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Sydney Metro Northwest's Windsor Road rail bridge has taken the top gong in the Rail category at the <a href="http://www.globalbestprojects.com/">Global Best Project Awards</a> for 2018.

The awards "focus on the challenges, risks and rewards of designing and constructing in other countries" according to the Engineering News-Record who runs the annual event.

In what is Australia's only example of a cable-stayed rail bridge built on a curve, the bridge connects the skyrail section of the first phase on the new metro line to the surface section near the line's terminus at Tullawong and maintenance and operations centre in Rouse Hill.

The project's facebook page recently published a short documentary which tells the background and focuses on the design and the build of the bridge.

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="464" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSydneyMetro%2Fvideos%2F2128441110776853%2F&amp;show_text=1&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="100%"></iframe>

"It's an amazingly challenging project because it's not a recipe.  There isn't another bridge out there that we can open a book and read a paper which tells us how to build the bridge," said John Anderson, lead designer for the bridge.

The bridge was built by Salini Impregilo who also built the skytrain section of the metro track and the bridge deck includes 88 concrete segments each weighing between 70 and 140 tonnes.  

The bridge deck is supported by 127 steel cables that if measured from end-to-end would measure 173 kilometres.  The bridge design solution came about after a community feedback round focused on ensuring the Windsor Road &amp; Schofield Road intersection could be upgraded with ease in future.

Elsewhere on the Sydney Metro project, the factory to produce pre-fabricated components for the City &amp; Southwest tunnels that will run from Chatswood to Sydenham has ramped up production.

130 people work at the factory in Marrickville and they produce a single four-tonne segment every six minutes.  The same factory supplied components for the Northwest tunnels.

The first phase, Sydney Metro Northwest, opens in 2019 and has caused a significant property boom in outer western Sydney.  Toward the end of the line, the Apartments.com.au project database is tracking over 6000 dwellings in the development pipeline.

Upwards of 14 projects in <a href="/developments/rouse-hill-nsw-2155">Rouse Hill</a> could potentially contribute up to 3111 new dwellings.  Next door in <a href="/developments/schofields-nsw-2762">Schofields</a> 7 projects could possibly yield a further 3400 new dwellings in future.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SydneyMetro/photos/a.1404688343152137.1073741828.1398640573756914/2127243340896630/?type=3&amp;theater">Sydney Metro on Facebook</a>.
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Alastair Taylor

Sydney Metro's Windsor Road bridge takes the top gong at Global Best Project awards

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The Gold Coast might get its own ferry services to complement its light rail and bus networks if the mayor's proposal for a trial is deemed a success.

Local media reports suggest the Mayor's plan will include 12 stops and potentially take up to 3200 cars off the roads.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate will present the plan to the Gold Coast Waterways Authority before seeking support from councilors, the Gold Coast Bulletin <a href="https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/business/gold-coast-ferry-service-unveiled-by-mayor-tom-tate-to-run-in-broadwater-to-metricon-stadium/news-story/1e2f40566d315909595176efcfb8fe32">reports</a>. 

It is proposed that the Gold Coast City Council will provide dock infrastructure, the Department of Transport and Main Roads will organise the timetable and the Gold Coast Waterways Authority would run the tender and contract process.

Speed limits on some waterways may be challenging however it is reported they will be negotiated as part of the stakeholder consultation process.

The proposed first phase would run between Evandale and Labrador with multiple stops in between including at Cavill Avenue and the vessels would be similar to the Citycats operating on the Brisbane River. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/glink_tram_2014.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="G:Link tram on the Gold Coast - image Wikipedia."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="385" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/glink_tram_2014.jpg?itok=b7Aj7gv2" title="G:Link tram on the Gold Coast - image Wikipedia." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>G:Link tram on the Gold Coast - image <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/GCLR_Set_9_at_Cypress_Avenue_2014-09-28.jpg">Wikipedia</a>.</figcaption></figure>In 2017 the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland State Government committed a combined $10 million to deliver a detailed business case for the extension of the city's new light rail network further south.  

