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<h2>Comment</h2>

The finger-pointing which has surfaced in the reporting of V/Line's ongoing troubles with excessive wheel wear on its fleet of VLocity trains has sparked an interesting discussion in article comment and forum threads all around the Internet.

For instance <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/vline-crisis-began-with-regional-rail-link-cutbacks-five-years-ago-20160202-gmjsen">this piece</a> in The Age has this standout comment:

<blockquote>
The feedback on the article continues to indicate poor decision making by Government directed appointees. It is doubtful whether lowering of service delivery outcomes is only a Corey Hannett decision. He will have been directed by the Ministers of the time.

The answer that the project was all about separating regional and metro railway line services beggars belief. Nothing about Levels of Service (LoS)?
<cite><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/vline-crisis-began-with-regional-rail-link-cutbacks-five-years-ago-20160202-gmjsen">The Age</a> user oz4lca, Princes Hill, 2016-02-03 9:17AM</cite>
</blockquote>

The components which were reportedly cost managed out of the Regional Rail Link five years ago - using and upgrading the existing North Melbourne flyover, the use of a flat-bed junction instead of a flyover junction at Deer Park and leaving in place multiple level crossings on the Sunshine-Deer Park section - appear to be affecting service levels.

Anecdotal reports of a choke point at the Deer Park junction of the Ballarat and Geelong lines and claims that the North Melbourne flyover is responsible for the excessive wheel wear on the VLocity fleet neatly all point back to hard infrastructure issues. The rail project may have come in under budget at $3.65 billion however the pride in that achievement is all but lost should the V/Line issues indeed eventually get attributed to aspects of cost-cutting on the Regional Rail Link project.

Clearly lessons will be learnt in some form or another and hopefully they can be learned in time to ensure the scope of the Melbourne Metro Rail project and the Dandenong corridor level crossing removal projects do not end up in the same boat.

The Age report from two days ago also mentions there is a push by transport experts to expand the Caulfield-Dandenong corridor from two tracks to four as part of the level crossing removal projects currently at tender.

However before there is a debate on the pros and cons of quadruplicating the Dandenong corridor, what types of services do we want to run in this corridor? The want question needs to be answered first before the need question: what is the vision for this railway line?

Is the push to quadruplicate track just about giving outer-suburban commuters to the city a faster journey or is it based on a broader vision for driving investment into centres along the line, perhaps taking the decentralisation and concentration of jobs in suburban centres like Dandenong to the next level?

We know the arc between Pakenham and Cranbourne is the only remaining area in the south east which has room within the urban growth boundary for more suburban development and that therefore will translate into a need for more capacity on the Dandenong corridor to carry more people into the city under supposed status quo scenario.

However do we want to simply plan for forecast demand, lure more people out of their cars onto the public transport network or both?

If we are only planning to cater for forecast demand then it is going to take a long time to fill up the capacity of the Dandenong corridor given it only has 16 services utilising the rail line during weekday peak at present and notwithstanding 1-2 Traralgon V/Line services during peak, when the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel comes online, coupled with a new signalling system, 24-28 trains per hour could theoretically be possible.

If we are planing to cater for forecast demand and make great strides to entice people out of their cars to increase the mode share of Public Transport then yes, express services running frequently at the same time as frequent stopping-all-services on four tracks on the Dandenong corridor will probably be needed.

The previous Labor Government was happy to spruik its vision of achieving 20% of total motorised transport mode share on Public Transport by 2020 yet the current Labor Government has not alluded to anything like this.

Insofar as we have been made aware that Infrastructure Victoria is the way toward greater depoliticisation of infrastructure planning in the state, the transport components of the authority's 30 year strategy should be guided by a similar vision to that of the previous Larbor Government just with more oompf, like aiming for 30% or 40% public transport mode share over the next 30 years. 

Aiming for a higher mode share means that forecast demand for public transport under the status quo and even more increased demand from luring people out of their cars must be planned and catered for and only then will a hard infrastructure debate about quadruplicating the Dandenong corridor be framed in the right context.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westall_railway_station">Wikipedia</a>.
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Alastair Taylor

V/Line, wheel flanges and where to for the vision of the Dandenong rail corridor

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For the past three years the big planning story in central Melbourne has been the plethora of large skyscraper projects, with the majority of these towers located on either side of Elizabeth Street to the north of La Trobe Street.

