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Earlier this year issues regarding the impact that flights paths around Melbourne's airports and development of tall buildings in central <a href="/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne</a> were raised following the then approval of Australia 108 tower which at 388 metres high would have been the tallest building in Melbourne and the Southern Hemisphere. Since this issue was initially raised there has been a lot of confusion and misunderstanding in relation to how airspace restrictions work and how they impact upon development in Melbourne. With developers proposing increasingly taller buildings in the Melbourne's CBD and <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, this issue will become even more prominent in the future.

Airspace around airports in managed so that aircraft can take off, land and maneuver around airports without risk of colliding with buildings or other structures. To do this the areas surrounding airports are protected by two invisible surfaces which define at what height planes can fly safely without encountering unexpected obstacles. These surfaces are known as the:

<ul>
<li>Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS); and</li>
	<li>Procedures for Air Navigational Services—Aircraft Operations Surface (PANS-OPS)</li>
</ul>
OLS is generally the lowest surface and is designed to provide protection for aircraft flying into or out of the airport when the pilot is flying by sight. PANS-OPS is generally above the OLS and is designed to safeguard an aircraft from collision with obstacles when the aircraft’s flight may be guided solely by instruments, such as in poor visibility conditions. Buildings and other structures cannot penetrate these surfaces without the approval of the relevant Airport or the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

Permits can be granted for permanent or temporary buildings or structures to penetrate the OLS and approval would usually involve a requirement that the building have prominent navigation beacons at the highest point of the building. An example of this is Eureka Tower which was required to have four navigation beacons on the roof as it penetrated the OLS.

<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/ESSEDON%20OLS.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Essendon Airport OLS"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ESSEDON%20OLS.gif?itok=JXLgOnC4" title="Essendon Airport OLS" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Essendon Airport OLS</figcaption></figure>A permit can also be granted for temporary structures to penetrate the PANS-OPS surface, an example of this were the construction cranes for Eureka Tower that were issued a permit to penetrate the Essendon Airport PANS-OPS on a temporary basis during the construction of the building. However a permit cannot be issued to allow for structures to penetrate the PANS-OPS surface on a permanent basis. In order to construct a building that would permanently penetrate the existing PANS-OPS surface, the PANS-OPS surface has to be amended so that it shifts above the height of the proposed building.

An example of which was the PANS-OPS surface over the Gold Coast which was amended in 2005 to allow for the development of Q1 Tower. The PANS-OPS surface surrounding the site of Q1 tower was 304m above sea level and the spire on Q1 was originally approved at this height. The developers of Q1 successfully applied to have the PANS-OPS surface increased to 335.3 to allow for the spire to be extended to a height of 328m above sea level.

The location and orientation of Melbourne Airport means that the controls to protect Melbourne Airport have very little impact upon development in the Melbourne CBD (including Docklands and Southbank). However the controls for Essendon Airport have a much more significant impact upon the Melbourne CBD, as the Essendon airport OLS map above shows. OLS over the Melbourne CBD (including Southbank and Docklands) is 228.5, while the Essendon Airport PANS-OPS map shown below indicates heights of between 265m and 315m over Melbourne CBD (including Southbank and Docklands).

<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/ESSEDON%20PANSOPS.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Essendon Airport PANS-OPS"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ESSEDON%20PANSOPS.gif?itok=g1jErhAs" title="Essendon Airport PANS-OPS" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Essendon Airport PANS-OPS</figcaption></figure>As a result of the above requirements buildings in the Melbourne CBD cannot exceed a height of between 265m and 315m depending on their exact location. For example, the PANS-OPS over the site of Australia 108 is 312m and the design of the building is currently being amended so that it is below this height.

One issue that was raised during the processing of the application for Australia 108 was that it was clear that the developer, the City of Melbourne and even the planning department were not aware of these requirements or presumed that a permit could be granted to penetrate the PANS-OPS. Currently there is nothing in the City of Melbourne Planning Scheme that notifies developers where these restrictions apply or that buildings above a certain height may be prohibited or need additional permissions. This had led to situation where buildings have been approved that penetrate the PANS-OPS such as Australia 108 and the tallest proposed building on the Carlton Brewery Site. The tallest of the four proposed towers at 250 Spencer Street would also penetrate the PANS-OPS.