Stage 3a, as the next phase is known, will enter a new round of consultation toward the end of 2018 as detailed maps are released on the extension of the light rail network south from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.

A July 2018 update <a href="https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/Projects/G/Gold-Coast-Light-Rail-Stage-3A/TMR-GCLR3-Fact-Sheet_July2018red.pdf?la=en">brochure</a> published by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads states the anticipated journey time over the 6-7km extension from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads will be approximately 16-17 minutes.

Likewise, it is anticipated the tram tracks will be laid in the Gold Coast Highway's median and the highway will retain two traffic lanes in each direction.  5 new trams will need to be added to the existing fleet to maintain similar levels of service as stages 1 and 2.

Maps also show the light rail line will eventually run to Coolangatta airport and similar the Gold Coast heavy rail line will eventually be extended from Varsity Lakes to Coolangatta.  No timeframes for construction of light rail stage 3a, stage 3b (Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta) or the heavy rail line have been published.

While the Gold Coast has just under 100 projects on the Apartments.com.au project database at the time of writing, the bulk of them are located in the northern suburbs of the Coast.  There are 19 projects located between Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta.
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Gold Coast mayor wants to set up a ferry network

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Parramatta's Altitude Towers, Docklands' Banksia and Brisbane South City Square among some of the winners from the Urban Taskforce Australia's Development Excellence Awards that were handed down at a dinner last week.

Altitude is a dual tower development that included 629 units across a 170m, 53 level 'West' Tower and a 128m, 39 level 'East Tower located on the banks of the Parramatta River with a street frontage to Church Street.

The development includes both serviced apartments and private apartments as well as a child care centre and several eateries and drinking establishments.  The building topped out in January 2017.

Chair of the judging panel and NSW Government Architect Peter Poulet said "Altitude in Parramatta ticks all the boxes, it is a commercial success, it has an elegant and striking deisgn, it creates excellent community amenities and it contributes a ring of confidence to the City of Parramatta."

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/banksia_syd.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Banksia - image: Sydney Struwig"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/banksia_syd.jpg?itok=23n0uGQB" title="Banksia - image: Sydney Struwig" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Banksia - image: Sydney Struwig</figcaption></figure>MAB Corporation's Banksia Apartments took out the award for top High Rise City Apartments Development with the jury acknowledging the building "broke out of the usual apartment mould with its round shape and interesting facade."

Chris Johnson, UTA's CEO, went on to say "it does seem that Melbourne apartment design is more innovative than many Sydney apartments that much comply with the many rules in the NSW Apartment Design Guide."

The Urban Taskforce Australia, a non-profit lobby group that represents developers and equity financiers and primarily focused on the development scene in Sydney, <a href="http://www.urbantaskforce.com.au/urbanideas/august2017/?page=1">has long drawn a distinction between design regulations in NSW and Victoria</a>, even going so far as to say if Victorian standards were applied in NSW, it would save Sydney buyers $150,000 when making an apartment purchase.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/south_city_square_perri_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="South City Square. Image: Perri Projects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="322" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/south_city_square_perri_1.jpg?itok=lfT9jMhD" title="South City Square. Image: Perri Projects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>South City Square. Image: Perri Projects</figcaption></figure>Pellicano and Perri Project's South City Square in Brisbane took out the award for top Mixed Use Development which includes hotel suites, 860 apartments and 13,000 square metres of retail space and a new public square.

Located at the intersection of Logan Road and Deshon Street in Woolloongabba, South City Square has completed stages 1 and 3 with stage 3 due to be complete by early 2019 and the site is located within a 1km walk of the fuiture Woolloongabba station to be built as part of the Cross River Rail project.

The jury for the Development Excellence Awards included Peter Poulet - NSW Government Architect, Carolyn Cummins - SMH journalist, John Wynne - Urbis, John Ferrarin - Quantity Surveyor and David Tanevski - Secretary-Treasurer UTA.

Winner's list.