Up until this point much has been made of the proposals however the majority are now construction sites.

Indeed many of the proposals have attracted sufficient sales in order for the developer to be confident enough to swagger on in to a bank manager's office and obtain construction finance.

The following is a roundup of the latest construction photos of CBD North taken and subsequently posted in the construction forum threads by various Apartments.com.au members. See each forum thread for more construction images.

<h2>EQ Tower</h2>

Developer: ICD Property, Architect: Elenberg Fraser, Builder: Brookfield Multiplex. 202 metres high, 63 floors and 632 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

The tower has progressed well above its podium and facade-watchers are being treated to a splash of purple.

<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/ebf6a2e0ee942ce938cb32bf33c7eda7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="EQ Tower construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ebf6a2e0ee942ce938cb32bf33c7eda7.jpg?itok=LBfNMOjK" title="EQ Tower construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>EQ Tower construction progress. Image courtesy Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure><h2>Aurora Melbourne Central</h2>

Developer: UEM Sunrise, Architect: Elenberg Fraser, Builder: Probuild. 267 metres, 88 floors, 941 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Demolition of the poorly articulated car park which fronted La Trobe Street is near completion, with initial piling now underway.

<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/2390e29c45cc7d89409b44f640ee46e0.jg_.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aurora Melbourne Central construction progress. Image © UM member Adrian"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2390e29c45cc7d89409b44f640ee46e0.jg_.jpg?itok=KpzOwIGA" title="Aurora Melbourne Central construction progress. Image © UM member Adrian" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aurora Melbourne Central construction progress. Image courtesy Adrian Raiola</figcaption></figure><h2>Empire Melbourne</h2>

Developer: Mammoth Empire, Architect: Hayball, Builder: Probuild. 198 metres, 62 floors and 474 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Similar to its sister tower MY80 directly opposite, Empire Melbourne's lack of a pronounced podium already gives it an enormous presence on the corner of Elizabeth and A'Beckett Streets.

<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/5344c6aa41a150aedc30e94c2dc514c6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Empire Melbourne construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/5344c6aa41a150aedc30e94c2dc514c6.jpg?itok=KyhSRmlc" title="Empire Melbourne construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Empire Melbourne construction progress. Image courtesy Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure><h2>Vision Apartments</h2>

Developer: Brady, Architect: Peddle Thorp, Builder: Brady Constructions. 226 metres, 72 floors and 524 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Vision's jump form was recently dismantled with a handful of floors still to be formed and poured.

<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/picture4_196_zpsgumha7uj.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Vision Apartments construction progress. Image © UM member GlennWilson"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/picture4_196_zpsgumha7uj.jpg?itok=RZy1FrYd" title="Vision Apartments construction progress. Image © UM member GlennWilson" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Vision Apartments construction progress. Image courtesy <a href="http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=130248157&amp;postcount=1114">GlennWilson</a></figcaption></figure><h2>Avant</h2>

Developer: Aspial - World Class Land, Architect: Elenberg Fraser, Builder: Probuild. 167 metres, 57 floors and 463 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Site clearing and preparation continues with another splash of pinkish purple over the tower's facade set to appear over the next two years.

<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/fb303eb294c9a03c2b237c3d38c3485e.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Avant site preparation progress. Image © Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/fb303eb294c9a03c2b237c3d38c3485e.jpg?itok=3ZNRzKQZ" title="Avant site preparation progress. Image © Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Avant site preparation progress. Image courtesy Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure><h2>Victoria One</h2>

Developer: Golden Age Group, Architect: Elenberg Fraser, Builder Probuild. 241 metres, 75 floors and 629 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Victoria One's core has raced ahead and the first of the floorplates made their debut in November/December.

<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/bfbd49510a2c00ca2c1b7cb4d487722a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Victoria One construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/bfbd49510a2c00ca2c1b7cb4d487722a.jpg?itok=xU9SX6XO" title="Victoria One construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Victoria One construction progress. Image courtesy Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure><h2>Light House</h2>

Developer: Hengyi Australia, Architect: Elenberg Fraser, Builder: Brookfield Multiplex. 218 metres, 69 floors and 607 dwellings. (<a href="/news">Forum Thread</a>)

Although it will eventually be 23 metres shorter than its neighbour, Victoria One, across the road, it's going to be an interesting 'race' on either side of Franklin Street with Light House aided by a recently installed second tower crane.

