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...so says the first problem on the North East Link's <a href="https://northeastlink.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/308169/NEL-Business-Case-Appendix-A.pdf">investment logic map</a>.

According to the business case documents released for the North East Link over the weekend, each problem outlined has a weighting with the lack of orbital connectivity scoring 40%; the other two problems, inefficient freight movements between north &amp; south-east and congestion and heavy vehicles on local roads, are weighted at 35% and 25% respectively.

The investment logic continues - economic growth and increase economic opportunity for households in the north-east are listed as two benefits that are shared between two problems.  The stated strategic response is to increase the capacity of the transport network which in turn flows through to a 'provide additional infrastructure' action.

At the end of the logic chain 'construct a new motorway link, upgrade existing arterial roads and motorways, upgrade pedestrian and cycling links and PT improvements' are all listed as assets (outcomes).

The North East Link will bridge the gap between the Eastern Freeway and Metropolitan Ring Road ('construct new motorway link'), add more lanes to the Eastern Freeway between the link &amp; Springvale Road ('upgrade existing arterial roads and motorways'), create more pedestrians and cycling links and will introduce a new busway for Doncaster ('PT Improvements').

<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/nelink_bus_case_investment_logic_map.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Investment logic map from the North East Link business case"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="621" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/nelink_bus_case_investment_logic_map.png?itok=Z9peODGv" title="Investment logic map from the North East Link business case" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Investment logic map from the North East Link business case</figcaption></figure>In the <a href="https://northeastlink.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/308172/NEL-Business-Case-Appendix-D.pdf">options assessment</a>, we come across a phrase that doesn't get a run all that often, "while Melbourne has strong radial connections that support access to the central city, other trips are not as well-served by the transport network".

It goes on to describe the lack of transport network connectivity between the north and eastern/south-eastern regions of Melbourne only through the lens of mega-road projects when it could just as easily apply to the lack of orbital connectivity on the Public Transport network or the complete lack of action on the port rail shuttles programme.

"The north east’s location between two urban growth corridors and between the major cross-city connections of the M80 and the Eastern Freeway – along with the lack of a freeway-standard orbital connection in this part of the city – means that the region’s arterial road network is used for freight and commuter trips across Melbourne."

The business case finds the North East Link will 'give workers in Melbourne's north-east access to 56,000 new job opportunities and deliver $12.5 billion in Gross State Product to our economy'.  It's a pity the state government hasn't looked at this kind of study for orbital rail lines, especially through the eastern arc from Heidelberg to Monash via Doncaster and Box Hill.

<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/nelink_bus_case_job_density.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Job clusters in metropolitan Melbourne, map from the North East Link business case"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="438" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/nelink_bus_case_job_density.png?itok=CfesP-6m" title="Job clusters in metropolitan Melbourne, map from the North East Link business case" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Job clusters in metropolitan Melbourne, map from the North East Link business case</figcaption></figure>In a nod to the previous East-West Link argument that Melbourne needed alternative cross-town road connection, the North East Link's business case acknowledges the three broad types of trips that use the existing M1 (Monash/West Gate/Citylink) corridor: radial trips from the east and west, trips from the south-east to the airport and trips from the south-east to the Hume Freeway/interstate journeys.

The North East Link would increasingly cater for the south-east to airport and interstate journeys when built, the business case says.

The Andrews Government are running with the North East Link all the way to the state election in November, as the likelihood of another community backlash on the same scale as the one prior to the last state election on the East-West Link is unlikely to eventuate, the only way this project would not proceed looks set to be determined by voters on November 24th.

Despite <a href="/news/property-council-weighs-into-urban-debate-with-its-great-cities-research-project">more voices</a> calling for the Australian government to change their wayward city and infrastructure development ways, the logic, and furthermore in the context of our road building extravaganza of the past five decades, of completing the ring road makes sense.  Leaving something unfinished - an entire orbital road network for instance - would hang around a political party's neck like a noose for a very long time.

There's no doubt there'll be a significant uplift in transport network capacity, journey times shortening, auto-centric businesses will flourish with the opening of the North East Link.  But it will be temporary - we know that will be case based on our own experiences of freeway upgrades and we know it will be the case because of ongoing high population growth.   

It's one thing to complete a road network for the easy distribution of freight and cars by road to and from the north and south-east, but when our city's set to grow by another 3 million people over the coming decades, there comes a point where we have to say, like many other cities with greater populations than us, enough of the business-as-usual way of doing things.

If orbital connectivity is worth so much to the potential of the Victorian economy, presumably because so much of the state's economic activity is located within metropolitan Melbourne, then it stands to reason we can't just only have road connectivity, but orbital rail connectivity as well.
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Alastair Taylor

'Melbourne's poor orbital connectivity is constraining the economic potential of Victoria'

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The ABS has released another iteration of its 'stories from the census, 2016' and this time it involves journeys to work.

The government statistician has also published interactive maps which allow you to drill down to the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1270.0.55.001~July%202016~Main%20Features~Statistical%20Area%20Level%202%20(SA2)~10014">SA2 level</a> and view statistics relating to the number of jobs in an SA2, the average and median commuting distances as well as employment density statistics.