Winner of Development of the Year 
Altitude, Parramatta by Meriton Group

Winner of Retail Development 
Narellan Town Centre by Greenfields Development Company &amp; D.Vitocco Constructions

Winner of Commercial Office City Development 
Commonwealth Bank, Darling Square by Lendlease

Winner of High Rise City Apartments Development 
Banksia by Mab Corporation

Winner of Medium Rise City Apartments Development 
Eighty-Eight, Kensington by Luxcon Group

Winner of Medium Rise Metro Apartments Development 
Woolooware Bay Stage One by Capital Bluestone

Winner of Mixed Uses Development 
South City Square by Pellicano &amp; Perri Projects

Winner of Urban Renewal Development 
Kensington Street &amp; Spice Alley by Greencliff &amp; Frasers Property Australia

Winner of Masterplanned Community Development 
Willowdale by Stockland Development

Winner of Seniors Living/Retirement Development 
St Basil's Randwick by St Basil's Homes

Winner of Affordable Housing Development 
Harts Landing by PAYCE &amp; Evolve Housing

Winner of Sustainable Development 
International House Sydney, Barangaroo South by Lendlease

Highly Commended Mixed Uses Development 
Esprit by Bridgehill Group
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Parramatta's Altitude Towers takes top gong at UTA's Development Excellence Awards

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Mark's <a href="/news/traditional-residential-developers-cash-in-on-yarras-300000sqm-commercial-boom">Friday article</a> on the commercial development pipeline for the City of Yarra is both impressive and worrying.  Impressive because 300,000 square metres of space, should it all be built and occupied, would represent around 20,000 new jobs contained within the municipality and worrying thanks to a lack of public transport priority, especially along the streets with tram routes.

Throw in the residential development pipeline - half of which is under construction and likely provide new homes for approximately 7000-8000 people - you have to wonder what the breaking point will be.

As Apartments.com.au user johnproctor <a href="/news/traditional-residential-developers-cash-in-on-yarras-300000sqm-commercial-boom#comment-33643">commented on Friday</a>, the 20,000 new employees/jobs figure comes from assuming that 1 employee takes up 15 square metres of total commercial space,

<blockquote>
Pretty amazing. that's roughly 20,000 workers coming to City of Yarra if it's all realised.

Will hopefully drive counter peak tram movements in the area (that are already quite strong) and should also drive high capacity on the 246 bus route linking people from the north to bigger office precinct south (Hurstbridge/Doncaster/Mernda PT users to Cremorne) and south to north (Richmond PT users to Collingwood/Abbotsford)
</blockquote>

The increased patronage and movements on the tram network are the most worrying because Victoria Street, for instance, does not have counter-peak clearways. 

At the city end there is a good quality interchange (where the emphasis is on frequency of multiple services) at Parliament station and the Macarthur Street tram stop. 

At St. Vincent's interchange and right down to Hoddle Street there is minimal priority given to trams at cross roads - especially at Hoddle Street but the worst part of the journey is beyond North Richmond Station to Victoria Gardens.

I've timed it multiple times, in both directions and at the extreme end, it's possible the journey between Victoria Gardens and Parliament station will take 20 minutes. That's a 2 kilometre trip - jogging pace.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
By the way, this is in school holidays <a href="https://t.co/nqKe5BamlQ">https://t.co/nqKe5BamlQ</a>
— Alastair Taylor (@tayser82) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/tayser82/status/1017674123982434304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2018</a>
</blockquote>

And while I deserve a slap over the wrist for being in a car at the time of taking that image above - I was the traffic - quite often I'm not and I'm one of the people travelling on one of those trams you can see attempting to crawl down Victoria Street.  In the evening peak clearways are in operation heading out of the city but the road is choked with parked cars in the counter-peak direction.

Victoria Street is only one of the major tram routes through Yarra and as Mark's article points out, the commercial development is occurring in Cremorne, Collingwood/Fitzroy - even on Hoddle Street - but what transport policies are in place to give public transport more priority in the area?

Yarra is served by the rail network from all major directions but trams and buses fighting for space on the road network are how most people get around the municipality.