<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/315f5af437393ab2729b0ceeeeef00da.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Light House construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/315f5af437393ab2729b0ceeeeef00da.jpg?itok=Q9AAt1L-" title="Light House construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Light House construction progress. Image © Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure>
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Proposals no more, the top end of Elizabeth Street is now a story of mass construction

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While industry temporarily shut down during the Christmas/New Year period (and us taking a break from publishing articles), this did not stop the project database from growing in size. While you were on holiday, 33 new projects were added.

In what was broadly representative of the development scene in Melbourne during 2015, low-rise and mid-rise buildings (anything up to 12 levels) outnumber the number of high-rise proposals by a factor of eight.

An aged care facility located 220 Middleborough Road in Blackburn South and a hotel - Crest on Barkly in St Kilda - are the only two non-residential buildings in the list.

The 31 residential or mixed-use projects have in total 3,836 proposed dwellings with the most units proposed in R&amp;F Property's 124-188 Ballarat Road project in Footscray (1,400). 15 Breese Street in Brunswick has the smallest number of proposed dwellings (11).

The march north continues, with City of Moreland the most represented local government area with eight different projects. City of Melbourne has five new projects and Whitehorse has four new proposals rounding out the top three.

All new additions to the database are listed below for easy reference.
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Project database summary of new additions: late December/early January

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A development application which would see a 54 level mixed-use tower built at <a href="/buildings/568-collins-street-melbourne">582-606 Collins Street</a> has been lodged with the Planning Minister on behalf of proponent <a href="/developers/landream">Landream</a>. The lead architect has been named as <a href="/architects/zaha-hadid-architects">Zaha Hadid</a> working in collaboration with <a href="/developments/st-kilda-vic-3182">St. Kilda Road</a>-based <a href="/architects/plus-architecture">Plus Architecture</a>.

A media release distributed on Monday morning states the proposal is set to include retail, commercial and resident components with a diverse range of apartment typologies and that "the built form seeks to align with the new <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic">CBD</a> planning reforms introduced by Planning Minister Richard Wynne".

The site sits between the recently completed <a href="/buildings/568-collins-street-melbourne">568 Collins Street</a> and Liberty Tower (620 Collins Street) on the Collins and Spencer Street intersection.

<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/01_aerial_sunrise_cropped.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="582-606 Collins Street. Render supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="780" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/01_aerial_sunrise_cropped.jpg?itok=lvEm5fWS" title="582-606 Collins Street. Render supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>582-606 Collins Street. Render supplied</figcaption></figure>The following description of the proposal was included in the media release:

<blockquote>
The <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">Collins Street</a> façade is comprised of an elegant colonnade of sculptural, curved columns that supports Zaha Hadid Architects’ unique façade system. These solid elements seek to embody and emulate the finest examples of historic architecture that can be found within the Melbourne CBD, yet reinterpret them in a contemporary solution that is driven by the building’s structural integrity and the logical division of its overall volume.

A delicate filigree gently envelops the building, including the Francis Street service areas to ensure there is no sense of “back of house” to the surrounding areas. Designed to use 50 per cent less energy than a conventional mixed-use tower, this filigreed façade contributes to a reduction in the direct solar gain of the building and emissions. High performance glazing system, high efficiency central cooling, high efficiency lighting and grey-water reuse systems are also proposed to reduce consumption of resources and further lower the emissions.

Evolving from the city’s very distinct urban fabric, the arrangement of the proposed tower takes inspiration from its mixed-use program, converting the building’s overall volume into a series of smaller stacked ‘vases’. Central to the concept is the break-down of the vertical volume by the design team to establish a coherent relationship between tower, podium and surrounding streetscapes.

In addition to housing a different programmatic element, each ‘vase’ gently tapers inwards to offer additional open space at its base. Within the proposal there is a significant proportion of the ground plane given over to public realm, with external area dedicated to a plaza accessible 24 hours a day.

The design intent is to open up the ground plane improving the flow of pedestrian traffic and enriching connectivity with existing transport infrastructure, which includes the adjacent Southern Cross railway station and existing tram network that runs parallel to the site.

