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Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.

Substitute cold for underdevelopment; hot for development that would frighten the locals to the point where pitchforks will be seen on the streets and at council meetings; and you're left with the goldilocks planning zone.

It's an umbrella term I use to describe General Residential Zone, Residential Growth Zone and the mixed-use zones which broadly interface with the two aforementioned residential-focused zones throughout the metropolitan area.  

Because height is the currency of describing buildings with words, the heights of new development in the Goldilocks zone are 3, 4, 5, 6 and sometimes a higher number of floors.  Those height limits are broadly contained within the General Residential, Residential Growth, and Mixed-Use/Commercial zones in the planning scheme.

<h2>Case Study 1 - 280 Waverley Road, Malvern East</h2>

A typical high street development in an area of Melbourne where to grow, the only way is up.

Real Goldilocks Zone: <a href="http://planning-schemes.delwp.vic.gov.au/schemes/vpps/34_01.pdf">Stonnington C1Z</a>. Floors: 4.  

Site area: 704 square metres (0.0704 hectares).  Number of dwellings proposed: 17.  Equivalent dwellings per hectare: 241.

<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/280_wav_road.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="280 Waverley Road, Malvern East"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="336" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/280_wav_road.jpg?itok=yuXpChG2" title="280 Waverley Road, Malvern East" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>280 Waverley Road, Malvern East</figcaption></figure><h2>Case Study 2 - 15-17 Marriott Parade, Glen Waverley</h2>

A noteworthy case study because the site is an amalgamation of two former single family properties right next door to the City of Monash's council building. The site as seen on streetview:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1475028476594!6m8!1m7!1ss5g3fq-sv-AGyCguTDKwwA!2m2!1d-37.8834388!2d145.1634338!3f320.13606876090705!4f0.17557985880368676!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

Real Goldilocks Zone: <a href="http://planning-schemes.delwp.vic.gov.au/schemes/vpps/32_08.pdf">Monash GRZ</a>, <a href="http://planning-schemes.delwp.vic.gov.au/schemes/monash/ordinance/32_08s02_mona.pdf">Schedule 2</a> (GRZ2).  Floors: 4.  

Site area: 2,169 square metres (0.2169 hectares).  Number of dwellings proposed: 63.  Equivalent dwellings per hectare: 290.

<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/15-17_marriott.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="15-17 Marriott Parade, Glen Waverley"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="323" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/15-17_marriott.jpg?itok=TmzEAP_c" title="15-17 Marriott Parade, Glen Waverley" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>15-17 Marriott Parade, Glen Waverley</figcaption></figure>The list below represents some of the other recent 'Goldilocks' additions to the project database.
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Alastair Taylor

The 'Goldilocks' zone well represented in new additions to the project database

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One day after the Port of Melbourne lease announcement, the Victorian Government has brought forward 11 level crossing removals, two of which - Buckley Street in Essendon and Camp Road in Campbellfield - will be fast-tracked with work commencing next year and complete by 2019.

The 11 level crossings have been split into two packages with both now out to tender.

The "North Western" package has five sites. As well as the two fast-tracked projects, the package includes Glenroy Road in Glenroy, Bell Street in Coburg and Moreland Road in Brunswick.

The "Western" package of level crossing removal sites includes Koroit Creek Road in the industrial area of Williamstown North - as well as the partial duplication of the Altona loop - Aviation Road in Laverton, Ferguson Street in Williamstown (site of Williamstown North station), Cherry and Werribee Streets in Werribee and the south-eastern anomaly Abbots Road in Dandenong South.

Construction on the Koroit Creek Road level crossing removal and Altona loop partial duplication will begin next year.

<h2>Comment</h2>

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1474336743058!6m8!1m7!1sEgXp20gKYkgrd0-Rv44oqA!2m2!1d-37.7777888!2d144.9581032!3f9.71486674783417!4f0.5847791448704527!5f1.1924812503605782" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

I'm loath to use the term "sky rail" however with Bell Street in Coburg and Moreland Road in Brunswick is there an opportunity to take an axe to the mind-bogglingly high number of level crossings between Park Street and Bell Street, with one fell swoop?

The primary benefit of elevating rail lines is that space, once occupied by rail track, is turned over to other public uses. Brunswick and Coburg see some of the highest rates of cycling in the city yet the Upfield bike path is routinely called out as inadequate and congested with both cyclists and pedestrians sharing the same space.

While the Upfield line is not the busiest line on the network, things appear to be changing with this year's budget having funds to reconnect the end of the Upfield line to the Craigieburn line thus creating a path for regional (and freight) trains.

Bell Street to Park Street measures roughly 4-5km, has five stations and a whopping 12 level crossings (it used to have more). The density of crossings is highest at the southern end in Brunswick, which just so happens to be the area which will see the highest population growth based on development project pipeline data on the Apartments.com.au project database.

Calling all Brunswick and Coburg residents: should this entire stretch be elevated in one go so that a) there's better rail infrastructure for increased services, b) better cycling infrastructure and c) more public space?
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Buckley Street and Camp Road level crossings to be fast-tracked

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Victoria's treasury after October 31st will have a large injection of cash with the announcement on Monday that the Port of Melbourne has been leased to the Lonsdale Consortium on a 50-year term.