Cremorne has a distinct advantage because much of the area is within a comfortable 10-minute walk of Richmond Station or East Richmond Station - and if they opened a northern entry to South Yarra station and improved pedestrian links across the river alongside the railway lines  - South Yarra would help in serving the tech &amp; marketing favoured area's employment growth.

Collingwood is serviced by the inner stations along the Hurstbridge/South Morang-Mernda railway lines but has Hoddle Street - a very pedestrian-unfriendly barrier - between the bulk of the suburb and the stations.  Like Fitzroy, Collingwood's public transport depends heavily on the radial tram routes and the cross-town smart bus routes on Johnson Street.

Tram services on Victoria Street, Brunswick Street, Smith Street, Bridge Road, Swan Street all, to varying degrees, have the misfortunate of being located within a narrow road corridor where the 'fight' over space, depicted in the tweeted image, is daily practice.

How many new office and residential buildings does it take before we see action on public transport priority on the City of Yarra's streets?

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">City of Yarra Residential Development Pipeline Status</th>
			<th scope="col">Dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">2030</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">2664</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Registration &amp; Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">887</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">5359</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>TOTAL</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">10,940</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Lead image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Critical_Mass_Melbourne_-_Brunswick_St.JPG">wikipedia</a>
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Is it time to rethink on-street parking on tram routes in the City of Yarra?

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Laurence doubles down on his opinion on Federation Square which seems to have ruffled a few feathers. 

Arden's finalised vision has been released and Daniel Andrews' Spring Street government has finally committed to the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

The public will get to see the Southbank by Beulah designs this week and Open House Melbourne is on this weekend.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast through your app of choice!

<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/476843037&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=true&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Weekly Podcast: Episode 25 - Federation Square, Melbourne Airport Rail Link, Southbank by Beulah, Open House Melbourne and Arden

In stark contrast to our growing database of <a href="/news/top-20-sydney-suburbs-with-the-largest-development-pipeline">Sydney projects</a>, Melbourne's been in <a href="/">Apartments.com.au's</a> DNA for over five years.&nbsp; And what a difference it is with postcode 3000 (actually, the suburb name Melbourne, but you know what I mean) leading the pack among the top 20 suburbs across metropolitan Melbourne with the largest development pipeline.

Not to be outdone, <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, home to some of the largest skyscrapers (and proposals) in the city comes in second with a 5 figure number in its development pipeline and spilling over from Southbank, <a href="/new-apartments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne</a> takes the third top spot.

<a href="/new-apartments/box-hill-vic-3128">Box Hill</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/doncaster-vic-3108">Doncaster</a> are two suburbs in the top 10 which stand apart from the trend of much of inner Melbourne ruling the roost and <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/moonee-ponds-vic-3039">Moonee Ponds</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/coburg-vic-3058">Coburg</a> in that inner-city to middle-ring transition area are present within the top 20.

In fact, beyond the top 20, there are many middle-ring Melbourne suburbs with over 1000 dwellings in the development pipeline including <a href="/new-apartments/carnegie-vic-3163">Carnegie</a> (1602), <a href="/new-apartments/essendon-vic-3040">Essendon</a> (1527), <a href="/new-apartments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">North Melbourne</a> (1407) and <a href="/new-apartments/maribyrnong-vic-3032">Maribyrnong</a> (1279).

For a while I've been saying both privately and publicly, <a href="/new-apartments/footscray-vic-3011">Footscray</a> is on the same level as <a href="/new-apartments/south-yarra-vic-3141">South Yarra</a> - similar distances from the centre of Melbourne and with the rail transport to match - and lo and behold Footscray is well ahead of South Yarra's pipeline numbers at this time.

<a href="/new-apartments/collingwood-vic-3066">Collingwood</a> (2668) outstrips <a href="/new-apartments/fitzroy-vic-3065">Fitzroy</a> (1169, ranked #35) by a long margin and <a href="/new-apartments/preston-vic-3072">Preston</a> (3369) is way out ahead of all the other suburbs on the High Street / South Morang corridor.

