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Mid year Apartments.com.au published <a href="/expert-insights/buying/adding-value-one-block-at-a-time">an article by Councillor Arron Wood</a>, Chair of the Environment portfolio and Deputy Chair of the Economic Development portfolio for the City of Melbourne. In the article Councilor Wood highlighted City of Melbourne's growing population which of course was fueling the increase in higher density living.

As a by-product the article noted the following and what the Government-backed Smart Blocks program could do to counter these trends:

<blockquote>
We also know that residential mid and high-rise buildings are energy intensive, currently contributing 13% of carbon emissions in the city.

Improving the efficiency of apartment buildings is therefore an important component of Melbourne’s Zero Net Emissions by 2020 strategy (February 2014).
<cite>Councillor Aaron Wood</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/image6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="122" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image6.jpg?itok=pp_EXG1X" title="Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart</figcaption></figure>Some months later and Apartments.com.au has spoken to Smart Blocks and we endorse what the Government-funded outfit is seeking to achieve. In order to better understand the aim of the program, this time with strata managers in focus, Smart Blocks provided the following commentary:

<blockquote>
Strata managers are seeing the value of upgrading the energy efficiency of their buildings, with some impressive results. Private residential and commercial buildings have a smorgasbord of schemes and incentives to make energy efficiency improvements.

But until recently, strata buildings languished in the too-hard basket. With the tangled interests of owners, investors and tenants all under the same roof — and a complex strata environment to navigate — the options were limited. At last that’s all changed with Smart Blocks' free program which is jam packed with advice and tools to help managers and owners make their buildings energy efficient.

As energy prices soar, local councils are getting on board too, offering advice, support and impressive rebates. Strata managers are increasingly finding Smart Blocks is a valuable addition to their offering. Many are working to tune up all the buildings in their portfolios.

Melbourne-based property management group The Knight Alliance sees Smart Blocks’ tools as providing vital market differentiation. “To say ‘We are Smart Blocks managers’ shows we’re progressive and proactive,” says the company's Gregor Evans.

As all buildings are different, the program has developed toolkits so managers can audit each building to quickly determine the feasibility and impact of different projects. Smart Blocks has also streamlined the process of getting projects started. Templates — from drafting a motion of intent to developing a business case for proposed projects — guide managers through each step along the way.

Smart Blocks can also connect buildings to rebates and incentives, so projects are cost-effective and have impressive financial benefits. The Knight Alliance is currently looking into working with Smart Blocks to provide training for all of their property managers. This will give managers the ability to easily audit buildings and develop energy saving strategies.

Property manager Alvin Diamond from Property Professionals sees Smart Blocks as a natural extension of his business. He sees introducing energy-saving measures as a no-brainer. In fact, all of his buildings are on the path to becoming Smart Blocks. ​

<ul>
<li>Make Smart Blocks a core part of your strata management. It’s free, flexible and the financial benefits are impressive.</li>
	<li>Start with quick wins. Switching to LED lighting is easy and pays for itself, so do it first. Look out for motion sensor-triggered lights so they’re not on 24/7, to save even more.</li>
	<li>To get owners corporations on side, put together a clear business case for investment in each energy efficiency project, with data on financial benefits and payback periods.</li>
	<li>Try negotiating with energy retailers to see if you can get a better deal for your buildings.</li>
	<li>Look into solar systems further down the track, so you can see the successive benefit of completed energy saving projects and get the right sized system for the building’s reduced needs.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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silvermb

Energy efficiency - Strata managers get smart

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The first of the 'CBD Four' officially marked its beginning of construction yesterday as Probuild now controls the site that will become Victoria One, a 241 metre residential tower spanning 75 levels. Joining Victoria One shortly will be three additional residential towers which will complete the 'CBD Four' as Apartments.com.au has dubbed them.

All four developments are the swift work of Asian-backed local property developers and lead a new wave of high-rise residential towers sweeping through inner Melbourne. Incidentally the four are all the handy work of local design firm Elenberg Fraser, reflecting the dominant position they hold within the market.

<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/onetower_architecture_gallery_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Staking its place. image courtesy victoria-one.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="357" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/onetower_architecture_gallery_3.jpg?itok=YQKA5ty2" title="Staking its place. image courtesy victoria-one.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Staking its place. image courtesy victoria-one.com.au</figcaption></figure>Due for completion late 2017, Victoria One is Golden Age Group’s largest project to date and is slated to be the tallest residential tower within Melbourne's CBD upon completion. 95% of the tower's available 629 apartments have been sold within the project which is valued at $350 million.

