<html><body>
<p>The route 11 tram not so long ago used to be known as the route 112 which ran from West Preston to St Kilda. The old 112 route was split in two (routes 11 and 12) and route 11 now runs from West Preston and terminates at Victoria Harbour in Docklands.</p>

<p>Route 11 is the primary public transport mode on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy and along St Georges Road through Fitzroy North, Northcote, Thornbury and Preston; this is the region we're looking at in this article.</p>

<p>Similar to <a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-96">the 96</a>, route 11 traverses more than one council outside central Melbourne - the Cities of Yarra and Darebin respectively - and has a large, but inconsistently placed, amount of development-friendly zones along the tram corridor.</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">7</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">667</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">6</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">337</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">5</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">127</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>18</b></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>1,131</b></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<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/3343_tram11.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 11 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="2284" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/3343_tram11.gif?itok=wUvWWgB8" title="Linear route 11 map. Yarra Trams" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 11 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><p>​</p>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram route 11</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>6 minutes (10 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>10-12 minutes (5-6 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>10 minutes (6 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>20 minutes (3 trams per hour); 30 minutes/2 trams per hour (Sunday nights) 24/7 operation Friday/Saturday nights</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Mainly in the City of Melbourne. Many on St Georges Road corridor in City of Darebin, elsewhere limited.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=preston">Preston Depot</a> (Miller Street, Preston)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://vicsig.net/trams/class/E/1">E</a> (low-floor, 3 section, Bombardiér Flexity)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>12,300,000 trips annually (4th busiest). <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>***</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">*** Routes 11 and 12 are the former route 112.</span></p>

<h2>Brunswick St / St Georges Road (City of Yarra)</h2>

<p>Of all the northern parts of City of Yarra, Brunswick St, the road most synonymous with the new town of Fitzroy, is the most cherished and it also the strip which has the largest, consistent, application of the development-friendly C1Z. Crossing over Alexandra parade, the zoning becomes more consistent with development restrictions, save for an enclave of commercial zoning near Scotchmer Street.</p>

<p>Unlike on route 96 - where most of the development pipeline is located out of the city of Yarra - on route 11, most of the projects (11) are located south of Alexandra Avenue.</p>

<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/2656queens.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="26-56 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="329" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2656queens.jpg?itok=KeCPeiST" title="26-56 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-apartments/26-56-queens-parade-fitzroy-north">26-56 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North</a></figcaption></figure><p>While located north of Alexandra Parade, the project shown above has the largest amount of dwellings, weighing in at a whopping 476 dwellings compared to an average of 39 dwellings per project in the rest of the route 11 corridor.</p>

<h2>St Georges Road (City of Darebin)</h2>

<p>As the route 11 tram cross into the City of Darebin, not only does the road corridor become far more tram friendly (the tracks are separated from the car lanes) but so does the zoning compared to the northern extremes of the City of Yarra which is dominated by Neighbourhood Residentail Zone.</p>

<p>St Georges Road through Northcote, Thornbury and Preston have had RGZ and C1Z liberally applied as well as a large amount of GRZ is present to either side of the tram corridor in Thornbury.</p>

<p>This section of the route, from the Merri Creek boundary with the City of Yarra to the Preston depot and workshops, route 11 is one of three very closely spaced radial lines. To the east lie the South Morang train line and the easternmost of Melbourne's northerly tram routes, the 86.</p>

<p>Route 86 - High Street - is most definitely the <em>hotspot du jour</em> when it comes to the numbers, but St Georges Road and route 11 shouldn't be written off because when it comes to individual project scale, there's a lot consistency.</p>

<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/02_page-images-02.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The Hutton, Thornbury"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="334" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/02_page-images-02.png?itok=S9FiupX5" title="The Hutton, Thornbury" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Hutton, Thornbury</figcaption></figure><p>Route 11 eventually turns west off St Georges Road and then northward once more onto Gilbert Road however no projects are registering in this area at this time. There are two projects just north of the St Georges Road and Miller Street intersection and they are present in the project list below.</p>

<h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>At the recent Federal election, this tram route made it into the news thanks to the local ALP member, David Feeney, finding himself in a spot of bother with a property in the area and out of the blue there was a juicy loin of pork put on the electorate's table by way of a promise to extend the 11 tram somewhat uselessly about 500 metres down Gilbert Road.</p>

<p>Never let simple principles like connecting modes (eg. extending the tram to Reservoir Station) get in the way of good old fashioned pork barrelling!</p>

<p>Given the proximity to Nicholson Street through Fitzroy/Fitzroy North, much of what I wrote in the <a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-96">route 96 piece</a> stands for route 11: Metro 2 - when (if) it happens and wherever the Fitzroy station is located - will have a significant impact on route 11.</p>

<p>Trips from this inner north region to the western end of the CBD would greatly have their travel times reduced on the train, thus opening up more capacity to all existing tram routes which connect with a future Metro 2 cross-town rail line.</p>

<h2>Navigation</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-96">Anti-clockwise: the 96 East Brunswick to St Kilda Beach</a></li>
	<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-86">Clockwise: the 86 Bundoora RMIT to Waterfront City Docklands</a></li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Alastair Taylor

Melbourne's development by tram: the 11

<html><body>
<p>The 96 is the third busiest tram corridor in Melbourne with the most recent data published by Yarra Trams having the route clock up 15.4million annual trips.</p>

<p>Much of this patronage is likely due to the route being the fastest route to St Kilda from the CBD at the southern end of the line, but in keeping with the rest of the series, we're not looking at the development numbers in the City of Melbourne or City of Port Phillip.</p>

<p>Route 96 is one of the major Bourke Street trams - the first in this series that started with the 59 to have its CBD routing run east-west - and upon leaving the CBD, the route follows Nicholson Street (which forms the boundary of the City of Yara and City of Melbourne between Victoria Parade and Alexandra Parade).</p>

<p>As the route passes through Fitzroy and Fitzroy North you might expect the bulk of the new development to be in this area of the tram route, but it turns out that only 20% of new development in the pipeline is present in the City of Yarra (Fitzroy/Fitzroy North).</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">5</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">194</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">4</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">780</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">6</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">252</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">4</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">141</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>19</b></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>1367</b></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<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/1041_tram96.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 96 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="2027" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/1041_tram96.gif?itok=3zeyqWER" title="Linear route 96 map. Yarra Trams" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 96 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram routes 96</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>5-6 minutes (10-11 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>7-8 minutes (8 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>10-12 minutes (5-6 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>20 minutes (3 trams per hour); 30 minutes/2 trams per hour (Sunday nights) 24/7 operation Friday/Saturday nights</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Mainly in the City of Melbourne. Ongoing <a href="https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/trams/route-96-project/">project</a> to transform all stops to raised-platform.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=southbank">Southbank Depot</a> (Normanby Road), <a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=preston">Preston Depot</a> (Miller Street, Preston)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://vicsig.net/trams/class/E/1">E</a> (low-floor, 3 section, Bombardiér Flexity), <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/C2">C2</a> (low-floor, 5 section, Alstom Citadus)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>15,400,000 trips annually (3rd busiest). <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>
</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Nicholson Street (City of Yarra)</h2>

<p>Unlike <a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-1-8">routes 1 and 8</a> which run on Lygon Street, approximately 1km to the west, Nicholson Street within the City of Yarra has a bigger range and larger scope of more development-friendly zones over properties facing the tram route corridor.</p>

<p>City of Yarra has liberally applied the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, characterised by much of the Nicholson Street corridor abruptly stepping down from either C1Z, MUZ or GRZ2 with little graduation the further properties are located away from Nicholson Street.</p>

<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/111_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Nicholson &amp; Reid, Fitzroy North"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="290" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/111_0.jpg?itok=LobCy1yb" title="Nicholson &amp; Reid, Fitzroy North" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/nicholson-reid-582-nicholson-street-fitzroy-north">Nicholson &amp; Reid, Fitzroy North</a></figcaption></figure><p>There are seven projects with 239 dwellings between them located within the Nicholson Street corridor in the City of Yarra.</p>

<h2>Nicholson Street (City of Moreland)</h2>

<p>Crossing over Park Street into Brunswick proper, Brunswick East is easily classified as a hotspot for development. The route 96 tram terminates at Blyth Street but this short section of road has 80% of the dwellings as recorded on the Urban Melborune Project Database for the purposes of this case study.</p>

<p>Like in the City of Yarra, Nicholson Street in the City of Moreland has a mish-mash of zones directly fronting the tram corridor, however the more development-friendly zones: C1Z, MUZ, RGZ1 and to an extent GRZ1 are far more liberally applied both up and down the street as well as to the east and west of the tram route.</p>

<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/1250-ebv-g4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="East Brunswick Village"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/1250-ebv-g4.jpg?itok=ze1zgmkh" title="East Brunswick Village" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/east-brunswick-village-3-bluestone-way-brunswick-east">East Brunswick Village</a></figcaption></figure><p>A short section of Nicholson Street beyond Park Street also forms the boundary of City of Moreland and the City of Yarra, let it be said that within the City of Yarra's section of the road, there are far less development-friendly zones applied.</p>