The monster numbers at the top can be explained that the suburb 'Melbourne' applies to St Kilda Road as well as the CBD, however when we look exclusively at postcode 3000, there are still over 18,000 dwellings in the pipeline.

The number of dwellings below are&nbsp;for all projects on the Apartments.com.au project database across all four main statuses - Planning Assessment, Approved, Registration &amp; Sales and Under Construction.

Click on a suburb name to view a summary of the development pipeline for each region.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">Rank</th>
			<th scope="col">Suburb</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of Dwellings</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne</a></td>
			<td>20,035</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a></td>
			<td>16,015</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne</a></td>
			<td>6573</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/footscray-vic-3011">Footscray</a></td>
			<td>6526</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/docklands-vic-3008">Docklands</a></td>
			<td>6276</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/box-hill-vic-3128">Box Hill</a></td>
			<td>5645</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/west-melbourne-vic-3003">West Melbourne</a></td>
			<td>4980</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>8</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/richmond-vic-3121">Richmond</a></td>
			<td>4402</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>9</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/south-yarra-vic-3141">South Yarra</a></td>
			<td>4124</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/doncaster-vic-3108">Doncaster</a></td>
			<td>3808</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>11</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/preston-vic-3072">Preston</a></td>
			<td>3369</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick</a></td>
			<td>3044</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>13</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/brunswick-east-vic-3057">Brunswick East</a></td>
			<td>2828</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>14</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">North Melbourne</a></td>
			<td>2793</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/moonee-ponds-vic-3039">Moonee Ponds</a></td>
			<td>2749</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>16</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/collingwood-vic-3066">Collingwood</a></td>
			<td>2668</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>17</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/st-kilda-vic-3182">St Kilda</a></td>
			<td>2618</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>18</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/port-melbourne-vic-3207">Port Melbourne</a></td>
			<td>2493</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>19</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/coburg-vic-3058">Coburg</a></td>
			<td>1792</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>20</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/hawthorn-east-vic-3123">Hawthorn East</a></td>
			<td>1757</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Top 20 Melbourne suburbs with the largest development pipeline

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Six months into expanding the Apartments.com.au Project Database to take on a national focus, <a href="/news/melbourne-and-sydney-urban-national-project-database-observations">from time to time</a> we've been taking a step back and assessing the numbers.

Our Sydney data is not as mature as our Melbourne data but there have been many updates and changes since we last looked at some of the trends happening in the Emerald City.

Only one of the top 10 suburbs listed below is located within inner-city Sydney, all other suburbs in our ranked list of suburbs with the most dwellings in the development pipeline are further out - much further out in some cases.

While other <a href="/new-apartments/sydney-nsw">inner Sydney suburbs</a> are present on the Apartments.com.au database - such as Mascot at #13, Zetland at #18, and postcode 2000 itself ranked outside the top 20 at #21 - the vast bulk of <a href="https://www.spacer.com.au/blog/what-are-the-types-of-apartmentshouses-you-can-find-in-inner-sydney" target="_blank">Sydney's pipeline</a> of new apartments are in middle and outer reaches of the metropolitan area.

The correlation between new large-scale public transport investment and medium and higher density development pipeline is particularly strong among the top suburbs.  <a href="/new-apartments/parramatta-nsw">Parramatta</a>, the top Sydney suburb at this stage, for instance, will be the beneficiary of a new light rail line which already has a second stage planning underway.

It will likely also receive a station on the mooted Western Sydney Metro. Schofields and Rouse Hill are outer metropolitan areas that will see the first phase of the Sydney Metro Northwest open next year and Macquarie Park, while it has had a rail service for over 10 years, it will also see service improvements when the existing Epping-Chatswood line is converted for Sydney Metro's use.

The second phase of the Sydney Metro - the City and Southwest project - apart from building a new North Sydney, Harbour and CBD tunnel, will re-use the existing Bankstown line via Sydenham - all stations between those two points are presented on the Apartments.com.au database but Bankstown is the only one to make the top 20 list at this stage.