Located on the corner of Elizabeth and Franklin Streets in Melbourne, Victoria One will be highly visible upon completion owing to its distinctive green facade and vertical metallic fins which will catch and cast sunlight at different points of the day. Designed to mimic Victoria’s famous landscapes, "The fluid façade appears soft and yielding like the local parks, oceans and rivers. Green glazing with gold highlights gives a botanic feel" as described on the Elenberg Fraser website.

<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/img_2712.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The now closed display suite living on borrowed time"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="363" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_2712.jpg?itok=hhf1evGz" title="The now closed display suite living on borrowed time" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The now closed display suite living on borrowed time</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say</h2>

<blockquote>
The market is buoyant, but I believe in still being cautious and building apartments that are aspirational and of high quality – these types of projects will find buyers in any market.

We are pleased to be working with Probuild, a company that shares our commitment to quality and speed. They are a group that has emerged as a leader in high density residential construction in Melbourne and will bring strong local expertise to this project.
<cite>Jeff Xu, Golden Age Group founder</cite>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
You don’t get an opportunity to build the tallest building in a city every day. To have the opportunity to deliver a building that will change Melbourne’s skyline is an exciting prospect.

There is definitely incredible growth in high-rise apartment living that we haven’t seen in our 27 plus years in Melbourne. It signals a change in people’s desire to live closer to the city. People are pushing through that psychological barrier that says we need a home and land. Victoria One represents this change in thinking as well as a change in dynamic as younger generations embrace city living over the traditional great Australian dream of a quarter acre block.
<cite>Dean Lockhart, Victorian managing director Probuild</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/image18.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An Elenberg Fraser role call"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="227" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image18.jpg?itok=VXusQzcW" title="An Elenberg Fraser role call" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An Elenberg Fraser role call</figcaption></figure>Some readers will know that one of the CBD Four, Tower Melbourne, began demolition in excess of a year ago only for CEL Australia to be mired down in legal wrangling with a fellow Singaporean developer controlling the adjoining site. With that matter now settled Tower Melbourne is expected to begin demolition once more shortly.

Of the others ICD Property's EQ. Tower is 100% sold while a handful of apartments remain in Hengyi's Light House Melbourne, directly opposite Victoria One. Demolition on the latter two is also expected to start prior to years end allowing for all four to rise simultaneously over the course of the next two to three years, while injecting in the vicinity of 2420 apartments into Melbourne's CBD upon completion.

Come 2017, the CBD will look immensely different and Victoria One will be leading the charge.
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Victoria One - First of the 'CBD four' begins construction

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The Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee will tomorrow consider the merits of one of two proposed towers that prolific Melbourne-based apartment developer Central Equity currently has under consideration with State planning body DTPLI. While the nearby 54-68 Kavanagh Street has been <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/southbank-tower-boom-going-strong-20141017-117ri8">reported</a> to be 165 metres, Central Equity have also sought to extend a previously approved scheme at 1-11 Balston Street, Southbank.

Marking the final and potentially tallest stage of the Southbank Central/Blood Bank super-site development which began in excess of twelve years ago, 1-11 Balston Street has raised a number of concerns within a report which provides guidance to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee.

<h2>Planning application summary</h2>

<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/epi_20130205.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The site in question with fellow Central Equity project Epic during its construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="388" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/epi_20130205.jpg?itok=1LydTryf" title="The site in question with fellow Central Equity project Epic during its construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The site in question with fellow Central Equity project Epic to the rear during 2013</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Current site use: Central Equity display suite.</li>
	<li>Application for amendment lodged July 2014.</li>
	<li>Developer &amp; architect: Central Equity.</li>
	<li>48-storey building with residential apartments at 147.7 metres.</li>
	<li>557 apartments (336*1 / 169*2 / 51*3).</li>
	<li>269 car parking spaces &amp; 389 bicycles.</li>
	<li>GFA: 52,616sqm.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Sized up</h2>

Initial plans had seen a 34 level residential tower given the green light which was to have contained 382 apartments with 150 two bedrooms options. The revised application seeks 557 apartments with two bedrooms options increasing marginally to 169 as one bedroom dwellings more than double from 142 in the initial scheme to 336.

The increase in height from 104.65 metres to 147.7 metres has brought with it the issue of overshadowing according to the report. Directly to the west lies the former JH Boyd School site which has essentially been portioned into three sections, two of which are a community centre and proposed urban park.