<h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>The <a href="https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/trams/route-96-project/">route 96 upgrade</a> project aims to transform the tram route into a fully-fledged light rail service from north-to-south through the city with raised platforms at each stop. Along with the deployment of new E-Class trams - the largest we seen on the network - the route 96 upgrade project has the ability to increase passenger carrying capacity to quite a large extent.</p>

<p>Much of the route between Southbank and St. Kilda, within the City of Port Phillip, is contained within the old St. Kilda Railway line corridor with many of these areas locked away with Neighbourhood Residential Zones. St Kilda itself and Brunswick (to a lesser extend Fitzroy/Fitzroy/North) are likely to remain the focus areas for new development within this tram corridor.</p>

<p>One major new public transport project that is often talked about on Apartments.com.au and elsewhere which is more likely to have a more profound impact on travel patterns in the inner-north is 'Metro 2': a new rail tunnel from Clifton Hill to Newport via the CBD and Fishermans Bend, connecting the Mernda (South Morang) and Werribee Lines.</p>

<p>Infrastructure Victoria recently released a value capture options policy which took a hypothetical look at the value capture opportunities around Metro 2. It made the following route assumption (see map, bottom right) and has a station near the intersection of Nicholson Street and Alexandra Parade.</p>

<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/iv_val_cap_metro2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Route of Metro 2 from Infrastructure Victoria's value capture options case study"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="509" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/iv_val_cap_metro2.png?itok=SRu1vM1Q" title="Route of Metro 2 from Infrastructure Victoria's value capture options case study" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Route of Metro 2 from <a href="http://yoursay.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/30-year-strategy/application/files/8214/7630/8983/IV18_Value_Capture_Options_Final_web.pdf">Infrastructure Victoria's value capture options case study</a></figcaption></figure><p>When the Victorian Government decides to invest the money to explore this project in more detail (as Infrastructure Victoria have advised them to do with their draft 30-year strategy), this route may change.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, should Metro 2 be built in this fashion, with the stations placed where they are on the map above, the inner-north will see a significant boost to public transport capacity, and perhaps most importantly, there will be a significant time saving for trips made from the inner-north to the western end of the CBD, and into Fishermans Bend.</p>

<p>In a way this Metro 2 route, such as it is in Infrastructure Victoria's case study, will mirror the general route of the 96 tram with a loose relationship between the first, CBD-end, station in Fishermans Bend and the Whiteman Street stop (where both 109 and 96 trams diverge) and Montague Street light rail stop. But it will be much faster and have far larger carrying capacity with the existing tram routes in the north feeding into the new cross-town rail line.</p>

<p>While the 96 upgrade project is very much welcome, the Metro 2 project will have the most dramatic effect on development in the inner-north (a more liberal approach to zoning the tram routes in the City of Yarra would also be welcome) as well as Fishermans Bend and should be a top priority project given the vision for Fishermans Bend and Infrastructure Victoria's top recommendation to encourage new development in existing areas.</p>

<h2>NAVIGATION</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-1-8">Anti-clockwise: the 1 &amp; 8 (Lygon Street)</a></li>
	<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-11">Clockwise: the 11 West Preston - Victoria Harbour Docklands</a></li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Melbourne's development by tram: the 96

<html><body>
<p>On Monday 24th of October, the iCities: World Class CBDs series conference kicks off. First held in Kuala Lumpur, <a href="https://www.icities.asia/ehome/index.php?eventid=143020&amp;">this year's conference</a> is to be held at the Langham Hotel on Southbank.</p>

<p>iCities is owned and operated by iProperty Group, a network property under the REA Group umbrella brand.</p>

<p>Over two days, the conference will focus on the importance of city development and the opportunities to innovate and integrate the infrastructure of a city, while considering sociocultural implications.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Planning for CBDs of the future is an ongoing challenge for governments and councils globally. iCities brings together international speakers at the forefront of CBD design and infrastructure, providing insights that will help build a strong and cohesive CBD of tomorrow.</p>
<p>It’s fitting that iCities: World Class CBDs will take place this month in Melbourne, arguably already one of the world’s great cities.</p>
<cite>Arthur Charlaftis, Chief Operating Officer (International), REA Group</cite>
</blockquote>

<p>Some of the <a href="https://www.icities.asia/ehome/143020/conf">speakers</a> scheduled to address the conference include:</p>

<ul>
<li>Nicolas Buchoud, President of The Grand Paris Alliance</li>
	<li>Danni Addison, Victorian CEO of the UDIA</li>
	<li>Peter Seamer, CEO of the Victorian Planning Authority</li>
	<li>David Fitzpatrick, Special Projects, Chief Planner's Office, City of Toronto</li>
	<li>Tracey Fellows, CEO of REA Group, Australia</li>
</ul>
<p>For tickets and more information on the conference, see www.icities.asia</p>
</body></html>

iCities: World Class CBDs conference kicks off Monday 24th

<html><body>
<p>Tram routes 1 and 8 run in a combined tram corridor from Brunswick East through to the Arts Centre stop on St Kilda Road. They both originate in different places: the 1 at Bell Street and Nicholson Street, the 8 at the intersection of Moreland Road and Sydney Road and terminate in different places as well, South Melbourne Beach and Toorak Road respectively.</p>

<p>To keep things simple, the scope of this article is just the north-of-the-city section of both routes. Proposals are afoot to reconfigure and renumber these two tram routes but suffice it to say, despite the reorganisation, Lygon Street - which is our focus today - will not fundamentally change, it will still have 2 tram routes running up and down the street.</p>

<p>Like other parts of Brunswick and Coburg, development is highly correlated with the tram corridors with Lygon Street south of Moreland Road where all current projects on the Apartments.com.au project database are located. The most recent planning maps for Moreland show the development-friendly C1Z running up both sides of Lygon Street from the City of Melbourne boundary to Moreland Road and beyond that to the end of route 1 on Bell Street, the General Residential Zone becomes dominant.</p>

<p>On paper, the section of both routes where they are combined provide quite possibly the best tram services in Melbourne with a tram every 10 minutes at night (generally after 9pm), at all other times, a very high frequency service is offered. These two routes pass through a small section of the City of Yarra in the north, however the properties facing and surrounding the tram corridor are overwhelmingly the restrictive Neighbourhood Residential Zone with two small C1Z and 1 MUZ exceptions around the intersection of Pigdon Street and Lygon Street.</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">2</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">26</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">305</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">3</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">229</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">5</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">369</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>18</b></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>929</b></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">* Residential projects includes mixed-use projects.</span></p>

<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/721_tram1.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 1 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-half-width-290px" height="1117" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_half_width_290px/public/pictures/article-images/721_tram1.gif?itok=S0jYAa6e" title="Linear route 1 map. Yarra Trams" width="290"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 1 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><p>​</p>

<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/991_tram8.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 8 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-half-width-290px" height="1196" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_half_width_290px/public/pictures/article-images/991_tram8.gif?itok=td0jkY2x" title="Linear route 8 map. Yarra Trams" width="290"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 8 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><p> </p>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram routes 1 and 8 (combined statistics)</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>3-4 minutes (18 trams per hour)*</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>6 minutes (10 trams per hour)*</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>6 minutes (10 trams per hour)*</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>10 minutes (6 trams per hour); 15 minutes/4 trams per hour (Sunday nights)*</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Mainly in the City of Melbourne. Limited northside. Some southside.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=brunswick">Brunswick Depot</a> (Sydney Road, Brunswick), <a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=malvern">Malvern Depot</a> (Coldblo Road, Armadale) route 1: Brunswick, route 8: Brunswick and Malvern.</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/B2">B2</a> (high-floor, articulated), <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/D1">D1</a> (3-section, low-floor, articulated), <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/Z3">Z3</a> (high-floor)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>Route 8: 9,100,000 trips annually (8th busiest), Route 1: 7,800,000trips annually (10th busiest). <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>
</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">* The frequency statistics represent the section of both routes where they are combined: Moreland Road to Arts Centre.</span></p>

<h2>Lygon Street</h2>

<p>Lygon Street and Brunswick Road is an area on the combined section of routes 1 and 8 that is of particular interest: on three of the four corners of the intersection there are projects present. One is under construction, one approved and another at sales with another project currently being assessed by Moreland a little further up the street.</p>

<p>The highest concentration of projects on Lygon Street lie between Glenlyon Road and Blyth Street: three under construction, four approved and one at sales.</p>

<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/image40_3_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Rima - 22 Lygon Street, Brunswick East"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="368" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image40_3_0.jpg?itok=i5JuRaV8" title="Rima - 22 Lygon Street, Brunswick East" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/rima-22-lygon-street-brunswick-east">Rima - 22 Lygon Street, Brunswick East</a></figcaption></figure><p>Between Blyth and Albion Streets a further five projects exist: one under construction, one at sales, one being assessed and two approved.</p>

<p>At present we don't register any projects north of Albion Street however this area has not been bereft of any new high-density development - the street changes name to Holmes Street north of Albion and then becomes Nicholson Street north of Moreland Road - and it's this intersection where the route 1 and 8 tram routes split that buildings like <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/QsdrofXFqv62">The Nicholson</a>, one of the largest modular construction projects in recent times, exist.</p>