From the maps we can easily get access to clear-as-rain employment and commuting statistics, presented in a more meaningful way (compared to just a data table).

For Melbourne SA2 which includes The Hoddle Grid plus the annexe from La Trobe Street to Victoria Street, there are 219,571 employed people working in the 2.37 square kilometre region which produces a density figure of 92,685 employed people per square kilometre.

For Sydney SA2 which includes The Rocks and Haymarket, there are 316,984 people employed within the 4.293 square kilometre region that produces a density figure of 73,830 employed people per square kilometre.

Average commuting distances to both CBDs are almost identical (18.59km in Melbourne versus 18.89 km in Sydney).

<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/clayton_jobs.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Commuting distance to place of work - Clayton, VIC - image: ABS"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="298" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/clayton_jobs.png?itok=nyFre49c" title="Commuting distance to place of work - Clayton, VIC - image: ABS" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Commuting distance to place of work - Clayton, VIC - image: <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001~2016~Main%20Features~Commuting%20Distance%20to%20Place%20of%20Work~30">ABS</a></figcaption></figure>One of the highest concentration of jobs outside of Melbourne's CBD is in the area which the Victorian Planning Authority has called the Monash employment and innovation cluster.  The cluster consists of multiple SA2 regions when we go to the ABS to look for the data, including Clayton.

Clayton, of all the SA2s which make up the Monash cluster, has the largest amount of jobs with 33,979 people employed in the region which includes the Monash medical centre and precinct as well as Monash University and the Australian Synchrotron.

The average and median commuting distances for people employed in Clayton is very similar to the CBD in the 18-19 kilometre range.

In the redevelopment zones of central Melbourne, which over the coming decades will see large-scale employment growth, Fishermans Bend at the 2016 census had 22,516 people employed in the Port Melbourne - Industrial SA2 (which covers approximately 85% of the redevelopment zone).

Fishermans Bend has a high average and median commuting distance of 25.36km and 21.85km respectively.

The SA2 which covers the majority of the Arden-Macaulay precinct, the North Melbourne SA2, has 15,156 jobs located in the region and has a higher-than-the-CBD average commuting distance of 19.11 kilometres.

Arden will be the first redevelopment zone outside the CBD to see a new train station built within its boundaries when the Melbourne Metro tunnel opens.

To view the interactive maps which cover the whole country, see <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001~2016~Main%20Features~Commuting%20Distance%20to%20Place%20of%20Work~30">Commuting Distance to Place of work</a> or <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001~2016~Main%20Features~Commuting%20Distance%20from%20Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence~25">Commuting Distance from </a><a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001~2016~Main%20Features~Commuting%20Distance%20from%20Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence~25">place</a><a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0.55.001~2016~Main%20Features~Commuting%20Distance%20from%20Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence~25"> of usual residence</a>.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Street_railway_station">Wikipedia</a>.
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ABS releases new stories of the 2016 census - journeys to work

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The terminus station on the Sydney Metro Northwest which will open next year has been renamed to Tallawong, a word of local significance that's derived from the Dharug word 'dalawang' for apple gum tree.

The station until this point has been known as Cudgegong Road and is seeing significant amounts of new development projects proposed within the new station's environs.

As you might expect for an outer suburban station, Tallawong will have a 1,000 strong commuter car park and will also include various bus and kiss-and-ride bays as well as parking and storage for 55 bicycles.

All other station names on the Sydney Metro Northwest have been confirmed according to a NSW Government media release.

Tallawong will serve the outer growth area of <a href="/new-apartments/rouse-hill-nsw-2155">Rouse Hill</a> and The Ponds and developers in the area have answered the call and invested in building significant density around the new train station.

The Apartments.com.au database is showing 7 projects within walking distance of the under construction station.

Those projects collectively have a whopping 1,895 residential units at various stages of the development pipeline.

<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/image125_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="49 Terry Road, Rouse Hill"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="363" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image125_2.jpg?itok=N2UzzKHu" title="49 Terry Road, Rouse Hill" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-townhouses/collection-rouse-hill-49-terry-road-rouse-hill">49 Terry Road, Rouse Hill</a></figcaption></figure>4 of the projects with a total of 930 dwellings are currently being assessed by local councils and there are 2 projects which have been approved with 831 dwellings.  

A single project is under construction with 134 dwellings soon to be added to the local market.

We'll take a look at other new outer suburban stations on the new Sydney Metro in time, however, there is a distinct pattern: the public and private investment into the new Sydney Metro is certainly producing the goods when it comes to what should be built next to new stations.

We're currently still in build-up mode in terms of projects outside of Melbourne on the Apartments.com.au database but with over 600 already present from New South Wales we expect our own numbers will be superseded fairly soon.

In light of the Great Cities research released by the Property Council of Australia, who needs offshore examples of changing the way we develop cities when the country has a live one right on our doorstep?