The report notes that in general, local policy suggests any development should not reduce the amenity of public spaces by casting any additional shadows, even though the expected urban park is slated for construction during 2016.

<h2>Podium poppycock?</h2>

<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/image7a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The podium as seen within the future Melbourne report. Image © Central Equity"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="336" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image7a.jpg?itok=e3Z1j8m3" title="The podium as seen within the future Melbourne report. Image © Central Equity" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The podium as seen within the future Melbourne report. Image © Central Equity</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
As a result of the increased building height and increased number of apartments from 382 to 557, the building services have been revised including the relocation and increase in the size of the substation from Balston Street non-heritage fabric (as currently approved) to City Road

It is now proposed to accommodate an enlarged substation within two of the existing openings in the City Road remnant heritage façade.
<cite>Report to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee</cite>
</blockquote>

In addition angular awnings have been added to the heritage facade in order to negate increased wind conditions due to the taller tower. The glass and alucobond clad steel framed awning seeks to replace a pergola style louvre and sunshade system at podium terrace level, and canvas awnings at ground level.

This coupled with the loss of the two aforementioned City Road facade openings will lead to an adverse impact on the heritage façade and reduction in active street frontages according to the report.

<h2>City of Melbourne advised to reject</h2>

Although not a binding decision, the Report to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee recommends that a letter be sent to DTPLI advising that the City of Melbourne objects to 1-11 Balston Street.

<blockquote>
The proposed increase in height is inconsistent with the 100m height limit for the area, would increase overshadowing of the proposed park, and would exacerbate wind conditions (resulting in inappropriate awnings).

Further, the increased number of apartments would generate increased demand in ground floor service areas, resulting in decreased active frontages on City Road, loss of a street tree, and unacceptable intrusion into the retained heritage fabric.
<cite>Report to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Comment</h2>

More a general observation but what can be deduced from the general design ethos Central Equity employs? Certainly the repetitive nature of their recent towers, namely <a href="/buildings/southbank-grand-151-city-road-southbank">Southbank Grand</a>, <a href="/buildings/australis-601-little-lonsdale-street-melbourne">Australis</a> and <a href="/buildings/melbourne-one-618-lonsdale-street-melbourne">Melbourne One</a> are also reflected in the heightened 1-11 Balston Street design.

From afar it seems they are intent on producing a higher volume of apartments while implementing a degree of design simplicity; A to B with minimum fuss which to my way of thinking draws a parallel to the low-cost airline model?

This segment of the market exists and Central Equity clearly have a winning formula given the rate at which the firm can release, sell and realise their projects in rapid succession; in fact their efficiency is impressive. But what are the consequences of having masses of generic towers churned out with monotonous regularity?

Some would argue look no further than Southbank, although with their current projects and the purchase of the 556-566 Lonsdale Street and 13-25 Healeys Lane development site, Central Equity continues to push into the CBD. Central Equity have over their history gradually increased the size of their towers to currently sit in the 145-165 metre bracket; what prospects of a Central Equity-designed 200 metre tower in the not too distant future?
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Central Equity seeking size > 1-11 Balston Street, Southbank

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During the course of last year Apartments.com.au touched upon the sizeable regeneration of the <a href="/news/regenerating-office-buildings-on-bourke">St James</a> complex which at its heart included a rejuvenated urban plaza and increased retail spaces in order to enliven the otherwise underutilised public space.

Initially designed by international architectural firm Skidmore Owings Merrill and completed during 1969, the recent redevelopment coupled with prime frontage to Bourke Street and William Street has allowed St James to not only remain relevant but provided the opportunity to create a new type of retail focus in the CBD's ever changing retail sector.

In order to further understand St James from a retail perspective Apartments.com.au spoke with CBRE Manager of Retail Leasing, Zelman Ainsworth.

<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/image_6_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Retail uptake with St James remains strong. Image courtesy CBRE"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="472" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image_6_0.jpg?itok=MGvHjwJv" title="Retail uptake with St James remains strong. Image courtesy CBRE" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Retail uptake with St James remains strong. Image courtesy CBRE</figcaption></figure>Key to St James' retail strategy was to initiate a village style retail experience that differentiates itself from other CBD retail hubs. No mass marketing was conducted while leasing the 24 available retail spaces, rather a considered process of hand-picking retailers was undertaken in order to generate the correct mix of retail that otherwise doesn't exist within the CBD.

