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A retail/residential property at Glen Iris in Melbourne's inner east has hit the market. 
Located at 159 Burke Road, within the Malvern East Central Park shopping village, the property comprises a two storey freehold with 167 sqm of internal space.
It comes with retail on the ground floor and office/residential on the first floor. 
Zoned Commercial 1 under the City of Boroondara Planning Scheme, the 142 sqm site has 6m of frontage to Burke Road and benefits from secondary access via a rear laneway.  
Situated between Wattletree Road and High Street, the property is within close proximity of Central Park, Glen Iris Railway Station and major arterial routes including the Monash Freeway and Dandenong Road.
The property has been listed by Teska Carson’s Fergus Evans and Matthew Feld. 
"The fact that 159 Burke Road is being offered for the first time in 65 years underlines just how sought after and tightly held properties in this precinct are,’’ Mr Evans said.  
The property will be sold with vacant possession.
It has been scheduled for auction on September 6.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Glen Iris shop offered for the first time in 65 years

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Travel website, Luxury Escapes has signed a 5-year lease at Market Lane in South Melbourne.
They are taking residence over 1,590 sqm of office floor space.
The deal brokered by Chris Meehan and Matt Cosgrave of Colliers International.
Joining Luxury Escapes will be owner, developer and builder, Hickory Group, which is taking up tenancy and moving its headquarters into the building at 68 Clarke Street.
Architect Elenberg Fraser has designed the building.
Market Lane features a ground floor laneway with retail concessions, underneath a central atrium.
Boasting a 5-star NABERS rating and a 4-star Green Star rating, Market Lane features landscaped terraces, indoor and outdoor working spaces, electric car charging stations, electric bike charging facilities, and high tech building management.
Only a short walk to the main commercial districts on Clarendon St and South Melbourne Market, Market Lane is also located with swift access to Melbourne's CBD.
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Travel website Luxury Escapes signs South Melbourne lease

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The Brisbane office market remains a target for the global flexible workspace operators with the city already recording approximately 16,000 sqm of commitments across CBD and metro regions in the first half this year., according to Colliers International.
“Major players in this space such as IWG and WeWork are expanding within Brisbane as the competitive rents allow them to make a bigger footprint for less capital expenditure,” said Nick Davies, Associate Director of Tenant Advisory at Colliers International."
“We are also an attractive location given the large number of small businesses operating in Queensland as well as a substantial amount of project related requirements from Engineering and Resources sector."
“Colliers International is forecasting flexible workspace operators to take up approximately 28,250sqm of space in the CBD this year. There are reports of operators that are in the process of negotiating new locations across the CBD and as well as metro locations."
“Despite the lack of available large scale contiguous space, flexible workspace operators are still expected to contribute to the reduction of the city’s vacancy rate through 2019 and well into 2020."
“With a substantial number of new office developments which have been approved or looking for pre-commitment, operators will be looking to take pre-commitment for this space that is due for completion around the late 2021 to late 2022, such as Midtown Centre, 80 Ann Street and 360 Queen Street just to name a few."
“Fortitude Valley has several new projects that are seeking pre-commitment and landlords are willing to provide highly favourable deal terms to secure long-term tenants,” said Mr Davies. 
Simon van Grootel, Development Director Australia at IWG said they are seeing a huge rise in demand for larger scale solutions from 50 – 500 work stations coming through weekly across the country.
“These are forming part of a national strategy for many of our corporate customers who not only value the national and global network we provide, but also need the scale across multiple locations to quickly satisfy the frequent spikes and subsequent reductions in head count space. 
“With Brisbane a key growth city that has matured significantly over the past 5 years, we anticipate that more companies will grow their presence here driven by strong migration and a skilled labour force. Our Spaces brand which is larger footprint offering, demonstrates our confidence in this with new centres opening in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in the next 6 months with further announcements coming soon.”  
As per Colliers International research statistics collated in February 2019 Brisbane is the Australian capital city with the largest percentage of flexible workspace occupancy of CBD stock at 2.8%.
There are 32 flexible workplace centres across Brisbane CBD totalling 63,104sqm with the average desk cost of $550 per month. 
Brisbane has reached its lowest vacancy in five years, with flexible workspace operators directly contributing to the take up in space.
Flexible workspace transactions have a significant impact on the reported vacancy rate as they account for pure absorption and are not typically leaving behind older tenancies.
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Major flex space companies expand into Brisbane: Colliers International