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.sydneymetro.info/news">Sydney Metro</a>.
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Terminus station on Sydney Metro Northwest renamed

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Nick King and Ben Rappell from <a href="https://fkdstudio.com.au/">FKD Studio</a> chat with Laurence as they attempt to answer the burning question of our time: what is it that visualisation studios do?

Don't forget to subscribe to us through iTunes or your favourite Android app.

<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/448339371&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Weekly Podcast: Episode 15 - A bit of banter with Nick King and Ben Rappell from FKD Studio

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Victoria's Minister for Local Government, Marlene Kairouz, has introduced the new Local Government bill 2018 be which, if passed, will repeal some legislation relating to local governments and amend other acts.

The new bill would repeal the City of Greater Geelong Act 1993, amend the City of Melbourne Act 2001, the Local Government Act 1989 and the Victorian Grants Commission Act 1976.

Spring Street is characterising the new bill as one that lifts the standards of governance in councils across the state and makes councillors more accountable to ratepayers.

According to a state government media release, the Local Government Bill 2018 will:

<blockquote>
Give the Minister for Local Government the power to suspend individual councillors who pose a significant threat to the governance of a council for up to a year

Clearly define sexual harassment under the Councillor Code of Conduct and introducing the power to remove councillors for serious sexual harassment

Allow mayors serving two-year terms to be ousted from their roles, following a motion moved by at least three-quarters of all councillors in office

Include new measures to ensure service charges levied by Councils do not exceed the cost of those services
<cite>Victorian State Government media release</cite>
</blockquote>

The legislation will also require councils to start laying out budgets in the same way as state and federal governments do - provide forward estimates which extend out to 4 years.  This is an Australian-first.

Mayors will be required to annually report how councils are tracking against the new four year budgetary plans.

Consultation on the new legislation has been <a href="https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/our-programs/local-government-act-review">underway for three years</a> however the emphasis on defining sexual harassment has obviously taken on more zeal in light of the scandal with the former Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle.

On top of the four year council plans and four year council budgetary process, councils will also be required to devise a long-term community vision, a ten year financial plan and a ten year asset plan.

"We want councils focused on the long-term and these changes will help them do exactly that," the minister said.  “We are bringing this Act into the 21st century – helping make councils more accountable and focused on the needs of their communities.”

Lead image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Melbourne_Townhall.jpg">Wikipedia</a>.
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Victoria's new local government bill introduced to state parliament

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<h2>Comment</h2>

The reason why the language used in the Property Council of Australia's Great Cities report is intentionally not referring to fringe or greenfield suburban development by those names is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain, the thrust of the thought-leadership research project is advocating for change.

It's not the first time a lobby group from the business world has had this message, nor should it be a shock that yet another party is calling for increased densities throughout Australian metropolitan areas.

However, it is refreshing to see a large advocacy piece lobby Australian governments on the need to grow up and get serious about doing things differently.

Looking at Great Cities from metropolitan governance angle, there are indeed a lot of lessons from offshore cities, states/provinces and countries that in an ideal world we'd borrow and implement with a high degree of haste.

Australia's dysfunctional layers of government are liberally addressed throughout the papers and it advocates for new metropolitan-wide authorities to take over planning control, which, for the most part, is currently handled at the state level. 

(Imagine that, an - as much as possible - apolitical body which just focuses on the long term planning, implementation and measurement of infrastructure and other land-use needs with inputs from local councils as well as state and federal governments - Vive le MMBW!).

Questions relating to transition might be hard to answer, however.  For instance, Transport for Victoria and the Victorian Planning Authority (somewhat puzzlingly, not referenced as much as one might think in Great Cities) are on a pathway that is not dissimilar to the one being advocated for.

Those two bodies are state government agencies, and as much as we'd all like to will them otherwise, they're in the firing line of typical state-federal argy-bargy - it may be a good idea to work toward depoliticising (as much as possible) these areas by potentially loosening the grip the state government has over them, but we still need our two major political parties to grow up as well.

It's all too common, Liberal Governments (or oppositions) still roll out the bad economic management lines against the Labor party.  The Labor party gets defensive and pursues financial/treasury policy &amp; practice that makes it hard to discern them from the Liberals and then we are back to square one, in the 'low public investment for low-growth cities' scenario that Great Cities calls it.

Do we need state or federal level plebiscites which poll the public on creating metropolitan-wide planning bodies?  Just look at the marriage equality plebiscite, despite the churn to get there, and the result it produced:  politics worked very quickly after the public had their say.

<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/gracitro_insights_melbourne.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Insights for Melbourne from the Property Council's Great Cities research project"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="349" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/gracitro_insights_melbourne.png?itok=9rDrYsr9" title="Insights for Melbourne from the Property Council's Great Cities research project" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Insights for Melbourne from the Property Council's Great Cities research project</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Australian cities need to shift towards high amenity, medium density, multi‐polar metropolitan living supported by high quality public transport.

All the great cities of the 21st century have been through some common version of this shift.

The cities we celebrate today – Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, London and Paris – have all found the same basic path of high‐capacity public transport that underpins and supports superb urban amenities with high quality, medium density living.
<cite>Great Cities</cite>
</blockquote>

Too true, you won't get an argument against the first line in that quote above from this urbanist, however, how do we, again going back to the politicians, stop them from retreating back to their base at election time?

