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An architect designed home in Hawthorne, Queensland has been sold for $3.35 million. 
The 7 bedroom, 3 bathroom house is situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-qld-hawthorne-133262950" target="_blank">175 Virginia Avenue</a>. 
The home was designed by Harry Poulos Architects.
Set on a 1,176 sqm waterfront allotment, it features open plan kitchen and dining, lounge and family areas, separate upper level living space, and covered patio.
Additional highlights include swimming pool, lush landscaped gardens, outdoor BBQ and double garage with internal access. 
The house is located within 5km to the CBD, 17 minutes to the airport and has easy access to top schools. 
Tony O'Doherty of Belle Property Bulimba sold the property. 
It last sold for $3.65 million in 2009. 
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Waterfront Hawthorne trophy home sold for $3.35 million 

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New guidelines, published by the ACCC, will assist electricity retailers and generators to comply with laws aimed at protecting consumers and businesses from excessive electricity prices.
The laws prohibit electricity retailers from keeping consumer and small business prices unnecessarily high when costs fall, and prohibit generators from inflating wholesale prices or blocking access to critical contracts, which could increase retail prices. The laws will form part of the Competition and Consumer Act and come into effect on 10 June 2020.
The guidelines provide examples and information to help industry comply with the laws and were prepared after consultation with stakeholders.
“These new laws commence at a time when the affordability of energy is particularly pressing for so many Australian businesses and households, as communities are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our guidelines help electricity companies to comply with these laws aimed at achieving fairer prices for consumers,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
“Wholesale prices have reduced significantly over the past couple of months, so retailers should be assessing their prices and ensuring that they are prepared when the new laws come into effect in June.”
The ACCC’s role is to enforce compliance with these laws. Competition and consumer issues in electricity are key compliance and enforcement priorities for the ACCC.
The ACCC will continue to closely monitor the behaviour of companies in the electricity markets and has a range of enforcement tools available, including public warning notices, infringement notices and commencing legal proceedings in the Federal Court alleging that companies have breached these laws.
“These new laws will enable us to take electricity companies to court if we have evidence that they are engaging in prohibited conduct in breach of these new provisions,” Mr Sims said.
The new laws prohibit the following conduct:
- The ‘retail pricing prohibition’ prohibits electricity retailers from charging small customers prices which are not adjusted to reflect sustained and substantial cost reductions in their underlying costs.
- The ‘electricity financial contract liquidity prohibition’ prohibits generators from restricting access to electricity hedging contracts for an anti-competitive purpose.
- The ‘electricity spot market prohibitions’ prohibit bidding practices by generators which are engaged in fraudulently, dishonestly or in bad faith and/or for the purpose of distorting or manipulating prices in an electricity spot market.
The new guidelines are available at <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/guidelines-on-part-xica-prohibited-conduct-in-the-energy-market">Guidelines on Part XICA - Prohibited conduct in the energy market</a>.
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New guidelines to protect consumers and businesses from excessive electricity prices: ACCC

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The March 2020 Lending to Households and Business figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the value of loans for housing continued to increase, albeit at a slower rate, with the increase being driven by owner occupiers, according to the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA).
Overall the figures for March 2020 show, in seasonally adjusted terms, that the value of owner-occupied finance commitments, excluding refinancing, increased by 0.2 per cent for the month and 17.5 per cent for the past year,” said Adrian Kelly, president of the REIA. 
Whilst the value of new loan commitments for owner occupier housing has grown in ten of the last twelve months, the March loan commitments reflect loan applications submitted in February, or the first half of March before restrictions were introduced across Australia in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of owner occupier first home buyer loan commitments increased 1.3 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms for the month and 21.3 per cent for the year and can in part, at least, be attributed to the introduction of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme in January 2020. 
The number of owner occupier first home buyer loan commitments is up 24.7 per cent from the most recent low point in December 2018.
Owner occupier first home buyer loan commitments accounted for 31.8 per cent of all owner occupier commitments, excluding refinancing.
With lending institutions reporting a considerable slowdown in new loan applications from the end of March, as both restrictions on movements and caution about the economy impact on activity in the housing market, we may find the March finance figures will be a high point for some months to come.
ADRIAN KELLY is the President of the REIA
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March housing finance numbers a high tide mark: REIA's Adrian Kelly