The lease that the Lonsdale Consortium, comprised of organisations <a href="http://www.qic.com.au/about-qic/about-us/who-we-are">QIC</a>, <a href="http://www.global-infra.com/whatWeDo.php">GIP</a>, <a href="http://www.omers.com/corporate/OMERS_at_a_Glance.aspx">OMERS</a> and the <a href="http://www.futurefund.gov.au/About-us">Future Fund</a>, has signed is worth more than $9.7 billion to the state and to top it off, more money on top of the sale value is expected to flow to the Victorian Government through the Federal Government's asset recycling programme.

The Department of Treasury and Finance has <a href="http://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/Infrastructure-Delivery/Leasing-the-Port-of-Melbourne/Frequently-asked-questions">published </a><a href="http://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/Infrastructure-Delivery/Leasing-the-Port-of-Melbourne/Frequently-asked-questions">a FAQ</a> which provides more detail on terms of the lease.

The Victorian Government has already made it clear where it intends to spend the money - it was an election promise to use the proceeds to pay for the level crossing removal programme - and Monday's announcement has expanded on this.

$970 million will be spent on regional and rural infrastructure projects and a new $200 million Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund has also been established to drive growth in the regions, a Victorian Government media release states.

The windfall offers up the opportunity for the state government tinker with existing infrastructure projects - perhaps bringing some forward - yet also provides the Victorian Government with cash to unleash teams of people to assess the worthiness of projects in the pipeline.

Soon after the announcement on Monday, calls to support every project imaginable were posted on social media and the various comment threads all around the internet. In aggregate, the volume of comments, ideas and impassioned calls speak to the interest the community has in infrastructure currently available to them and the new infrastructure which could be in the pipeline.

Rather than call on the state government to get behind building any particular project, we'd prefer to see the government invest more money in sorting the good from the bad in the known pipeline of projects, and in limited cases use the cash from the Port of Melbourne windfall to buy something tangible.

Here's a wishlist.

<h2>Assess and then commit funds to buy/invest in something tangible</h2>

<h3>Schools, schools, schools</h3>

The state government has shown it is not afraid of becoming an active player in the inner-city property market with the recent announcement that it had entered into a contract to buy the General Motors-Holden site; the Victorian Government should continue to be an active player by funding and tasking Infrastructure Victoria to identify suitable sites in order for the Department of Education to build new public schools in the high-growth inner-city development zones.

For a Labor government, there's bound to be a desire to invest in public education facilities more broadly across the state. However assessing the need and at the very least buying the land to build new schools in the inner-city - which will see rapid change over the coming decades - should be done with a matter of urgency in next year's budget.

Arden and Fishermans Bend are two inner-city development zones which have active structure planning processes underway and sites for new schools, which <a href="/news/what-to-do-with-the-extra-port-of-melbourne-proceeds-a-wishlist">double as community hubs</a>, should be identified and purchased as soon as possible.

<h3>Affordable housing initiatives</h3>

In one respect up until this point, the Andrews Government planning policy can, broadly, be characterised by reigning in the excesses of the previous government's policy (or lack thereof depending on your viewpoint). The implementation of tighter controls in the Capital City Zone, the draft design guidelines on apartments, the refresh of planning in Fishermans Bend; these are but a few highly visible results which fit this narrative.

Affordable housing - the market affordable kind, and the social housing kind - is a policy area where the government's cards are being played very close to the chest. Yes, there was the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-05/vic-hands-over-500m-housing-to-aboriginal-corporation/7813358">transfer of housing stock</a> to Aboriginal Housing Victoria, however there is no overarching direction from government on how we might diversify both buying and renting opportunities for those on lower incomes in established areas.

Inclusionary zoning, direct investment from public authorities in private developments, stimulating housing co-operative models; what tickles the fancy of the Victorian Government? It's time to pick the winners and use some of the cash from the Port of Melbourne lease to start experimenting.

<h2>Assess and ensure transport infrastructure debates are well informed</h2>

It's all very well to call for money to be thrown directly into building infrastructure, whether it's for transport, for education, public housing or the justice system. But you look like a dill if you haven't got proper evidence to cite when decisions to invest are perceived to have been made without a proper process, as the current state government is finding out with the "Sky Rail" backlash and how the previous state government found out with the East-West link fiasco &amp; its ousting after one term.

Therefore, it would be prudent to fund and task Infrastructure Victoria with appraising many of the transport project initiatives that have made it into the public domain.

There's also a <a href="https://www.govhack.org/">government hackathon-like</a> opportunity for Infrastructure Victoria where some of the tools used by those who assess &amp; design transport solutions are brought into the public domain in order to facilitate a culture of deeper community engagement. Any ensuing community crowd-sourced transport ideas &amp; solutions will be naturally filtered when those who propose them have access to the right tools.

<h3>The known pipeline</h3>

Lastly, it would be good to see in 2017 or 2018's budget some money set aside to conduct full-scale assessments of the business cases for projects that have had at least one government mention.

The major road transport project that springs to mind is the North East Link: a limited access road / freeway link between the Metropolitan Ring Road and the Eastern Freeway. Let's see the business case and let's see if it stacks up compared to other high-cost transport projects.

Likewise, the laundry list of heavy rail projects in the city - ascertained through the joining of the dots in the Melbourne Metro Rail project business case - would wet many urbanists appetites, but like the North East Link, let's see how it all stacks up.