Notice how the Andrews Government spent a good 2-3 years focused, heavily, on public transport projects, but now something has made them return to their comfort zone, balancing the purse strings by getting behind mega road projects like the North East Link.

I've made a point (and a habit!) of pointing out there is a great deal of work happening in the planning space around economic clusters and I boil it down to this high-level concept.

The potential gain from increased employment and residential/mixed-use growth in the clusters is how we'll pay for the public transport projects we'll need to service them.

There's a myriad of ways (and debates) on the practicality of this 'payment' regime (developer contributions, land tax changes et al) but one place we're seeing this happen in Australia is in outer suburban Sydney.

Take a look at our <a href="/developments">project map</a> and zoom in so the Sydney metropolitan area is visible - you'll note there's a lot of projects in the outer north-west in case you need a little more guidance, here's a pattern: those projects, for the most part, are within the vicinity of the new metro line that will start running next year.

Also of note, the government of New South Wales is a coalition government.  Building railways.  A massive programme to boot.

Great Cities advocates for a broad-brush application of the idea of making metropolitan areas poly-centric.  That's fine, but, also puzzlingly, there's scant mention of Melbourne's competitive advantage - it's very large and active redevelopment zones right next door to the centre of the city.

I'm of course talking about Arden, which will be serviced with high-quality public transport in 5 years when the first metro tunnel opens and Fishermans Bend which, as the planning work released to the public thus far has shown, gets us to the point where 'lines on a map' are at least a fixture.

The idea of poly-centric cities is that it puts people closer to jobs - contrary to popular belief this already happens in Melbourne - but it's worth reiterating the metro 2 project would bring a few hundred thousand people in the west/south-west a lot closer to Melbourne and the jobs precinct which will grow in Fishermans Bend, despite the redevelopment zone very much located in the centre of the city.

Poly-centric good, centralised bad - we'd be wise to avoid a binary national debate which doesn't acknowledge regional differences.

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Great Cities: existing strengths of Australia's metropolitan areas should not be ignored

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The Property Council of Australia has launched its Great Cities research project that aims to provide an 'outside in' perspective on Australia's cities based on megatrends, case studies and benchmarks.

The PCA commissioned Professor Greg Clark and Dr Tim Moonen of <a href="http://thebusinessofcities.com/">The Business of Cities</a> to author the reports.  Prof. Greg Clark also appears alongside the PCA's Chief Executive Ken Morrison in many video summaries now published on the PCA's <a href="https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/greatcities">website</a>. 

'Low public-investment model of urbanisation that served to support cities with smaller populations and less urbanised economies' is a phrase that is often referred to in the research project and reflects the light-touch approach to infrastructure provisioning and land development which Australian cities have traditionally undertaken when compared to cities overseas.

The metropolitan age, which the research papers say we are currently living in, is characterised by the global urbanisation &amp; population growth concentrating in cities; employment growthalong with it, and in an Australian context, the PCA's Great Cities thought-leadership piece argues Australia needs to change.

Change in the way planning is conducted in multi-council metropolitan areas, change in the way we finance infrastructure and change in what we build to house growing populations.

Professor Greg Clark said Australia is not alone in facing these challenges.

<blockquote>
All of the great cities of the 21st century have been through some version of this trek. Australian cities are starting from further behind, but they can also benefit from the experience of comparable cities around the world.

Australians are being challenged to rethink their traditional ideas about their cities, including a future that involves shifting from the low-density sprawl of the past to high quality, medium density living.

Addressing the challenges and opportunities of the metropolitan century is not just an agenda for politicians, urbanists, metropolitan elites or city planners.

It needs to be a national project that touches every aspect of public life and demands the support of every Australian.
<cite>Professor Greg Clark, Lead researcher on the Property Council's Great Cities research project</cite>
</blockquote>

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There is an emphasis on the jobs of the future contained within the research as well - with case studies highlighting how cities and metropolitan areas are working together to carve out niche &amp; focus on a specific sector of an industry and calls for Australian cities to do the same.

The research also calls for a broad brush stroke view of making cities more polycentric across metropolitan areas and introduces an interesting term to the Australian urban debate: unicorn cities. The term relates to encouraging cities to focus on building ecosystems that foster innovation and then commercialise the ideas - Stockholm is cited as an <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-stockholm-became-a-unicorn-factory/">example</a>.

Great Cities is broad in that it touches a lot of governance, planning, business and industry issues and the full document suite along with summary videos can be seen on the PCA's <a href="http://www.propertycouncil.com.au/greatcities">website</a>.
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Property Council weighs into urban debate with its Great Cities research project

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Both tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that are building the new Forrestfield-Airport Link in the WA capital have smashed through into the Airport station pit having travelled 1.9km thus far.

In common with tunnel projects around the world, the TBMs are named - Grace and Sandy.

Grace, the frontrunner, pierced the Perth Airport station box earlier this month with Sandy smashing through on May 21st. 

