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GUEST OBSERVATION
You may mock the national anthem by singing “Our land abounds in nature strips” but what you might not know is how true that is.
In Melbourne, for example, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866719300718" target="_blank">more than a third of all public green space is nature strips</a>. (That figure includes roundabouts, medians and other green bits of the street.)
That’s a remarkable amount. The nature strip is everywhere. A million small patches combine into a giant park spanning the city, making it a significant player in our urban ecosystems.
A second remarkable thing is that the nature strip is <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2007/11/apo-nid60258-1105966.pdf" target="_blank">public land that private citizens are required by law to maintain</a>. Councils manage the trees, but we residents mow the lawn.
What are the rules on nature strips?
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296146/original/file-20191009-3872-1i673y4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296146/original/file-20191009-3872-1i673y4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Succulents, Agapanthus and Gazanias are the most common plantings on nature strips. Adrian Marshall CC BY 4.0, Author provided
Many residents go further and plant a street tree or some garden plants – succulents, Agapanthus and Gazanias are the most common. But the chances are that, whatever the garden on the nature strip, it’s against the rules.
The rules on nature strips vary from council to council. Some councils don’t allow any plantings. Others restrict plantings by height or allow only plants indigenous to the local area. In some areas, nature strips can only be planted to prevent erosion on steep slopes.
Some councils disallow food plants, for fear of historic lead contamination from leaded petrol. Others insist on no plants within a metre of the kerb and two metres of the footpath.
These bylaws are inconsistent and illogical. For instance, councils that insist on indigenous species nevertheless plant exotic street trees. Councils that say plants must be less than 30cm high to ensure they don’t block drivers’ sight lines still allow vehicles to park on the street, blocking sight lines.
Bylaws deny us many benefits
To have council bylaws restrict or disallow gardening in the nature strip flies in the face of common sense. Street greenery, whether it's trees, shrubs or lawn, provides many benefits. The science is in on this.
Urban wildlife uses street greenery for habitat and food and as green corridors for movement.
Even for those who mow, the lawns of nature strips are not just turf grass. They are home to over 150 species of plants, based on my yet-to-be-published survey data for nearly 50 neighbourhoods, confirming <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-009-0098-7" target="_blank">earlier studies</a>. Many of these, like the clovers, provide important resources for pollinators.
One <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/55816" target="_blank">US study</a> showed that changing from a weekly mow to every three weeks increased the number of flowers in a lawn by 250%. Less mowing is good news for bees and butterflies.
An unpublished recent survey by the author and colleagues found gardening in the nature strip adds native plants to the streetscape, increases biodiversity and add structural complexity (more layers of plants, more types of stuff), which is important for many species.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296397/original/file-20191010-188823-3m94cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296397/original/file-20191010-188823-3m94cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The greater the diversity of plantings, the greater the benefits a nature strip can provide. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedxmelbourne/9642464172/in/photolist-hj8dyc-skaU1u-dREut-eJsU1F-ffLmZK-indYV3-cLiW2J-vB2sc-7NsaK4-4VkF3d-yGjbRF-beH7sn-6Y5uUZ-rxC4mN-6LgaCq-8uZkP8-fFMrYB-fFMzz6-959BCc-fFMqN6-9XyM3R-8uZkQZ-fG59Eh-fG55kj-MdakbU-zKkV6-9A3mjp-2hgzR2Y-2gLLfma-2gLM1dK-2gjDcaq-fG56q1-V4CxJS-2EepMw-AJYA3h-8PLEFM-2Nnv4q-3HCckP-8LfDb6-F9XHNG-fG5dib-9hzViT-d5L2G-fG57A5-7tQdTT-vh8B5S-2d9eEDd-2gtBYEp-fFMxhv-6tVDoj" target="_blank">TEDxMelbourne/Flickr</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-NC-ND</a>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/catalog/1135097" target="_blank">Street greenery helps</a> water <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27094440" target="_blank">soak into the ground</a>, filtering out pollutants, recharging aquifers and making rivers healthier. It <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26828172" target="_blank">cools streets</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614002503" target="_blank">helps counter the urban heat island effect</a>. It also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953613003742" target="_blank">promotes a sense of community</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140518303281" target="_blank">encourages walking</a> and lowers the incidence of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140518303281" target="_blank">heart disease</a>, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2524191" target="_blank">diabetes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-living-in-green-neighbourhoods-are-less-likely-to-develop-asthma-96190" target="_blank">asthma</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614002941" target="_blank">depression</a>.
But councils tend to be risk-averse. They worry they will be sued if someone trips on groundcover or stubs their toe on an out-of-place garden gnome.
Fortunately, this risk aversion isn’t universal. For instance, the <a href="https://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/residents/environment/environmental-sustainability/news-events/adopt-a-verge.aspx" target="_blank">City of Vincent</a> in Western Australia is so keen for residents to convert lawn to waterwise plantings that it will remove turf and provide native plants.
But, as climate change looms, stubbed toes are not the main risk we should be worrying about. Rather, we must urgently remake our cities and our culture for sustainability and resilience.
Gardening becomes a neighbourly act
One of the great things about gardening in the nature strip is that people are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866719302535" target="_blank">more likely to do it if their neighbours do it</a>. It’s contagious, a positive-feedback loop creating a greener street.
Our recent survey found residents who garden in the nature strip have a greater <a href="http://www.communityscience.com/news-detail.php?news=114" target="_blank">sense of community</a> than those who don’t.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296997/original/file-20191015-98653-wopjbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296997/original/file-20191015-98653-wopjbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
A well-designed street garden, fully covering the nature strip, allowing pedestrian access to cars and using indigenous plants. Adrian Marshall CC BY 4.0, Author provided
Interestingly, the benefits nature strips provide are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866719302535" target="_blank">not equally distributed across the city</a>. For instance, newer neighbourhoods have more nature strip than older neighbourhoods (though their trees are younger). People garden the nature strip more on minor roads than major roads, and in more socially advantaged neighbourhoods.
Almost a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866719302535" target="_blank">quarter of residential properties</a> in Melbourne have some sort of nature strip gardening. If councils were to encourage this activity we might achieve more street greening with little cost to our cash-strapped councils. Such encouragement would also free many residents of their sense of frustration at being required to maintain the nature strip but forbidden to do anything more than mow.
Given that more than a third of our public green space is nature strip, the many small actions of residents can add up to substantial positive change.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124781/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
Adrian Marshall, Lecturer, Landscape Architecture and Urban Ecology, University of Melbourne.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-land-abounds-in-nature-strips-surely-we-can-do-more-than-mow-a-third-of-urban-green-space-124781" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Our land abounds in nature strips – surely we can do more than mow a third of urban green space