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Goldfields’ $300 million, 24-level office tower on Chapel Street in South Yarra has opened its arms to prospective tenants. 
Works have just commenced on the PCA A-Grade tower at 627 Chapel Street.
It has been billed as "South Yarra’s most significant commercial development in generations," set for completion by September 2021.
 Goldfields Chief Operating Officer, Lachlan Thompson said, "a landmark development, it is the largest commercial project to hit South Yarra in decades and will change the landscape of the Melbourne office leasing market, delivering over 24,000 sqm of A-Grade commercial transport and amenity-rich space in a traditionally residential location."
“With an approximate floorplate range of 900 sqm to 1250 sqm, coupled with a building design that easily allows for interconnecting staircases, we’ve had strong interest from larger businesses with two to three-year views on their lease expiries seeking space in the 3000 sqm to 6000 sqm range."
“At the same time, we’re already seeing enquiries from smaller businesses, looking for space in the 900 sqm to 1200 sqm range, who traditionally start searching for their next home about 12 – 15 months from their lease expiry.
“This is due to the fact that current leasing options for these prospective tenants are very limited, and we expect demand from the SME market segment to strengthen even further over the next six months as we get closer to our September 2021 completion date,” he said.
<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/2019/8/19/Goldfields%20Office%20Tower%202.jpg" alt="">
Adam Spencer-Shirley, Director of Office leasing – Victoria, at Cushman Wakefield, said Goldfields’ decision to speculatively develop the site was not only a vote of confidence in the strength of the Melbourne office leasing market, but also offered genuine certainty for potential tenants.
“With no pre-commitment required to commence construction as a result of the developer’s speculative approach, prospective tenants can have complete confidence that the project will be delivered by the September 2021 deadline,” said Mr. Spencer-Shirley.
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$300 million South Yarra office tower commences construction, seeks lessors

Strengthened property turnaround evidence seen by RBA: August RBA minutes

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The annual Real Estate Sleep Out at Bondi Beach last night raised over $90,000 to help combat youth homelessness.
At sunrise, after real estate professionals slept on Bondi Beach in eight degree temperatures, it was at $60,000.
More funds came through the morning.
Damien Cooley, of Cooley Auctions, a regular down on the beach, raised over $14,000.
Brother Andrew raised over $5,000.
Patrick Cosgrove at Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay raised $4,400. Colleague Michelle Brooks raised $1,870.
Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay <a href="/news/raine-horne-double-bay-joins-real-estate-sleepout">raised over $8,300 as an office</a>, the most coming from a single office.
Team Upside raised $5,000 and Team McGrath raised $2,000. Domain NSW raised over $14,000. The Domain boss Jason Pellegrino donated $250 to the cause.
Donations are still open for The <a href="https://youthoffthestreets.com.au/event/real-estate-sleep-out-2019/" target="_blank">Real Estate Sleepout</a> which is held on the Bondi sand every year.
It helps fight homelessness as agents and real estate employees sleep rough for the night on the beach.
 
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Youth Off The Streets raises $60,000 by sunrise