The Forrestfield-Airport Link project began life under the previous WA administration and has since been subsumed into the wider Metronet program which the new WA Government run an election platform on.  

The new line will branch off from the existing Midland line to the east of Bayswater and include three new stations, two underground and the terminus, Forrestfield, will be on the surface to the east of Perth Airport.

<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fforrestfieldairportlink%2Fvideos%2F1708872085871404%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="100%"></iframe>

A new flying junction is being built at Bayswater where the new tunnels will head under the Swan River and toward a new station to be named Redcliffe that will be located approximately 500m from the old Domestic and now dedicated Qantas terminal at Perth Airport.  

The second new station will be known as Airport Central, to be built nextdoor, to the south of the Perth Airport control tower.  This precinct of Perth Airport was traditionally the International terminal but has now morphed into a hybrid domestic (Virgin) and international precinct.  The Perth Airport masterplan from 2014 calls for consolidation of airport terminals in the vicinity of the Airport Central station.

The tunnels continue eastward from Airport Central and then surface just before the terminus station at Forrestfield where a major new bus/rail interchange will be built that will give residents living in Perth's east and hills district a 20-minute rail journey to the CBD.

<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/forrestfield-rail-route-diagram-updated-30-nov-2017.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Tunnel elevation diagram showing station locations and depths beneath the surface - image: Metronet"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="102" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/forrestfield-rail-route-diagram-updated-30-nov-2017.png?itok=seLUNhuN" title="Tunnel elevation diagram showing station locations and depths beneath the surface - image: Metronet" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Tunnel elevation diagram showing station locations and depths beneath the surface - image: <a href="https://www.forrestfieldairportlink.wa.gov.au/">Metronet</a></figcaption></figure>The wider Metronet program was a policy platform the new Western Australian ALP Government took to the last election and includes a large array of public transport projects that would see multiple new rail lines and extensions.

Perth's existing rail network has 33 level crossing across the metropolitan area and a level crossing removal program is included in the wider Metronet platform.

There is a project to extend the Thornlie branch which is a small branch of the south-eastern Armadale at present, to Cockburn Central on the southern Mandurah line.

Perth looks set to join Melbourne in beginning to convert existing electrified rail lines over to automatic train control which the Metronet <a href="https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/projects/automatic-train-control">website</a> states will occur over a 12 year period.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/forrestfieldairportlink/">Forrestfield-Airport Link / Metronet on facebook</a>.
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Perth's Forrestfield-Airport rail link completes a major TBM milestone

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Sally Capp has been elected as the new lord mayor of Melbourne in a council by-election result that saw the new mayor achieve a 53:47 split after preferences were counted.

The lord mayor-elect received 19,412 first preference votes, Jennifer Yang, an ALP-backed candidate received the second highest number of first preference votes at 11,774 and the Greens candidate Councillor Rohan Leppert came third in the first preference stakes with 11,296 votes attributed to him.

In all there are 144,550 electors for the City of Melbourne, there were 81,825 votes counted representing a turnout of 56%.  There were 5,333 informal votes recorded according to the <a href="https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/Results/MelbourneResult">VEC</a>.

Sally Capp is the third, and first female, popularly elected mayor for the City of Melbourne and her most recent position prior to the by-election was Victoria Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. The new lord mayor took leave without pay during the election campaign and has since resigned from the position according to a Property Council <a href="https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/Web/News/Articles/News_listing/Web/Content/Media_Release/National/2018/Sally_Capp_s_election_as_Lord_Mayor_of_Melbourne___Property_Council_appointments.aspx">media release</a>.

The lord mayor-elect's CV also includes a stint as the CEO of the Committee for Melbourne, a director of the Collingwood Football Club, Chief of Operations at the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and she was the former Victorian Agent-General based in London at the High Commission.

Her electoral platform included five primary areas: Advancing Melbourne, a safer Melbourne, a caring Melbourne, a living Melbourne and a future Melbourne.

Advancing Melbourne, according to campaign material, was about delivering on basics – keeping rates low, reviewing regulations and removing them where necessary and convening what's dubbed 'Our Melbourne Committee' to “deliver on big ideas and innovation.”

The caring Melbourne policy seeks to address homelessness through “more housing, more jobs, lockers to keep our streets tidy and supporting the programs with a proven track record of breaking the cycle of homelessness.”

The lord mayor-elect also wants to see a wider rollout of the free tram zone and according to interviews given since the election is keen to work with and review long-standing planning power split between the council and state government on proposals which have over 25,000 square metres of gross floor area being assessed by the State Government.

Sally Capp told the <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/national/melbourne-lord-mayor-sally-capp-takes-control-20180519-h109r3">AFR</a> that “those sorts of thresholds are things that are worthy of review.”

One of the big ticket items in the lord mayor-elect's platform was to build a New York high line-inspired path between the city and Docklands, potentially costing up to $250 million.