Live bands and evening trading Wednesday through Friday has assisted in establishing a relaxed, almost market atmosphere at the foot of the dual office buildings which are near on 100% leased. Zelman Ainsworth goes further to explain CBRE as leasing agent has and continues to seek out retailers with a story, that is no franchises but retailers who have created their own presence or vision which by and large began outside of Melbourne's CBD.

The most recent examples are Sorry, Thanks I Love You, Toms Shoes, Rollies and Il Migliore who have come on as pop up venues prior to the Christmas trading period. The designer retail brands are in addition to outlets such as Pok Pok Jnr, Famish’d and Simply Spanish who chose St James as their first first port of call beyond their South Melbourne Market digs.

This unique mix of boutique and first-time CBD retailers has paid dividends according to Zelman Ainsworth with all retailers trading above forecasts. Herringbone for example has found their St James outlet more lucrative than their corresponding Collins Street address.

With 5 of the available 24 available available for lease, the pop up stores have sought to activate these spaces in the interim. At about 90 square metres in size and carrying extra high ceilings, these pop up venues resemble galley spaces rather than screaming retail to prospective customers.

<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/image_12_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Pop-up shop anyone? Image courtesy CBRE"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="515" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image_12_0.jpg?itok=UHqUUyec" title="Pop-up shop anyone? Image courtesy CBRE" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Pop-up shop anyone? Image courtesy CBRE</figcaption></figure>The renaissance of this part of the CBD has in part been brought on by the mass level of commercial and residential development occurring in the western reaches of the CBD and adjoining Docklands precinct. This has served to drag and/or expand the heart of the city core westward into the legal precinct with its concentration of high yielding tenants and workers.

Zelman Ainsworth noted that transient Docklands workers also utilise the area, giving further impetus to the boutique retail and leisure precinct which includes the predominantly food-based retail offerings of the neighbouring CBW complex and soon to open precinct at The William whose retail spaces will cater for residential needs.

Running north-south the trio of developments combined have heralded a new retail precinct of which St James is the most dynamic.
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St James Retail brings a market-style experience to the CBD

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The last week or so has seen in the vicinity of 30 new medium to high-density residential entries added to the Apartments.com.au <a href="/developments">Project Database</a>, along with numerous existing database listing upgrades as proponents of the next wave of apartment projects ready themselves for their respective sales campaigns.

In the course of adding these fresh projects it became evident that this 'next wave' of new apartment projects has Melbourne's suburbs in mind; certainly no tsunami but an appreciable shift toward more non-core localities. That is to say no new listings have been added for Docklands, Southbank or Melbourne's CBD.

<h2>Far and wide</h2>

The suburbs located within a 4-12 kilometre band of the CBD look to be the current sweet shop for developers seeking to deliver new apartment projects. Not all new listings are bound to this nominal bracket, yet the majority are.

New Apartments.com.au Project Database listings include the following locations within the nominated band:

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1">
<thead><tr>
<th>Project</th>
			<th>Suburb</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="/new-apartments/essendon-vic-3040">The Nursery</a></td>
			<td>Essendon</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/the-standard-brighton-209-bay-street-brighton">The Standard</a></td>
			<td>Brighton</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/evergreen-1-westley-avenue-ivanhoe">Evergreen Ivanhoe</a></td>
			<td>Ivanhoe</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Purnell Apartments</td>
			<td>Northcote</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/luma-windsor-windsor">Luma</a></td>
			<td>Windsor</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Seed Preston</td>
			<td>Preston</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/rosny-waterline-place-55-nelson-place-williamstown">Rosny - Waterline Place</a></td>
			<td>Williamstown</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/new-apartments/coburg-vic-3058">Major Anderson Apartments</a></td>
			<td>Coburg</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/new-apartments/22-bendigo-street-richmond">Centre Stage</a></td>
			<td>Richmond</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/bellview-apartments-5-blanch-street-preston">Bellview Apartments</a></td>
			<td>Preston</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>River Walk</td>
			<td>Kensington</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/881-armadale-881-high-street-armadale">H A I</a></td>
			<td>Armadale</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/miamia-85-nicholson-street-brunswick-east">MiaMia</a></td>
			<td>Brunswick East</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/new-apartments/688-690-high-street-thornbury">688 High Street</a></td>
			<td>Thornbury</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/buildings/george-windsor-1-peel-street-windsor">George Windsor</a></td>
			<td>Windsor</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image50.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A selection of current residential projects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="260" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image50.jpg?itok=7qjauW6j" title="A selection of current residential projects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A selection of current residential projects</figcaption></figure>Beyond those suburbs listed above further projects have also announced themselves of late. Seen above are Canterbury Hill, 28-30 Warwick Avenue, <a href="/buildings/kubix-stage-2-404-burwood-highway-wantirna-south">Kubix Stage 2</a>, <a href="/buildings/curlew-apartments-5-curlew-court-doncaster">Curlew</a> and <a href="/developments/box-hill-vic-3128">Whitehorse Towers</a> which represent the next tranche of projects that are currently at sales or are about to embark upon their sales campaign. Surrey Hills, Springvale, Wantirna South, Doncaster and Box Hill are the represented suburbs.