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While Clermont locals are celebrating the approval of the controversial Adani mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, property investors should be careful before entering the market, according to RiskWise Property Research.
The $2 billion Carmichael coal mine, one of Australia's largest thermal coal mines, will comprise six open-cut pits and five underground mines covering about 447sq km.
Adani states it will produce between 10 to 15 million tonne per year of coal, with an option to increase this to 27 million tonnes.
Employment creation figures have been disputed with Adani claiming there will be between 1500 and 1800 ongoing jobs, while Nationals MP Brigid McKenzie last year stated it would be as few as 100.
The recent sign-off by Queensland State Government on the mine's groundwater management plan was cause for celebration among ‘locals’ in the town of Clermont, 160km southeast of the site.
<a href="http://www.riskwiseproperty.com.au/" target="_blank">RiskWise</a> CEO Doron Peleg said while this might make it look like an attractive option for property investors, the economy of Central Queensland had been in decline “at an alarming rate” since the end of the mining boom.
He said, overall, investments in mining towns carried a higher level of risk. <a href="http://www.riskwiseproperty.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable"> </a>
“Our research has found that when you apply an in-depth risk-return approach with a macro-overview, and review this over three years, many ‘hotspot’ areas have significantly underperformed the market,” Mr Peleg said. “This has most certainly resulted in many investors losing money, often having negative equity, particularly in regional and mining areas.
“Only 37 per cent of houses and 33 per cent of units of the Top 100 2014 Property Hotspots, many in mining areas, performed as well as the market benchmark over a three-year period, which means that, overall the 2014 Hotspots, performed significantly lower than the benchmark. And the results were also similar for the 2011 and 2012 Hotspots.”
He said a comprehensive analysis on region, location, suburb growth, property type and features helped identify and accurately assess the risks and the projected returns.
“The second issue is that other macro-factors were probably not taken into consideration. For example, property investment in mining towns is strongly correlated to movements in the commodities market."
"This was demonstrated following the recent mining boom when business investment in these towns was poor, leading to poor economic growth, a weak job market, low population growth, and therefore, poor capital growth in many so-called ‘Hotspots’ in Western Australia and Queensland."
“When it comes to Clermont, there has been a huge decline in dwelling prices. According to CoreLogic’s data, over the past five years, house prices decreased by 29 per cent and for units an incredible 65.5 per cent."
“You then have to also consider that Clermont is really in the middle of nowhere and far from employment hubs."
The closest is the city of Mackay and that is 500km away. This does not set it up for good property fundamentals and consequently increases the risk for negative capital growth, despite the Adani mine getting the go ahead.”
Mr Peleg said this placed Clermont into the high-risk bracket when it came to property investment, for the same reason Central Queensland and Western Australia suffered after the end of the last mining boom.
“These areas experienced negative capital growth on a major scale, with some such as Gladstone – Biloela experiencing price reductions of 28.7 per cent for houses and 39.9 per cent for units in the past five years.
“We need to learn from this and not make the same mistakes made in mining towns in the past.”
Visit <a href="http://www.riskwiseproperty.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable">www.riskwiseproperty.com.au</a>
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Riskwise warns against mining town property investment following Adani approval

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Bronwyn Weir, the co-author of a report on how to fix Australia's defect ridden building industry, has said she would not buy a newly built apartment.
"If I was going to be investing in an apartment, I'd buy an older one. It's common sense, isn't it? It's just logical," Bronwyn Weir told Four Corners.
"I wouldn't buy a newly built apartment. No."
Ms Weir, and the former senior public servant Peter Shergold, co-wrote the Building Confidence report commissioned by Australia's federal, state and territory building ministers.
The report was delivered in February last year.
It made 24 recommendations including a crackdown on private certification of buildings and registration of every person involved in the building process.
Finally at a meeting in July this year, the <a href="/news/how-the-nsw-government-gutted-tougher-laws-on-non-conforming-building-products-four-corners">building ministers committed to implementing the reforms</a>.
But Ms Weir told Four Corners that it would not fix the legacy of decades of inaction.
"Probably the prevalence of noncompliance has been particularly bad, I would say in the last say 15 to 20 years. It's gotten worse over that period. And that means there's a lot of existing building stock that has defects in it.
"[The new reforms] won't improve existing building stock unfortunately. So there'll be legacy issues for some time and I suspect there'll be legacy issues that we're not even fully aware of yet."
Ms Weir said for those looking to buy an apartment, it was more prudent to opt for a building "that maybe is, say, five years plus [of age]".
"You would like to think that if there are major issues with that building, they'll have started to show," she said.
"So I think if people are looking at investing, there are ways to do good due diligence. Buying off the plan is a really tricky proposition at the moment."
But she hoped some better builders would give people assurances it was safe to buy "and try to salvage what has been a pretty damaging impact of these latest news stories".
Watch Sean Nicholls' investigation, Cracking Up, on Four Corners on iview.
 
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Building defects report author Bronwyn Weir wouldn't buy a newly built apartment

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New laws to police dangerous building products in NSW — also called non-conforming products — were whittled down by the NSW Cabinet.
The laws — known as chain of responsibility laws — were meant to ensure every person who used or supplied a product on a building site could be held personally responsible if it failed.
NSW showed a draft bill of its own proposed law privately to building industry groups.
It was based on recent Queensland legislation.
But when the bill entered the NSW Parliament, Four Corners reported the industry was shocked to see it had been "absolutely gutted."
"We counted up about 80 clauses that had been pulled out of the documentation," Rodger Hills, the executive officer at the Building Products Industry Council, said.
"They had taken a lot of time to incorporate all the learnings and findings from the Queensland experience and wrapped it up into a piece of legislation that was robust, it was easy to use, and it would have done its job. 
"The industry representative left that meeting very hopeful that this was something that was going to be useful and it actually worked properly."
Many of the 80 clauses pulled out of the documentation of the proposed bill were clauses around non-conforming building products.
"In fact, the definition of a non-conforming building product wasn't even in the bill," Hills said. 
"All of the clauses to do with chain of responsibility and duty of care, they were all taken out. As were all powers, the recall powers the minister had to recall defective products."
Four Corners confirmed the NSW Cabinet rejected the proposed chain of responsibility law due to concerns it would impose more red tape on the building industry, potentially slowing it down.
The NSW Minister for Innovation Kevin Anderson would not comment on Cabinet deliberations but said: "The NSW Government is currently implementing the largest reform to the building and construction industry in the history of the state."
"As part of those reforms, the Government is considering a raft of measures that will improve the transparency, accountability and quality of work within the sector," he said.
Mr Anderson said the current situation "is a collective making of industry and the need for more modernised legislation".
The 2017 Queensland laws to police dangerous building products — also called non-conforming products — included flammable cladding that was responsible for the fire spreading in the UK's Grenfell Tower.
Watch Sean Nicholls' investigation, Cracking Up, on Four Corners on iview.
 