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The Coogee residence, Smithfield Grange, found its next owner on the weekend after selling for $6.3 million.
They plan to restore the magnificent 1880s Italianate mansion as their home.
It is currently a rental premises with 12 bedrooms grossing $307,000 income, at $500 a week per room.
Gavin Rubinstein and Oliver Lavers of Ray White TRG secured the sale of the 1100 square metre holding which last sold for $705,000 in 1990.
It has been tenanted since the 1940s.
Randwick Council has indicated it intended to issue a fire safety order on the home which was built for John Starkey, who manufactured cordial, aerated water and ginger beer.
His wife Fanny died in 1893 and he passed away just five years later when The Daily Telegraph put the value of his estate at £101,137.
UK ex-pats, the Starkey brothers were producing 4200 dozen bottles each week by the mid-1870s — their ginger beer output was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
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Heritage Smithfield Grange, Coogee trophy sells for $6.3 million

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The Perth market has continued to weaken over the past 12 months and the downward pressure on values has flowed into the South West market, according to a recent Herron Todd White (HTW) residential report. 
Financial institutions have tightened lending criteria in the wake of the Banking Royal Commission and investors remain cautious.
The report notes this has ultimately halted the recovery of the Perth property market which was showing some signs of resurgence through the middle of 2018.
This has also filtered down into the South West property market which had been resilient in recent years on the back of strong population growth.
Entry points into the lower end of the market range from $250,000 to $400,000 and for this amount you can purchase either a basic established residence or build a project home in one of the outlying new developments.
"In general, these established homes are located in closer proximity to the beach than the new developments and as such the established homes generally offer better capital growth potential while the new housing market offers better yields," the valuation firm said. 
"The lower market segment is generally being driven by first home buyers and investors."
The outer suburbs and new developments continue to experience low growth and a decline in values as reflected by low levels of demand and a low number of listings reported by local agents.
This is particularly evident in the greater Bunbury and Busselton urban areas.
A three bedroom family home in South Bunbury has recently been sold for $361,000 (pictured below). 
Situated at a 503 square metre corner block, the home at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-wa-bunbury-131425718" target="_blank">12 Gibson Street</a> comes with four bedrooms, timber kitchen, open plan living/meals and separate dining. 
Other features include enclosed garden, split system air conditioner and gas hot water system. 
<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/2019/9/25/bunbury%20.jpg" alt="">
"Values in well located population centres and coastal precincts had been stabilising up until recent times, but now we are seeing these localities also weakening in values," the valuation firm commented. 
The report suggests well located and well-presented properties between $500,000 and $900,000 have been stable up to recent months but now have also started to show a weakening in values as the tightening of credit takes hold.
It is generally the mums and dads who are active in this space as they are looking to upgrade the family home and currently this market segment is offering good value for money.
These homes are generally located in close proximity to the ocean, schools and town infrastructure.
"The upper end of the market continues to experience weak demand with limited numbers of transactions in excess of $1.5 million.
"That being said, the South West is considered to be a premium holiday destination and there is still demand from the wealthy to invest and holiday in the region," the valuation firm added. 
As such there is still adequate demand for high end and well-presented beachside property.
Prestigious properties scattered throughout the South West, such as at Naturaliste, Eagle Bay, Metricup and Yallingup, are still recording sale prices in excess of $1 million on a regular basis.
A current listing is an Eagle Bay beach house priced at $1.895 million (pictured below). 
Situated on a 1,682 square metre block, the single level house at<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-eagle+bay-131336054" target="_blank"> 11 Eagle Bay-Meelup</a> house comprises five bedrooms, open living area, and kitchen.
Other features include Marri timber floors, verandah area, and garage/workshop. 
<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/2019/9/23/eagle%20bay.jpg" alt="">
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South West WA market continues to weaken: HTW residential 