<h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>As mentioned in the <a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-19">route 19 article</a>, Moreland Road is playing an interesting role if you look at the 'helicopter' perspective on Moreland's published planning maps. At Melville and Moreland (route 55), Sydney and Moreland (route 19/route 8) and Lygon and Moreland (routes 1 and 8), the more development-friendly zones bulge around each intersection which points to the possibility that smaller-scale activity centres will be created over time.</p>

<p>Perhaps this is an opportunity for Moreland to encourage more commercial/employment uses in these areas rather than allow residential development to make a foothold?</p>

<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/moreland_rd_zones.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Moreland Road as it stands: a stitch of current published City of Moreland zone maps"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="103" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/moreland_rd_zones.png?itok=Yu3rqqNz" title="Moreland Road as it stands: a stitch of current published City of Moreland zone maps" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Moreland Road as it stands: a stitch of current published City of Moreland zone maps</figcaption></figure><p>This east-west corridor is currently served by the 510 bus from Essendon Station via Fletcher Street/Buckley Street - Pascoe Vale Road - Moreland Road - Normanby Avenue and onwards to Ivanhoe (20 minute frequencies at best, however). The route 8 tram duplicates this route between Sydney Road and Holmes Street/Nicholson Street (the extension of Lygon Street).</p>

<p>The Victorian Government's level crossing removal programme will see grade separation at Moreland Road and the Upfield train line - right next to the Brunswick depot (and terminus of the route 8) - is it time to study the creation of a proper cross-town tram route on Moreland Road?</p>

<p>As <a href="/news/the-northern-light-rail-link">I've written previously</a>, the distance from Moreland Station (Coburg) to Essendon is approximately 4km and from the Nicholson Street/Holmes Street and Moreland Road intersection to St. Georges Road intersection is approximately 1.5 km. Approximately 5.5km of new track track in the Moreland Road corridor would link all the tram routes in Melbourne's north.</p>

<p>In assessing the merits of this east-west route (memo: Infrastructure Victoria/Public Transport Victoria/Yarra Trams and all those who would leap to "a bus will suffice"), it would be wise to take a serious look at the operational benefits in relation to the depots.</p>

<p>Laying this new tram track in Pascoe Vale Road/Moreland Road/Normanby Ave would then allow new cross-town services to operate, linking all the radial tram lines (along with three rail lines) and providing incentives to intensify commercial/office/employment development in the corridor but also provide increased operational flexibility for Yarra Trams when it comes to making good use of its existing depot facilities in the north.</p>

<p>Essendon is constrained for space, Brunswick and Preston depots less so to varying degrees. Moreland Road tram tracks would allow Yarra trams to increase the tram storage capacity at Brunswick and Preston depots to cater for a larger (and individual longer) tram fleet and use those depots for routes that currently operate out of space-constrained Essendon.</p>

<h2>Navigation</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-19">Anti-clockwise: the 19 North Coburg - Flinders Street Station, City (Elizabeth Street)</a></li>
	<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-96">Clockwise: the 96 East Brunswick - St Kilda Beach</a></li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Melbourne's development by tram: the 1 & 8

<html><body>
<p>Weighing in at 43 projects, the route 19 tram on the Sydney Road corridor has the potential for a very big uplift in public transport passenger carrying capacity thanks to the Upfield line running adjacent to the tram.</p>

<p>Having said that, the Upfield line is a long way from seeing train frequencies increase (a significant boost is not likely to come before the completion of the Melbourne Metro Rail project) and I'd expect the route 19 to do the bulk of the work of delivering frequent transit through the heart of Brunswick for a long while yet.</p>

<p>The route 19 begins at the Flinders Street Station terminus on Elizabeth Street in the CBD and travels up to the Haymarket roundabout and then heads directly north up Royal Parade and Sydney Road. The scope of this case study begins at the boundary of the City of Melbourne and City of Moreland on Park Street.</p>

<p>The majority of the development pipeline is in Brunswick, south of Moreland Road, with a major cluster around Albion Street/Anstey Station and from Anstey southwards, the pipeline is quite consistently spaced all the way down to the City of Moreland municipality boundary.</p>

<p>North of Moreland Road, through the upper-end of Brunswick and into Coburg, the tram corridor has a handful of projects with a smaller cluster of projects around the periphery of Coburg, including in the former Pentridge prison grounds. Batman station, near the end of route 19, has two projects in the pipeline.</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">6</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">313</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">20</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">1,410</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">9</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">522</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">693</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>43</b></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>2,938</b></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">*Residential projects includes mixed-use projects.</span></p>

<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/725_tram19.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 19 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1868" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/725_tram19.gif?itok=tGuKMwif" title="Linear route 19 map. Yarra Trams" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 19 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram route 19</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>5 minutes (12 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>6 minutes (10 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>7-8 minutes (7-8 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>20 minutes (3 trams per hour); 30 minutes/2 trams per hour (Sunday nights), 24/7 operation Friday/Saturday nights</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Limited outside City of Melbourne.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=brunswick">Brunswick Depot</a> (Sydney Road, Brunswick)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>D2 (5-section, low-floor, articulated) - details, see <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/D2">vicsig.net</a>
</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>11,400,000 trips annually, Melbourne's 5th busiest tram route. <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>
</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Sydney Road (South of Moreland Road)</h2>

<p>The cluster of development around Anstey Station is the main feature in this section of the 19 tram corridor, however there is quite a smattering of new development in the pipeline.</p>

<p>Much of the land between Sydney Road and the Upfield train line, south of Moreland Road, is zoned C1Z. The same being said for properties on the eastern side of the tram corridor and this has resulted in new pipeline projects being evenly spread from Anstey southwards.</p>

<p>South of Anstey, there are 13 projects on the tram 19 corridor, the retail heart of Brunswick.</p>

<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/image124_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="47 Sydney Road, Brunswick"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="348" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image124_1.jpg?itok=iJcIGSBU" title="47 Sydney Road, Brunswick" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/6-black-street-brunswick">47 Sydney Road, Brunswick</a></figcaption></figure><p>The Anstey cluster has 15 projects huddled between Sydney Road and the Upfield train line and there are a further three projects between Albion St and Moreland Road. Between Albion Street and Moreland Road, the width of the C1Z narrows to include only properties which face Sydney Road.</p>

<p>Of the combined 18 projects in this region, 3 are under construction, 5 are at sales, 8 sit at an approved status and the remaining 2 at planning assessment.</p>

<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/image60_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Cannatella - 625 Sydney Road, Brunswick"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="371" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image60_4.jpg?itok=splhFWVp" title="Cannatella - 625 Sydney Road, Brunswick" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/cannatella-625-sydney-road-brunswick">Cannatella - 625 Sydney Road, Brunswick</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Sydney Road (North of Moreland Road)</h2>

<p>As soon as the route 19 tram crosses Moreland Road, the most <a href="http://planningschemes.dpcd.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/188445/moreland11zn.pdf">recent zone maps</a> for Moreland show the zones switching from C1Z to ACZ1 fronting Sydney Road with "step-down" to General Residential Zone 1 on either side of Sydney Road. And this remains a feature all the way up to Bell Street and the Coburg activities centre.</p>

<p>As discussed in the opening, development is concentrated south of Moreland Road and the thin strip of ACZ1 zoned properties between Moreland Road and the greater Coburg activities centre is quieter in terms of projects on the Apartments.com.au Project Database.</p>

<p>We currently don't register any projects inside the Coburg activities centre at this time - this no doubt has something to do ongoing planning work in Coburg - however just north of Bell Street, both inside and outside the former Pentridge prison, there's a collection of projects.</p>

<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/03-w-external-elevation_low-contrast.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="519-537 Sydney Road, Coburg"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="354" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/03-w-external-elevation_low-contrast.jpg?itok=-qNNSKft" title="519-537 Sydney Road, Coburg" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-apartments/519-537-sydney-road-coburg">519-537 Sydney Road, Coburg</a></figcaption></figure><p>The projects shown above and below are indicative of the area: larger sites to develop on and that's translating into larger buildings when compared to Brunswick.</p>

<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/setwidth980-web6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="718-724 Sydney Road, Coburg North"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="330" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/setwidth980-web6.jpg?itok=TeA12yfA" title="718-724 Sydney Road, Coburg North" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-apartments/718-724-sydney-road-coburg-north">718-724 Sydney Road, Coburg North</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>It's a tough one actually. Sydney Road is perhaps one of the most development-friendly areas on the tram network given the vast amount of C1Z / Activity Centre zoned land.</p>

<p>On one hand, the Upfield train line as it stands has some of the lowest levels of service and the tram 19 has some of the highest levels of service. Over time, the goal should be to shift some of the load from the route 19 tram onto the Upfield train line, but this is not likely to happen for another decade.</p>

<p>That's because increasing frequencies on the Upfield line (and on the Craigieburn line) is dependent on the Sunbury line being removed from the city loop. This is going to happen, but only after the completion of the Melbourne Metro Rail project.</p>