<h2>A project representative of the times</h2>

There are greater attention grabbing suburban projects such as <a href="/new-apartments/sky-one-box-hill-545-563-station-street-box-hill">Sovereign Square Box Hill</a> at 33 levels, yet if one project is representative of the change that has engulfed Melbourne's suburbs (in attitudes and planning outcomes) in recent years, it may just be <a href="/buildings/evergreen-1-westley-avenue-ivanhoe">Evergreen Ivanhoe</a>. A project of this size in this locale was surely unfathomable a few short years ago, but as seen below the freshly revealed project looks set to take its place as Ivanhoe's largest high-density development.

As Kokoda Property Group's latest offering, Evergreen Ivanhoe at 8 levels will hold an impressive 157 apartments; by far and away the largest apartment development in Ivanhoe.

<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/ivanhoe_v03_s_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Evergreen Ivanhoe. Image courtesy Kokoda Property Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="263" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ivanhoe_v03_s_1.jpg?itok=M3ACzgq7" title="Evergreen Ivanhoe. Image courtesy Kokoda Property Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Evergreen Ivanhoe. Image courtesy Kokoda Property Group</figcaption></figure><h2>Evident current trends?</h2>

Much of 2014 has been subsumed both on Apartments.com.au and elsewhere with the indelible impression that Asian-backed property developers have made upon Melbourne. Only in the latter part of 2014 have local developers taken centre stage once more as the wave of large-scale inner-city apartment projects begins to be digested.

A obvious trend has emerged out of the latest Project Database listings whereby the vast majority of new and pending apartment developments are found in the middle and outer suburbs of Melbourne. Although only a few of the many variables that form the current Melbourne apartment market dynamic, a handful of likely factors that may contribute to the wider spread of upcoming apartment projects include:

<ul>
<li>Local developers favouring suburban sites as home grown demand for apartments remains strong for well considered, smaller-scale projects.</li>
	<li>The likelihood that local developers have been outbid on premier CBD and inner-city sites by foreign developers, forcing their hand to a degree into suburban apartment developments.</li>
	<li>The next stage of Melbourne's acceptance of apartment living, with a higher infiltration of apartment developments into previously underdeveloped suburbs such as <a href="/buildings/kubix-stage-2-404-burwood-highway-wantirna-south">Wantirna South</a>, <a href="/buildings/new-street-317-new-street-brighton">Brighton</a>, <a href="/buildings/archer-7-balcombe-road-mentone">Mentone</a> or <a href="/buildings/rosny-waterline-place-55-nelson-place-williamstown">Williamstown</a>.</li>
	<li>Local buyers or intended occupiers shunning the CBD and Southbank in favour of more intimate suburbs such as Northcote or <a href="/new-apartments/essendon-vic-3040">Essendon</a>; apartment living without the CBD lifestyle.</li>
</ul>
With the influx of new apartment development listings it seems that while the CBD and inner-city apartment market may be pausing to subsume the high number of apartments under construction or at sales, the suburban apartment market has surged ahead... and the overall Melbourne apartment sector marches on!
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New apartment listings into the Urban.com.au Project Database reveals a trend

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What began as a super-skinny office tower lodged for assessment during March 2014 recently progressed to a VCAT hearing in order to determine its worth. Designed to replace Queen Street's former Ironworkers Building, the commercial tower recently fell foul of City of Melbourne with notices of refusal posted both on September 17th and October 10th according to their online platform.

Last week Fairfax reported on the VCAT hearing in which City of Melbourne was shown to have concerns regarding the proposals lack of setbacks and excessive height.