Major rail stations or rail junctions feature in the top 20 quite prominently - apart from the #1 rank Parramatta, Liverpool, Lidcombe, Epping and Penrith are flying that flag and Wentworth Point, a former industrial peninsula adjacent to Sydney Olympic Park ranks at #4.  Wentworth Point is likely to benefit from improved connectivity and stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail project.

The number of dwellings below are for all projects on the Apartments.com.au project database across all four main statuses - Planning Assessment, Approved, Registration &amp; Sales and Under Construction.

Click on a suburb name to view a summary of the development pipeline for each region.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Rank</th>
			<th scope="col">Suburb</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of Dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/parramatta-nsw">Parramatta</a></td>
			<td>4838</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/schofields-nsw-2762">Schofields</a></td>
			<td>3490</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/merrylands-nsw-2160">Merrylands</a></td>
			<td>3290</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/wentworth-point-nsw-2127">Wentworth Point</a></td>
			<td>3192</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/rouse-hill-nsw-2155">Rouse Hill</a></td>
			<td>3111</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/macquarie-park-nsw-2113">Macquarie Park</a></td>
			<td>3044</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/liverpool-nsw-2170">Liverpool</a></td>
			<td>2922</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/epping-nsw-2121">Epping</a></td>
			<td>2770</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/lidcombe-nsw-2141">Lidcombe</a></td>
			<td>2634</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/erskineville-nsw-2043">Erskineville</a></td>
			<td>2301</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/box-hill-nsw-2765">Box Hill</a></td>
			<td>2215</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/leppington-nsw-2179">Leppington</a></td>
			<td>2157</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/mascot-nsw-2020">Mascot</a></td>
			<td>1975</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/auburn-nsw-2144">Auburn</a></td>
			<td>1972</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/bankstown-nsw-2200">Bankstown</a></td>
			<td>1947</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/baulkham-hills-nsw-2153">Baulkham Hills</a></td>
			<td>1913</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/st-leonards-nsw-2065">St Leonards</a></td>
			<td>1894</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/zetland-nsw-2017">Zetland</a></td>
			<td>1847</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/kellyville-nsw-2155">Kellyville</a></td>
			<td>1842</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
			<td><a href="/developments/penrith-nsw-2750">Penrith</a></td>
			<td>1772</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</body></html>

Top 20 Sydney suburbs with the largest development pipeline

<html><body>
Road user pricing is a topic that the local and federal levels of government are happy to talk about, but not so much at the state level.

The City of Melbourne over June and July has progressively released discussion papers on all things transport related including car parking, walking, cycling and public transport and is seeking community input to inform its transport strategy refresh. 

Last week it released its final discussion paper and it's only that topic which state governments are not willing to engage with: road user pricing.

The basic concept of road user pricing reform will potentially involve doing away with annual one-size-fits-all registration charges, fuel excise and instead roll out a system which levies a fee on a vehicle owner based on the distance driven and the time of day trips are taken.

The rationale behind the shift to a distance and time-based model of road user pricing includes decreasing amounts of fuel excise (because cars are getting more fuel efficient and electric vehicles don't use petroleum at all) and managing the road network more broadly, whether it is in a specific suburb or metro-wide.

Infrastructure Victoria put road user pricing in its top 3 infrastructure priorities when it released its first 30-year strategy and almost immediately the state government <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/andrews-government-rejects-adding-new-tolls-to-existing-roads-20161004-gru8dj">ruled it out</a>. 

<blockquote>
As Melbourne's population grows towards 8 million people in 2050 our road network will be subject to intense pressure, we can't build our way out of congestion with new roads that will simply fill up with more cars. We need to come up with innovative solutions to ensure access to our road network is equitable.

There are a few different options for introducing road pricing, it can be a sum charged per kilometre or per trip, or a charge within a particular zone and these can be altered based on peak traffic periods. 