"Metro 2" from Clifton Hill to Newport, rail (heavy, light or both) to the airport, electrification of the Melton line and reconfiguration of the existing rail network into sectors (and the heavy-hitting work on reconfiguring the city loop tunnels that this would require) are all in this same category.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.amsa.gov.au/about-amsa/recent-events/2014/may-vts/index.asp">Australian Maritime Safety Authority</a>.
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What to do with the extra Port of Melbourne proceeds? A wishlist

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All Victorians, except those residing within the boundary of the City of Greater Geelong, will head to the polls to elect their next council on Saturday 22nd October and the City of Melbourne is certainly getting busy before caretaker modes kicks off this week on the 21st of September.

On Monday morning the council announced it 'proposes to enter into a commercial arrangement with Cairo Melbourne Pty Ltd for a residential and commercial development to be built on a portion of the former JH Boyd School in Southbank'.

<blockquote>
The new agreement reinforces our commitment to transform the former school site into a key civic centre and provide much needed open space for Southbank residents, workers and visitors.

Retail shops will be located on the ground level with 200 residential apartments in the floors above.

Twenty per cent of the development, 46 apartments, will be affordable housing. The apartments will comply with liveable housing guidelines which mean they will be safe, comfortable and easy to access for people of all ages and abilities.
<cite>Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor of Melbourne</cite>
</blockquote>

Cairo Melbourne Pty Ltd has agreed to pay $15.5 million for the cost of the land sale and the proposed sale will be considered by Council before the end of 2016, a City of Melbourne media release states.

<h2>Last Future Melbourne committee meeting before caretaker period</h2>

According to the <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/pages/future-melbourne-committee-20-september-2016.aspx">agenda posted on the council's website</a>, the last Future Melbourne committee meeting to be held before the caretaker period will see multiple items discussed at the meeting on the 20th of September.

71-87 City Road, Southbank has a <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/754/13549/sep16-fmc2-agenda-item-6.1.pdf">recommendation</a> that council not support the application based on height and setbacks '[do] not provide an appropriate transition to adjoining areas, dominates the urban form, does not consider the equitable development potential of adjoining lots'.

488-494 La Trobe Street, West Melbourne carries a <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/754/13551/sep16-fmc2-agenda-item-6.3.pdf">recommendation</a> that council support the proposal subject to a height reduction that deletes one podium and one tower level. The site saw a proposal for a 98m residential building in late 2014 which was subsequently knocked back by council and VCAT upheld the council's decision.

Lend Lease have submitted an application to alter the Victoria Harbour Development Plan (2010) that would see a reduction in commercial uses (retail and/or office space) and an increase in residential uses in Collins Wharf - the last remaining undeveloped portion of Victoria Harbour. The <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/754/13552/sep16-fmc2-agenda-item-6.4.pdf">report to the committee</a> notes that Lend Lease has included an additional 5,000 square metres of public realm under the proposed 'Victoria Harbour Collins Wharf Development Plan (2015)'.

383 La Trobe Street, Melbourne has a <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/754/13553/sep16-fmc2-agenda-item-6.5new.pdf">recommendation</a> that council support the 70-level, mixed-use residential &amp; hotel proposal.

The last Future Melbourne committee meeting will also decide on a proposal that is 100% within the purview of City of Melbourne: 271 Spring Street, Melbourne. The <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/754/13550/sep16-fmc2-agenda-item-6.2.pdf">recommendation</a> is that council provides a 'Notice of Decision to Grant a Permit' for the proposal that has <a href="/news/key-sticking-points-hammered-out-as-ispt-seeks-approval-for-its-spring-street-tower">drawn the ire of some in the Urban.com.au community</a>.

The September 20th meeting agenda also carries an item titled "Better Apartments Draft Design Standards Submission" yet at the time of writing, the document had not been uploaded to the council's website.
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City of Melbourne gets busy as caretaker mode kicks in this week

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This morning at a media conference in the historic Newport Workshops, the Premier, Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Industry and Employment announced the Evolution Rail consortium was the successful bidder for the contract to supply the next generation of Melbourne's train fleet: High-Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT).

Keen to emphasise the employment opportunities, 15% of the expected 1,100 jobs created through the awarding of this contract will be for apprenticeships, trainees and cadets and transitioning automotive workers.

<blockquote>
We’re guaranteeing more local work than ever with 60 per cent local content, as well as ensuring the inclusion of 15 per cent Victorian apprentices, trainees and cadets, and a partnership with Toyota to help transition workers out of the auto industry.
<cite>Wade Noonan, Minister for Industry and Employment</cite>
</blockquote>

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/imwSqb4wpQE" width="100%"></iframe>

The Evolution Rail consortium comprises Downer Rail (ASX: <a href="http://www.asx.com.au/asx/research/company.do#!/DOW">Downer EDI Limited</a>), CRRC and Plenary. Furthermore, the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) will set up an Australian regional headquarters and establish "Australia's only bogie manufacturer" in Melbourne, the Victorian Government media release states.

Downer Rail has previously worked with a CRRC subsidiary - Changchun Railway Vehicles - to create the most recent fleet of trains operating on Sydney's rail network, <a href="http://www.sydneytrains.info/about/fleet/a_sets">the A Sets</a>, better known as the Waratah fleet.

The historic Newport workshops will see a $16 million upgrade to allow manufacturing to occur on-site.