<p>At the same time, the City of Moreland has one of the highest rates of cycling in Melbourne, yet the main thoroughfare is still clogged with cars which on the whole makes Sydney Road not the most pleasant urban environment to walk in. The car still dominates the landscape in this part of Melbourne.</p>

<p>Community initiatives such as <a href="http://www.sydneyroad.org/">Revitalise Sydney Road</a> are seeking to engage with traders in the area to make Sydney Road far more pleasant and it will be interesting to see how the new City of Moreland council proceeds during the next term.</p>

<p>Unlike the East and South of the tram network, there is no cross-town tram route outside of central Melbourne in the north. Cross-town public transport in Brunswick and Coburg is provided by several bus routes which have varying levels of service.</p>

<p>As you'll see in the next two articles in this series, the City of Moreland is shouldering a lot of the out-of-Central Melbourne development burden, directly on tram corridors and while this radial transit is likely to need the most focus to increase capacity as Brunswick sees more and more people move in to the area, cross-town transit will also need a good seeing to.</p>

<p>Especially along Moreland Road where at major intersections (with tram lines no less), there is likely to be increased development focus thanks to more generous high-density zoning.</p>

<h2>Navigation</h2>

<ul>
<li>
<a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-55">Anti-clockwise: the 55 West Coburg - Domain Interchange</a>.</li>
	<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-1-8">Clockwise: the 1 &amp; 8</a></li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Melbourne's development by tram: the 19

<html><body>
<p>The 55 tram route - which runs from Domain Interchange on St Kilda Road to West Coburg via William Street in the CBD, Royal Park and Brunswick West - is one of the more 'quieter' development corridors in Melbourne.</p>

<p>In fact, in the area which the route 55 runs outside of the City of Melbourne, there are only six projects in the pipeline.</p>

<p>The tram route inside the City of Moreland passes through older inter-war suburbia, and south of Moreland Road, the population density doubles, as Brunswick West saw a large amount of 'walk-up' flat development in 1960/1970s era.</p>

<p>While the total project numbers for the route 55 corridor are small, the number of dwellings is not. That's because The York and The Grove, located on an old textiles factory site, right next to the Tullamarine Freeway, roughly 500 metres from the route 55 tram corridor on Melville Road, combined have over 650 dwellings between them.</p>

<p>The City of Moreland has applied the Residential Growth Zone is multiple areas in Brunswick West, with Grantham Street and Melville Road a particular focus.</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">1</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">32</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">-</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">-</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">3</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">446</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">2</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">367</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><b>6</b></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><strong>845</strong></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">*Residential projects includes mixed-use projects.</span></p>

<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/868_tram55.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 55 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="2089" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/868_tram55.gif?itok=juFYmpwP" title="Linear route 55 map. Yarra Trams" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 55 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram route 55</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>4-6 minutes (~10-12 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>12 minutes (5 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>12 minutes (5 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>20 minutes (3 trams per hour); 30 minutes/2 trams per hour (Sunday nights)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Limited outside City of Melbourne/Royal Park.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=essendon">Essendon Depot</a> (Mt. Alexander Road, Ascot Vale)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>B2 (high-floor, articulated) and Z3 (high-floor) - details, see <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/B2">vicsig.net</a>
</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>6,800,000 trips annually, Melbourne's 12th busiest tram route. <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>
</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Grantham and Dawson Streets</h2>

<p>Route 55 exits the City of Melbourne at its northern boundary of Royal Park at, you guessed it, Park Street. A short right of way sends the route uphill to the Brunswick Road and Grantham Street intersection where the route passes through a large regional shopping district and then the tram route turns westward onto Dawson Street.</p>

<p>Route 55 runs on Dawson Street for a short distance, then the road turns north and is renamed Melville Road.</p>

<p>The Union Square Shopping Centre on Grantham Street has a liberal amount of the Residential Growth Zone on both sides of the street, and the shopping centre itself is zoned C1Z. There is currently only one project on the Apartments.com.au Project Database in this area, but we would expect that to change in future, given the proximity to the centre of Melbourne and increased proximity to Sydney Road in this south-west corner of Brunswick West.</p>

<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/centennial_exterior_r.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Centennial, Brunswick West"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="309" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/centennial_exterior_r.jpg?itok=GFgHwg37" title="Centennial, Brunswick West" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Centennial, Brunswick West</figcaption></figure><h2>Melville Road</h2>

<p>From the point where Dawson Street transitions into Melville Road right up until the end of the route at Bell Street, the 55 straddles close to the eastern ridge of Moonee Valley. In many areas, particularly at the southern end of Melville Road, the views to the west cover the ever-increasing height of Moonee Ponds' skyline and beyond.</p>

<p>The General Residential Zone (GRZ1), Residential Growth Zone (RGZ1) and Commercial Zone (C1Z) are liberally applied directly on the properties fronting Melville Road within Brunswick West (as far north as Moreland Road), and the Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ1) dominant on streets, one back from the Melville Road corridor.</p>

<p>Albion Street, one of the main thoroughfares to cross Melville Road has seen, and is still seeing, an intense redevelopment of an old textiles factory at the valley's floor, right next to the Tullamarine Freeway and the site is located roughly 500 metres down the hill from route 55.</p>

<p>Likewise, the intersection of Moreland Road and Melville Road sees a liberal application of the Residential Growth Zone with two more projects on our database.</p>

<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/image39_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The York, Brunswick West"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="319" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image39_6.jpg?itok=EIWTv01c" title="The York, Brunswick West" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/buildings/the-grove-1-5-olive-york-way-brunswick-west">The York, Brunswick West</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Bell Street</h2>

<p>Route 55 terminates at the end of Melville Road on the intersection with Bell Street and this area, like the Moreland and Melville Road intersection, has a smattering of C1Z, RGZ1 and GRZ1 zoned properties. There is one project on our database located within route 55's terminus catchment.</p>

<h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>The large amount of medium and high-density development-friendly zones along the route 55 corridor point to the potential for large-scale redevelopment within this south-western corner of the City of Moreland. And this should be front and centre of tram planner's minds.</p>

<p>As the timetable for route 55 shows, it has a very high amount of peak services and generally settles back into a more typical 12 minute frequency in daytime off-peaks, with the route seeing two classes of tram operate on the route: the longer articulated 76-seater <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/B2">B2 class</a> and the older (and smaller) 42-seater <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/Z3">Z3</a> class.</p>

<p>The route 55 may be renamed and have its route altered (at the city end) soon. The community consultation session has now closed, but the information is still up on PTV's website, for the merging of route 55 and the south-eastern end of route 8 to become <a href="https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/get-involved/have-your-say-on-proposed-changes-to-your-tram-services/">the 58</a>. This would allow one seat tram journeys from Brunswick West, Flemington Road and the west end of the CBD through to South Yarra and Toorak.</p>

<h2>Navigation</h2>

<ul>
<li>
<a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-59">Anti-clockwise: the 59, Airport West - Flinders Street Station, City</a> (first in this series)</li>
	<li><a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-19">Clockwise: the 19, North Coburg - Flinders Street Station, City.</a></li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Melbourne's development by tram: the 55

<html><body>
<p>In this series, we'll progressively work our way clockwise around Melbourne's tram network, taking a look at the development pipeline that lies adjacent to each tram route as well as provide some facts and figures about the tram routes along the way.</p>

<p>Given all tram routes, except two, eventually bunch up and run through CBD streets, the Melbourne's development by tram series won't include projects in City of Melbourne or Port Phillip.</p>

<p>With the exception of the Flemington Road, Elizabeth Street and city terminus segments, the 59 Airport West - Flinders Street Station, City (Elizabeth Street) tram line is wholly contained within the City of Moonee Valley.</p>

<p>Upon exiting the City of Melbourne on Flemington Road, the 59 travels along Mount Alexander Road through Travancore, Ascot Vale and Moonee Ponds and after the Moonee Ponds Junction, the route diverges along Pascoe Vale Road and Fletcher Street in Essendon and then rejoins Mount Alexander Road at Essendon Station.</p>

<p>The route then continues up Mount Alexander Road through Essendon North, turns westward along Keilor Road through Niddrie and then northwards to run in its own right of way beside the Tullamarine Freeway and Essendon Fields to the terminus near Airport West shopping centre.</p>

<h2>The numbers</h2>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Aspect</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of dwellings</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">10</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">1,246</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">10</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">509</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">10</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">477</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Residential projects: Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">8</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">969</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Commercial projects</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">1</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">N/A</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hotel projects</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">1</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">N/A</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>TOTAL</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><strong>40</strong></td>
			<td class="rtecenter"><strong>3,201</strong></td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-size:10px;">*Residential projects includes mixed use projects.</span></p>