Essendon Airport have recently prepared a new draft <a href="http://www.essendonairport.com.au/23/community-info/master-plan/default.aspx">master plan for the airport</a> which is on public exhibition until the November 29th. The master planning process can include changes to prescribed airspace although the draft master plan does not include any proposed changes to the prescribed airspace around the airport. It is understood that the PANS-OPS restrictions over the CBD are not required to protect a direct flight path for aircraft taking off or landing at Essendon Airport but to provide a safety buffer for planes in emergency situations where they encounter difficulty after take off or have to perform a go-around where a pilot discontinues a landing approach when they are not completely satisfied that the requirements are in place for a safe landing.

Victorian Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has informed Apartments.com.au that he is currently lobbying the Federal Government to amend the PANS-OPS restrictions so that they do not apply to the Melbourne CBD. It is considered that the current PANS-OPS requirements for what is only a secondary airport place unreasonable restrictions on the development of the second largest city in Australia. It is also believed that the PANS-OPS restrictions could be removed from the Melbourne CBD while maintaining aviation safety standards, which if realised would likely propel a number of Melbourne's proposed towers into a whole new stratosphere.
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nwharr

Flight paths and tall buildings in Melbourne explained

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Spring Street has recently released its long awaited draft vision plan for the Fishermans Bend precinct and the government and media reports have made much of the tree lined boulevards, parks, jobs and investment that will flow from the implementation of the plan.

However media reports have failed to pick up the true scale of residential development that is being proposed in the plan.

Here are the widely reported headline figures:

<ul>
<li>250 hectares</li>
	<li>80,000 residents</li>
	<li>40,000 jobs</li>
</ul>
Currently the area with the highest residential density in Australia is Pyrmont – Ultimo in Sydney which contains 13,900 people per square kilometre. In Melbourne the densest area is the Melbourne CBD with density with 10,900 people per km2.

Docklands will have a residential density of around 13,000 people per km2 when completed and the Green Square urban renewal project in Sydney (which is similar to Fisherman’s Bend) is planned to have a residential density of 14,400 people per km2. Fisherman’s Bend will have a residential density of 32,000 people per km2!

To put that into perspective Fishermans Bend will be as dense as Manhattan in New York which has a residential density of 32,000 people per km2. While this overall level of density is appropriate considering the context of the site and the lack of constraints over much of the area, it does mean that a level of infrastructure required to service the area will be above and beyond what has been required for any other similar development in Australia, especially considering the lack of existing residential infrastructure in what is currently an isolated industrial area.

The draft vision plan recognises this by proposing two underground rail stations to service the area as heavy rail is the only way to adequately cater for the scale of residential density proposed. A number of tram lines have also been proposed but these will only be adequate as an interim solution until densities increase. The section of the plan titled ‘how to make it happen’ clearly identifies that ‘the early delivery of infrastructure is critical to the transformation of Fishermans Bend from an industrial area to a mixed use area and to attract private investment.’ Unfortunately Spring Street has not yet committed to building the proposed underground train stations at any time in the future let alone in a timeframe that could be considered as ‘early delivery’.

Many are comparing Fishermans Bend to Docklands, however a better comparison would be with the Urban Renewal of Southbank that has occurred over the past 20 years. State and Local government are still playing catch up in Southbank to provide for the basic residential infrastructure required to support a new residential community of the size that had developed there over the last 20 years. When the plans for the residential redevelopment of the Southbank area were prepared in the early 1990’s, apartments only made up a tiny percentage of number of dwellings in the city and Melbourne was seen as a ‘rust belt’ city with bleak prospects for future growth.

At that time any suggestion that Southbank would be a forest of apartment towers between 30 and 90 storeys high within 20 years would have been seen as ridiculous. There were many at the time who believed that Melburnians were not interested in apartment living and the first large developments at Southbank were Townhouses and walk up flats.

The plans for Southbank made in the early 1990’s did not foresee the scale and speed of development that has occurred since 1995 and there were no development contributions required in Southbank as the government of the day was doing everything it could to encourage any form of development. With Fishermans Bend the government has no such excuses.