The design also proposes the creation of a new pedestrian route that would connect Collins with Francis Street, further alleviating pressure at the Collins and Spencer Street junction. 350 bicycle parking spaces and bays for electric vehicles and shared car clubs are included within the design.

Within the proposal, junctions between each vase invite the interaction fostered at a street level to continue inside the podium, where a rich mix of retail and commercial offerings as well as easily accessible communal spaces have been included in the proposed structure to promote public engagement.
</blockquote>

<a href="/">Apartments.com.au</a> will cover the proposal in more detail in the new year.
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Landream, Zaha Hadid and Plus Architecture come together to produce 582-606 Collins Street

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The climate change denialists have had a giant 'bird flip' thrust in their faces by the national governments of the world with the support of the climate agreement at COP21 in Paris.

COP21 was negotiated and agreed by national governments however in an Australian context much of the hard work of adapting - future-proofing - our society and economy will lie with state governments.

And it is to the state governments of Australia we must now focus on.

Under the COP21 agreement nations have now committed to reducing their carbon emissions over a period of time. Australia had a pledge and working toward it (and hopefully beating it) will require a multi-faceted approach to altering the way we live, work and transport ourselves around cities and regional areas.

On the Climate Change Authority's <a href="http://www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au/reviews/light-vehicle-emissions-standards-australia/opportunities-reduce-light-vehicle-emissions">web page</a>, it states that 16% of Australia's emissions come from transport and that figure is apportioned as follows (percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding according to the Climate Change Authority):

<ul>
<li>2% from buses and motorcycles</li>
	<li>3% from diesel-powered rail services</li>
	<li>3% from sea transport</li>
	<li>8% from aviation</li>
	<li>18% from trucks</li>
	<li>57% from "light vehicles": cars.</li>
</ul>
Did you spot the elephant in the list? It is at the bottom if you missed it.

If we were to switch to electric cars overnight we would probably not be all that better off <a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/nem-watch">given power still overwhelmingly comes from fossil fuel sources</a> and it does not address the core problem: various policies, many in the planning realm, focus on the housing and movement of cars rather people.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP">@DanielAndrewsMP</a> slash congestion for how long? Last Monash FWY upgrade was completed ~5-6 years ago, now there's another in the works.
— Apartments.com.au (@UrbanMelbourne) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/UrbanMelbourne/status/674071932703240192">December 8, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>If we are going to reduce transport emissions, surely state government policy must now focus on reducing overall car usage; yes, even in a high growth scenario. Whether it is focusing on infrastructure to support increased usage of sustainable modes of transport like walking and cycling, reallocating road space for public transport services or both; policy must surely now focus on creating greater transport freedom for more people in every city, no matter how big or small.

The perennial "balance" transport investment spruikers like our current state treasurer and his opposite - and the bureaucracy that supports them - are now nothing but a laughing stock. Yes, we will need a new Western Distributor, upgraded Monash Freeway or Western Ring Road project every few years if we maintain the status quo in terms of mode share because we will need more road space for the growing population.

With the Paris agreement and the national emission reduction targets looming over us and the titans of the global automotive industry no longer interested in manufacturing "Aussie" cars, now is the time for a transport - and therefore economic - revolution.

The previous ALP state government had a target for 20% of motorised transport mode share on public transport by 2020, and as a first step it is now time for the Andrews government to commit to new targets and allow Infrastructure Victoria to guide the way so as our emissions from transport rapidly reduce and we fully embrace cities as places for people, not cars.

From 2014: 40:40:20-2035, Striking a real balance in transport policy.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-12/melbourne-traffic-chaos/5886030">ABC</a>.
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After COP21 in Paris, maintaining cities as places for cars is even more laughable

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What is a metro? It's a good question and it has many answers. Not least because Australian rail systems don't neatly fit into categories like how people readily and easily classify rail networks in Asia, Europe and North America.

Using terms like heavy rail, metro (or subway), light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), tram (or streetcar) or bus network will generally be understood with little to no explanation and these generalist terms can be related to aspects of any city's public transport network.

It's only if a person wants to write or talk about a comparison of a heavy rail, bus or tram networks with those located in a different city that the marginally grey-yet-roughly-understood terms become deep ravines of multi-shade grey; with no clear path to use as a route through the confusion.