<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/new_hcmt_interior.png" rel="gallery-all" title="HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="304" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/new_hcmt_interior.png?itok=H_R4_qAK" title="HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video</figcaption></figure>As foreshadowed when the tender was announced, a new dedicated maintenance facility will be built in Pakenham East - as well as a light service facility in Calder Park - and the new fleet will be dedicated to the Pakenham/Cranbourne lines, with the Sunbury line being added to the list once the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel project connects all three lines.

The first tranche of new trains is set to begin testing in 2018 and they will begin roaming the mainline in 2019 after the Caulfield-Dandenong level crossing removal project has been completed. The entire fleet order of 65 new trains will be operating once the new Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel is complete in 2026.

<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/new_hcmt2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Victorian Government's message of public transport and manufacturing jobs continues unabated"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="304" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/new_hcmt2.png?itok=Y6WP2yr3" title="Victorian Government's message of public transport and manufacturing jobs continues unabated" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Victorian Government's message of public transport and manufacturing jobs continues unabated</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
These new high capacity trains will do the heavy lifting on the Cranbourne-Pakenham lines, ahead of the opening of the Metro Tunnel, enabling more passengers to travel during the busiest parts of the day.
<cite>Jacinta Allan, Minister for Public Transport</cite>
</blockquote>

The new trains will be formed in seven car consists and passengers will be free to move to any part of the train once aboard. The longer train and internal configuration will purportedly enable 20% more space in each train compared to trains which currently operate on the Melbourne network.

In an ASX media release before market open at 10am on Monday, Downer EDI Limited stated:

<blockquote>
The Evolution Rail consortium will deliver the HCMT project which includes

<ul>
<li>Design, manufacture and commissioning of 65 HCMTs for use on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines in Melbourne;</li>
	<li>Design and build of two training simulators;</li>
	<li>Design, construction and commissioning of a train maintenance facility and stabling yards at Pakenham East;</li>
	<li>Design, construction and commissioning of a light service facility at Calder Park; and</li>
	<li>Maintenance of the rolling stock fleet for 30 years and also of the train maintenance facility, the light service facility and the simulators.</li>
</ul>
Downer's scope of work includes:

<ul>
<li>Project management services for the HCMT construction;</li>
	<li>Design, construction and commissioning of the train maintenance facility, stabling yards and light service facility; and</li>
	<li>Maintenance and overhaul of the HCMT fleet, train maintenance facility, light service facility and simulators for 30 years</li>
</ul>
<cite>Downer EDI Limited <a href="http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160912/pdf/43b3gt5bckj1z3.pdf">ASX media release</a></cite>
</blockquote>

<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/new_hcmt_interior2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="312" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/new_hcmt_interior2.png?itok=aK6Lhayz" title="HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>HCMT interior. Screen capture from media release video</figcaption></figure>The Premier's media centre now has a section dedicated to rail: http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/trains/
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Next generation of Melbourne's train fleet unveiled

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Refreshed stations delivered as part of the ongoing level crossing removal project, the new Melbourne Metro tunnel, ballsy private sector-lead high-speed rail proposals like CLARA and now the Rail Futures 'InterCity' paper. It's a good mix of shovels in the ground and an eye on the future of rail in the state.

The Consolidated Land and Rail Australia (CLARA) high-speed rail and InterCity paper by Rail Futures have a true statewide focus through the creation of brand new cities serviced by a high-speed rail line (CLARA) and InterCity's advocacy for population decentralisation outside of Melbourne.

While it is tempting to launch straight into an analysis of the hard infrastructure proposals in the InterCity report, we need to talk about the notion of a "State of Cities".

It's quite easy to throw phrases like "building sustainable cities" around, and 9 times out of 10, the message will likely be interpreted as building green cities, which is fine, but what about a growing city sustaining its own residents through increased local employment opportunities?

I must echo the comments made by Alan Davies <a href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2016/09/07/are-regional-dormitories-the-way-to-grow-our-cities/">earlier this week</a>: the overriding vision in the InterCity report seems to focus largely on enhanced regional rail line infrastructure and services as the new high-speed commuter conduits from the regional cities into central Melbourne.

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to the '20 minute city' concept (regardless of how pithy that aspiration is). Inter-city commuting, on the scale of Ballarat/Geelong/Bendigo to central Melbourne, would be the domain with those with high levels of income.

The regional cities may currently have, and potentially build new, affordable housing, but it won't be cheap to commute, nor should it. We should be focusing our efforts on creating jobs in the regional cities so that locals can work local.

It would be wrong to narrow the affordable housing debate into one of grand-scale long-distance commuting to Melbourne from the regional cities and this specific debate needs further study, not just from the planning and transport realm, but also the health, economic and small, medium and large business realms.

Moreover in InterCity, there's an assumption that regional rail services will remain diesel-powered.

In light of the Victorian Government's recent posturing to kick-start renewable energy investment as well as the <a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/new-hope-for-solar-towers-as-south-aust-seeks-energy-competitors-94366">recent news</a> that the SA Government 'announced a new tender designed to introduce new competition in the [generation] market': to build solar-based power plants and storage, capable of dispatching electricity into the grid 24 hours a day. I'd argue that on top of assessing the individual proposals, a switch to greater electrification throughout the regional rail network should also receive a look in.

Overall however, InterCity is an elegant and informative document and will likely be a report that's referenced a lot in future (the proposals contained within it now need to run the gauntlet of cost-benefit analyses to ascertain whether any of its multiple proposals stack up).