<blockquote>
The flood of planning applications for apartment towers submitted before the draft vision plan was released is a good indication of the potential that developers see in the area.
</blockquote>

Spring Street has made a good start by providing the framework for a development contributions plan and also recognising the critical role that the early provision infrastructure will play in the success of the precinct. However the devil is in the detail and the State Government needs to follow up the final vision plan with a detailed framework for the timely provision of infrastructure and services and how these will be paid for.

The State Government should also make sure that the provision of infrastructure in insulated from the political vagaries of the budget and election cycles to give developers, residents and business certainty when making their own plans for developing, living and working in Fishermans bend. The Draft Visions plan expects Fishermans Bend to be developed over a period of 50 years, or an average of 1600 new residents per year. There are plans already in place to accommodate over 30,000 new residents each year on Melbourne’s urban fringe over the next 30 years.

Since Fisherman’s Bend is one of the government’s key policies to reduce urban sprawl the government should be more aggressively pursuing development timelines for Fishermans Bend to have any real impact on the proportion of new dwellings constructed on the urban fringe.

Providing developers with certainty regarding the timely provision of infrastructure will boost the speed of development.
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Fishermans Bend to become Australia's most densely populated area

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A few games of Street Fighter II, killing your mates in Phaser Strike and throwing up on the Gravitron (with "Ice Ice Baby" blaring in the background) was a dream day out when growing up in Melbourne in the 1980's and 1990's. And the only place you could have all this was the Fun Factory on the Corner of Chapel Street and Toorak Road in South Yarra.

But the fun was not to last as Chapel Street became the place to be seen in Melbourne in the 1980's, developers started hatching plans to redevelop the massive Fun Factory Site. In 1989 a permit was issued for the demolition of the building and the development of a 15 storey apartment tower. However the Recession through the early 1990's meant that this plan was never built and the Fun Factory lived on. By 1999 economic conditions had improved and the owners of the site proposed a massive mixed use redevelopment of the site including a 42 storey tower. City of Stonnington officials were not ready for this scale of development and the application was promptly refused by Council.

<figure><a 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/Image10_3.jpg" title="Early concepts for the Fun Factory. Images courtesy AppleInsider and Webber Design" class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" rel="gallery-all"><img src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/Image10_3.jpg?itok=Be1dhJAn" width="580" height="312" alt="" title="Early concepts for the Fun Factory. Images courtesy AppleInsider and Webber Design" class="image-article-full-width-580px"></a>
<figcaption>Early concepts for the Fun Factory. Images courtesy AppleInsider and Webber Design</figcaption></figure>Subsequently Fender Katsalidis Architects were employed to deliver a new design, they being at that time the go-to architects for getting difficult proposals through the planning system. A new plan was hatched that incorporated a retail podium with a 27 level, 91 metre high apartment tower rising above. The application was approved by the City of Stonington in 2001. A local residents group appealed the decision, but VCAT upheld Council's decision.

This development was also never built and by 2008 the owners of the site commissioned yet another proposal for the site. This time they employed Bates Smart Architects to design a redeveloped Fun Factory consisting a retail podium with a 9 storey office building and a 39 storey apartment tower rising above. At 134 metres high, the main tower would have easily become the tallest building outside of the central city area. This proposal was refused by the City of Stonnington despite the recommendation of Council officers who supported the application. That decision was overturned by VCAT on appeal in late 2009.

By late 2010 the project was known as The Capitol and apartments in the main tower were on sale to the public. Marketed as a high end luxury development with large, it contained well-appointed apartments with even larger penthouse apartments on the upper floors. Joint developers including APN Property Group were optimistic about the prospects of the development and around the same time applied to VCAT to increase the height of the tower to 151m by adding an additional 5 penthouse levels. This application was refused by Council and the refusal was upheld by VCAT who saw the increase in height as going one step too far. The developer’s optimism proved to be unfounded and by the end of 2011 sales in the development were struggling to break to 50% mark and by the end of the year the development had been shelved.