<p> </p>

<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/897_tram59.gif" rel="gallery-all" title="Linear route 59 map. Yarra Trams"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="2279" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/897_tram59.gif?itok=q7DaRYGG" title="Linear route 59 map. Yarra Trams" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Linear route 59 map. Yarra Trams</figcaption></figure><p>​<span style="font-size:10px;"> </span></p>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Tram route 59</th>
			<th scope="col">Further information</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday peak frequency</td>
			<td>6-7 minutes (~10 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekday off-peak frequency</td>
			<td>8 minutes (7-8 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled weekend daytime frequency</td>
			<td>12 minutes (5 trams per hour)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Timetabled night-time frequency</td>
			<td>20 minutes (3 trams per hour); 30 minutes/2 trams per hour (Sunday nights)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raised-platform stops?</td>
			<td>
			<p>Limited outside City of Melbourne. New Moonee Ponds junction stop has raised platforms.</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Where do the trams go to sleep?</td>
			<td>
<a href="http://vicsig.net/index.php?page=trams&amp;depot=essendon">Essendon Depot</a> (Mt. Alexander Road, Ascot Vale)</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Primary tram class that operates on the route.</td>
			<td>B2 (high-floor, articulated) - details, see <a href="http://vicsig.net/trams/class/B2">vicsig.net</a>
</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Annual patronage and rank</td>
			<td>10,200,000 trips annually, Melbourne's 6th busiest tram route. <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/who-we-are/facts-figures/">Source</a>
</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Mount Alexander Road (South)</h2>

<p>With the exception of 484-486 Mt Alexander Road, all the current development along the southern section of Mt. Alexander Road where the 59 tram route runs is concentrated in the Moonee Ponds Activities District. From Travancore, at the boundary with the City of Melbourne, to Moonee Ponds junction, Mt Alexander Road is predominantly zoned <a href="http://planning-schemes.delwp.vic.gov.au/schemes/vpps/34_01.pdf">B2Z</a> (C1Z) on Moonee Valley's planning scheme.</p>

<p>Moonee Ponds junction is a major transit hub with the terminus of the 82 Moonee Ponds: Footscray tram and 10+ bus routes all contained within the Mt. Alexander Road median. The Craigieburn train line forms the western boundary of the Moonee Ponds Activities District and between it and Mt Alexander Road there are no less than 16 projects.</p>

<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/image34_5_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="343-349 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="353" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image34_5_0.jpg?itok=XuQRSMx9" title="343-349 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>343-349 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds</figcaption></figure><h2>Pascoe Vale Road and Fletcher Street</h2>

<p>In this short deviation of the 59 route, Pascoe Vale Road swaps between B2Z and R1Z zoning according to the most recent maps available for the City of Moonee Valley planning scheme. Fletcher Street in Essendon is zoned R1Z except for a Public Use Zone plot on the corner of Hoddle Street.</p>

<p>As such, only two projects on the Apartments.com.au Project Database existing in this section, on Pascoe Vale Road.</p>

<h2>Mount Alexander Road (North)</h2>

<p>Within Essendon, at the junction of Fletcher Street and Mt. Alexander Road, there are 7 projects nestled either side of Essendon train station. Excluding a small section of R1Z zoned land on the northern side of the Craigieburn train line bridge, Mt. Alexander Road like in the south of the city of Moonee Valley is zoned B1Z (C1Z).</p>

<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/acp008v01aa_s.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Alexa - 1048 Mt. Alexander Road, Essendon"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="396" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/acp008v01aa_s.jpg?itok=M0h_m18n" title="Alexa - 1048 Mt. Alexander Road, Essendon" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-apartments/essendon-vic-3040">Alexa - 1048 Mt. Alexander Road, Essendon</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Keilor Road</h2>

<p>Keilor Road has seen some of the greatest changes in recent years. No longer dominated by car sales yards (although some still do exist), much of the old Calder Highway route has been redeveloped with the street showing a penchant for 4-6 level buildings.</p>

<p>Much like Mt. Alexander Road, Keilor Road is dominated by the mixed-use friendly B1Z and B2Z (C1Z) zones and outside of recently completed projects, there are 5 projects in this corridor, with another at the Mt Alexander Road/Keilor Road junction.</p>

<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/image52_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="113 Keilor Road, Essendon"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="351" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image52_4.jpg?itok=zYVmcNFP" title="113 Keilor Road, Essendon" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="/new-apartments/113-keilor-road-essendon">113 Keilor Road, Essendon</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Matthews Ave</h2>

<p>The tram tracks don't run in Matthews Ave, but in a dedicated right of way between Matthews Ave and the Tullamarine Freeway. To the east is Essendon Fields and to the west is the semi-industrial/commercial area of Airport West and these two areas no stranger to new development.</p>

<p><a href="/new-apartments/83-matthews-avenue-airport-west">Alfa Apartments</a>, located almost at the end of the 59 tram line, is under construction and Essendon Fields is seeing hotel and commercial development.</p>

<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/hyatt-place-melbourne-essendon-fields-w.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Hyatt Place, Essendon Fields"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="308" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/hyatt-place-melbourne-essendon-fields-w.jpg?itok=GVnFX8FM" title="Hyatt Place, Essendon Fields" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Hyatt Place, Essendon Fields</figcaption></figure><h2>Future directions</h2>

<p>The bulk of the new development on the 59 tram route is occurring either in Moonee Ponds and Essendon or the northern end of the route with only a single project on Mt. Alexander Road south of Moonee Ponds, which some might expect, given the proximity to the centre of Melbourne, would see the highest levels of new proposals.</p>

<p>The 59 route sees a very good level of service and is well connected in the nodes that matter: at Moonee Ponds and its elaborate bus terminus and at Essendon with the Craigieburn train line.</p>

<p>APAC, the operator of Melbourne Airport, has significant plans to develop the land that now sits adjacent to the new Airport Drive extension yet there has not been any serious proposals to service this employment precinct that will grow over time.</p>

<p>If the 59 tram were to be extended over/under the Western Ring Road to then run down Sharps Road and then turn northward on Airport Drive and run all the way to the Tullamarine Airport terminals, locals who are not serviced by the Skybus service (and those who will also miss out on service if the Airport Rail Link eventually runs along the Albion corridor) would have a fast and frequent service to the airport and the growing employment precinct to the south of the airport.</p>

<h2>Navigation</h2>

<ul>
<li>
<a href="/news/melbournes-development-by-tram-the-55">Clockwise: the 55, Domain Interchange - West Coburg</a> (second in this series)</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Melbourne's development by tram: the 59

<html><body>
<p>The Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, James Merlino, this morning announced work to acquire a site in Docklands for a primary school will begin immediately.</p>

<p>On top of the new Docklands primary school, the <a href="http://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Pages/Schools/Inner-Melbourne-New-Schools-Package.aspx">Inner-city New School Package</a> will see:</p>

<ul>
<li>Identification of sites and the commencement of planning for a new primary school in North Melbourne.</li>
	<li>Identification of sites for both a primary and secondary school at Fishermans Bend.</li>
	<li>Secure a site to expand Albert Park College by five classrooms.</li>
	<li>Deliver the remaining funding for South Melbourne Park Primary School and Prahran High School.</li>
	<li>Open the new Richmond High School and Ferrars Sreet Primary School in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<p>It is expected that 90,000 students are forecast to enter Victorian schools over the next five years and 5,000 new places in the inner-city will be eventually be created through the initiatives listed above.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sxhGwy2VGrU" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>A Victorian Government media release states that inner-city enrolment boundaries will also be changed so kids living in Docklands will be able to go to the new Ferrars Street Primary School and University High School in Parkville.</p>

<p>Renders of Victoria's first vertical school to be built on Ferrars Street can be seen in our <a href="/news/victorias-first-vertical-school-to-rise-in-south-melbourne">August 2016 article</a>.</p>
</body></html>

Deputy Premier announces expanded inner-city school building programme

<html><body>
<p>Infrastructure Victoria has released the first public draft of its <a href="http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/">30 year infrastructure strategy</a> and thus it has opened up for another round of consultation.</p>

<p>The draft strategy makes recommendations in a wide variety of areas and after the new consultation period has concluded, the final version will be presented to the Victorian Government toward the end of the year. Thereafter, the government has 12 months to respond and publish a 5-year infrastructure plan.</p>

<p>It is worth re-iterating this point because we are in effect only half way through the first-run of a process, that according to the <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/num_act/iva201538o2015335/">enabling legislation</a>, will be repeated every three to five years.</p>

<p>Infrastructure Victoria nominated three specific areas as their 'top picks' for infrastructure investment priority.</p>

<ol>
<li>Increasing densities in established areas to make better use of existing infrastructure.</li>
	<li>Introducing a comprehensive transport pricing regime to manage demands on the network.</li>
	<li>Investing in social and affordable housing for vulnerable Victorians to significantly increase supply.</li>
</ol>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wzGosdXHhmQ" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>Read the draft <a href="http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/sites/default/files/images/IV%2030%20Year%20Draft%20Infrastructure%20Strategy_Final%20Web%205.pdf">30-year infrastructure document</a> and read through Infrastructure Victoria's <a href="http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/sites/default/files/files/Draft%20Options%20Book%20Version%20Two%20-%20FINAL.PDF">preliminary assessments</a> of various infrastructure project options.</p>

<h2>Analysis and comment</h2>

<p>There is still quite a way to go for this 'first-run' process that Infrastructure Victoria is undertaking, the draft strategy (and final strategy once it is presented to the Victorian Government) is really just an aggregation and stock-take of infrastructure initiatives that have been floating about in the public domain.</p>