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Young smart workers in Building, Design and Construction, Finance, Corporate and IT have been offered the biggest remuneration rises to September 2019, according to the latest Avdiev Remuneration Report.
Although stable business conditions continue for 63% of subscribers surveyed, 27%, mainly in the Consultants sector, report being worse off than last year, but 10% are doing better.
Business conditions vary from state to state, and are market sector and government stimulus related – infrastructure projects are attracting top talent with top pay.
“The Australian property industry is remaining stable and positive, but in an environment of mixed signals Avdiev Report subscribers are watching and waiting” said Rita Avdiev, managing director of The Avdiev Group, who are remuneration consultants.
“With the May 2019 Federal elections out of the way there is political stability but uncertainty about the global economy and its impact on Australia’s future. The mood is mixed," she added.
Property industry remuneration reflects the fluctuating business conditions in the sectors.
The median increases across all sectors continue at 2.5% for senior and mid-level staff and 3% for the juniors.
However pay rise ranges have increased, with salary rises in several strong market sectors ranging from 2.5% to 15% and 1.9% to 2.9% in sectors where activity has been more subdued. But top performers in those sectors continue to be well paid.
Employers know to ”keep the best people for the worst times” in case of a downturn in business. 75% of companies plan to pay the usual increase or a catch up component, 25% intend minimal or no increases.
These pay rises are in most cases still above the general workforce increases with the Wage Price Index and Consumer Price Index both increasing for the year to June 2019 at 2.3% and 1.6% respectively.
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The biggest pay rises are amongst workers in building, design and construction: Avdiev

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The Reserve Bank has signalled that more cuts to the official interest rate could come although they advised of concerns of refuelling a property bubble in Sydney and Melbourne.
The October meeting saw the cash rate cut to a record low of 0.75 per cent.
The RBA board minutes noted "the housing market and other asset prices might be overly inflated by lower net interest rates".
"This assessment would need to be reviewed if rapidly increasing asset prices were accompanied by materially faster credit growth, weak lending standards and rising leverage," the minutes noted.
The members saw a limited risk of excessive borrowing.
Members acknowledged that asset prices were part of the transmission mechanism of policy, including by encouraging home building.
"By themselves, higher asset prices were considered unlikely to present a risk to macroeconomic and financial stability.
"This assessment would need to be reviewed if rapidly increasing asset prices were accompanied by materially faster credit growth, weak lending standards and rising leverage.
"Although household debt was still considered high, members saw only a limited risk of excessive borrowing at the current juncture: household disposable income growth (and thus borrowing capacity) is weak; the memory of recent housing price falls is still fresh; and banks are still quite cautious in their appetite to lend."
The RBA members assessed that close monitoring of this risk was warranted.
The RBA minutes warned that global asset prices being driven higher by record low rates were exposed to any potential global shock given high debt levels that had run up since the global financial crisis.
<div>
<div>
<h2>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-18/reserve-bank-must-consider-quantitative-easing,-economists-say/11218476" target="_self" title=""></a>"Any shock that caused markets to increase risk premiums or revise upwards expectations of future policy rates ... could see a broad range of asset prices fall," the minutes said.</h2>
</div>
</div>
"A fall in asset prices could result in financial stress for some businesses and households, which could spill over into financial institutions."
Members also discussed the possibility that policy stimulus might be less effective than past experience suggests.
They recognised that some transmission channels, such as a pick-up in borrowing or the effect on the home-building sector, may not be operating in the same way as in the past, and that the negative effect of low interest rates on the income and confidence of savers might be more significant.
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Overly inflated Sydney and Melbourne housing prices concerns the RBA

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A private owner-occupier in the medical field has snapped up the last remaining shed in Brisbane’s Newstead for $1.85 million. 
The property at <a href="http://ecomms.raywhite.com/collect/click.aspx?u=jRYOrR8N39R+6hBQZ7yXMtZbL8K1IrWjVUh45Aq1JPvZgRKLiO1yIdaTuGmyPY7RBzTjk87oMXyuFthyeL5QE+aqhgjQE5jCW/UMDpH6K1kp9xiqB1tH5vf6Yy2FK6kgVV4Ao2s9tObdzBgF59LHXpoFNEmZjwI4&amp;rh=ff0053388189a25f403cdaa3354dadf337507e34" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable">10 Masters Street</a> comes with a 460sqm site area and 310sqm building area, comprised an existing warehouse facility.    It also comes with a development approval for a residential tower.
The property was sold by Ray White Commercial Qld agents Aaron Aleckson and Paul Anderson.   Mr Aleckson said the expressions of interest campaign generated more than 100 enquiries and multiple offers.   “When the site was initially taken to market in late 2018, there was a large amount of enquiry from developers and owner-occupiers looking to capitalize on the value-add opportunity of the last remaining shed in Newstead,” he said. 
“The sale is the second in the last year for us on Masters Street, having sold number 15 last year for $1,450,000, and we've seen the streets that link Commercial Road to Gasworks as the most hotly contested precinct in the City Fringe.”   Mr Anderson said the team had already sold the site to the current owners back in 2016 for $1,600,000 plus GST.   The current sale represents 14 per cent growth in three years.    The site's mixed-use zoning provided a diversified exit strategy for the owners. 
Whilst there's an apartment DA in place, the buyer will be using the existing improvements for a medical use.  
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Last remaining shed in Newstead's medical field sells for $1.85 million