<figure><a 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/capitol%20comparison_0.jpg" title="Image comparing the initial Bates Smart scheme to that currently seeking approval. Image © Bates Smart" class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" rel="gallery-all"><img src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/capitol%20comparison_0.jpg?itok=rT0_MJkT" width="580" height="400" alt="" title="Image comparing the initial Bates Smart scheme to that currently seeking approval. Image © Bates Smart" class="image-article-full-width-580px"></a>
<figcaption>Image comparing the initial Bates Smart scheme to that currently seeking approval. Image © Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>With the developers considering all options including the sale of the site, they have instead submitted yet another application to amend the approved development. Amendments involve a significant increase in the number of smaller one and two bedroom apartments and a reduction in floor to ceiling heights. These intended changes will also simplify the buildings floor plans, remove the office component and split the development into two stages.

The developers are hoping that these measures will increase the broader market appeal and in turn the financial viability of the project, making apartments far easier to sell at a lower price range. Council voted on 20th May not to support the proposed amendments as they viewed the new scheme as watereing down the design intent of the original Bates Smart scheme, signalling that the architectural expression of the amended development will no longer produce an iconic podium tower development or a sculptural and slender building.

VCAT will now have a very difficult decision between insisting that any development on the site must have an exceptional standard of architectural design, even if that means the site may remain underutilised for another 24 years, or accepting that it was not realistic to expect such a high standard of design would be economically viable and that in order to achieve the objective of providing more dwellings in existing activity centres that the amended design will be good enough. Time will tell...
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Sixth time lucky at the Fun Factory?

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The reaction from some Melburnians with regards to the marketing campaign by Hong Kong-based developer Far East Consortium, comparing its apartment development on the corner of Spencer and Lonsdale Streets to New York is genuinely one of amusement.
There is hardly the need for any in depth research to convince most Melburnians the comparison is rather silly. However the comment piece <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/developers-tall-tales-are-all-pie-in-the-sky-20130603-2nm20" target="_blank">‘Developers' tall tales are all pie in the sky’</a> ​by ABC Producer Daniel Ziffer and published in The Age yesterday seeks to attach a greater importance to the comparison beyond that of just a property marketer's strategy.
The main thrust of the article is the form of high density development currently underway in Melbourne will have “unknown consequences for the area” and result in “dense and grim neighbourhoods where skyscrapers block light and life from the streets” like Hong Kong compared to that amazing place called New York where “more than half the housing stock … is in small to medium developments, often ''walk-ups'' without lifts.”  And the “avenues are wider than Melbourne's street grid, and apartment buildings are set back from the street to allow sunlight to hit the ground.”
As the author was a one time resident and frequent visitor it would be assumed he might have seen one of the more than 70 apartment towers in New York taller than the tallest building in the Upper West Side development on Spencer Street. But maybe the views of these giants were blocked by the 4869 apartment towers over 10 storeys in height in New York City. I guess it would also be easier to miss the avenues in New York are generally 100 feet wide, exactly the same width as streets in Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid like Lonsdale Street.
Any recent visit to New York would also reveal the developing trend towards larger and taller apartment buildings in Manhattan. The latest example of this is the tower currently under construction at <a href="http://432parkavenue.com/?state=home" target="_blank">432 Park Avenue</a> which at 426 metres high will be taller than the former World Trade Centre twin towers.
The author has an issue with a developer utilising a New York inspired marketing strategy to sell some apartments but he has no qualms in comparing the same development on Spencer Street to Caroline Springs which is an even more ridiculous comparison.
This comment piece is just another in the ongoing campaign against the development of tall buildings in Melbourne by The Age newspaper. It is disappointing the same newspaper which has campaigned vigorously in the past against the environmental and social impact of urban sprawl, embodied in places such as Caroline Springs, now breaks with its previous consistency and publishes 3rd party commentary deriding the redevelopment of disused industrial sites in the CBD as an alterative to urban sprawl.
Nicholas Harrison is an urban planner with over 10 years experience.
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Caroline Springs in the sky?

Lewis Land's latest apartment release within its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan is targeting one of the Gold Coast's fastest-growing buyer groups, with almost a third of apartments at Solis priced below $1 million.

The seven-storey building at Biggera Waters will comprise 91 apartments, including 24 one-bedroom residences starting from $778,000, a price point Lewis Land says is aimed squarely at first home buyers struggling to enter the Gold Coast market.