<p>Many of the big ticket transport projects have had preliminary economic analyses conducted and Infrastructure Victoria made recommendations accordingly.</p>

<p>In a handful of cases, Infrastructure Victoria has assessed infrastructure options with a negative economic return (a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of less than 1) but recommended them for more in-depth analysis owing to limited information and assessment tools: the 'Metro 2' project through Fishermans Bend is one of these.</p>

<p>And on the other hand, projects like the Doncaster rail line, which returned a very poor BCR in the preliminary analysis, is recommend not to proceed.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>A number of the options we considered for this need did not emerge as priorities; however, there are some projects we would specifically recommend against. These include building a new heavy rail line to Doncaster (ref. DHR) and building a new station at <a href="/new-apartments/south-yarra-vic-3141">South Yarra</a> (ref. SYM) as part of the delivery of Melbourne Metro. The benefits of these projects do not appear to outweigh the costs, with South Yarra already being very well served by public transport and, in the case of Doncaster, alternative lower cost solutions being available.</p>
<cite>Victoria's draft 30-year infrastructure strategy, October 2016, page 122</cite>
</blockquote>

<p>Perhaps the most radical transport recommendation, after the road pricing regime changes, is to take the large bus route map of Melbourne, wipe it clean and start from scratch. Not long after the draft strategy's release, there were calls on social media to bring in Jarrett Walker (of <a href="http://humantransit.org/">HumanTransit.org</a>) to do in Melbourne <a href="http://humantransit.org/2015/08/houston-welcome-to-your-new-network">what he did to Houston's bus network</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>There is a theme across several of our recommendations of moving our rail network towards more of a ‘metro’ style of operation. In practice, this means changing the network from one where train lines often merge as they approach the city to one where lines operate separately, but people often have to change trains to get to their final destination.</p>

<p>It’s a trade-off , but we think the benefits of improved capacity and reliability are worth it, so long as careful planning is put into how people move around the system. This is relevant to introducing the full service uplift delivered by Regional Rail Link, the Melbourne Metro rail project currently underway, and future projects such as reconfiguring the City Loop.</p>

<p>Indeed, on a more local scale, our recommendation to reform the metropolitan bus network will involve similar trade-off s between services that wind around local streets serving many different places and a more efficient and direct network.</p>
<cite>Victoria's draft 30-year infrastructure strategy, October 2016, page 122</cite>
</blockquote>

<p>Turning to Infrastructure Victoria's top picks, the number one priority for instance: increasing densities in areas where infrastructure can support it. It would seem to be one of the easier tasks for the state government to implement, given how much higher-density development that currently occurs outside the Plan Melbourne inner-city subregion.</p>

<p>The municipalities of <a href="/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne</a>, Stonnington, Port Phillip, Maribyrnong and Yarra make up the inner-city subregion and when combined, at the time of writing, have 583 projects on the Apartments.com.au Project Database with all remaining local government areas totaling 698.</p>

<p>There may be more projects located outside the inner-city however the five inner-city councils contain approximately double the amount of total residential units in the pipeline: 95,000 in the inner-city subregion versus 51,000 elsewhere.</p>

<p>A 700-odd project, 50,000-dwelling pipeline is a significant tool that can be used to illustrate to those potentially antagonistic toward the idea of increasing densities in existing suburban areas how it is not all about skyscrapers.</p>

<p>It's a safe bet many will run a critical eye over the prominence of increased densities in the government plan, due 15 months from now (assuming the final 30-year strategy is presented before the end of the year); ditto the language used.</p>

<p>Infrastructure Victoria's number three priority - investing in social and affordable housing - is not as clear when attempting to discern a possible direction the state government may take.</p>

<p>While I acknowledge there is an enormous body of work going on at DELWP and the Victorian Planning Authority - Fishermans Bend's vision, Plan Melbourne's refresh, national employment clusters throughout the metropolitan area to name but a few - there is still a frustrating lack of discussion on affordable housing policy and mechanisms. Please, let's change this.</p>
</body></html>

Infrastructure Victoria's draft 30 year strategy is out, and there's plenty more to come

<html><body>
<p>Dear Prime Minister,</p>

<p>I note that your government is keen to get the concept of 'City Deals' up and running in Australia, with the recent focus on Western Sydney, the Emerald City's second airport and associated infrastructure.  </p>

<p>I would like to draw your attention toward the ongoing planning work underway in Victoria; the redevelopment Fishermans Bend as well as the large-scale upgrades to Melbourne's rail network.</p>

<p>Our state government <a href="http://haveyoursay.delwp.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend-final-vision">released the Fishermans Bend vision</a> after several rounds of consultation and key amongst its priorities is getting the transport hierarchy right.  With walking at the top and private vehicles at the bottom, it's bound to upset a few tabloid columnists &amp; talkback radio presenters, but this is Melbourne: we don't give them as much cred as the Sydney media bubble does.</p>

<p>As I understand it, the basic premise of a City Deal is for the community, represented by the government, to get a positive return on investment on the money the government provides to build new or upgrade existing infrastructure - be it in transport, health, education or social spheres.</p>

<p>Well, Fishermans Bend linked to the rest of Melbourne through an underground train line - let's call it 'Metro 2' for the moment (and 'Metro 1' is the current Melbourne Metro Rail project that kicked off early works construction last month) - is, if you'll excuse the parochialisms, the country's largest urban renewal precinct that will pay out (pay back?) for decades to come.</p>

<p>In fact, we need to widen the scope of where the benefits will be derived from the investment made into a second cross-town rail line in Melbourne.</p>

<p>Both the South Morang (soon-to-be Mernda) and Werribee Rail lines would join - much like the Pakenham/Cranbourne and Sunbury lines will join with Metro 1 - and become operationally independent rail lines capable of a frequency of service and therefore carrying capacity that will would tinkle on <em>any</em> freeway business case from a very great height.</p>

<p>While the South Morang &amp; Werribee lines would still function as a commuter pathway into central Melbourne - of which, Fishermans Bend will make Australia's metropole even more marvellously grand - I'd like to draw your attention to other mooted projects outside central Melbourne.</p>

<p><a href="http://australianeducationcity.com/">Australian Education City</a> will be located right next to the Werribee Rail line and the Victorian Planning Authority is currently devising a plan for the <a href="http://vpa.vic.gov.au/project/la-trobe-employment-cluster/">La Trobe National Employment cluster</a>. The South Morang Rail line will not directly service the La Trobe National Employment Cluster, however that's not to say something can't be worked out when Infrastructure Victoria refreshes its state infrastructure plan.</p>

<p>The point is, Prime Minister, Metro 2 has the potential to fulfil its current commuter obligations, guide development in Fishermans Bend and most importantly supercharge &amp; spread the benefits of development of employment, R&amp;D and new housing clusters beyond central Melbourne.  All on one train line.</p>

<p>The traditionalist view of the great Australian dream of owning a home [in a suburb with 3-4 cars in the driveway] needs a refresh and a city deal for Fishermans Bend could be the way forward for Melbourne; the city that is one equal half in the symbiotic Melbourne-Sydney "front bench of parliament" relationship in the Australian federation.</p>

<p>Our planning scheme is starting to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurialism when it comes to development of land - just look at the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/apartments-planned-for-brunswick-third-project-in-green-nightingale-series-20160926-grorj2">Nightingale series of developments</a>. That's not to say the Victorian Planning scheme (or strategic direction) is perfect - as the Nightingale architects will tell you, they're still confronted with bygone-era car parking requirements.</p>

<p>Similarly, Spring Street planning policy to date has been focused on curbing the excesses of the previous state government's hands-off approach (the Fishermans Bend vision is a prime example of this) and we're still waiting for a meaningful affordable housing policy with proper mechanisms in place to ensure housing choice for urbanists isn't linked with specific income brackets.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, we're hoping a direction on market affordable and social housing policy will come soon and the Victorian Urban Industry - architects, marketers, planners, engineers, real estate agents, surveyors, academics, financiers and developers to name but a few individual urban industry professions - is diverse, growing and hungry for more work.  </p>

<p>Commitment to a 'City Deal' in Fishermans Bend with a Federal Government focus on helping to finance Metro 2 and associated level crossing removals on the existing rail lines that will be joined would be the gold-standard level of assurance the Victorian Urban Industry needs to get on with its job.</p>

<p>Yours,</p>

<p><em>- passionate </em><em>Melburnists</em><em> everywhere. </em></p>
</body></html>

Dear Malcolm, let's talk about a city deal for Fishermans Bend

<p>National diversified developer Fortis has officially launched Crest &amp; Walker, its latest Brisbane apartment development, with construction now underway on the 20-storey Newstead project.</p>

<p>Award-winning builder BINAH has commenced construction on the Bureau^Proberts-designed building, which will deliver a limited collection of 65 two and three-bedroom apartments on Kyabra Street.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=145922 project_image_fid=373556]</p>