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Hitting the market for the first time the retail lots in the former Legion Cab headquarters in Surry Hills are being offered in one line by expressions of interest.
With over 50 meters of frontage to Foveaux Street, this mix of high profile and national tenancies is set fetch over $15 million.  
Miron Solomons, Matthew Meynell, Matt Pontey and Nick Lumley of Colliers International are marketing the retail investment.
It spans over 1,000 square metres and sits less than 300 metres from Central Station.   
All shops in this development have been leased to international and national tenants including Sushi Train, Zeus Street Greek, The Bunker gym and high-end culinary school SBTA.
Net rental income across the four tenancies is about $659,300.
<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/2019/10/15/LC%202-2.jpg" alt="">
“This is the first time that we’ve seen brand new prime retail of this calibre offered in Surry Hills. Assets with four quality tenants, strong covenant and full amenities including parking and loading are extremely hard to find in Sydney’s CBD Fringe markets,” said Miron Solomons, National Director, Investment Services at Colliers International.
“The ground floor retail captures 50 metres of frontage along Foveaux Street, perfectly positioned to take advantage to the huge amount of government investment and infrastructure being poured into the area.”
Nick Lumley, Executive, Investment Services at Colliers International said, “Sydney’s fringe retail markets are benefiting from close to $2 billion in infrastructure investment and increased demand from the rises in tourists, office workers, urban residents and international students.”
Expressions of Interest for the ground floor 81 Foveaux Street close November 13.
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Former Surry Hills Legion Cab HQ trophy retail investment listed 

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The Canberra property market has been in a stable position from the end of 2018 to early 2019, according to a recent Herron Todd White (HTW) residential report. 
The report suggests most Canberra suburbs have maintained median price points for standard dwellings while medium density and unit stock has seen some small declines.
Active sections of the market include standard housing at the entry level price points in some of Canberra’s fringe and outer suburban locations.
"Generally, purchasers are looking for large blocks within established suburbs that provide access to good education and employment services," the valuation firm said. 
"Entry level price points for this style of housing range between $550,000 and $650,000."
Most homes within this section of the market provide three and four bedroom accommodation, generally 30 to 60 years old and in many cases the dwellings are ready for some renovation and upgrading.
A three bedroom house at<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-act-rivett-131793810" target="_blank"> 30 Marlock Street, Rivett</a> (pictured below) has recently been sold for $585,000.
The updated home comprises three bedrooms, separate lounge area, combined family/dining room, and kitchen overlooking the rear garden. 
It's within walking distance to shops, public transport and the local oval. 
<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/2019/9/25/rivett%20.jpg" alt="">
"Inner suburban locations in Canberra’s north and south set a higher price point, generally $1 million plus. This section of the market is also relatively stable with families looking to move on the property ladder with their second or third acquisition," the valuation firm added. 
"Again block size, location and proximity to schools and other services are the main drivers. This section of the market ranges from $1 million to around $3 million."
A recent over $1 million sale was a three bedroom townhouse in Turner. 
The north facing townhouse at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-townhouse-act-turner-131657854" target="_blank">2/13 Holder Street </a>(pictured below) has been sold for $1.2 million. 
It comes with four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, separate lounge, wine cellar, dual courtyards and double garage. 
<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/2019/9/25/turner%20.jpg" alt="">
Market activity for property in the $3 million plus price point is slower, with buyers generally more discerning.
The report notes location, block size, build quality and level of inclusions are major factors influencing this section of the market.
Price points in the medium density unit market range from $200,000 to $275,00 for a one bedroom unit recently constructed in a fringe Town Centre location to $400,000 to $500,000 for a centrally located unit in Canberra’s inner north or inner south.
"Both investors and owner- occupiers are active, however strong supply within the medium density market has had an impact on activity.
"Being in close proximity to or directly in Town Centres including Tuggeranong, Woden, Canberra City, Belconnen or Gungahlin is important for rental return, low vacancy and potential future growth." 
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Most Canberra suburbs maintaining their median price points: HTW residential 