<h2>Project summary</h2>

<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/4512_7095163_5_1354687700.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="338-344 Queen Street as is. Image courtesy Mulcahy &amp; Co"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="433" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/4512_7095163_5_1354687700.jpg?itok=Cbphwmd7" title="338-344 Queen Street as is. Image courtesy Mulcahy &amp; Co" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>338-344 Queen Street as is. Image courtesy Mulcahy &amp; Co</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>338-344 Queen Street, Melbourne</li>
	<li>Current use: four level office building</li>
	<li>36L tower at 130 metres</li>
	<li>Developer: 338 Queen Street Pty Ltd</li>
	<li>Architect: (understood to be) JAM Architects</li>
	<li>Value: approximately $100 million</li>
	<li>Site area: 290sqm</li>
	<li>11.000sqm office space</li>
	<li>Typical floor plate: approximately 220sqm</li>
	<li>VCAT decision pending</li>
</ul>
<h2>Slender does it</h2>

Given the tight dimensions of the tower floor plate, essential design requirements such as lift, stair and service core are located along the eastern boundary in order to maximise leasable/sellable space. Even so the tight dimensions suggest the tower if approved would be pitched toward strata owner/occupiers, as larger corporations have drifted toward larger open-plan office layouts in years gone by.

A tree motif has been designed into the eastern facade which predominantly consists of concrete. The tall, thin perimeter boundary is not the first design to employ such a method in order to provide a degree interest to a non-active wall; Most recently <a href="http://www.bh-architects.com/projects/selected/24-168-lonsdale-street-melbourne">168 Lonsdale Street</a> and <a href="/buildings/swanston-square-551-swanston-street-carlton">Swanston Square</a> have received similar treatments to their exterior.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image40.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Images courtesy Approval Systems"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="498" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image40.jpg?itok=mvUGQdYs" title="Images courtesy Approval Systems" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Images courtesy Approval Systems</figcaption></figure><h2>Comment</h2>

Of most interest are the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cbd-office-towers-dont-have-to-be-as-attractive-as-residential-developments-tribunal-hears-20141028-11d0wk#ixzz3HQ5t9rEY">comments</a> reported on by The Age last week quoting David Lock Associates Principal Mark Sheppard during his presentation to VCAT. "This is an office building, not a residential building. I think it is really important that we don't expect it to look like the Republic Tower."

The clear inference of the article was suggesting that CBD office towers don't have to be as attractive as residential developments. Without being at the hearing it's hard to determine the exact context in which Mark Sheppard's comments were delivered, but it's hard to swallow these comments as they were presented in The Age.

When in doubt I assume the truth always lies in the middle: a highly experienced urban design expert using every trick to gain ascendancy on behalf of his client and a media outlet doing what they do best, maximising the most out of a non-issue to garner an emotional response.

Does anyone actually think 338 Queen Street is aesthetically a terrible design? The design carries enough articulation to place it on par with many other Melbourne office projects such as <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">405 Bourke Street</a>, 727 Collins Street and <a href="http://www.apngroup.com.au/apn/funds/WPF/150CollinsStreet.aspx">150 Collins Street</a>; or are we just conditioned to the office tower being a glass box?

If there is an issue it's not 338 Queen Street or Mark Sheppard's comments per se, but the overall quality of all office towers within the city centre. And just like residential towers there are varying degrees of what individuals consider to be poor, good or excellent design.

One person's Republic Tower is another's concrete jungle.
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The super-skinny 338 Queen Street 

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<blockquote>
We get really obsessed with height - we can have great towers and bad towers, we need to shift the discussion more toward the quality of development.
<cite>Leanne Hodyl, <a href="/news/public-forum-city-in-crisis">IMPA's 'City in Crisis?' forum</a></cite>
</blockquote>

This interesting quote appeared in <a href="/expert-insights/buying/25-000sqm-threshold-yes-it-is-time-to-review-it">Alastair's article</a> on Monday, which delved into who should maintain planning authority over Melbourne. The notion of shifting focus more toward quality of development rather than height is a noble one, but it's simply not that straight forward.

A counter argument could be found in comments made during the recent Meinhardt tall towers seminar in which Meinhardt's Jon Brock essentially stated that people don't really care how tall a tower is beyond a certain point, tall is tall but what matters most is what occurs at street level. A vibrant, user friendly, interesting and varied street frontage is in fact the key to a development's quality.

A prime example of this has surfaced with PDS Group recently releasing a handful of high resolution images for 380 Lonsdale Street for which they will act as Project Manager and Superintendent.