Trials have shown that charging in this way, instead of a lump sum for vehicle registration once or twice a year, encourages people to avoid driving at certain times where possible or switching to another mode of transport instead.
<cite>Cr Frances Gilley, City of Melbourne</cite>
</blockquote>

The City of Melbourne <a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/3515/3241/1563/Transport_Strategy_refresh_-_Reducing_traffic_for_better_streets_Discussion_paper.PDF">discussion paper</a> on road user pricing cites the benefits of shifting to a different taxation model using examples in the US, UK, Singapore, Sweden and Italy.

In the US state of Oregon, an opt-in trial of shifting to paying-per-mile driven has shown a 22% reduction in peak period driving and 91% of trial participants said they'd prefer to be charged based on mileage rather than fuel tax.

In Milan, drivers must pay to enter a designated zone and it has seen a 15% reduction in emissions over 4 years, 16% reduction in traffic volumes, 21% reduction in road collisions and 12% less public transport delays.

London has a central area congestion charge and it has seen 14% less trips within the charging zone and it has had 10 years of stable traffic congestion despite population growing by 1.3 million people.

The council in its discussion paper says that "many respected organisations have concluded that road pricing is needed and would deliver many benefits.  THey include the Productivity Commission, Infrastructure Victoria, Infrastructure Australia, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, RACV and the Harper Competition and Henry Tax reviews."

The paper also says all three levels of government must be onboard for the shift to be effective and that any new road user charging regime should not be an added tax, it needs to be a holistic change.

To have your say, see <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/transportstrategy/transport-pricing">participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au</a>

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOw3itDJcWw">youtube</a>.
</body></html>

City of Melbourne's final transport strategy discussion paper seeks input on road user pricing

<html><body>
Sydney Metro's first stage from Tullawong to Chatswood is set to purchase all its electricity needs from a new solar farm at Beryl in the Orana region of central northern New South Wales.

It was revealed through <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/beryl-solar-farm-power-nsw-trains-may-add-battery-storage-25337/">RenewEconomy</a> and the <a href="https://www.afr.com/business/energy/solar-energy/new-energy-solar-buys-beryl-project-in-nsw-20180723-h131c4">Fin Review</a> that Transport for NSW is on the other end of the power purchase agreement (PPA) that is underpinning the new solar farm's construction.

Transport for New South Wales is contracted to buy approximately 69% of the solar farm's output - 134,000 megawatt hours per annum - which in turn the NSW Government announced two weeks ago, to little fanfare, that that energy output will be used by the <a href="https://www.sydneymetro.info/article/beryl-gets-go-ahead-help-power-sydney-metro-northwest">Sydney Metro Northwest</a>.

The Beryl Solar farm's nameplate capacity sits at 87 megawatts AC and is located on a 332 hectare site approximately 5 km west of Gulgong.  The new owner of the project may also added an undisclosed amount of storage adjacent to the solar farm.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m17!1m11!1m3!1d69708.05616623066!2d149.45876360701553!3d-32.329430582782436!2m2!1f0!2f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x6b0e955df1420589%3A0x40609b490435be0!2sBeryl+NSW+2852!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1532484794621" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

The lack of fanfare stands in stark contrast to how the Victorian Government announced its signing of a contract to source energy from renewable sources for Melbourne's tram network.

Back in January 2017 "Solar Powered Trams" was the phrase-du-jour when it was announced the state government had signed power purchase agreements with the owners of the <a href="http://www.bannertonsolarfarm.com.au/">Bannerton</a> and <a href="https://numurkahsolarfarm.com.au/">Numurkah</a> solar farms.

According to the projects' respective websites, Bannerton is expected to be connected to connected to the grid this month and Numurkah is still at a pre-construction phase.

Over the horizon, the Victorian Government is yet to announce the successful bidders in the Victoria Renewable Energy Auction Scheme which is seeking up to 650MW of new renewable energy generation.

The scheme is designed to aid in creating new generation so the state government can hit its legislated renewable energy targets: 25% of the state's electricity to be sourced from renewables by 2020 and 40% by 2025.

State Governments are some of the biggest customers in the electricity markets (think: schools, hospitals, electrified rail networks, government offices) and various states and territories around the country are using that market power to drive new investment despite the ideological roadblocks at the federal level.