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Two-thirds of tenants in Australia rent through a real estate agent. A national shortage of private rental housing forces these tenants to impress the real estate agent to secure a property – their application needs to stand out from other applications.
An analysis of articles on leading online real estate sites www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au identifies six aspects of interactions between the real estate agent and tenant that affect a tenant’s ability to secure a rental property. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673037.2019.1621271?journalCode=chos20" target="_blank">My research</a> reveals the power of the agent over the tenant. Agents strongly stigmatise certain tenant characteristics during the property search.
These real estate articles typically fail to recognise the systemic issues of housing shortages in Australia. As <a href="https://theconversation.com/affordable-housing-lessons-from-sydney-hong-kong-and-singapore-3-keys-to-getting-the-policy-mix-right-123443" target="_blank">owner-occupied housing becomes more unaffordable</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/focus-on-managing-social-housing-waiting-lists-is-failing-low-income-households-120675" target="_blank">public housing becomes less available</a>, a variety of household types are competing in a high-demand private rental market.
Households have differing economic, cultural and social capital. This puts some applicants for a rental property at a disadvantage. But real estate sites present the issue of secure rental housing as an individual problem that can easily be overcome once a tenant understands how to highlight their desirable characteristics when applying for a rental property.
How do agents assess tenants?
When assessing a rental application, the two most important qualities a real estate agent looks for are a tenant’s ability to pay the rent on time and their ability and/or willingness to care for the rental property.
In addition, a tenant’s ability to impress the real estate agent matters. My research identifies six aspects of interactions between agent and tenant that affect the ability to secure a rental property:
<ol>
<li>responsibility – positive reference/s from previous agents and/or landlords help demonstrate this</li>
<li>making an impression – dress appropriately and be on time for inspections, engage with the agent and present an easy-to-read, error-free application form</li>
<li>established relationships – a previously established relationship with the agent or landlord improves the tenant’s chances</li>
<li>honesty – tenants are encouraged to be honest with their agent about their lifestyle</li>
<li>flexibility – be flexible about lease length and the cost of rent</li>
<li>creative thinking – for example, bringing cupcakes to a rental inspection.</li>
</ol>
Through these interactions, tenants can highlight their desirable characteristics while downplaying their undesirable characteristics.
Selection process reinforces disadvantage
The ability to make a good impression on the agent, however, is largely based on a variety of factors that place some tenants at a disadvantage.
For example, tenants are advised that several lifestyle factors may hamper their ability to secure a property. These include pets, dependent children, age, a negative rental history and other potential housemates.
These findings match those of an <a href="http://shelter.org.au/site/wp-content/uploads/The-Australian-Rental-Market-Report-Final-Web.pdf" target="_blank">Australian survey of private renters</a>, commissioned by Choice, National Shelter and the National Association of Tenant Organisations. It found 50% of renters have experienced discrimination in the private rental sector. This includes discrimination on the basis of: pets (23%), receiving government payments (17%), age (14%), having young children (10%), being a single parent (7%), race (6%), needing to use a bond loan (5%), gender (5%), disability (5%) and sexuality (2%).
Further, when it comes to making an impression, some tenants are at a significant advantage. For example, factors such as English proficiency and the ability to “dress to impress” are often a reflection of economic and cultural capital.
The articles assume that presenting an application form with no spelling and grammatical errors is simply a matter of taking a little extra care. However, a newly arrived migrant may find this difficult, not because of laziness but because they may not yet be proficient in English.
The articles also highlight a tenant’s willingness to be flexible as important. Flexibility is presented in the following ways:
<ul>
<li>where demand for properties is high, tenants are advised to offer more rent</li>
<li>when a tenant has no rental history, they are advised to offer to pay rent in advance</li>
<li>tenants are also advised to cater to the needs of the real estate agent and landlord by being flexible about the length of the lease.</li>
</ul>
Tenants’ ability to be flexible in these ways varies greatly. For example, not all tenants have the means to offer more rent or pay rent in advance. The ability to be flexible about lease length also differs depending on individual circumstances.
My research shows the process of securing a rental property could reinforce the disadvantage of some tenants. This raises an important question. When private rental housing is the only option, what happens to those tenants who fail to impress the real estate agent?
Bronwyn Bate, PhD Candidate, Urban Research Program, Western Sydney University.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-to-rent-a-home-6-things-that-will-help-or-hinder-you-123753" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Looking to rent a home? Six things that will help or hinder you