<img alt="Harbour Shires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e7486e37-22f6-4c92-b212-9b0622070b8f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.34%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=W8MJwJUCf6HkIyl_EVSksnd.QI6MZryY" />

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lewis-land-group">Lewis Land</a> Head of Development Michael Long said the developer deliberately allocated a significant proportion of the project to more affordable apartment types.

"First home buyers have been priced out of many parts of the Gold Coast, and we saw a clear opportunity to address this and play our part in a longer-term housing solution," Long said.

"That's why 24 of the 91 apartments being delivered at Solis have been designed and priced for the city's next generation of homeowners, quality one-bedroom apartments, half of which include an additional multipurpose room to maximise space and flexibility.

"This approach places 30 per cent of apartments in Solis under $1 million, and with close proximity to Harbour Town's future light rail extension connecting residents to the city's major employment and knowledge hubs, it's a win for buyers looking to secure their first property."

<img alt="Sores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="550526d3-73ba-4710-9739-c5f4294a30ef" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.29%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cQQdXHt9wS0UXwZEm5Py5bH_3kAmzyhu" />

Designed by BDA Architecture, Solis will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with residences ranging up to 232 sqm. Apartments feature generous balconies and contemporary finishes, while residents will have access to Harbour Shores' lagoon pool, clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga studio and sauna.

The focus on first home buyers resonated with purchaser Holly Humphreys, who said she and her boyfriend spent more than a year searching for their first property before shifting their attention from houses to apartments.

"We fell in love with the first house we bid on and got our hopes up, but after repeated knockbacks we learned not to get too attached," Humphreys said.

"We offered at the high end of price guides, but sales kept going even higher. That's where we really struggled and we needed to re-evaluate our budget and our expectations. Standalone houses were off the table, and we pivoted to apartments and townhouses."

Humphreys said it was encouraging to see developers recognising the growing demand from first home buyers.

"There's a growing number of young buyers looking to enter the market earlier because they understand that getting in now can make a real difference as prices continue to rise," she said.

"It's fantastic to see a developer recognise this and then actively take measures to deliver an apartment with us in mind."

Solis is the first development planned within the second stage of the Harbour Shores masterplan, with early works expected to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Joel Robinson

Lewis Land targets first home buyers at latest Harbour Shores release, Solis

Luxury apartment developer Abadeen has recorded $19.25 million in apartment sales across two of its Lower North Shore developments in the lead-up to the end of the financial year, headlined by the sale of a $6.75 million penthouse at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/koyo-crows-nest-5-rodborough-avenue-crows-nest-nsw-2065">KOYO in Crows Nest.</a>

The transactions also included the sale of a newly completed three-bedroom apartment at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/park-residences-cremorne-2-sutherland-street-cremorne-nsw-2090">Park Residences in Cremorne</a> for $6.35 million, with the residence selling shortly after the project's first public inspections following completion.

The sales come as completed, owner-occupier-focused apartments continue to attract strong demand across Sydney's Lower North Shore, particularly from buyers looking for certainty and immediate occupancy.

The penthouse at KOYO spans 491 sqm across a single level and was designed by architect Koichi Takada. The development is one of Abadeen's flagship boutique projects in Crows Nest.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108800 project_image_fid=370093]

Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said buyer activity lifted noticeably in the lead-up to the end of the financial year.

"We saw a clear increase in enquiry levels, inspection numbers and buyer engagement across our completed projects leading into the end of the financial year," Brown said.

"Buyers have become far more decisive over the past six months. The combination of improving confidence, limited supply and the ability to physically inspect completed residences is creating strong competition for premium apartments in the best locations."

Brown says the&nbsp;response to Park Residences following completion has been particularly strong.

"Buyers want certainty and are responding positively to the opportunity to walk through a finished product, inspect the quality firsthand and move in immediately," Brown suggested.

"Projects such as Park Residences and KOYO demonstrate that when the product is exceptional and the location is irreplaceable, buyers are prepared to act quickly."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114246 project_image_fid=370116]

Abadeen CEO Joe Tack said quality continued to differentiate projects in the current market.

"Today's buyers are incredibly discerning," Tack said.

"They are seeking larger floorplans, premium finishes, walkability, lifestyle amenity and confidence in the developer delivering the project. Well-designed boutique developments continue to outperform because they offer something genuinely difficult to replace.