<a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-could-be-at-86-wind-and-solar-by-2050-on-economics-only-34915/">Solar and Wind</a> are now some of the cheapest ways to generate electricity, and as fossil fuel generators - namely the coal plants on the east coast - reach the end of technical life, the state governments and big corporates and local councils are moving well ahead of the stagnation in Canberra.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SydneyMetro/photos/a.1404688343152137.1073741828.1398640573756914/2072802543007377/?type=3&amp;theater">Sydney Metro on </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SydneyMetro/photos/a.1404688343152137.1073741828.1398640573756914/2072802543007377/?type=3&amp;theater">facebook</a>.
</body></html>

Sydney Metro northwest to be powered by new solar farm in Beryl

<html><body>
The Rail Futures Institute has called on the State and Commonwealth Governments to keep one eye on the long-term and get the route and operations of the Melbourne Airport Rail Link 'right' in the first instance.

A statement from the rail lobby group says "we have long advocated that the Airport route should be from Southern Cross Station via a single stop at Sunshine where a major rail interchange would provide easy connections with the Melbourne Metro corridor and the regional lines that pass through Sunshine."

"We therefore strongly endorse the Premier’s announcement that the preferred route will include a new Sunshine Super-Hub and pave the way for fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat"

As the Premier mentioned on Sunday, rail tunnels will be used for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link and RFI re-iterated government needs to get it right.

"The major infrastructure needed to provide the Airport Rail Link is likely to include long tunnels and be designed for a useful life of 100 years or more. It is therefore of critical importance that the detail of the new corridor design and operation is right in the first instance."

The Rail Futures Institute advocates for what it has dubbed the AirTrain concept - a dedicated set of tracks linking Southern Cross, Sunshine, Melbourne Airport and in a later, second, phase, linking the airport with the Bendigo and Seymour-Shepparton regional lines.

There would be a dedicated shuttle service operating between Southern Cross, Sunshine and Melbourne Airport and all Bendigo/Echuca/Swan Hill and Seymour/Shepparton V/Line services would run along the route.

Shifting the regional services out of the existing Sunbury and Craigieburn corridors in turn frees up space to allow metro to run even more services on those lines in the long run.

RFI refines its concepts from time to time with the latest depicting three separate tunnels between the City and Melbourne Airport and they have designed track geometry to allow trains to operate at much higher speeds (hence the 15-20 minute journey time).

<blockquote>
Travel time to the Airport will be a critical factor in its success. It must be faster than any private car, taxi or bus alternative. Rail Futures is confident that a suitably designed and operated rail corridor can readily achieve travel times in the range of 15 to 20 minutes, inclusive of the Sunshine stop.
<cite>Dr Bill Russell, Rail Futures Institute Secretary</cite>
</blockquote>

After the weekend's announcement on route selection, the Victorian Government added the Melbourne Airport Rail Link to its re-election pitch.  

Routes via Craigieburn, Maribyrnong and Flemington have now been ruled out and the business case for the project will now focus on the route via Sunshine and the government said the business case will be completed in 2019.

As part of the Victorian Government's Regional Rail Revival program, the Ballarat line has come into focus with duplication of track from Deer Park to Melton.  On more than one occasion, the language surrounding the Melton duplication has pointed toward eventual electrification and operations shifting to Metro.

The 'Sunshine super-hub' concept for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link also applies to Melton electrification.  Sunshine station was upgraded as recently as 2014 as part of the Regional Rail Link.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/rfi_airtrain_1.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The Rail Futures Institute's AirTrain concept"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="376" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rfi_airtrain_1.png?itok=3ct0ie3c" title="The Rail Futures Institute's AirTrain concept" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Rail Futures Institute's <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/180530-Airport-Brochure_v7.pdf">AirTrain concept</a></figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

Rail Futures Institute reiterates calls for long-term thinking on Melbourne Airport Rail Link

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]

Joel Robinson

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.

Wing Tai unveils 325-apartment St Kilda Road tower on former VACC House site

Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

Alastair Taylor

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