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Two seemingly unrelated but important things happened in Melbourne last week. One was a memorial service for David Yencken AO; the other was the exhibition opening of the Future Park Design Ideas Competition. The connection between the two is that both gave us radical ideas for Melbourne’s open space.
David Yencken was a visionary man who had a profound impact on Victoria and Melbourne. He was responsible, among many things, for the transformation of <a href="https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/southbank/" target="_blank">Southbank</a> and co-founding <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/merchant-builders-celebrating-a-fifty-year-legacy" target="_blank">Merchant Builders</a>. But one of his wildest ideas was the 1985 <a href="https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/2016/09/imagine-a-city-swanston-st-party/" target="_blank">Greening of Swanston Street</a>, when vehicle traffic was closed and a weekend street party was held right in the middle of Melbourne.
As the secretary (chief executive) of the Ministry for Planning and Environment, Yencken had been charged with changing perceptions of the city by rethinking its public spaces. At a time before <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-day-for-turning-parking-spaces-into-pop-up-parks-65164" target="_blank">pop-up parks</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-out-behind-the-bus-stop-here-come-guerrilla-gardeners-digging-up-an-urban-revolution-29225" target="_blank">guerrilla gardening</a>, his radical idea demonstrated what was possible for the inner city and sowed the seed of the <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/blog/melbourne-urban-transformation" target="_blank">idea of closing Swanston Street to traffic</a>.
The project was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-man-who-helped-re-imagine-melbourne-20190705-p524mc" target="_blank">not without controversy</a> – it was costly and came in for political criticism as a stunt. But looking back to a time when inner Melbourne was underutilised and dominated by traffic, we can see how that radical idea sparked the imagination about what was possible for the city centre.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207418/original/file-20180222-132674-1247hnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207418/original/file-20180222-132674-1247hnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The Greening of Swanston Street in 1985. Victorian Ministry of Planning
Future Park fires imaginations and debate
This is just what the <a href="https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/be150/competitions/futurepark" target="_blank">Future Park competition</a> needs to achieve. The open competition held by the University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects has attracted global interest, with 123 entries from 20 countries.
The brief was simple but provocative. Designers were to find space within 10 kilometres of the city centre and design a future park that responds to the challenges of Melbourne today. The design responses from the 31 shortlisted entries ranged from manufactured lagoons to urban wildlife corridors and street transformation parks that Yencken would be proud of.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296120/original/file-20191009-3935-24915r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296120/original/file-20191009-3935-24915r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Melbourne from Past to Last, a vision of a city street park. Future Park Design Ideas Competition, Author provided
The first wave of media coverage on the competition inspired a range of public comments about Melbourne’s open space. For example, from the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/visions-of-utopia-lagoons-floating-pods-among-future-park-entries-20190929-p52vzc" target="_blank">online comments in The Age</a>:
"Royal Park is a massive area of underutilised space. Driving down Elliott Av it’s just an open wasteland. Grassland and scattered gum trees does not make a welcoming “park”.
"How about bulldozing the eyesore known as Federation Square and putting a park in its place?
"These designs forget to include the things that make it a Melbourne park, graffiti, vandalism, weeds and the homeless.
"Architects and landscapers rarely, if ever, have a grasp on what will work for people … they are too busy trying to be creative, and not busy enough trying to make people happy."
What the public comments show us is that there is no single or obvious solution to our parks and public spaces. Some people like it busy, some people like the quiet. Some want European trees and others desire native plantings. It’s complicated, and each of these opinions make valid points.
Just like Yencken’s Greening of Swanston, there will always be debate about what makes good public space. And that is exactly why we need more radical ideas – some might call them “crazy” – for our cities.
We know the future of our cities will be complicated. Like it or not, there will be more people, a changing climate and increasing pressure on infrastructure and services.
Wicked problems call for radical thinking
These messy issues are often described as <a href="https://theconversation.com/too-many-wicked-problems-how-science-policy-and-politics-can-work-together-8990" target="_blank">wicked problems</a>. Popular in public policy and management, the term is used to explain problems with debatable cause and effect. Critically, the lack of agreement about wicked problems produces conflicting goals towards resolution.
Obviously, we need science, governance and planning, but finding solutions to wicked problems will also require creativity and collaboration. We need debate and we need ideas that can expand our imagination about what our cities can be. This is why it is so important that the competition entries for the Future Park explore new and outrageous possibilities.
Ideas throughout the shortlisted entries include plans for a new NBN: the National Biodiversity Network, which creates ecological corridors across the country. Others propose transforming schools into parkland; parks designed for bees; designs that return darkness to our urban landscapes; and sculpting new islands as rising sea levels engulf our coastline.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296122/original/file-20191009-3910-wjyu19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296122/original/file-20191009-3910-wjyu19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Multi-deck parks: as cities grow and space becomes ever more precious, urban parks replace car parks. Future Park Design Ideas Competition, Author provided
As design solutions, these ideas reflect the challenges of our world today. While many of these schemes are technically, socially or economically unfeasible, they remind us of the power of thinking outside of the box. Importantly, the competition format puts all of these ideas together in one place for us to think about and discuss.
In Australia, we have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/architecture-competitions-are-risky-but-we-can-build-on-that-29476" target="_blank">limited culture of “open design competitions”</a> for either built projects or speculative solutions. But design competitions provide opportunities for new voices and discovering unexpected solutions within these wild ideas.
Radical ideas are important and so is having the freedom to voice them. Especially as a way of expanding the discussions we need to have about the challenging future.
The Future Park competition winners will be announced on Friday, October 11, at the <a href="https://www.aila.org.au/imis_prod/TSATP/Home/TSATP/Default.aspx?hkey=39717070-b978-492a-b2d6-c59aab8cd866" target="_blank">2019 International Festival of Landscape Architecture</a> in Melbourne. The <a href="https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/be150/events/the-future-park-design-ideas-competition-the-square-and-the-park-exhibition" target="_blank">Future Park exhibition</a> is at Dulux Gallery, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, from October 4 to November 1.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124772/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
Wendy Walls, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-need-crazy-ideas-for-new-city-parks-124772" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Why we need ‘crazy’ ideas for new city parks: Wendy Walls

&nbsp;

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370975]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370981]

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.” 
[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370977]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370980]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370978]

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370979]

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.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=144441]

Record result anchored by the Group’s “utopian” Elysium Fields precinct – defying market headwinds in Docklands.

Joel Robinson

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.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365784]

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.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365771]

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 internation 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.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108274]

NAB funds $1 billion Surfers Paradise apartment development, Palmera

Two years after completing one of the newest developments in North Sydney, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a> is turning its attention to the rapidly evolving St Leonards apartment market.

The developer, which completed AURA by Aqualand on North Sydney's Walker Street, has lodged plans for a 5,918 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/33-37-herbert-street-st-leonards-nsw-2065">33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards,</a> seeking approval for a pair of residential towers rising above a shared podium opposite Royal North Shore Hospital.

The proposal forms part of the broader transformation underway across the St Leonards-Crows Nest precinct, where former industrial and commercial sites are increasingly being redeveloped into high-density mixed-use projects tied to major transport infrastructure.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc428cf-fe70-4cac-9cd5-264ad53af62c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=otKSnHtbjAvAddOnovyXQMgcAwE6DMe1" />

According to the planning documents, the site sits “within the St Leonards–Crows Nest Strategic Centre, identified by the NSW Government as a key area for accommodating future jobs and housing across Sydney.”