"The enquiry we are seeing across our completed and recently completed Lower North Shore portfolio is very encouraging, and we expect this momentum to continue into spring."

The sales follow increased enquiry across Abadeen's Lower North Shore portfolio which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/northcote-collective-naremburn-2-northcote-street-naremburn-nsw-2065">Northcote Collective in Naremburn</a> which also completed recently.

KOYO penthouse headlines Abadeen's $19.25 million EOFY sales flurry

The City of Sydney has approved plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/billbergia">Billbergia Group</a> and Metrics Credit Partners’ $3.5 billion Castlereagh Place project in the heart of the Sydney CBD

The towers will be among the tallest in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/sydney-nsw-2000">Sydney</a>'s CBD, with more floors than any other residential tower in the city.&nbsp;

The 6,000 sqm site was acquired by the joint venture partners in 2024. It is the largest amalgamated land parcel in the Sydney CBD and comprises eight individual sites fronting Castlereagh, Pitt and Liverpool Streets.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/castlereagh-place-sydney-324-348-pitt-street-sydney-nsw-2000">Castlereagh Place</a> will transform an underutilised city block into a landmark mixed-use destination, anchored by two 82-storey towers comprising 607 luxury residences above an 8-level podium housing a 209-room luxury hotel. A 1,000 square metre civic park on ground level features a curated mix of food, beverage and retail.

The plans have been refined over the past year to rebalance the residential and hotel offering, and reconfigure the retail footprint to create a stronger, more dynamic dining experience.

A three-level flagship building on the prominent corner of Pitt and Liverpool Streets will be the gateway to the Castlereagh Place lifestyle precinct. Set to become a Sydney icon, the building is capable of housing multiple hospitality venues.

“Castlereagh Place is designed to be the City's next great urban oasis - an energetic mixed-use precinct that pulses with life, day and night,"&nbsp;said Joseph Kinsella, Group Director of Billbergia.

"It will bring the vibrancy of places like Barangaroo and Darling Quarter into a more accessible, central destination at the very heart of Sydney."

Kinsella said the project will build on&nbsp;Sydney’s growing laneway culture with the City’s largest network of new activated lanes - an expanded, next-generation take on precincts like Angel Place, Palings Lane and Ash Street in Wynyard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374401]

Castlereagh Place has been designed by architects <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fjc-studio">fjcstudio</a> in collaboration with Trias Studio, Aileen Sage and Polly Harbison Design, joint winners of an international design competition in 2018.&nbsp;

Signature design elements from the original scheme remain unchanged, while the public domain has been significantly enhanced, delivering 60 per cent more open-to-sky space.

Pedestrian access will also be enhanced through new laneways linking Pitt, Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets, drawing people into a new civic park with outdoor seating, landscaping and integrated public art.

With activated laneways supported by strong hospitality offerings, Castlereagh Place is tipped to become a vibrant new dining destination in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

It marks the largest undertaking to date for the Billbergia and Metrics Credit Partners partnership. Together they are developing other underutilised Sydney sites into mixed-use precincts, including the $2.2 billion Concord Central and the $1.3 billion Chatswood Grand Residences.

Metrics Managing Partner and Group CEO Andrew Lockhart said Castlereagh Place is a landmark project that will redefine Sydney’s skyline.

"As the tallest residential high-rise development, the revitalised site will offer panoramic views across the CBD and surrounds. We are excited to partner with Billbergia to reinvigorate an underutilised site and create a sophisticated and contemporary mixed-use offering situated in the heart of Sydney.”

Total apartments within the towers have increased to 607 dwellings, with a focus on larger floorplans. Aligned to growing market demand, Castlereagh Place now comprises 299 three-plus-bedroom apartments, 198 two-bedroom units and 110 one-bedroom configurations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374402]

Resident amenities will include an exclusive residents club containing a gym, rooftop pool, dining rooms, co-working spaces, library, golf simulator, games room, cinema room, and access to an exclusive concierge service. There will be around 500 basement car spaces below the towers.

The development will also include a state-of-the-art wellness centre, set to feature a bathhouse with magnesium pools, hot/cold plunge pools and premium amenities.