<h2>CLARA and InterCity: a crossover?</h2>

The proposals outlined in the <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/160804-Regional-Rail-paper-v14.1.11-final-for-printing.pdf">InterCity report</a> are spread over two phases:

Phase 1 would see an investment program which deals with incremental change over a few election cycles: line speed upgrades (trackwork, signaling, level crossing protection), duplicating single track sections and quadruplicating metro area track to allow greater separation of regional and metro trains as well as increase regional service frequencies. The start of the cross-country network on the newly converted standard gauge track between Geelong, Ballarat and Maryborough/Horsham would also begin in this phase.

<blockquote>
Phase 1 also includes a fundamental shift in transport govenance, to actively integrate planning across transport modes and to deliver on the objectives of the Transport Integration Act 2010.

<cite>InterCity: How regional rail can re-balance population growth and create a 'state of cities' in Victoria (page 44)</cite>
</blockquote>

Phase 2 is the more meaty part of the infrastructure proposal, made possible by changes in phase 1: further line speed upgrades to enable 200kph operations where achievable, a dedicated fast line that would extend from Southern Cross to Melbourne Airport and then act as a new main line for Bendigo/Echuca/Swan Hill and Seymour/Shepparton/Wodonga regional services.

This new route would also double as the future path for future inter-state high-speed rail services to enter Melbourne.

The second phase also calls for a new fast line to Geelong that would connect to the cross-country network and that same network would then be extended from Maryborough into Bendigo. Overarching everything would see more and more lines converted from broad gauge track to standard gauge, presumably made simpler by installing dual gauge sleepers from the get-go so that a gauge switch can eventually be carried out with minimal disruption.

<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/intercity_phase2_map.png" rel="gallery-all" title="InterCity: infrastructure investment in phase 2 (page 45)"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="457" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/intercity_phase2_map.png?itok=IWhWXT_5" title="InterCity: infrastructure investment in phase 2 (page 45)" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>InterCity: infrastructure investment in phase 2 (page 45)</figcaption></figure>The <a href="http://www.clara.com.au/">CLARA</a> high-speed rail and city-building proposal came to light in mid-July with ex-Premiers of Victoria and New South Wales fronting a media conference. The organisation's website is vague and much of the media reporting at the time was also vague: there's still a lot of cards being held close to the chest of the CLARA directors.

One might expect a proposal such as this to tout a particular rail technology, alas, it didn't. Instead, visitors to CLARA's website are presented with images and a video which depicts conventional high-speed rail (metal wheels on metal tracks) and maglev technology.

No doubt there are commercial reasons behind not revealing the type of high-speed rail CLARA will run with eventually, however if any tests that might prove any of InterCity's proposals to be worthy of adding to the long-term infrastructure for the state come back positive, this would likely force the hand of CLARA or any other future high-speed rail proposal linking the state capitals.

Inherent in InterCity's proposal is that the airport will function as a major hub: regional services would run to and from Bendigo and Seymour, City-Airport rail shuttle services and high-speed rail would use this corridor over the longer term. If this proposal is studied at any great length and it is found to have merit, the tracks initially built for the regional and shuttle services will not be able to handle maglev trains.

The sooner a clearer picture of the entire CLARA proposition is made public, the better.

<h2>InterCity's airport hub focus: multiple birds with one stone?</h2>

Based on media reporting at the time of CLARA's unveiling, it has become apparent that the Melbourne end of the route to Sydney is likely to kick off first. And fundamental to this will be the decision on how to access the terminus in central Melbourne.

If I were a betting man, I'd offer good odds that the Rudd and Gillard-era high-speed rail study for the east coast from 2012 has informed a part of CLARA's proposal. Thanks to the documents that are now in the public domain we know <a href="https://infrastructure.gov.au/rail/trains/high_speed/files/HSR_Phase_2_Appendix_Group_3D_Melbourne.pdf">the indicative route</a> and the estimated capital costs involved in the 2012 study.

<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/ec_hsr_costs.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Estimated costs on the East Coast High Speed Rail network (Appendix 4B)"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="427" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ec_hsr_costs.png?itok=MeqT6wY4" title="Estimated costs on the East Coast High Speed Rail network (Appendix 4B)" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Estimated costs on the East Coast High-Speed Rail network (<a href="https://infrastructure.gov.au/rail/trains/high_speed/files/HSR_Phase_2_Appendix_Group_4_Cost_and_program.pdf">Appendix 4B</a>)</figcaption></figure>The 2012-era study foresaw the east coast high-speed rail network as a conventional line (minimum 300kph operations) which require their own corridor but do have the ability operate over the conventional networks. This is how the TGV system works in France: all high-speed lines lead to Paris and they connect with the mainline network on the outskirts of the city, and then travel to the various terminii on the lower-speed network.

Regardless, due to the century's old Australian anachronism of differing rail gauges, a new track pair would need to be built in Melbourne (or the really cheap solution would be to go really slow over the existing standard gauge line, fighting for access with freight trains).

The 2012 study found that the most effective solution to access Southern Cross is to build an approximately 12-13 kilometre tunnel from Gowrie station, near the Western Ring Road and Hume HWY, all the way to Southern Cross underneath the existing Upfield line; the orange line in the map below is an approximation of this route.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1D-QCvXH91ehwoHgPkWlO70JxkeA&amp;hl=en" width="100%"></iframe>

The estimated cost of this tunnel in 2012 was $2.2 billion. If you're trying to get your head around that figure by trying to compare it to the $6 billion figure for the 9km Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel, just don't. In short, a basic explanation is: the high-speed rail tunnel would just be that: a tunnel. No stations en route, just a path for trains to move in and out of Southern Cross and the Melbourne metropolitan area.

