space, compared with 52,000sqm for prime," Ms Flaherty said.
“University enrolments are rising on average 4% per year, with domestic university enrolments exceeding one million for the first time in 2014 and the number of international students commencing study was up 10% over the previous year. 
CBRE regional director of office services, Andrew Tracey, said in the first two months of the year alone, he has seen 4,146sqm in new enquiry, with a large portion of this interest in quality buildings that are willing and able to accommodate education providers.
Key Melbourne education lease deals
<ul>
<li>CQU has signed a 12-year lease on 8,000sqm at 120 Spencer Street, a 22-level A-grade office building located opposite the Southern Cross Train Station. </li>
<li>Monash College recently took up 6,570sqm at 271 Collins Street, committing to a 10 year term on the property. </li>
<li>Red Hill Education has also secured space within the building, which is currently listed for sale with CBRE, signing a five-year lease on a 1,600sqm suite on the 8th level. CBRE Senior Negotiator, Office Services, Milly Stockdale negotiated the deal. </li>
<li>Study Group committed to 6,700sqm in Church Lane earlier in the year, signing a 9.5 year lease on the Credit Suisse AG-owned property. </li>
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Several pockets across Sydney have also witnessed a surge in leasing activity, with Parramatta, Blacktown and Bankstown in the west emerging as some of the city’s largest education hubs, according to the report.
 
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Education sector driving Melbourne CBD office rentals

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Residential vacancy rates held steady nationwide across July at 2.4% based on 73,209 vacancies, according to new figures released by SQM Research.
According to Louis Christopher, managing director of SQM Research, tourist area rents are remaining strong.
"The rental market is on balance slightly in favour of tenants at this point in time, though of course, each city tells its own story," Mr Christopher said.
"Areas exposed to the ongoing mining downturn are generally experiencing falls in weekly rents."
National June vacancy rates were 72,849. Hobart was the only city where vacancy rates fell over the month.
Canberra rose 0.3 percentage points, with Perth 0.2 percentage points.
Mr Christopher said Melbourne has recorded a rise of 3.0% for houses and 2.0% for units, while asking rents in Sydney and Adelaide also recorded modest rises for the same period.
 
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Residential vacancy rates strong nationwide: SQM Research

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Combined city national preliminary auction clearance rates are at 76.3%, according to CoreLogic RP Data's Property Market Indicator Summary for the week ending August 16.
Last week the combined national auction clearance rate was 76.9%, however auction volumes are lower.
The final auction clearance rate for this time last year was 70.8%
Sydney had a clearance rate of 80%.
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Sydney's clearance rate hits 80%: CoreLogic RP Data

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New South Wales auction results for week ending Sunday August 16 show a preliminary clearance rate of 80% from 907 scheduled auctions.
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<div class="num">According to data from realestate.com.au, 405 were sold at auction within NSW, 93 passed in and 159 sold prior to auction.</div>
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<div class="num">One standout property in the Sydney suburb of Bangor  was a 657 sqm block complete with brick <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bangor-120291109" target="_blank">three bedroom home which sold for $1,060,000</a>.</div>
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<div class="num"><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/auction-results/nsw?rsf=edm:auction:nsw" target="_blank">Click here to see the full state breakout.</a></div>
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NSW auction results show prelim clearance rate of 80%: Realestate.com.au

<html><body>Australian Property Monitors (APM) has released a list of auction results in Sydney for Saturday, August 15. <a href="https://www.homepriceguide.com.au/saturday_auction_results/Sydney.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Click here</a> for the auction results, and click on each street address to see the property's marketing.</body></html>

APM's Sydney auction results for August 15

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Entry level project homes in new Sydney estates on the metropolitan fringes have been earmarked for investment due to the heavy competition for established homes in the latest August market review from Herron Todd White.
A new four bedroom brick rendered home in suburbs such as Oran Park, Leppington, Edmondson Park, Caddens Ridge, Jordan Springs and Mardsen Park between 140 square metres to 200 square metres.
HTW noted at the lower end of $1,400 per square metre, the potential owner will receive a modest standard with a laminated kitchen, part wall tiling to wet areas, generic appliances and split level AC.
"A higher standard is at $1,700 per sqaure metre and at this level we would expect to see a Polyurethane kitchen with casearstone benchtops, bamboo flooring, higher quality wool blend carpet, ducted air conditioning, full wall tiling to bathroom, and known appliances such as Westinghouse or Bosch," HTW noted.
Knock down rebuilds, driven partly by the interest generated through reality television programs range from between $2,500 and $4,000 per sqm are proving popular as well.
Potential sites located in Five Dock, Russell Lea, Drummoyne, Strathfield, Monterey, Sans Souci, Blakehurst, Sylvania, Cronulla and Burraneer with the floor areas for areas ranging from 300 to 500 per square metres are popular.
A large increase in dual occupancy developments within 20km of the Sydney CBD has resulted in many off the plan sales prior to completion. The report states a cavity brick duplex pair can range from $1,800 to $2,500 per square metre and brick veneer duplex pairs will range from $1,600 to $2,000 per square metre. 
Granny flats also got a mention.
"We have found that the typical 60 square metre granny flat will range from $2,000 to $2,500 per square metre comprising 2-bedrooms, 1-bathroom, ceasarstone kitchen bench and lounge/dining area. Specialist firms now cater for this market and quote a typical construction time frame of 12 weeks."
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Entry level Sydney project homes proving popular: HTW

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Investor mortgage levels have been higher than owner occupier loans since July 2014, according to the August CoreLogic RP Data Housing Market and Economics Update.
The report found a slight dip in new loans given to owner occupiers prior to March 2015. 
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Investor mortgage levels higher than owner occupier: CoreLogic RP Data

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.”

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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.

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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."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

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.

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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.

&nbsp;

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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