It is expected the Victorian Electoral Commission will declare the result today. It is also expected that the new lord mayor will be sworn in at a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/SallyCapp_/status/997636905159147520/photo/1">Sally Capp on twitter</a>.
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Sally Capp elected Lord Mayor in City of Melbourne by-election

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The Victorian Government has announced an independent chair has been appointed to a committee of local representatives that will deliver a plan for the redevelopment of the Box Hill interchange.

The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, announced Knowles Tivendale as chair of the Box Hill Transit Interchange Steering Committee.

According to a Spring Street media release, the committee will build on the work the Ministerial Advisory Group has already completed which reported to the Minister in <a href="https://transport.vic.gov.au/content/docs/Box-Hill-Transit-Interchange-Ministerial-Advisory-Group-Final-Report.pdf">February 2017</a>.

In the 2017 report, the Public Transport Victoria was consulted and found the bus interchange itself, which sees 202 buses per hour in peak, or the equivalent of 1.6 buses every minute use the interchange, has a capacity for up to 312 buses an hour in the morning peak.

The primary capacity constraint at Box Hill is the surrounding road network and access points to the interchange.

In 2016, PTV conducted an accessibility assessment at Box Hill and found that after-hours access to the bus interchange is not considered 'equitable and dignified' and other issues such as no obvious wayfinding signs to direct people to the lifts and the distance for lift users from the bus interchange to the train interchange is longer for non-list users.

The new committee is set to meet monthly and is expected to provide a business case for redevelopment by mid-2019.

<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/carnied_lxra.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Wires are going up on the new track in Carnegie. Image: LXRA"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="773" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/carnied_lxra.jpg?itok=KaGCFbJ2" title="Wires are going up on the new track in Carnegie. Image: LXRA" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wires are going up on the new track in Carnegie. Image: LXRA</figcaption></figure><h2>Final section of Dandenong corridor level crossing gets its new wires</h2>

The Level Crossing Removal Authority has been busy posting images on its Facebook page updating the progress of the catenary installation in the final section of the level crossing removal programme between Caulfield and Dandenong.

The Caulfield to Oakleigh segment is the longest and final section with the new Carnegie and Murrumbeena stations set to open on June 17th.

The last major shutdown will commence on the 29th of May and run to the 17th of June. Trains will continue to express through Hughesdale Station until it is re-opened later on this year.

All level crossings included on the master list of 50 on the Pakenham/Cranbourne lines now have a design, are under construction or have been removed – except for three.

Those last three crossings yet to receive a public launch of the design &amp; engineering solution are the South Gippsland Highway, Hallam South Road and Clyde Road. All three are contained within the Pakenham branch.

<h2>Melbourne to host UITP Global Public Transport summit</h2>

Diary date: between the 6th and 9th of June 2021, Melbourne will be the host of UITP's Global Public Transport summit at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Union International des Transports Publics (<a href="https://uitp.org">UITP</a>) summit is held every two years with the first such summit held over 130 years ago. The Melbourne summit will be the first time the summit has been held in the Southern Hemisphere in 25 years.

In 2017, Montréal played host and the next summit will be held in Stockholm in 2019.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://railgallery.wongm.com/melbourne-suburban-pids/E115_4967.jpg">Marcus Wong</a>.
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Box Hill's public transport interchange upgrade a step closer

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" />

&nbsp;

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.

Joel Robinson

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]

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

&nbsp;

Developer GURNER™ Group has revealed $1.65 billion in residential sales nationally across the 12 months to December 2025, driven largely by the continued momentum of its Docklands wellness-focused precinct, Elysium Fields.

The sales result was generated across seven projects in Victoria and New South Wales, headlined by Elysium Fields, GURNER™’s $2.75 billion mixed-use precinct planned for Harbour Esplanade in Docklands.

The project has recorded more than $500 million in sales across the first three towers, equating to around 580 apartments sold.

The first tower, Helios, has now sold out of its 240 private residences, with GURNER™ preparing to release a premium penthouse collection comprising 15 three-bedroom penthouses in coming weeks.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370975]

Elysium Fields is being developed on the long-held 20,000 sqm Docklands site at 208-226 Harbour Esplanade, which had remained undeveloped for more than two decades prior to GURNER™ taking over the project around four years ago.

Construction has now commenced across four towers ranging between 18 and 30 storeys, with Hamilton Marino and Maxcon appointed as builders.

Once complete, the precinct is expected to comprise around 1,100 residences, alongside retail, hospitality and public realm uses integrated throughout the site.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370981]

Designed by Fraser &amp; Partners in collaboration with GURNER™ Design House, the project has been positioned around the developer’s broader focus on wellness-led residential living.

“We don’t sell apartments. We create a true luxury lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist elsewhere in the market today,” Founder and Executive Chairman Tim Gurner said.

“To deliver that requires an extraordinary level of detail, coordination and discipline across multiple verticals, from design and hospitality through to wellness and service.”

“We’ve always believed that living extends far beyond the physical residence. It’s about how you feel the moment you arrive, how you live day-to-day, and the ecosystem that supports that.” 
[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370977]

The project’s design places a heavy focus on landscaping, wellness amenities and biophilic design principles.

Plans include around 3,700 sqm of landscaped gardens and open space throughout the precinct, alongside a retail and dining offering spanning approximately 5,000 sqm.