The 2012 study also has a "Northern Melbourne" station located just outside the tunnel in Campbellfield. The <a href="https://infrastructure.gov.au/rail/trains/high_speed/files/HSR_Phase_2_Chapter_3.pdf">indicative service plan</a> as part of the study foresaw this station effectively working in peak flow directions on the flagship inter-city express services: morning peak all Sydney-bound trains would stop en route, and in afternoon peaks all Melbourne-bound trains would stop here.

The rest of the 'pretty' lines on that map are my attempt to adapt the InterCity Melbourne Airport hub and the 2012 east-coast high-speed rail study. The blue line is a tunnel, measuring 14km - approximately 1 kilometre longer than the 2012 study tunnel - and the pink line is an elevated track leading to an elevated station 'bolted on' to the Terminal 1 expansion (which is depicted in Tullamarine's master plan); zoom in on the airport for more detail.

The Green and Yellow lines beyond the airport are my approximation of the new regional (and eventual high-speed) lines from the InterCity report.

Essentially the 2012 study route and station has been moved westward in that map: a tunnel leading all the way to Southern Cross is still the backbone, there's a "Northern Melbourne" station at the airport and the connections beyond the airport run outside the urban growth boundary for the most part (the 2012 study would have seen a new line built in the existing Upfield and Craigieburn-Wallan rail corridors, right through the middle of the growth areas).

Taking the known estimates for the 2012 study, I assume the cost to build the proposal as shown in the map would be similar to the study's cost breakdown; perhaps with a higher station, bridge and earthworks cost.

Like many others I don't hold high hopes for a high-speed rail line anytime soon. That's said, I'll be watching the CLARA proposal with interest and here's hoping the ducks fall into line across the various governments.

Furthermore I acknowledge the <a href="http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/resources/business-case">Melbourne Metro Rail business case</a> makes it pretty clear that airport rail services will eventually run through it; however it's always good to take a fresh look at things, especially now that the InterCity report is out in the open.

To close, I'll leave you with this thought: a 19km journey from Southern Cross through the tunnel and over the elevated sections into the airport station with a maximum speed of 200kph could be done in 8-10 minutes. How do you like them apples, Skybus and Transurban?
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CLARA & Rail Future's InterCity: a crossover?

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The Victorian Planning Authority and the City of Melbourne have created and now released for consultation <a href="https://vpa-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Draft-Arden-Vision-Framework.pdf">a draft vision and framework</a> for the Arden precinct. A Spring Street media release estimates the total value of development for the precinct over 30 years is $7billion.

To date, the area has been referred to as the Arden-Macaulay precinct thanks mostly in part to the <a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ardenmacaulayc190">City of Melbourne's C190 amendment</a> and while the area looks to keep the hyphenated name for the foreseeable future, this consultation round that Spring Street have now launched is specifically for Arden: the 56 hectare parcel that was not included in the City of Melbourne's consultation rounds.

<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/arden_macaulay_context.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The Arden Urban Renewal precinct in the wider context: draft Arden vision and framework page 8"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="406" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden_macaulay_context.png?itok=s0DYwHRn" title="The Arden Urban Renewal precinct in the wider context: draft Arden vision and framework page 8" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Arden Urban Renewal Precinct in the wider context: draft Arden vision and framework page 8</figcaption></figure>What the Ministers say:

<blockquote>
The Draft Arden Vision &amp; Framework outlines the Victorian Government’s strategic vision for the precinct. It sets out key design principles and strategic directions to deliver our vision and creates a platform for an informed conversation about these plans with the community, including residents and potential investors.

A transformed Arden will change the way the city works and functions. Growing the central business district with new hubs in Parkville and Arden, will build the knowledge economy while protecting the valued character of North Melbourne.
<cite>Richard Wynne, Minister for Planning</cite>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Catalysed by the new underground station at Arden, the precinct provides the opportunity to connect growth areas in Melbourne’s west to the growing knowledge workforces and residential communities in Docklands and Parkville, and existing communities in North Melbourne and West Melbourne.

This new station is expected to stimulate over $7 billion in urban development in the surrounding precinct and transform the area into a distinctive new central city destination. One of the country’s most exciting urban renewal opportunities, its location will facilitate the continued expansion of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) to the north and west, and respond to a rebalancing of metropolitan population growth.

Arden will also provide a critical link between Melbourne’s planned and existing renewal precincts, including Docklands, E-Gate and, in the longer term, Dynon
<cite>Jacinta Allan, Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Major Projects</cite>
</blockquote>

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l8DwL-AkemI" width="100%"></iframe>

Arden station - set to open in 2026 with the rest of the Melbourne Metro Rail project stations - will receive the most intensive activities 'to make maximum use of the transport connections' and another key objective in the draft vision and framework is to provide a flexible and fine grain block structure 'that can be developed in multiple ways and at a variety of scales'.