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REA Group has announced its industry event series, Prop20, will be transformed into a digital experience for thousands of property professionals to benefit from.
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The new <a href="https://www.proprea.com.au/what-is-prop20/" target="_blank">Prop20 </a>virtual experience will deliver property industry insights, education and training online.
The reimagining of Prop20 followed government COVID-19 restrictions which introduced a ban on events and social distancing measures.
Prop20 offers property professionals insights from industry experts and the opportunity to learn about consumer trends and ways to position a property business for future success.
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REA Group Chief Sales Officer, Kul Singh, said customers can access the entire Prop20 event agenda online with the full suite of presentations now available.
“From a customer perspective, our priority in responding to COVID-19 has been to offer the right support measures and new products and features to help ensure they continue to operate effectively,” Kul said.
“Taking Prop20 digital is another way we’re overcoming the challenges created by COVID-19 and minimising any impacts on our customers.
Prop20 speaker and CEO of Banter Group, Valentina Borbone, said seeing Prop20 go virtual is extremely beneficial.
“There is so much value in the recorded and re-playable sessions. Re-watching the presentations I’ve heard things for the first time all over again, as my attention switches from one key moment to the next. Now is your chance. Learn, fail, learn, explore and evolve. It's our way forward,” Valetina concluded.
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REA Group takes Prop20 event digital

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There were just 109 auctions scheduled in Melbourne on Saturday, some six weeks into the online system, with the Domain Group recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 47 per cent.
It was from just 53 reported results plus 29 withdrawn properties.
Homes withdrawn from auction are counted by Domain as unsold when calculating the clearance rate.
There were 126 auctions scheduled across Sydney on Saturday, on the first weekend when vendors could switch campaigns to onsite in-person auctions with social distancing.
Domain Group recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 68 per cent from 73 reported results plus 21 withdrawn properties.
To enlarge, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2020/5/11/Domain%20auctions.jpg" target="_blank">click here</a>.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/5/11/Domain%20auctions.jpg" alt="">
There were just a few onsite auctions that went ahead.
Others including a Surry Hills terrace were sold pre-auction.
Not every buyer was comfortable to bid on-site on the first weekend back such as a five-bedroom house at 18 Eastcote Road, North Epping that attracted a mix of buyers on different platforms.
Four parties registered to bid: just one attended the auction on-site, another on the phone and two logged onto computers from home.
The property sold for $1.711 million to the bidder at the on-site auction.
“Real estate agents should limit the number of people viewing a property and attending an auction, follow stringent cleaning and safety guidelines, ensure clients do not touch surfaces and always have hand sanitiser available,” the NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said.
“If we want to keep as many people in jobs as possible and businesses in business it is important to follow the safety advice and not put others at risk,” Mr Perrottet said.
“If people are not genuinely in the market for a new home, now is not the time to be having a look through their neighbour’s house.”
The nation's top selling sale was 30 Augustine St, Hunters Hil which sold for $1,917,000.
The nation's cheapest sale was $382,000 for a two bedroom unit at 8/30 Ashley St, Reservoir, according to Domain.
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Across the smaller capital cities Canberra returned the highest preliminary clearance rate of 57 percent with 25 listings.
The other capitals did not have sufficient data for a clearance rate.
 
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Sydney's onsite/online residential auction mix sees 68 percent success rate while Melbourne online sits in the 40s

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A Moranbah, Queensland mortgagee home has been sold for $300,000.
The five bedroom, three bathroom home was marketed by Annemarie Haywood of AH Realty.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-qld-moranbah-132925894" target="_blank">93 McCool Street</a>, the listing notes that the home needs some "TLC".
The marketing material also mentions that some of the rooms might not be "town council approved".
Set on 818 sqm, the home was built in 1980.
It was previously marketed from 2012 - 2014 seeking $800,000 at first which was later reduced to $670,000.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt=""></a>
The median house price in Moranbah is $230,000.
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Moranbah, Queensland mortgagee home sold for $300,000