&nbsp;

According to fjcstudio, the towers will feature distinctive yet elegant architectural design reflecting Sydney’s geometry and urban character, with a network of through-site links and intimate public spaces activating the streetscape.

"Castlereagh Place is a city-making project of significant scale and ambition," said Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director at fjcstudio.

"It will create a rich urban complex of public open spaces, landscaped gardens, and vibrant laneways. Defining these new public spaces and the important streetscape of Castlereagh Street is a sequence of fine-grained, diverse retail and hotel architecture designed in collaboration with Aileen Sage, Polly Harbison Design and Trias.

“Rising above the tree-lined, human-scale streetscape are two slender residential towers that will transform the city skyline and look towards the Harbour, Hyde Park, and the Royal Botanic Garden.”

Demolition and early construction works have commenced onsite at Castlereagh Place.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134477]

Billbergia, Metrics, approved for $3.5 billion Sydney skyscrapers

International developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/spg-land">SPG Land</a> is preparing to re-launch its long-awaited $1.5 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/paradiso-place-surfers-paradise-103-ferny-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Paradiso Place</a> development at Budds Beach, bringing a new price point to the Surfers Paradise apartment market.

The developer will release one-bedroom apartments from $825,000 and two-bedroom apartments from $1.24 million in the three-tower development.

According to Urbis, the starting price for the two-bedroom apartments is more than $400,000 below the weighted average sale price for comparable two-bedroom apartments in Surfers Paradise during 2025, which was pinned at $1.7 million.

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Urbis reported quarterly average sale prices for new two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments ranged from around $1.2 million to $1.7 million throughout 2025, peaking in the December quarter.

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Paradiso Place is now moving into its formal sales campaign, with a limited early-release opportunity available ahead of the public launch.

The development will comprise 845 apartments across three towers rising 40, 41 and 44 storeys from a 1.15-hectare site spanning an entire city block. The towers will sit above a new retail precinct.

"Paradiso Place represents a rare opportunity in today's market, offering premium apartments at a price point that is significantly more competitive than anything else currently available," SPG Land Sales Director Brad McMahon said.

"When you look at comparable new developments across Surfers Paradise, Main Beach and the Southern Beaches precinct, buyers are typically paying hundreds of thousands more for a similar product.

"The scale of this project and the developer-builder construction model allows us to unlock efficiencies that smaller developments simply cannot achieve. We are passing those benefits directly to buyers, while still delivering a five-star residential experience with an unmatched lifestyle."

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Each of the three towers designed by Rothelowman will have its own podium, connected by an elevated skybridge network to create a beachside village for residents. The resident amenity has been designed to rival a five-star hotel, with private dining rooms, resident lounges and entertainment spaces.

McMahon said the pricing strategy was a deliberate response to the current market.

"What Paradiso Place offers is a unique balance, genuine value within a premium market. Buyers are not compromising on quality, design or amenity, they are gaining access to it at a more competitive price point at a time when prices across the Gold Coast continue to reach new highs."

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Located around 100 metres from the beach and within walking distance of the Surfers Paradise North light rail station, Paradiso Place occupies one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held beachfront precincts.

Construction is continuing to progress, with eight of the project's 112 foundation piles now complete. Excavation has also commenced on the first diaphragm wall panel, with the first concrete poured on 15 June, marking a key milestone in the project's early works program.

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SPG Land launches $1.5 billion Paradiso Place at attractive price point

Luxury developer-builder <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lowe-living">Lowe Living</a> has achieved a new Victorian benchmark for an off-the-plan apartment, with the sale of two penthouses at its ultra-exclusive Maison Savoy development in Brighton.

The two penthouses achieved a combined sale rate of $49,926 per sqm. Both transactions eclipsed the previous identified Victorian off-the-plan price-per-square-metre benchmark, set by the 449 sqm apartment at Como Toorak, which sold at $46,659 per sqm.

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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/maison-savoy-brighton-150-esplanade-brighton-vic-3186">Maison Savoy</a>, Lowe Living's redevelopment of the former Brighton Savoy Hotel on absolute beachfront land at 150 The Esplanade, Brighton, has gained significant momentum since launching just eight weeks ago. Around 30 per cent of the project's 19 residences have already been secured, generating approximately $45 million in sales.

