First look: Lindsay Bennelong's new Manly apartment development revealed
Fresh off completing its Delano Crows Nest development, Lindsay Bennelong has lodged plans for its next project, this time turning its attention to the beach.
The developer, founded by Clarendon Homes founder Peter Campbell, is proposing a 37-apartment scheme at 17-25 Ashburner Street, Manly, positioned between the southern end of Manly Beach and East Manly Cove.
According to the Design Verification Statement by Bridie Gough of Platform Architects, the proposal “relates to the current context but also the desired future character of taller buildings suitable to the new planning controls.”
The site has been identified as a Low to Mid-Rise Housing (LMR) location, given its position within 400 metres of the Manly Town Centre E1 Business Zone. The LMR controls are intended to unlock additional housing supply in well-located areas close to public transport, allowing developers to seek increased height limits to support greater density.
“The proposal seeks to provide this increased level of housing whilst being respectful of some of the smaller scale buildings also nearby,” the statement reads.
The development would replace four houses and 10 strata apartments currently on the site.
“Careful consideration has been given to the articulation of the building, ensuring the bulk is broken down to a more human scale through a defined four-storey podium,” the statement notes. “More intricate detailing has been introduced on the left-hand side of the street frontage to respond to the adjoining two-storey building, allowing the proposal to sit comfortably within the streetscape.”
The design incorporates a wave-like indentation running through the façade, referencing the nearby coastline and anchoring the building within its local context.
The scheme includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with nine of the 37 residences allocated as affordable housing.
“The design ensures a high level of amenity, with apartments offering generous private open space, many with expansive views, and all with comfortable proportions,” the statement adds.
Lindsay Bennelong is currently developing Finn Manly, just five full-floor luxury apartments on North Steyne. They recently welcomed residents to its 81-unit Delano Crows Nest development, a carefully scaled infill project designed to bridge Crows Nest’s lively village centre with its surrounding heritage streets.
Designed by AJC Architects, Delano is arranged across three low-rise buildings, incorporating a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments alongside a limited number of townhomes addressing Hayberry Lane. The architectural approach draws on the area’s Art Deco lineage, reinterpreted through contemporary detailing and framed by landscaped communal gardens.
The developer also has a development site in Maroubra.
Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Apartments.com.au, where he leads the editorial team and oversees the country’s most comprehensive news coverage dedicated to the off the plan property market. With more than a decade of experience in residential real estate journalism, Joel brings deep insight into Australia’s evolving development landscape.
He holds a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism from Leeds Beckett University in the UK, and has developed a particular expertise in off the plan apartment space. Joel’s editorial lens spans the full lifecycle of a project, from site acquisition and planning approvals through to new launches, construction completions, and final sell-out, delivering trusted, buyer-focused content that supports informed decision-making across the property journey