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How the NSW Government gutted tougher laws on non-conforming building products: Four Corners

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The July Labour Force Survey was a robust update on employment (+41.1k) but with participation hitting a new record high at the same time, unemployment remained sticky at 5.2%. Given this strength in participation, even if employment growth continued to outperform expectations from here, it is hard to see unemployment getting down to 5% any time soon, let alone getting down to the RBA’s natural rate of 4.5%.
This matters for wages, even more so given that the underemployment rate (those who are working who desire and are able to work more hours) didn’t improve as much as unemployment did through 2018. Underemployment was trending higher earlier this year compared to unemployment until the surprise drop in June. But in July, underemployment bumped higher to 8.4%, still better than 8.6% in May but this lift did lock in a trend drift higher.
Given rising participation and rising underemployment, we were not surprised to see another soft wages update from the June quarter Wage Price Index (WPI). In the June quarter the WPI lifted 0.6% vs market expectations for a 0.5% rise and up slightly from the 0.5% rise in the March quarter. This held the annual rate flat at 2.3%yr which is a modest lift from the low of 1.9% in 2017 but can hardly be described as a breakneck pace.
The June quarter wage print was 0.61% at two decimal places with a 0.54% rise in private sector wage rates and a very solid 0.82% rise in public sector wages, the largest quarterly rise in public sector wages since Q1 2014. But this followed the smallest quarterly rise in public sector wages since March 2000 of 0.45% in the March quarter, highlighting greater than normal volatility in this series.
The ABS noted that in the June survey, the most significant contribution to wage growth in the public sector component came from health care and social assistance, with Victoria reporting a number of large increases as employees there had their pay adjusted to ensure wage parity with other states.
Victorian public sector wages grew 1.5%, there was a more average rise in Queensland of 0.5% while NSW reported a below average increase of 0.2%. In the year to June, public sector wages have been growing at 2.6%yr.
Contrast the lift in public wages against the flattening pace in private sector wages. Private sector wages printed a rise of 0.54% in each of the last two quarters seeing the annual pace ease back to 2.3%yr from 2.4%yr in March which was the fastest pace since December 2014.
Overall, we have to admit the pace of growth in private sector wages has been very disappointing. We have found that private sector wages have a good relationship with underutilisation (unemployment plus underutilisation) with a lag of around two quarters.
Which then leads to an ongoing conundrum: why are wages growing so slowly in NSW, the state that previously had underutilsation that was well below the national average (thus the tightest labour market) since the second half of 2015?
Contrast this with WA, the state that has had the highest rate of underutilisation and is now experiencing well below average wage outcomes. Yet wages in the state of Victoria have been more responsive to changes in labour market conditions.
The recent modest acceleration in the pace of wages growth in Victoria to 2.9% maps nicely against the decline in underutilisation from late 2016 to early 2018. Since the second half of 2018 underutilisation has started to drift higher again suggesting the acceleration in wage inflation should moderate in Victoria (excluding any effect from public sector wage equalisation) as we move through 2019.
It is a puzzle as to why NSW wages have underperformed the tightness in labour market conditions, so we can't be confident how far labour market tightness in Victoria will lift wages. We also have to take care when considering how much of the Victorian pressure on wages will be passed onto other states.
Read the full report: <a href="https://westpaciq.westpac.com.au/wibiqauthoring/_uploads/file/Australia/2019/August/er20190819BullLabourForce.pdf" target="_blank">'Australian July Labour Force' (PDF 179kb)</a>
JUSTIN SMIRK is ‎a senior economist for Westpac 
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Employment remains robust but unemployment and wages are unmoved: Justin Smirk

Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

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

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

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

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