Alan Davies on his Crikey blog <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2015/12/02/what-the-hell-is-a-bloody-metro-anyway/">recently wrote on this topic</a> and the set of characteristics he talks about are summarised thus:

<blockquote>
There’s probably no correct answer, however here’s what I’d suggest are the key characteristics of a metro:

<ul>
<li>A high density of lines and stations forming a ‘grid’ pattern – there’s a station within a reasonable walk of virtually any origin or destination within the area of service.</li>
	<li>A large number of interchange stations at key ‘grid’ nodes – they provide connectedness by enabling travellers to transfer between lines.</li>
	<li>Very high frequencies – between 2 and 4 minutes during the day. Short headways maximise capacity and minimise waiting times.</li>
	<li>High capacity carriages – The emphasis is on standing rather than sitting. Wide doors allow quick loading and unloading.</li>
	<li>High speed – trains run in their own grade-separated right-of-way. Each line has a dedicated set of tracks from end to end.</li>
	<li>Long hours of operation – the metro is used for all trip purposes, not just commutes.</li>
</ul>
<cite>Alan Davies, <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2015/12/02/what-the-hell-is-a-bloody-metro-anyway/">What the hell is a bloody “metro” anyway?</a> (Crikey, December 02 2015)</cite>
</blockquote>

Of the three primary modes of public transport in Melbourne, I think the one which best fits within this set of characteristics is our tram network. It's not an exact match - nothing ever will be - because the Paris, Madrid, Montréal and Copenhagen metros; the London tube and overground; the New York and Toronto subways; the Chicago L, the Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok MRT/MTR are all quite different in scale, coverage, operational hours and capacity either at a macro level or on a line-by-line comparison level.

Likewise in other German cities what are effectively trams are called metros: Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg and their respective U-Bahn (Untergrundbahn or underground railway) networks are a primary example.

Sticking with Germany, if you look at any city's public transport map, you'll note little to no emphasis on different flavours of rail service is present; for example, <a href="http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/pdf/VBB-Liniennetz.pdf">here's Berlin</a>.

Hands up who's been to Berlin! Did you visit Alexanderplatz, FriedrichStraße, Museum Island, Tiergarten / Zoo or Hackescher Markt? Chances are you used the S-Bahn to get to / between these places, not the U-Bahn which would generally be considered more Berlin's "metro".

<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/f108_4708.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Tram congestion on Elizabeth Street. Image from Marcus Wong's Rail Gallery"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/f108_4708.jpg?itok=em-hWqCU" title="Tram congestion on Elizabeth Street. Image from Marcus Wong's Rail Gallery" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Tram congestion on Elizabeth Street. Image from Marcus Wong's <a href="http://railgallery.wongm.com/melbourne-trams-cbd-and-docklands/F108_4708.jpg">Rail Gallery</a></figcaption></figure>Melbourne's tram network has a high density of lines and interchanges (to a greater degree in the south and east, less so in the north) where there are multiple chances to change routes. Although not able to carry the same amount of people as a standard train, the capacity of a single tram line is greater than a bus network running with the same frequencies.

Trams have longer operational hours when you compare to the entire bus network and the frequencies on individual lines are respectable with anywhere between 7 and 15 minutes being the inter-peak norm.

High-speed, high capacity carriages and the "very high" part of the frequency equation are the clear characteristics which don't really fit for defining Melbourne's tram network as a metro. However that doesn't things can't change.

In among the transport news and comment in media elsewhere recently, trams and light rail had some headlines last week. The Rail Futures Group launched three papers on Friday, two of which had been present on the <a href="http://railfutures.org.au/">group's website</a> for some time, including the <a href="http://railfutures.org.au/files/TramsLightRailMelbourne.pdf">Trams and Light Rail in Melbourne's Transport Future paper</a>.

The authors advocate for renewed focus on Melbourne's tram network by recognising that Melbourne's tram network is vital to the local transport needs of the inner and middle suburbs of the north, east and south - the areas which are seeing significant growth - and that steps should be taken to improve speed and reliability of existing services as well as conduct a program of extending existing lines and tying it all together with better <a href="http://railfutures.org.au/files/150725PlanningPaperFinalDraft.pdf">metropolitan land use</a>.

The key component of speeding up and improving tram reliability is extending hook turns to all roads which have a tram route present and installing active priority systems at signalised intersections throughout the network so that when a tram approaches the intersection, lights turn red and stop traffic crossing the tram route and then allow the tram to move through the intersection without stopping.