<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/229.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's perspective from Lonsdale Street. Image courtesy PDS Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="909" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/229.jpg?itok=hCsmuD6b" title="Artist's perspective from Lonsdale Street. Image courtesy PDS Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's perspective from Lonsdale Street. Image courtesy PDS Group</figcaption></figure>So which is it? Height or quality? 380 Lonsdale Street proves in its most recent version you can have both. The Elenberg Fraser-designed tower may well stand at 217 metres when realised which is approximately 55 metres higher than the initial Spowers design.

Below is a comparison between the two designs highlighting the all-important ground level which shows the current Elenberg Fraser design to hold a higher level of interest, activity and greenery. Active glass frontages and green planters seek to replace uniform composite panels; both shroud above ground car parking yet one does so in a more aesthetically pleasing fashion.

There's no intended slight against Spowers, their version after all gained approval via the State Government, but there's little doubt that Elenberg Fraser's provides a heightened quality to the public domain.

<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/image4380.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Images courtesy PDS Group and spowers"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="590" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image4380.jpg?itok=HdyQcqKp" title="Images courtesy PDS Group and spowers" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Images courtesy PDS Group and Spowers</figcaption></figure>380 Lonsdale Street in its current form goes to show that the questions of height and quality aren't bound together in an inverse relationship. They are separate issues and should be treated as such.

Railing against buildings purely for their height serves no purpose to my way of thinking. Asking for alterations and/or rejecting planning applications based more so upon what they deliver or fail to deliver to the streetscape, or indeed what they replace is of more relevance than any question over height.
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Quality development begins at street level

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The next installment of Lend Lease's Victoria Harbour precinct appears to be near with a clutch of images online prior to the project heading through the necessary channels. Eagle-eyed Apartments.com.au member Nicholas Harrison unearthed the images of 889 Collins Street which have appeared on a handful of Chinese property websites.

It must be said Apartments.com.au's grasp of Chinese is not exactly up to scratch so we're not inferring the apartments are for sale, but the preliminary images do nonetheless appear on numerous websites catering toward Chinese apartment buyers. I'd hazard a guess and say it's likely interest is being garnered for the forthcoming project.

<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/image68.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Images sourced via off-shore websites"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="182" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image68.jpg?itok=Z7OpCc3V" title="Images sourced via off-shore websites" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Images sourced via off-shore websites</figcaption></figure>Perched on the southern bank of Victoria Harbour, images indicate 889 Collins Street consists of two residential towers on the vicinity of 31 and 25 levels. Both towers sit atop a large, active podium which looks to front both Collins Street and Corporation Road.

Given both towers seem to be of a residential nature, the project can expect in excess of 400 apartments if the adjoining <a href="/buildings/888-collins-street-docklands">888 Collins Street</a> is any example. To 889 Collins Street's east lies a number of as yet unrealised commercial buildings, namely <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic">875 Collins Street</a> and <a href="/developments/docklands-vic-3008">839 Collins Street</a> while a vast tract of land stretches west from the intended site to Bolte Bridge.

<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/image62vh.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="888 Collins Street render courtesy Woods Bagot &amp; all three sites in view"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="251" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image62vh.jpg?itok=H1VOPMjk" title="888 Collins Street render courtesy Woods Bagot &amp; all three sites in view" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>888 Collins Street render courtesy Woods Bagot &amp; all three sites in view</figcaption></figure>Directly opposite the expected 889 Collins Street sits Lend Lease's two current builds, namely <a href="/buildings/888-collins-street-docklands">888 Collins Street</a> and <a href="/buildings/concavo-8-waterside-place-docklands">Concavo</a>. After securing excellent presales, the Woods Bagot-designed 888 Collins Street is in its construction infancy while Concavo seen above is now beyond half its eventual height.

With designs from Bates Smart (Conveso &amp; Concavo), Hayball (Docklands Library and adjoining Community Hub) and Woods Bagot (888 Collins Street) jostling for honours around the Collins and Bourke intersection, 889 Collins Street represents a breath of fresh air for Victoria Harbour in that a new architect enters the fray with their first Melbourne project. Sydney-based <a href="http://koichitakada.com/">Koichi Takada Architects</a> are nominated as the firm behind 889 Collins Street.

If the existing Koichi Takada designs below prove to be an apt reference, 889 Collins Street promises to hold its own in both quality and location.

<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/image63_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image © Koichi Takada Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="248" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image63_1.jpg?itok=3F032jdX" title="Image © Koichi Takada Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image © Koichi Takada Architects</figcaption></figure>
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889 Collins Street next for Lend Lease's  Victoria Harbour?