"Securing two of the three penthouse sales at this stage, within eight weeks of launching to market speaks to the confidence our clients place in Lowe Living," Lowe Living co-founder Emma Lowe said.

"They know we'll be with them through every stage of the journey, and that assurance is something we've worked hard to earn and never take for granted."

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Lowe said Maison Savoy was conceived as a genuine alternative to a prestige Brighton home, combining house-scale proportions with the convenience, security and lock-up-and-leave appeal of apartment living.

Lowe Living co-founder Tim Lowe said the early sales success demonstrated the resilience of Melbourne's prestige market and highlighted the growing demand for house-sized apartments among ultra-high-net-worth buyers.

"The Melbourne market has definitely been tested in recent years, with interest rates and global economic factors all creating a period of uncertainty across the real estate sector. The sales success at Maison Savoy however demonstrates that confidence remains exceptionally strong at the top end of the market.

"The prestige market is being driven by long-term lifestyle decisions rather than short-term market sentiment, which continues to create a level of certainty that befits an absolute beachfront property in a blue-chip location like Brighton.

"Brighton's fundamentals remain among the strongest in Melbourne, with limited new supply, enduring demand from an overwhelmingly local owner-occupier market, and a rare combination of beachfront amenity and proximity to the CBD."

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According to Cotality, Brighton remains one of Melbourne's most tightly held prestige suburbs, with an average ownership tenure of 15.3 years for houses and 12.3 years for units, while more than 73 per cent of homes are owner-occupied.

Tim Lowe said selling two of the project's three penthouses so early in the campaign was an uncommon result.

"This sales result is a reflection of quality and understanding the local market. It's incredibly rare to transact the penthouses so early in a sales campaign in any project so to have sold two of the three penthouses at Maison Savoy so soon after launch, all in-house without any external sales agency appointed, is reflective of our careful consideration of our buyers' needs and lifestyle.

"This is knowledge that is accumulated not just from data and demographic analysis, but via a deeply embedded understanding of how this type of buyer wants to live and feel in their home. We pride ourselves on getting to know our clients personally, and over the last 10 years we have been able to refine our product offering by talking one-on-one with our clients about their design and floorplan preferences.

"Being a fully integrated developer-builder with an in-house design and sales team allows us to lead every part of the process and ensure the highest quality of product and service at every touchpoint. It's a really important part of our DNA and the recent sales success at Maison Savoy indicates that our clients and purchasers are resonating with this point of difference.

"It reinforces that demand remains strong for thoughtfully designed residences that offer rarity, lifestyle and long-term value in tightly held locations, which ultimately validates Maison Savoy's positioning as creating a new benchmark for house-scale, wellness-led apartment living on Brighton's beachfront."

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The residences at Maison Savoy start from 295 sqm, with most enjoying uninterrupted views across Port Phillip Bay. The project sits moments from the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Middle Brighton Baths and Church Street's retail and dining precinct.

A key feature of the development is its private residents-only bathhouse, curated by the founder of Aurora Spa &amp; Bathhouse and modelled on traditional European bathing rituals and the award-winning Sorrento bathhouse.

The wellness offering includes a hydrotherapy pool, salt room, sauna, steam room, cold plunge pool, foot activation zone and a Vichy rainfall bed, one of only a handful in Australia. Residents will also have access to a Technogym studio, lounge spaces and a dedicated concierge service offering everything from morning coffee delivery and restaurant bookings to dry cleaning and home coordination.

"Wellness-led design has become a defining factor for luxury buyers," Emma Lowe said.

"Purchasers increasingly value homes that enhance wellbeing through thoughtful design, private amenity, privacy and liveability."

The penthouse purchasers are now undertaking a bespoke customisation process curated personally by architect Pete Kennon and the Lowe Living team, one of the developer's signature service offerings.

Construction on the $160 million transformation of the former Brighton Savoy Hotel site commenced last month, with completion expected in early 2028. The project has secured funding from NAB alongside development partner Monark.

Just one penthouse remains available, along with a limited number of two and three-bedroom residences starting from $3.75 million.

Lowe Living currently has eight projects on the market across Melbourne and recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, having grown a $1 billion development pipeline alongside a $350 million construction pipeline.

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Nicholas Harrison

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