The five strategic directions for the precinct include:

<ul>
<li>Urban transformation: sets out principles for new and more intensive land uses that are appropriate for an expanded central city area.</li>
	<li>Places for people: emphasises the role of community infrastructure, diverse housing and the design of streets in creating a highly liveable precinct.</li>
	<li>A diverse public realm: proposes a network of public realm opportunities to boost liveability through recreation, amenity and environmental regulation and to support city resilience.</li>
	<li>A water-sensitive approach: encompasses revitalisation of the Moonee Ponds Creek and a precinct-wide approach to managing the flooding challenge in Arden and Macaulay and beyond.</li>
	<li>Sustainable movement: emphasises the role of local walking and cycling connections to support the proposed Arden Station, and of complementary public transport for regional connections.</li>
</ul>
<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/arden_key_propositions.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Key propositions for Arden: draft Arden vision and framework page 12"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="399" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden_key_propositions.png?itok=SUp5aBu1" title="Key propositions for Arden: draft Arden vision and framework page 12" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Key propositions for Arden: draft Arden vision and framework page 12</figcaption></figure>Further reading and links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://vpa.vic.gov.au/project/arden/">Arden Urban Renewal Precinct (VPA)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ardenmacaulay">Arden-Macaulay (Participate Melbourne)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/locations/arden">Arden Station (Melbourne Metro Rail)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ardenmacaulayc190">Amendment C190 (City of Melbourne)</a></li>
</ul>
<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/arden_artists_impression.png" rel="gallery-all" title="An artist's impression of the 56 hectare Arden Urban Renewal Precinct"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="424" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden_artists_impression.png?itok=mwdd0CTK" title="An artist's impression of the 56 hectare Arden Urban Renewal Precinct" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An artist's impression of the 56 hectare Arden Urban Renewal Precinct</figcaption></figure><h2>Comment</h2>

It is anticipated that the Arden Urban Renewal Precinct will be home to 15,000 people and 34,000 jobs in 30 years.

A key difference to other urban renewal precincts that are seeing structure plans/frameworks drawn up - Fishermans Bend, for instance, is the most high-profile example - is that Spring Street owns a significant proportion of the land within the Arden precinct, theoretically allowing the state government to control the pace of development to its choosing.

Likewise, there is a significant opportunity for the state government to play a meaningful role in designing, fostering and experimenting with new affordable housing models upon the land in which it owns.

Urban.com.au urges the state government to pursue this course of action in Arden.
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Arden urban renewal precinct vision and framework now open for public consultation

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Do you work in the urban industry, but not directly in a design or planning role? Are you interested in how humans might design a city for 'an ultra-green, ultra-urban' future? Are you thinking of a career change and looking to wet your appetite in the city-making space? Are you interested to learn more about the development process?

<a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/re-enchanting-the-city">Then this massive open online course</a>, 'Re-enchanting the city: designing the human habitat', run by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Built Environment faculty and conducted through the FutureLearn platform, could be for you.

It's free, runs for six weeks and starts next week.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vSSdMogn2w" width="100%"></iframe>

<h2>About the Course</h2>
<blockquote>
The city is humanity's most complex and extraordinary artefact. As the world population grows and becomes ever more urban, the making of future cities is no longer just about aesthetics or convenience. Questions of sustainability and culture are more and more crucial. Increasingly, the future of the city is the future of the species.

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary nature of city making. The focus is on a cutting-edge, high-density urban infill project, Central Park, in contemporary Sydney. We use this project to explore the interdependencies of the professions at play; urban design, architecture, city planning, construction management, sustainable development, landscape architecture, interior architecture and industrial design.

We investigate the entire development process from the earliest planning and site purchases through to completion and from the broad contextual scale through to the design intricacies. In so doing, we examine design innovations in green technologies, structure, construction, environmental and building service, framing this within the wider context of infrastructure, governance and the political economy.

As a course participant, you will engage in critical discussion from different perspectives; design and sustainability. You will also analyse the cultural, environmental and political conversations that drive the development, gain an understanding of how key players interact in city making and see how different built environment disciplines relate in this process.

Drawing on designers, thinkers and developers at the forefront of their professions, this course will investigate a key question facing global cities today: how do we engage local democracy to make urban density both sustainable and poetic?

<cite><a href="https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/re-enchanting-city-designing-human-habitat">Re-Enchanting the City: Designing the Human Habitat</a></cite>
</blockquote>

The course is set to run over six weeks commencing September 5 and upon completion, students can buy a printed certificate of achievement and/or a statement of participation. The course is structured as follows:

<dl>
<dt>Week one</dt>
	<dd>What is the built environment?</dd>
	<dt>Week two</dt>
	<dd>Fight for the Site</dd>
	<dt>Week three</dt>
	<dd>Architecture in the City</dd>
	<dt>Week four</dt>
	<dd>Being Green</dd>
	<dt>Week five</dt>
	<dd>Technopolis</dd>
	<dt>Week six</dt>
	<dd>Inside Out</dd>
</dl>
To enrol, head over to the <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/re-enchanting-the-city">FutureLearn website</a>. See also the <a href="https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/re-enchanting-city-designing-human-habitat">UNSW's Built Environment website</a> for more detailed information about the course.
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UNSW's free online course 'Re-enchanting the city: designing the human habitat' starts next week

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<h2>Analysis</h2>

All too often the story of Melbourne's continuing development is presented as one of extremes: the rapid rise of inner-city 'high-rises' and continued detached dwelling construction on the fringes. And when the meaning of a 'high-rise' is "a building with multiple floors", context becomes increasingly important.