<p>The project marks Fortis' fourth active residential development in Brisbane, following River House, which is nearing completion, alongside projects in New Farm and Hamilton as the national developer continues to expand its South East Queensland pipeline.</p>

<p>Fortis General Manager – Development Queensland Dan Boman said Crest &amp; Walker reflects the developer's long-term commitment to delivering design-led residential projects in Brisbane's established inner-city suburbs.</p>

<p>"We're proud to be strengthening our presence in Brisbane with Crest &amp; Walker, particularly in such a sought-after lifestyle destination as Newstead," Boman said.</p>

<p>"Every Fortis project is shaped by its context, and we approach each one with the respect and care it deserves.</p>

<p>"Our focus is always on creating places that feel connected to their neighbourhood and elevate the everyday experience for residents. Newstead continues to evolve as one of Brisbane's most sought-after urban communities, and Crest &amp; Walker reflects our ambition to contribute meaningfully to that story."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=145922 project_image_fid=373559]</p>

<p>Positioned between Gasworks Plaza and James Street, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crest-walker-newstead-12-kyabra-street-newstead-qld-4006">Crest &amp; Walker</a> has been designed as a boutique residential address offering privacy and generous living spaces within one of Brisbane's most established lifestyle precincts.</p>

<p>The building features a contemporary brick podium softened by integrated landscaping, while the upper levels are characterised by restrained architecture and enduring materiality. Interiors have been designed to maximise natural light, acoustic performance and long-term liveability.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=145922 project_image_fid=373583]</p>

<p>Residences comprise spacious two and three-bedroom floorplans, with two-bedroom apartments priced from $1.55 million and three-bedroom, half-floor residences from $3.95 million.</p>

<p>Residents will have access to a wellness-focused rooftop featuring a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, landscaped dining spaces and outdoor lounge areas overlooking Newstead and the Brisbane CBD.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=145922 project_image_fid=373571]</p>

<p>Sales are being managed by Slaite Projects, with Fortis expecting strong demand from owner-occupiers seeking a high-quality, design-focused apartment in one of Brisbane's most tightly held inner-city suburbs.</p>

<p>Completion of Crest &amp; Walker is slated for late 2028.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=145922]</p>


Joel Robinson

Fortis expands Brisbane pipeline with launch of Crest & Walker in Newstead

<p>The enormity of delivering a true skyscraper in Australia's new development market is often overlooked.</p>

<p>It has taken the best part of a decade since plans for Chevron One were first unveiled, but the 52-storey tower is now complete, with residents collecting their keys and moving into what has become one of the Gold Coast's most recognisable new landmarks.</p>

<p>Rising 127 metres above Chevron Island, Chevron One stands almost twice as high as any other building on the island. Its scale places it alongside the trio of towers at Jewel, arguably the last truly significant addition to the central Gold Coast skyline when they were completed around six years ago.</p>

<p>While there are several developments underway around a similar height to Chevron One, they are more concentrated within clusters of the highest towers in the city. The fact Chevron One sits within a developing precinct, looking back at the other high-rise developments in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, makes it a different proposition altogether. It will certainly become a reference point on the Gold Coast skyline.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=6515 project_image_fid=68833]</p>

<p>Developer Bensons Property Group is behind the 52-storey tower, which has just shy of 250 apartments, along with an exhaustive list of resident amenity spread across what is the largest development site ever assembled on Chevron Island.</p>

<p>The tower has been the talk of the town for years, says Ray White Projects Gold Coast agent Caitlin Rosenboom, who is selling the remaining apartments.</p>

<p>"People have been watching Chevron One go up for years," Rosenboom says, adding that many prospective buyers have been surprised by the scale of the views once they step inside.</p>

<p>"It's only when they walk through a completed apartment that they truly understand the position of the building," Rosenboom says.</p>

<p>"The views are jaw-dropping. Whether you're looking east over the ocean, across Surfers Paradise, along the river systems or out to the hinterland, every level offers something different but equally impressive."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=6515 project_image_fid=360215]</p>

<p>One of Chevron One's defining advantages is its location on the eastern side of Chevron Island on Stanhill Drive, a position which protects the views forever.</p>

<p>"There's only one row of houses between Chevron One and the water, and the height restrictions along the river means views from Chevron One can never be built out,"&nbsp;Rosenboom says.</p>

<p>While new apartment developments continue to emerge across the Gold Coast, Rosenboom says opportunities to secure a completed apartment with this level of outlook are becoming increasingly rare.</p>

<p>"The size of the site is something that would be incredibly difficult to replicate today," she says.</p>

<p>"That's allowed Chevron One to deliver the sort of amenity, open space and resident facilities that very few projects can offer. There are not many completed apartment buildings on the Gold Coast right now that can compete with the combination of scale, quality and amenity."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=6515 project_image_fid=68839]</p>

<p>There's around 2,000 sqm of amenity solely for the use of residents of Chevron One. Club One features a uniquely shaped swimming pool that mirrors the footprint of the building itself, set within a extensively landscaped gardens. There's also an indoor pool and spa, a fully equipped gym with a Pilates room, a yoga garden, a bookable private dining area and lounge that can host up to 30 people, and a 24-hour concierge service.</p>

<p>As for the buyers, Rosenboom is fielding enquiry from everywhere: Sydneysiders and Melburnians looking at the new and off-the-plan market following the changes in the Federal Budget, as well as those looking to relocate, through to South East Queenslanders seeking either a permanent home or a weekender bolthole.</p>

<p>"The Gold Coast lifestyle continues to resonate with people relocating from the southern states, and when they see the views and the quality of what's been delivered at Chevron One, it becomes very easy for them to understand the appeal," Rosenboom says.</p>

<p>A diverse mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments remain available, with each offering "something a little different", be it the orientation and views, configuration, or level, to suit a wide variety of buyers.</p>

<p>The remaining apartments are ready to inspect in person, by appointment.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=6515]</p>


A decade in the making: Residents to move into Chevron One as construction wraps up

<p>A general rule of thumb in new apartment developments is that the penthouses get the rooftop.</p>

<p>It's a formula that's become commonplace across Australia's apartment market. Residents might have access to a pool, gym or barbecue facilities on a dedicated lower level, but the most desirable outdoor spaces are typically reserved for the highest-priced homes at the top of the building.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Property Group</a> has taken the opposite approach.</p>

<p>Rather than dedicating the rooftop to a handful of buyers, the Gold Coast developer has made it the centrepiece of its Flourish collection, creating expansive shared spaces from the best vantage point in the building.</p>

<p>The philosophy has reached its most ambitious expression at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-palm-beach-1150-1160-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a> in Palm Beach, where two rooftop precincts connected by a skybridge will deliver one of the most extensive lifestyle offerings seen in a residential apartment project on the Gold Coast.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=374053]</p>

<p>"We're seeing a clear move toward developments that offer more than just an apartment," Sherpa Group founder Christie Leet said.</p>

<p>"People want spaces that support how they actually live, whether that's working from home, staying active, or spending time with family and friends.</p>

<p>"That's where amenity becomes critical. It's not just about what's included, but how those spaces are designed to be used every day."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=374052]</p>

<p>The breadth of amenity has already attracted buyers across multiple demographics. Younger first home buyers have been drawn to Soleira's one-bedroom apartments, a product rarely delivered in Palm Beach, while families have responded to practical inclusions such as the shallow children's pool adjoining the main lap pool and the extensive communal recreation areas.</p>

<p>Instead of a single rooftop, Soleira delivers two distinct lifestyle zones.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=372547]</p>

<p>The southern rooftop has been dedicated to wellness, featuring a gym, yoga and Pilates studio, work-from-home facilities, a wellness centre, spa, and hot and cold plunge pools.</p>

<p>The northern rooftop focuses on recreation and entertaining, incorporating a heated resort-style pool, private dining rooms, pizza ovens, barbecues, a golf simulator, children's recreation areas, and what is expected to be the Gold Coast's first rooftop basketball court, which will also double as a squash court.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=374054]</p>

<p>Beyond the rooftops, Soleira will introduce 1,500 sqm of curated retail beneath the towers, creating one of Palm Beach's first genuinely mixed-use lifestyle precincts where cafés, restaurants and convenience retail become part of residents' everyday lives.</p>

<p>Sherpa has also retained management rights across the development, allowing it to oversee the long-term operation of the building through a 24-hour concierge model. The developer is also exploring additional revenue streams within the precinct aimed at helping offset ongoing body corporate costs for residents.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=370962]</p>

<p>While Soleira is the largest project Sherpa has delivered, the rooftop-first philosophy has been evolving for several years.</p>

<p>It began with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/amargo-6-12-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Amargo</a>, the first project released under the Flourish brand. Rather than competing at the ultra-luxury end of the market with oversized half-floor and full-floor residences, Sherpa focused on creating lifestyle-driven apartments supported by resort-style shared spaces.</p>

<p>Amargo introduced more than 800 sqm of rooftop amenity, combining wellness facilities, heated pools, entertaining areas, cabanas, pizza ovens and private dining spaces into what was designed as an extension of residents' homes rather than a facility used only occasionally.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=146527 project_image_fid=366550]</p>