The broader public realm strategy centres around what GURNER™ describes as the “Path of Life”, an urban forest and landscaped pedestrian environment intended to connect the various buildings and wellness spaces across the precinct.

The apartments themselves will incorporate a range of wellness-focused inclusions, including purified air and water systems, circadian lighting, antimicrobial surfaces, and optional in-home wellness upgrades.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370980]

Gurner said the company’s experience through its Saint Haven wellness clubs had directly informed the residential offering now being incorporated into Elysium Fields.

“We’re seeing a clear global shift toward longevity, performance and proactive health,” Gurner said.

“Our role is to deliver that in a way that feels seamless, highly private and beautifully resolved within the environments we create.”

A large component of the wellness offering is planned through the resident amenity and health facilities proposed within the precinct.

That includes plans for bathing and recovery facilities spread throughout the towers, incorporating mineral pools, saunas, steam rooms, flotation therapy, red light therapy and wellness lounges.

The developer is also seeking approvals for what it describes as a “reverse ageing medical clinic” within the precinct.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370978]

According to project information released by the group, the proposed facility would include cryotherapy, IV infusion therapy, infrared and dry saunas, PEMF beds, MRIs, DEXA scans, brain scans and blood analysis services.

Within the first tower, Helios, residents will also have access to a dedicated amenity offering known as the Sky Private Club.

The upper 15 levels of the building will include private lounges, dining spaces, rooftop amenities and optional private wellness studios integrated within residences.

The Helios tower itself comprises 260 apartments ranging between 60 sqm and 300 sqm, including a collection of penthouses.

That includes a planned two-storey penthouse spanning around 600 sqm with uninterrupted bay views.

The Elysium Fields precinct is being delivered in partnership with Digital Harbour Holdings, a consortium that includes the Liberman family, which controls the development rights across the Docklands site.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370979]

The sales result comes as GURNER™ continues expanding its national development pipeline beyond Victoria.

“We have a strong pipeline across Australia and are now focused on scaling into key markets including New South Wales and Queensland, while continuing to build on our Melbourne base,” Gurner said.

“We currently have more than $3 billion in the market, growing to over $5 billion by October, and expect to materially outperform last year in the 2026 calendar year.”

The result also reflects the continued strength of the upper-end apartment market in Melbourne, particularly for owner-occupier-focused product with large-scale amenity and lifestyle offerings.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=144441]

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

Elysium Fields drive Gurner to $1.65 billion in apartment sales over 2025

National Australia Bank (NAB) will fund <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/palmera-residences-gold-coast-18-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Palmera</a>, a $1 billion, 52-level luxury residential tower being developed by Central Equity in one of the Gold Coast’s most tightly held coastal locations at Northcliffe.

The project, launched recently by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-equity">Central Equity</a>, one of Victoria’s largest private residential developers, comes at a time when construction funding for large residential developments has become increasingly competitive as lenders tighten exposure to the sector.

Multiplex has been appointed the builder, and construction is now underway.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365784]

Since its first project, Central Equity has delivered more than 85 residential developments with a combined end value exceeding $8 billion.

Palmera reflects Central Equity’s growing focus on the Gold Coast luxury apartment market and continues a relationship between Central Equity and NAB that dates back to the late 1980s, when the bank funded one of Melbourne’s earliest inner-city residential towers at a time when high-rise apartment living in the CBD was largely unproven.

“NAB’s funding of Central Equity’s $36 million CBD development in the late 1980’s to the financing of the billion-dollar tower today highlights the long-term relationship between the two organisations in delivering major residential projects” said Central Equity Founder and Chairman Eddie Kutner.

He said NAB’s early support was instrumental in helping establish the company’s development model.

“When we commenced our first residential tower in the late 1980s the concept of funding off-the-plan apartments was still largely untested in Australia,” Kutner said.

“NAB recognised the opportunity early and supported the project when others were uncertain. That relationship has now continued for more than 37 years across many developments.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365771]

Central Equity was established in 1987 when Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank precinct were still dominated by warehouses and commercial buildings. Fewer than 100 residents lived in Southbank at the time, and large-scale residential development in the inner city was not widely considered.

Recognising changing demographics and lifestyle preferences, the company began developing high-rise residential projects designed to bring permanent residents into the city centre.

Central Equity has provided accommodation for approximately 40,000 residents across Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank, while also incorporating supporting infrastructure including essential lifestyle facilities like retail spaces, childcare facilities and neighbourhood activity centres.

Central Equity has spent many years assembling the Palmera development site on the corner of Garfield Terrace and Frederick Street in Northcliffe, creating a supersite of around 3,300 sqm.

The developer said the Palmera apartment tower reflects its long-term view of the Gold Coast as a growing and increasingly diversified economy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365768]

Supported by infrastructure including the light rail network, major road upgrades expanded education, hospital and medical facilities and continued expansion at the Gold Coast Airport with more international and domestic flights.

Positioned in the tightly held Northcliffe precinct, the 52-level tower will deliver 347 apartments, targeting buyers seeking a high-end coastal lifestyle, from downsizers to interstate investors.