The paper quotes research conducted for Plan Melbourne where average speeds on the current tram network can go as low as six kilometres per hour (kph) and the aim should be to raise the average speed of the classic street-based tram network to something comparable with other systems around the world, in the region of 16-24kph.

Likewise numerous line extensions to enable greater interconnectedness with other tram lines and heavy rail lines are present as well as three brand new light rail lines - like those being built in Sydney and recently completed on the Gold Coast - to Doncaster, Rowville and along Dynon and Ballarat Roads are being advocated.

The launch of the three papers are timely given Infrastructure Victoria is on its way to assessing the state's infrastructure needs, to which the Victorian Government is required to respond with a short-to-medium term infrastructure plan once the 30 year strategy from the statutory body is presented to Government.

<iframe height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=zLzjYwjjDBk0.kmmrcZVCvmUo&amp;ll=-37.81444,%20144.96251&amp;z=13" width="640"></iframe>

<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zLzjYwjjDBk0.kmmrcZVCvmUo">View larger map</a>

To me, a 'metro' should be technology and capacity blind, but to a point. The above is an attempt to (literally) blur the lines between heavy rail and trams. It has the existing tram network (green), with proposed extensions from the Rail Futures paper along with a couple of my own (all in red), the three new light rail lines (slightly thicker red lines) plus one that wasn't mentioned in the paper: Springvale Road.

The entire map is overlaid with how the heavy rail network would look like according to the <a href="/news">PTV heavy rail network plan</a> released back in 2012. No more lines dominated by the City Loop, but seven lines which flow in, through, and out of the city plus an eighth which is the Tullamarine airport line. I've indulged a little bit more here as well, all of which will be explained and form the basis of future articles.

The lack of stations and interchange points as visual markers as you'd expect on a public transport map is entirely deliberate. The point is to highlight paths throughout the city irrespective of mode (and therefore capacity/speed) and direction.

Interchange with other lines and modes - the characteristic I'd weight the most when asking the question what makes a metro a metro - is obvious when you view the city at this macro level. Just like when you view a <a href="http://parisbytrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/paris-metro-map.jpg">map of Paris and the metro is depicted indifferently to the RER</a> and when you look at a map of Berlin, the U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines are barely distinguishable.

Melbourne's heavy rail network is on a path to greater frequencies thanks to level crossings being removed, the <a href="/news/a-closer-look-at-the-latest-round-of-melbourne-metro-station-designs">Melbourne Metro Rail project</a>, a new signalling system and higher-capacity trains being introduced.

If tram speeds were increased, with reliability improved through altered road rules outside the CBD and more dedicated rights-of-way were built in existing corridors, cross-town routes built in areas where there are none, vehicles the size of the E-class (or larger) deployed en masse, and space for people prioritised higher than space for cars became the guiding principle for network investment; then who's to say the tram network couldn't legitimately be called Melbourne's metro?

Lead image credit: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Guimard">Wikipedia</a>.
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What is Melbourne's metro? What could it be?

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City of Casey recently approved a multi-building development in Berwick which has paved the way for the municipality's first entry on the Apartments.com.au Project Database.

1-9 &amp; 11-17 Lyall Road sits on a prime site at the bottom of Berwick hill, set back from the suburb's main intersection. The proponent is a developer using the entity name Sheradar Pty Ltd and the four building development has been designed by <a href="http://www.bcarch.net/">Baldasso Cortese</a>.

The project will see a residential and serviced apartment building join an individual 'market hall' retail offering and two office buildings with ground floor retail. Baldasso Cortese's architectural design statement shows the project will seek to initiate the following:

<blockquote>
Response to an urban edge condition by reinforcing a strong activated streetscape through reimagining the modern main street, along Lyall Road.

Creation of a new public urban space that provides a much needed meeting place for Berwick and an open, sheltered environment with filtered skylights providing ample daylight. Imagery and paving will reflect the strong agricultural past of the region.

Create a mixed-use development that includes retail, commercial, food and beverage, serviced apartments and residential uses

Create a Market Hall style food offering, book-ended by the larger scale commercial development, that provides a rich, high quality setting for dining and produce during both day and night.