The proposal has been designed by fjcstudio, formerly FJMT Studio, and is being progressed through the State Significant Development pathway due to its scale and affordable housing provision.

The scheme would comprise 413 apartments, including 46 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses fronting Herbert Street. The project would also include communal open space, landscaping, a swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s play areas and podium-level resident amenities.

Planning documents show the development would consist of a part-13, part-39 storey tower form positioned above a four-storey podium.

“The development comprises a unified podium that activates the street interface, and two setback towers to accommodate new housing supply while maintaining an appropriate human scale at ground level,” fjcstudio noted in its Design Report.

The northern and southern towers have been shaped to respond to the surrounding skyline while also limiting overshadowing impacts to nearby public open space, particularly Talus Reserve.

The design report said the differing tower heights were intended to “contribute to a varied skyline while responding to the surrounding built form context and solar access considerations.”

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36da62dc-ff9e-41f2-a7e3-7be38373751c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.45%E2%80%AFAM_0.png?VersionId=Mo6Rp2r.XRLTzIfg_PEEpw8NepDH8UBs" />

The site sits directly opposite Royal North Shore Hospital and within walking distance of both St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

While the site itself sits just outside the formal Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development boundary, the planning documents repeatedly reference its alignment with the broader TOD objectives reshaping the Lower North Shore.

“The site is located adjacent to St Leonards Station and in close proximity to Crows Nest Metro which is within the Crows Nest Transit Orientated Development Accelerated Precinct which has been identified by the NSW Government to support housing delivery,” the Design Verification Statement noted.

According to fjcstudio, the project has been designed to respond to the broader transition occurring across St Leonards, where increasing residential density is being concentrated around transport infrastructure and employment hubs.

“The broader precinct is undergoing significant change, with a mix of existing mid-rise buildings and newer high-density developments,” the report stated.

“Recent and approved projects indicate a consistent shift toward taller built form, typically organised as tower-and-podium typologies with more active ground levels.”

The proposal includes close to 6,000 sqm of retail and commercial space across the ground floor and podium levels, designed to create a more activated street edge along Herbert Street.

Aqualand’s plans would also introduce a landscaped podium shared between the two towers, with communal open space in the form of a podium rooftop designed to support resident interaction and improve urban greening outcomes. The scheme would also introduce pocket parks at the northern and southern ends of the site, including a landscaped area at the corner of Herbert and Ella streets designed to improve pedestrian amenity and soften the streetscape.

&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.

First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-5" data-turn="user" data-turn-id="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" data-turn-id-container="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" dir="auto">Time &amp; Place’s plans to transform the former David Jones factory building in Surry Hills into a mixed-use residential precinct have gone on exhibition through the NSW Government’s In-fill Affordable Housing pathway.</section>

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" dir="auto">
The Marlborough House proposal, lodged for the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marlborough-house-47-97-marlborough-street-surry-hills-nsw-2010">47-97 Marlborough Street</a> site, would see the adaptive reuse of the heritage-listed warehouse building alongside the construction of new residential additions and a separate apartment building on the northern portion of the site.

The proposal seeks approval for 172 apartments across three buildings, including 15 per cent affordable housing managed by a community housing provider for at least 15 years from occupation.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d1d3c2a-bf13-47d6-a335-7c01102cdee1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cjMYrbR.BLUlWH4dar0RVDDo0bG.u2YT" />

Interior view from the Northern Building Penthouse overlooking the park

&nbsp;

The redevelopment is planned for the prominent 3,413 sqm site bounded by Marlborough Street, Goodlet Street and Lansdowne Street, directly opposite Eddie Ward Park and around 200 metres from the Surry Hills light rail stop.

Time &amp; Place acquired the former David Jones building in 2024, marking the first time the property had changed hands in around 50 years.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal centres around the adaptive reuse of the former David Jones factory, originally constructed between 1913 and 1935 in the Inter-War Chicagoesque architectural style.

Wardle noted in its Architectural Design Report that the building “occupies a significant place in the industrial and cultural history of Surry Hills” and at its peak was “the largest department store manufacturing facility in Australia, employing over 800 people and fuelling the growth of Sydney’s fashion and retail industries.”

The practice said the project positions itself “not as an isolated intervention, but as a contributor to the civic, social, and architectural grain of the precinct.”

The proposal would deliver 75 apartments within the retained southern heritage building, 59 apartments within the central addition, and a further 38 apartments within the new northern building fronting Lansdowne Street.

Planning documents show the scheme would comprise a mix of heritage apartments, new-build apartments, townhouses and penthouses.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="57758518-40a3-4b83-958c-d06e96a2cffa" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.42%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VerlX9ST5xgBi8.1_YRsqdWTJeT6ygjs" />Interior View of the Heritage Building Apartment

The development would also include a ground-floor retail tenancy on the corner of Marlborough and Lansdowne streets, rooftop communal open space, a landscaped pedestrian link along the western edge of the site, and basement parking accessed from Lansdowne Street via a car stacker system.

&nbsp;

The scheme emerged from a competitive design process run by Urbis, with Wardle ultimately selected as the winning architect ahead of FJC Studio, TZG, Architectus and Wilkinson Eyre.