<p>That approach continued with Flourish Oasis, where the same amenity-led philosophy was refined into a more boutique development. Strong demand from Sherpa's growing VIP database saw much of the project sold before it reached the broader market, reinforcing buyer appetite for apartment communities centred around shared lifestyle experiences.</p>

<p>Flourish Amargo is slated for completion mid-way-through next year, with Oasis to be delivered by late 2027. Flourish Soleira is expected to complete in 2030.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150017]</p>


Sherpa takes amenity to the sky as Flourish Soleira captures booming Palm Beach demand

<p>As apartment living continues to evolve across Sydney's growth corridors, the quality and distribution of shared spaces is increasingly shaping how residents experience home. Rather than functioning as add-ons, amenities are being embedded into the daily rhythm of a building, supporting everything from quiet retreat to social interaction, often within a single vertical community.</p>

<p>At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aeris-melrose-park-nursery-street-melrose-park-nsw-2114">Aeris</a> in Melrose Park, this approach is resolved through a layered amenity offering that unfolds from ground level through to its upper podium. Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sekisui-house-australia">Sekisui House Australia</a> in partnership with Hankyu Hanshin Properties, the project introduces 468 apartments across two towers and a mid-rise building, positioned at the highest point of the broader masterplan.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=426 project_image_fid=359199]</p>

<p>The amenity experience begins at street level, where two courtyards sit within a landscaped setting that connects residents to the wider network of parks and green spaces. These green spaces are not isolated pockets but part of a wider pedestrian network that links Aeris to the surrounding <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/melrose-park-nsw-2114">Melrose Park</a> precinct, including Central Park, future schools, and the Town Centre opening in July 2026. The result is a transition that moves from public to private without abrupt boundaries, allowing residents to pass through shaded, tree-lined environments before reaching the building itself.</p>

<p>Moving upward, the focus shifts to the level five podium, where the primary communal facilities are concentrated. This space brings together a 16-metre swimming pool, outdoor seating areas, and a communal BBQ zone arranged to take advantage of elevated outlooks. Seating is positioned beneath pergolas, creating pockets of shade that extend the usability of the space throughout the day. The pool edge aligns with views toward the wider district, reinforcing the sense of elevation that defines the project’s positioning.</p>

<p>In the adjacent building, this is complemented by quieter, more contemplative spaces, including an outdoor cinema set within the same level. Positioned to operate primarily in the evening, it introduces a different tempo to the shared environment, shifting from daytime activity to after-hours use without requiring separate zones.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=426 project_image_fid=360299]</p>

<p>The podium also accommodates an intimate private resident gym. Located on the lower levels, it gives residents convenient access to fitness facilities without leaving the building.</p>

<p>Above, the elevated podium sky deck extends the amenity offering, providing additional open-air spaces with elevated outlooks across the surrounding landscape. While more restrained in program, this upper level reinforces the project’s vertical progression, from ground-level greenery to elevated outlook, allowing residents to move between distinct spatial conditions within a single address.</p>

<p>This distribution of amenities reflects a deliberate response to how residents use space across the day. Sekisui House Australia Sales and Marketing Director Peter Kalaf points to the role these shared areas play in shaping buyer demand. Aeris has been conceived as more than a collection of apartments, with the podium pool, gym and outdoor cinema forming part of a broader lifestyle offering that extends the home beyond each individual residence.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=426 project_image_fid=360300]</p>

<p>What distinguishes Aeris is not the inclusion of these elements individually, but how they are arranged in relation to one another. Active, social, and passive spaces are layered vertically rather than separated, allowing residents to choose between them without leaving the building or moving far from their apartment. This proximity supports both routine use, such as a morning swim or evening workout, and more occasional gatherings, whether around the BBQ area or within the cinema setting.</p>

<p>The amenity design also sits within a broader framework of connectivity across Melrose Park. The Melrose Park Town Centre, anchored by Coles and Dan Murphys, features a mix of retail, dining, health and lifestyle offerings, bringing everyday convenience closer to residents. By the end of the year, more than five hectares of parks and open space, equivalent to around seven football fields of green space on residents' doorstep, will further enhance the precinct, allowing the internal facilities at Aeris to operate as an extension of the wider neighbourhood rather than a substitute for it.</p>

<p>Construction at Aeris continues to gather momentum, with ground floor slabs expected to be completed in late 2026 before the first sections of the buildings begin to rise above ground.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=426]</p>


Elevated amenity anchors daily life at Aeris, Melrose Park

<p>Repeat buyers are one of the strongest measures of confidence in any apartment development.</p>

<p>At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/era-newcastle-west-124-126-bull-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">ERA</a> in Newcastle West, some purchasers are returning to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> after living at the developer's One Apartments. Their decision to purchase again was driven by the quality of life they found after moving into their first GWH home.</p>

<p>Keith Wilton had spent years living in a house in East Maitland before deciding it was time for a change. Apartment living had always been on his radar, but he was selective about what he wanted.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FH_1EzB-1vs?si=XScVlP1ERsTDJoME" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>"I had some boxes I wanted to tick," he says.</p>

<p>Keith points to the open-plan design, generous outdoor areas and considered inclusions as key reasons One Apartments worked for him.</p>

<p>“One of those things was a nice indoor open plan area, but also I wanted a nice outdoor open area that I could entertain on in summer or Christmases or birthdays,” he says.</p>

<p>He also found value in the smaller details, from integrated appliances to shared resident spaces including the pool, cinema and rooftop areas.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356818]</p>

<p>After comparing several developments, he chose One Apartments because of GWH's longstanding local reputation and his own experience working with the developer on a commercial project more than a decade earlier.</p>

<p>"I knew that they were local, that the quality of the build was going to be up there. I'd looked at other apartment complexes around and close by, and I just knew that here was a better decision location wise."</p>

<p>Today, Keith says the move has completely changed how he experiences Newcastle.</p>

<p>"I enjoy living in this location because it's more of a lifestyle change. That Newcastle city living where you can walk to restaurants and bars and even beaches and parks and even shopping across the road."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356828]</p>

<p>Beyond the location, he says it's the sense of community that has surprised him most.</p>

<p>"Everyone loves living here because they chose to live here, but everyone looks out for each other. It's a real great community feel here."</p>

<p>For Aimee and Lyle Goodman, the journey started almost by chance.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tsioMLcnjas?si=zq-ys3JuWpfa5hFv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>The couple happened to be having coffee in Newcastle when they noticed the site where One Apartments was about to begin construction.</p>

<p>"We were aware GWH was planning a development," Aimee says. "We made one phone call and things moved pretty quickly after that."</p>

<p>As busy business owners, they initially thought apartment living would simply reduce the maintenance that came with larger homes. Instead, it fundamentally changed how they spent time together.</p>

<p>"We actually catch up more as a family now," Aimee says.</p>

<p>"We've had homes with big yards and lots of space, but everyone ended up in different rooms. Here we'll have dinner together, the kids can play, and we spend far more quality time together."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356829]</p>

<p>Lyle says their confidence came from GWH's reputation within Newcastle's building industry.</p>

<p>"I know people who've worked across different apartment projects, and whenever GWH came up the feedback was always the same. They're rock solid. They're quality."</p>

<p>That confidence only grew throughout the buying process.</p>

<p>"One of the things that really impressed us with GWH was the whole process, was the communication," Lyle says. "It was consistent, it was regular, there was no problem if we had some weird questions, there was no problems in getting answers."</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351104]</p>

<p>Aimee says one moment stood out.</p>

<p>"The project actually finished on time. We realised we needed to hurry up and sell our house because everything was happening exactly when they said it would."</p>

<p>The positive experience at One Apartments ultimately gave all three buyers the confidence to purchase again with GWH, this time at ERA.</p>

<p>Their confidence reflects what many buyers are seeking in today's apartment market. Location remains important, but so too does certainty around delivery, quality and long-term liveability.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356822]</p>

<p>ERA builds on those foundations with 280 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two landmark towers in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Newcastle West</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fk-australia">Fender Katsalidis</a>, the project will include more than 2,000 square metres of resident amenities, including a resort-style pool, gym, sauna, private cinema and rooftop entertaining spaces overlooking the harbour and coastline.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The development is also within walking distance of the Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Darby Street, the harbour foreshore, restaurants, retail and the city’s beaches, continuing the walkable lifestyle that existing GWH buyers say has transformed how they live.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356826]</p>

<p>For Keith, the appeal remains straightforward.</p>

<p>"You feel at home even before you've moved into your home."</p>

<p>For Aimee, the change is measured in time.</p>

<p>“I just felt like I had more time,” she says.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351102]</p>

<p>Construction at ERA is now underway, with more than half of the residences already sold and limited two and three-bedroom apartments remaining in the East Tower release. Priced from $980,000 for two-bedroom residences and $1.46 million for three-bedroom residences, buyers can secure an apartment with a 10 per cent deposit, with premium homes offering ocean views from Level 8 and harbour views from Level 10.</p>

<p>ERA is also backed by Resilience Insurance's 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing protection against structural or waterproofing defects for 10 years after completion. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135096]</p>


Alastair Taylor

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Alastair Taylor

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News