Create a variety of engaging retail settings including main street shops, town square cafes and a lane-way type connections between the car park and Lyall Road

Design activated facades to the car park to provide security, over-looking and engagement

Design the built form on the corner of Lyall Road and Anne Street to respond to the Gateway setting and an important visual connection to the Princes Highway junction.
<cite>Baldasso Cortese</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/aerial_view.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Overview of the project site. Image supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="258" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/aerial_view.jpg?itok=CJQCQBSY" title="Overview of the project site. Image supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Overview of the project site. Image supplied</figcaption></figure>The five level gateway building located on the corner of Lyall Road and Anne Street will include 30 serviced apartments in a variety of configurations on the ground and first floors while the second, third and forth floors will include 20 residential apartments.

Most interestingly, of the 20 private apartments located on the three upper floors, there will be no 1 bedroom apartments with 2 and 3 bedroom apartments prevalent. Planning documents also suggest they will be large: 3 x 3 bedroom apartments will be on the top floor with a total of 370 square metres of space between them.

<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/lyall_rd_st_view.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The project will include new retail premises for Berwick Town centre"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="258" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/lyall_rd_st_view.jpg?itok=occ1qgBR" title="The project will include new retail premises for Berwick Town centre" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The project will include new retail premises for Berwick Town Centre</figcaption></figure>The majority of car parking for the project will be located below ground with the only surface spaces confined to the rear of the site and perhaps the best aspect of the project is the focus on an attractive, active ground level fronting Lyall Road.

Upon completion, Lyall Road will become a great case study in the history of suburban development in Melbourne. The Google Street View below shows the aspect when looking from the project site to the other side of the road.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1449667684105!6m8!1m7!1s_ajivozKVZ0vuxT4WffC-Q!2m2!1d-38.03005599491508!2d145.3451867177946!3f119.91995137491514!4f-1.8611280219058841!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

Many may think of Berwick simply as a late 90's, early 2000's growth suburb, yet the region is diverse in its development patterns. From the old school grid layout lying to the east of Berwick's centre, to the horribly narrow cul-de-sac streets of the Timbara estate located just east of the Monash Freeway/Hallam bypass.

Despite the suburban (most definitely not rural!) view of Berwick, it is no stranger to modestly higher densities with townhouses present throughout the older areas. This project's approval signifies the evolution of Berwick's housing diversity.
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Outer suburban Berwick to get an urban development injection

Following on from <a href="/news/welcome-to-boom-town-melbournes-low-rise-high-density-projects-in-one-long-list">Friday's list of 2, 3 and 4 floor low-rise high-density projects</a>, today we're looking exclusively at projects which have either 5 or 6 floors.

There are 243 current projects in the list below and while the overwhelming majority of projects are residential, there are a few notable commercial projects such as the ABC's expansion of its offices and broadcast facilities on <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, the <a href="/developments/burnley-vic-3121">East Edge Botannica</a> project in Richmond and <a href="/developments/hawthorn-vic-3122">8 Hall Street</a> in Hawthorn.

Factoring in purely residential projects, the list of projects below yields 10,781 dwellings from planning assessment to construction.

<h2>The low-rise high-density story</h2>

Combining the numbers across both lists - that is, buildings with 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 floors - there are just under 18,000 dwellings across 453 projects (2 more low-rise projects have been added since Friday's article). 46% of all projects on Apartments.com.au <a href="/developments">Project Database</a> have 6 or less floors.

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">Project Status</th>
			<th class="rtecenter" scope="col">Number of Projects</th>
			<th class="rtecenter" scope="col">Number of Dwellings</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Planning Assessment</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">99</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">4175</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Approved</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">97</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">3866</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Registration and Sales</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">141</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">5116</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Under Construction</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">116</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">4808</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Total</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">453</td>
			<td class="rtecenter">17,965</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Furthermore Apartments.com.au has site area data on 214 of the 453 projects outlined in the table above; this subset has an average of 312 dwellings per hectare. Dwellings per hectare = 10,000 ÷ (Site Area m2 ÷ Dwellings).

Where Friday's list has projects which provide a good insight into what is possible in the residential growth zone throughout the Metropolitan area, today's list looks at the small step up into areas where suburban structure plans encourage higher-density development.

See <a href="/news/welcome-to-boom-town-melbournes-low-rise-high-density-projects-in-one-long-list">Friday's article</a> for the list of projects with 2, 3 or 4 floors.