The Design Integrity Panel later described several aspects of the Wardle scheme as fundamental to the project, including “the stepped character of the new addition to the north of the site”, the landscaped western pedestrian link, and the “garden arrival” experience separating the original Marlborough House from the heritage addition.

Wardle’s design heavily references the site’s industrial and heritage history, while also responding to the surrounding Surry Hills streetscape.

The Architectural Design Report describes Surry Hills as “a finely grained neighbourhood with beautiful and expressive brickworks throughout the suburb,” with the proposal introducing a material palette intended to sit comfortably alongside the existing warehouse fabric and neighbouring terraces.

The report also outlines the project’s relationship with Eddie Ward Park and the broader landscape context of the area.

“Marlborough House occupies a site of deep cultural memory and the neighbouring Eddie Ward Park is of local ecological significance, where natural systems, topography, and stories have long shaped human experience,” Wardle noted in the report.

The architects said the proposal sought to “rebind built form to Country” through landscape, materiality and the adaptive reuse of the heritage structure.

<img alt="Marlborough House" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9ae3f2f9-c85f-477a-a6f8-b43f6cb97c41" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.53%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=B.qUCLqRvJOR.n9CvYcTpaknIX9LuqKZ" />

The project is also being progressed under the NSW Government’s in-fill affordable housing provisions, allowing developments that include affordable housing to access additional height and floor space incentives.

Under the plans, 2,593 sqm of the project’s floor space would be dedicated to affordable housing, slightly exceeding the required 15 per cent threshold.

In its Design Excellence Strategy, Urbis said the project aimed to “sensitively adapt and enhance the heritage-listed building on site through alterations and additions that preserve its historical significance” while delivering “high-quality market and infill affordable housing development in Surry Hills.”

Time &amp; Place has been one of the most active developers nationally in the last 12 to 24 months. Late last year they completed&nbsp;The Queensbridge in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, a mixed-use tower with 353 apartments and a hotel. They are currently selling Park Modern, 246 apartments near the famous Botanic Gardens in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne</a>, and have future projects, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-wilmot-173-burke-road-28-hope-street-glen-iris-vic-3146">The Wilmot</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/glen-iris-vic-3146">Glen Iris</a>, the redevelopment of the Northcote Plaza, and another tower in South Melbourne.

The developer broke into Sydney just a few years ago with Two Tides in Manly. They have another project nearby, which is at the ultra-luxury end of the market on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/shoreline-manly-beach-89-90-north-steyne-manly">North Steyne</a>, fronting the beach.

It is also continuing to work through the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-time-place-settles-on-design-for-the-chimes-potts-point-redevelopment">redevelopment of The Chimes building</a> on Macleay Street in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/potts-point-nsw-2011">Potts Point</a>, as well as a project on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/time-place-to-take-on-mosman-apartment-market">Mosman's Redan Street</a>.
</section>

First look: Time & Place unveils Marlborough House redevelopment designs for former David Jones warehouse in Surry Hills

The residential transformation of St Kilda Road is set to continue into with more new apartment plans for the sought-after boulevard.

Wing Tai Asia has lodged plans for a major residential tower at 464-466 St Kilda Road, replacing the former VACC House with an 18-storey mixed-use development designed around a retained heritage podium and a sculpted contemporary tower.

The proposal, prepared under Victoria’s Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway, would deliver 325 apartments and ground-floor retail across the prominent 4,653 sqm boulevard site in Melbourne’s St Kilda Road North Precinct.

The project centres on the adaptive reuse of the site’s heritage-listed VACC Building, an eight-storey office designed by Bernard Evans that has occupied the address for decades. Planning documents state the development would involve “carefully dismantling and conserving off-site the original metal fabric of the podium visible from St Kilda Road,” before reinstating it as the defining frontage of the new scheme.

Above the restored podium, Wing Tai is proposing a curvilinear residential tower. The scheme includes 172 one-bedroom apartments, 63 two-bedroom apartments, 66 three-bedroom apartments, and 24 four-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor food and beverage tenancies fronting St Kilda Road.

The tower has been designed with substantial articulation and variable setbacks to minimise perceived bulk and maintain view corridors along the boulevard. Urbis, which prepared the planning report, said the design “has been significantly articulated through a curvilinear design” with “an interplay with materials, façade expression and depth” to create visual separation and visual interest.

The proposal also includes 254 basement car spaces, landscaped pedestrian links connecting St Kilda Road and Queens Lane, and a biophilic landscape strategy featuring canopy trees, raised planters, cascading greenery and a glass oculus pool overlooking the eastern frontage.

Planning documents confirm the $270.1 million development will contribute 3 per cent of project costs to the Social Housing Growth Fund as part of the application process.

Wing Tai acquired the St Kilda Road property in 2018 alongside Abacus Property Group for $95.38 million, before later consolidating ownership of the site. The property previously served as the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce headquarters for around 60 years.

The transformation of the St Kilda Rd boulevard is already beginning to materialise, with a number of high-profile projects recently completed, launched, or approaching launch as developers continue to back the long-term appeal of the precinct.

Among the most notable recent completions is Louise by Samuel Property Group, just off the strip on Queens Lane, the same pocket Hirsch &amp; Faigen recently launched The Queensbury. Mirvac is too on the same street with The Albertine, which is approaching completion.

Dexus recently secured approval for its slice of St Kilda Road, while Gurner also has approved plans for the precinct.

Staff reporter

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