Designed by Marchese Partners with interiors by DBI, Palmera has been conceived as a next-generation residential offering, featuring a collection of oversized apartments, with premium three-bedroom residences offering sweeping northern views stretching from Surfers Paradise through to Burleigh Heads.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108274]

NAB funds $1 billion Surfers Paradise apartment development, Palmera

Two years after completing one of the newest developments in North Sydney, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a> is turning its attention to the rapidly evolving St Leonards apartment market.

The developer, which completed AURA by Aqualand on North Sydney's Walker Street, has lodged plans for a 5,918 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/33-37-herbert-street-st-leonards-nsw-2065">33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards,</a> seeking approval for a pair of residential towers rising above a shared podium opposite Royal North Shore Hospital.

The proposal forms part of the broader transformation underway across the St Leonards-Crows Nest precinct, where former industrial and commercial sites are increasingly being redeveloped into high-density mixed-use projects tied to major transport infrastructure.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc428cf-fe70-4cac-9cd5-264ad53af62c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=otKSnHtbjAvAddOnovyXQMgcAwE6DMe1" />

According to the planning documents, the site sits “within the St Leonards–Crows Nest Strategic Centre, identified by the NSW Government as a key area for accommodating future jobs and housing across Sydney.”

The proposal has been designed by fjcstudio, formerly FJMT Studio, and is being progressed through the State Significant Development pathway due to its scale and affordable housing provision.

The scheme would comprise 413 apartments, including 46 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses fronting Herbert Street. The project would also include communal open space, landscaping, a swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s play areas and podium-level resident amenities.

Planning documents show the development would consist of a part-13, part-39 storey tower form positioned above a four-storey podium.

“The development comprises a unified podium that activates the street interface, and two setback towers to accommodate new housing supply while maintaining an appropriate human scale at ground level,” fjcstudio noted in its Design Report.

The northern and southern towers have been shaped to respond to the surrounding skyline while also limiting overshadowing impacts to nearby public open space, particularly Talus Reserve.

The design report said the differing tower heights were intended to “contribute to a varied skyline while responding to the surrounding built form context and solar access considerations.”

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36da62dc-ff9e-41f2-a7e3-7be38373751c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.45%E2%80%AFAM_0.png?VersionId=Mo6Rp2r.XRLTzIfg_PEEpw8NepDH8UBs" />

The site sits directly opposite Royal North Shore Hospital and within walking distance of both St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

While the site itself sits just outside the formal Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development boundary, the planning documents repeatedly reference its alignment with the broader TOD objectives reshaping the Lower North Shore.

“The site is located adjacent to St Leonards Station and in close proximity to Crows Nest Metro which is within the Crows Nest Transit Orientated Development Accelerated Precinct which has been identified by the NSW Government to support housing delivery,” the Design Verification Statement noted.

According to fjcstudio, the project has been designed to respond to the broader transition occurring across St Leonards, where increasing residential density is being concentrated around transport infrastructure and employment hubs.

“The broader precinct is undergoing significant change, with a mix of existing mid-rise buildings and newer high-density developments,” the report stated.

“Recent and approved projects indicate a consistent shift toward taller built form, typically organised as tower-and-podium typologies with more active ground levels.”

The proposal includes close to 6,000 sqm of retail and commercial space across the ground floor and podium levels, designed to create a more activated street edge along Herbert Street.

Aqualand’s plans would also introduce a landscaped podium shared between the two towers, with communal open space in the form of a podium rooftop designed to support resident interaction and improve urban greening outcomes. The scheme would also introduce pocket parks at the northern and southern ends of the site, including a landscaped area at the corner of Herbert and Ella streets designed to improve pedestrian amenity and soften the streetscape.

&nbsp;

The proposal is being progressed through the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway, which was introduced to accelerate housing supply across the state. The application was declared State Significant Development in April 2025 following an expression of interest process.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="faf6d97d-2671-454f-b85a-fe1c6a7be608" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.49%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=diVd28OBVr5.YV.7prrOz.uAanwwwm7a" />

St Leonards has been particularly active with new developments in recent weeks. Developer SP Setia’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-sp-setia-targets-st-leonards-skyline-with-40-storey-tod-tower">plans for a new 42-storey tower</a> recently went on exhibition through the same pathway, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">Stockland’s 52-storey tower proposal</a> was also recently unveiled.

Aside from the St Leonards project, which is expected to take around nine months to move through the approvals process ahead of a potential 2027 launch, Aqualand is also preparing to launch Boronia, a new apartment project in Roseville comprising around 111 apartments on Larkin Street.

The developer also has approvals in place for the next stage of the Barangaroo precinct, which will feature new residential, retail, hospitality and community uses, alongside a new metro entry across the five-hectare site.

More than 50 new retail destinations are planned for Central Barangaroo, alongside a 270-metre-long boulevard connecting Hickson Park to Nawi Cove. Together with Harbour Park, more than 50 per cent of the precinct will comprise public open space and parkland.

Alastair Taylor

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