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/highrise-apartments-are-bad-to-live-in-and-bad-for-society-says-respected-architect-20160828-gr39nf">This Age</a> article published on Monday, for instance, is clearly referring to 'inner-city high-rises' as those that are either proposed, approved, at sales or under construction either in or very close to the CBD. But the development story is far more nuanced than the centre of the city. 

In fact, if we establish an arbitrary threshold for buildings which have 8 floors in them - a similar scale to the pre-1950s height limit in central Melbourne (40m) and a scale in the context of the first half of last century that would have been deemed 'high-rise' - then based on data at the time of writing from the Apartments.com.au Project Database, there are 821 projects in the pipeline at various stages in the development lifecycle.

821 projects represent 64% of the entire database at the time of writing.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Number of floors</th>
			<th scope="col">Number of projects</th>
			<th scope="col">% of total database</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="rtecenter">4 or less</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">341</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">26.4%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td class="rtecenter">5 or less</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">503</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">39%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td class="rtecenter">6 or less</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">640</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">49.6%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td class="rtecenter">7 or less</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">740</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">57.5%</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td class="rtecenter">8 or less</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">821</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">63.7%</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Total published project count at time of writing: 1,288.

Of those 821 projects, only 49 are located in the City of Melbourne or Fishermans Bend &amp; St Kilda Road (both of the latter precincts are shared at various levels between the Port Phillip and Melbourne LGAs).

A further 218 of the 821 projects are located in the Cities of Yarra and Stonnington as well as the remaining areas of Port Phillip, resulting in 554 - maximum 8 level - projects located well and truly outside even the most liberal definition of 'inner-city'.

These 554 projects, located outside the inner-city and unlike the typical scale of development you'll find on the fringe of the city, includes approximately 26,000 dwellings in the development pipeline.  For all the projects which have 8 levels or less - 821 - there are approximately 37,000 units in the pipeline.

Clearly, larger buildings have a greater amount of dwellings contained within them, but is it wise to simply ignore this somewhat significant segment of the pipeline when we discuss Melbourne's ongoing development?  

Here's a sample of projects that have 8 or less floors and not located in the inner-city.

<a href="/new-apartments/spotswood-vic-3015">Lead image credit: 88 Hudsons Road, Spotswood</a>
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Inner-city 'high-rises' and suburban expansion: don't ignore the significant middle ground

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Camberwell could get a town square through the reconfiguration of Camberwell Junction in a plan that has a Boroondara councillor's support.

Public comment is being sought by the firm responsible for the design, Alexander Urbanism, and Junction Ward Boroondara councillor Jack Wegman.

The proposal is to reduce the number of roads leading into the Camberwell Junction intersection from six to four.  

Camberwell Road, which at present bisects the junction from south east to north west, would be closed off from both the north-west and south-east directions and instead would play host to a plaza and tram superstop respectively.

<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/cj_north_plaza-function.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An overview of the proposed north-western plaza - image supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="441" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/cj_north_plaza-function.jpg?itok=QDQXoX9y" title="An overview of the proposed north-western plaza - image supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An overview of the proposed north-western plaza - image supplied</figcaption></figure>According to the designer, Nathan Alexander, “This could become the pedestrian heart of Camberwell, the place to go and be seen. This will be the place to meet your friends, to eat a great meal, to lunch in the sun. It’ll be a great place to go before or after watching a movie at the nearby Rivoli Cinema.”

<blockquote>
At present the Junction is congested, handling approximately thirty-eight thousand vehicles a day.

According to Cameron Martyn, the transport planner who worked on the proposal, simplifying the Junction intersection will improve traffic flow on Burke Road and Riversdale Road, while motorists current travelling on Camberwell Road have a choice of alternative routes.

“With only two roads intersecting, the traffic lights will be green for longer. With more green time, more traffic can pass through the intersection. This plan makes the Junction more efficient and safer for all users – pedestrians, cyclists, tram users and motorists.”
<cite>Extract from Alexander Urbanism's description of the Camberwell Junction proposal</cite>
</blockquote>

<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/cj_local_traffic.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The proposed changes to the Camberwell Junction road network - image supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="464" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/cj_local_traffic.jpg?itok=zK8W2RP4" title="The proposed changes to the Camberwell Junction road network - image supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The proposed changes to the Camberwell Junction road network - image supplied</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
​I’ve encouraged Alexander Urbanism to work up this concept. I look forward to the public response.

Camberwell has a great range of shops, but no decent public space.

This idea shows great potential to give Camberwell the town square it deserves. It’d make Camberwell as a whole more attractive as a shopping destination.
<cite>Cr Jack Wegman</cite>
</blockquote>

See the <a href="http://www.alexanderurbanism.com/uploads/3/4/4/9/34491523/2016-08-16__camberwell_junction_-_full_article.pdf">full report</a> on Alexander Urbanism's <a href="http://www.alexanderurbanism.com/camberwell-junction">website</a>, and the accompanying <a href="http://www.alexanderurbanism.com/uploads/3/4/4/9/34491523/martyn_group_report_-_camberwell_junction_proposal_-_2016-04.pdf">transport assessment</a> by the Martyn Group.

What do you think of the proposal? Leave a comment below.
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Could Camberwell junction be the area's new town square?

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]

“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]

Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]

Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]

Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]

Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

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Alastair Taylor

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