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The central city's two planning bodies have been on other sides of the ledger in recent years, with Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and State Planning Minister Matthew Guy both publicly butting heads over many contentious planning applications.

As far back as 2012 when Lord Major Doyle referred to '<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/lord-mayor-mayor-and-planning-minister-matthew-guy-at-war-after-urban-ghettoes-comment/story-e6frf7kx-1226532452764">urban ghetto</a>' higher density living precincts, and either side haven't quite been able to find common ground. During September 2014, City of Melbourne called for the release of planning advice/documents in order to publicly demystify the rationale over a handful of big ticket projects which were given the green light by the incumbent Planning Minister.

The gulf between the two bodies was exacerbated this week with <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rejection-of-skyscraper-for-political-reasons-not-planning-says-councillor-20141026-11c3yk#ixzz3HI1NGUvt">reports</a> that the intended <a href="/buildings/collins-arch-447-collins-street-melbourne">447 Collins Street</a> proposal had been rejected by Matthew Guy, even after City of Melbourne took the unusual step of giving support for the tower which would overshadow Southbank. Further 168 Victoria Street which will be known as <a href="/buildings/swanston-central-168-victoria-street-carlton">Hemisphere Apartments</a> was approved by the Planning Minister this week, despite overshadowing the State Library forecourt at certain times of the year.

<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/33f9009dfe277226520fc49be4f69c2f.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Going sideways? SHoP Architects image of 447 Collins Street"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="416" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/33f9009dfe277226520fc49be4f69c2f.jpg?itok=0MPCclpd" title="Going sideways? SHoP Architects image of 447 Collins Street" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Going sideways? SHoP Architects image of 447 Collins Street</figcaption></figure>So it came to be yesterday that Planning minister Guy <a href="/news/planning-minister-releases-departmental-officer-reports">released departmental officer reports</a> relating to the decisions made regarding all central city planning applications. City of Melbourne yesterday evening released the following statement:

<blockquote>
The City of Melbourne acknowledges the decision by Planning Minister Matthew Guy to publish advice from the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure for planning applications that fall within his authority. The decision is consistent with a resolution of the Future Melbourne Committee of 9 September 2014.

Chair of Planning, Cr Ken Ong, said the City of Melbourne was experiencing unprecedented growth and the publication of Departmental advice would help to inform the planning process.

During this period of rapid growth, there has been a marked increase in the number of applications falling within the Minister’s responsibility. Many of these developments are of major importance for the City and there is a wealth of information behind each decision.

Deputy Chair of Planning, Cr Stephen Mayne also welcomed the decision.

The Minister is to be commended for making the planning process more open and transparent, said Cr Stephen Mayne, Deputy Chair of the Planning Portfolio. Since 2013, the City of Melbourne has published advice from Council officers on large planning applications before the Minister.

Today’s announcement completes that process, allowing any interested person to obtain and scrutinise the expert advice from the Minister’s department Cr Mayne concluded.
<cite>City of Melbourne statement</cite>
</blockquote>

The resolution is available for viewing from the <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutCouncil/Meetings/Documents/2014_9_september_FMC2_Resolutions.pdf">City of Melbourne's website</a>.

Lead image courtesy Flickr - chjsbny.
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CoM responds to release of DTPLI documents

<html><body>
Sometimes sheer luck points you toward the exceptional and fascinating. That's the case with Apartments.com.au's recent 'discovery' of a Flickr page dedicated to Melbourne arguably at its most barren.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/deserted_melbourne/">Deserted Melbourne Postcode 3000</a> deals solely with images of Melbourne, the city, without the people who inhabit it. From below ground to street level to vantage points up high, all angles are covered during all times of day and night by this impressive corner of Flickr.

As the CBD morphs into a 24 hour city due to an ever ballooning population, opportunities will become more scarce to snap Melbourne at rest, which makes these images all the more remarkable!

<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/image53.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An image sourced via Deserted Melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image53.jpg?itok=UJvA1H2M" title="An image sourced via Deserted Melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An image sourced via Deserted Melbourne</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/deserted_melbourne/">Deserted Melbourne Postcode 3000 on Flickr</a>.

Lead image courtesy Deserted Melbourne - David.
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The amazing Deserted Melbourne Flickr page

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

Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

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Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

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More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
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SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.

The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.

Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.

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Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.

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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.

“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”

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The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.

“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.

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Mark Baljak

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