And it's over to the Project Database once again. Here's the list of projects with either 5 or 6 floors.

Melbourne's low-rise high-density: all projects with 5 or 6 floors in one long list

<html><body>
It's very easy to assume that Melbourne is only building skyscrapers and high-rise towers in the inner city and low-density detached housing on the fringes.  Skyscraper proposals attract headlines across a wide range of media outlets but there's an equally huge story of Melbourne's current development scene that is easily overlooked.

What of the middle ground between skyscraper or sprawl?  There are in fact hundreds of small stature apartment projects in Melbourne's suburbs that are easily glossed over.

At the time of writing there are 983 projects listed on the Apartments.com.au Project Database.  208 of those are made up of either 2, 3 or 4 floors and when combined contain over 7,000 dwellings across all phases of the development cycle: that is from planning to construction.

If the search criteria is expanded to include projects up to and including 5 floors, the total number of projects rockets up to 339 with over 12,000 dwellings in play.

The following (long!) list is every low-rise project with either 2, 3 or 4 floors that Apartments.com.au is tracking on within our  <a href="/developments">Project Database</a>.  <a href="/">Data Portal</a> subscribers can pull this information directly by exporting the database and filtering through a spreadsheet program like Excel or OpenOffice Calc.

I'm going to let the database do the talking from this point on - so get off your mobile, turn your tablet to portrait layout or jump on a desktop/laptop: here's Melbourne's low-rise high-density story.
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Welcome to boom-town: Melbourne's low-rise high-density projects in one long list

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The Melbourne Metro authority has announced it is seeking to assess the private sector's interest in participating on the Melbourne Metro project. According to the Registration of Interest form found on the <a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/about-the-project/tenders-and-service-providers">authority's website</a>, an early works packages will be delivered under a Managing Contractor model with expressions of interest closing in late December 2015.

The Registration of Interest form points to five proposed work packages with an availability private-public partnership (PPP) type package to build the tunnels, stations (including fit-outs) as well as installing the mechanical and electrical systems and the maintenance of the infrastructure.

The other four packages include two alliance packages for the construction of the eastern portal in South Yarra and another for the implementation of a high capacity singalling system, overhead traction power installation and a train control system.

A 'wider network enhancements' package which according to the Registration of Interest document will relate to the installation of turnbacks and signalling system upgrades across the wider existing rail network along with the early works package rounds out the five listed in Appendix A.

<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/mmr_eoi.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Appendix A listing the proposed works packages for Melbourne Metro"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="817" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mmr_eoi.png?itok=Jycux3ZJ" title="Appendix A listing the proposed works packages for Melbourne Metro" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/about-the-project/tenders-and-service-providers">Appendix A</a> listing the proposed works packages for Melbourne Metro</figcaption></figure>A PPP generally involves the private sector organising project finance, builds (and owns) the infrastructure and then provides it to the state to use and receives a payment in return; this is how the Peninsula Link was structured.

<blockquote>
There will be significant opportunities for private sector involvement in the $9-11 billion project, with opportunities for a range of contractors, designers and suppliers.

<ul>
<li>An availability based Public Private Partnership valued at approximately $5 billion will include design and construction of the twin nine-kilometre tunnels and five underground stations, private finance and the provision of maintenance and other services during the operating term. The EOI for the PPP contract is expected to be released in mid 2016.</li>
	<li>Certain early works will be delivered under a separate contract, including utility services relocation and protection and other site preparatory works. The EOI for this early works contract will be released in November 2015.</li>
	<li>There will be several Alliance packages to deliver works that need to be integrated with the existing rail network in a live operational environment.</li>
	<li>We will be looking to partner with companies with knowledge and experience in managing complex projects in busy urban environments.</li>
</ul>
<cite>Melbourne Metro Rail: <a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/about-the-project/tenders-and-service-providers">Tenders and Service Providers</a></cite>
</blockquote>

Underline and bold emphasis is mine: the proposed PPP package component states it will have an approximate value of $5 billion or half the total $9-11 billion cost. To compare, you can see a breakdown of the Sydney Metro contracts in the <a href="/news">Sydney Metro forum thread</a>.
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Melbourne Metro Authority seeks industry registrations of interest

<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.

&nbsp;

[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

<main data-perf-region="main">
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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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

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Alastair Taylor

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