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Lisa Keighery, widow of Marcs founder Mark Keighery, has listed her Woollahra terrace.
It has $2.5 million to $2.6 million.
Keighery will move permanently to Palm Beach, where her $7.55 million Snapperman Beach has been recently renovated.
Keighery bought the Junction Street terrace for $2.21 million in 2017.
It was when she was trading down from her former home opposite the Lough Playing Fields which sold for $4.2 million.
The last sale on Junction Street was $2.5 million last December. It has barely gone up on its $2.39 million sale in 2017.
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Lisa Keighery lists Woollahra terrace

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The owner of a Paddington art gallery Justin Miller has listed his historic Bowral weekender, Kowana amid signs the Southern Highlands market was falling.
The 1890s residence in the Notts Hill precinct has a garden established in the 1930s by Altona James, wife of the Point Piper Supreme Court judge Augustus James.
The cottage has around 200 sqm internal space.
The 7,955 sqm property, which is set across two titles on Mount Road, <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-bowral-120709017" target="_blank">cost $1.75 million in 2015</a>.
There were $40,000 renovations approved in 2016.
There are $3.75 million hopes.
The homes was owned by international record producer Mark Opitz and his wife Vanessa in the 1990s when they hosted visitors including Helena Christensen and Michael Hutchence.
A four bedroom country style Mount Road home on 2000 sqm, with views toward Gibbergunyah, fetched $1,665,000 last month having traded at $1.7 million in 2018.
A nearby Mount Road offering has been on the market without success since last October.
It is close to the site of Kevin Ryan's Waterbrook Bowral (formerly Our Lady Of The Sacred Heart School), a luxury 17 ha retirement village development site.
It will have 135 luxury villas, with an extensive range of onsite facilities including; 24/ 7 concierge, a wellness centre and spa, business centre, lounge spaces, restaurant, bar, ballroom/play theatre and library.
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Bowral weekender Kowana listed by art dealer Justin Miller

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REA Group has updated the market that the COVID-19 pandemic has put an end to signs of recovery in the real estate market.
It reported a drop across new residential listings of 33% nationally in April, with the website business working to offset the anticipated revenue loss with cost-saving initiatives.
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Weakness in new listing volumes saw April national residential listings down 33%, with Sydney down 18% and Melbourne down 27%.
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Its Q4 operating experiences are expected to be 20% lower than the previous year.
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REA Group has a cash balance of $135m as of 30 April 2020 but has entered into an additional $149 million loan facility.
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It isn’t expected to be drawn in the short term.
The CEO Owen Wilson said he was incredibly proud of the way the business has handled the pandemic impact.
“Prior to the impact of COVID-19, the market recovery was in full flight with very strong listing in the weeks leading up to mid-March.
"In February we saw record audience numbers and strong buyer interest, reinforcing signs of the positive market momentum.
“Our priority has been to help our customers and consumers adapt to the new market conditions by providing the right support measures and new product features.”
REA's share price jumped over seven percent in morning trading.
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REA reports 33 percent decline in new national listings

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Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Kevin Anderson, has today announced the launch of SafeWork NSW’s new app, Speak Up, Save Lives which allows workers to anonymously report workplace health and safety issues.
Mr Anderson said the app will make it easier than ever to report workplace risks by sending photos of unsafe practices directly to SafeWork NSW.
Mr Anderson said the Speak Up, Save Lives app and web based tool was developed in consultation with the industry and the family of Christopher Cassaniti, an 18 year-old who lost his life in a tragic workplace incident last year.
“Since launching Speak Up, Save Lives as a web platform in October last year, SafeWork has received 1,647 reports from workers, handed out 472 improvement notices and $56,880 in penalties,” Mr Anderson said.
“Any number of terrible incidents could have happened as a result of these safety issues and Speak Up means that workers can report issues before these incidents occur, and prevent anyone from having to go through what the Cassaniti family have been through.”
Mr Anderson said the most important feature of Speak Up is confidentiality as workers who are casually employed, on temporary or labour hire contracts, or from a CALD community, are less likely to raise concerns about unsafe work.
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SafeWork NSW's new anonymous Speak  Up, Save Lives app

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Staff reporter

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