<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

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

Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

Prominent New Zealand apartment and hotel operator, <a href="/developers/safari-group">Safari Group</a>, is offering up a prime investment opportunity for Australians to purchase off the plan in one of the world’s most popular ski destinations.

They recently took to market Mountain Oak Queenstown Apartments, in the growing precinct of Remarkables Park in Frankton, near the airport and at the foot of The Remarkables - the mountain range the locals like to call “The Remarks”.&nbsp;

Sydney investors have shown interest in the one, two and three-bedroom apartments that secure high-season occupancy six months over the year, primarily over summer and winter months.

They average 90 per cent occupancy across their portfolio over January, February, March, August, November and December, while shoulder season months of April, July, September and October are still occupied 70 per cent of the time, with the growing appeal of Queenstown becoming not just a hotspot for the snow, but a lifestyle destination.

Even in the low seasons of May and June, occupancy levels reach around 40 per cent.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_auto/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Ext_Cam15_Sunny.jpg?VersionId=SJAROUM_1s.Tr5ciMk4EEj5oAt_Vewmv" />

Safari’s Safari Hotels arm can also manage the holiday letting for an investor, from the listing on holiday accommodation websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com to the cleaning and maintenance of the investment. They’ve been in the short stay management business for 15 years and offer 24/7 support for investors, an important convenience benefit for any overseas investor

Another major drawcard for Australians is that New Zealand doesn’t have a stamp duty policy - so the entry price of NZ$639,000 (AU$586,000), is all that is payable on completion.

<img alt="Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/313_Livingv2_WEB.jpg?VersionId=nV229fM0ZeYpoxOrX372HyGjfwY_LR8c" />

Safari is starting construction of the 141 apartments in Q2 this year, with a two-year build estimated to complete in mid-to-late 2027.<img alt="" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="15" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXczFpFAb7WuA6f4f9TtKWcqXyNwR8qqtakWv352ERkpqNlP3KwIo8YKxw67jZNHfpjEGIZGv5MQTbnvLZwNt8iu9IVdOrswOjCvBZ4zhSoOOLrpt6etVEZTN1gkBho0r_R72zdHNA?key=yq3daOanqHSb88QFd8jGYKdb" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" />​

The apartments will feature modern amenities and contemporary designs with expansive windows capturing sweeping views of The Remarkables mountain range.&nbsp;

Interiors are equipped with modern finishes, premium appliances, and secure electronic key-locked doors, ensuring a comfortable living experience for residents and guests alike.

With its strategic location near Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort, as well as key retail and dining precincts such as Market Street, Five Mile Shopping Centre, and Remarkables Market, Mountain Oak offers a strong proposition for investors seeking high rental yields and capital appreciation in one of New Zealand’s most sought-after locations.&nbsp;

Queenstown’s sustained demand for visitor accommodation and rental properties is underpinned by a shortage of housing options, attracting both local and international buyers.

Safari Group offers low-touch investment proposition in Queenstown’s popular ski fields district

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A historic building on Melbourne's Queen Street has been listed for auction.  
Located at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-offices-vic-melbourne-502505566">375 Queen Street</a>, the property was built in 1860 and was occupied earlier by the Bank of NSW.
It last changed hands for $1,840,000 in 2013, according to Corelogic RP Data. It is expected to fetch under $3 million.
The building was in the news in 2009 when the council shut down the Rajah Sahib Tavern restaurant which was occupying the site, Fairfax Media reported.
Rajah Sahib Tavern was controlled by immigration agent Larry Mendonca. In 2013, his former girlfriend and landlord of 375 Queen Street – the property for sale – was trying to evict Mendonca from using office space in the building.
Prior to that, rock singers Mick Jagger and Elton John visited the building when another restaurant was being run on the premises.
The building features a façade with a dual street frontage of 20 metres.
The property has direct access to the Melbourne CBD and is close to Flagstaff Gardens and public transport.
The double storey, corner building is currently vacant and is ideal as an office headquarters, hospitality or luxury residence, according to its description.
It is set to benefit from the $250 million renewal of the QVM opposite the property.
The property will be auctioned on September 13 and is being offered through Colliers International agents Oliver Hay, Daniel Wolman and David Sia and Knight Frank agents George Burbury and Andrew Hansen.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Historic commercial Melbourne building listed for auction

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Governments are busily rezoning our cities for high-rise apartments. The New South Wales government, for example, plans to rezone a 20-kilometre corridor in Sydney, from Sydenham to Bankstown, for urban density, in concert with a new metro rail line. Residents and community groups have reacted vociferously to the prospects of high-rise buildings in previously low-density suburbs.
But there is another, overlooked dimension to the redevelopment. Much of it is on industrial land: pockets of old factories and workshops, portrayed as decrepit and in need of renewal.
Our new project documents enterprises that actually use urban industrial lands. It’s a story of surprising and largely hidden vibrancy at the interface between creative industries and small manufacturing.
Planners and economic developers tend to assume manufacturing has left central cities and that manufacturing enterprises can simply locate to city-fringe greenfield sites. In reality, manufacturing is changing form, and often depends on – and benefits from – urban industrial lands.
Despite the scale of renewal plans, no detailed knowledge exists of what will be lost, or of existing enterprises’ needs.
Manufacturing has a new, creative face
In planning reports for renewal strategies, industrial zones are seen as redundant because it’s assumed that manufacturing is in a state of inevitable decline. This is false and misleading.
Employment, exports, enterprise formation and R&amp;D investment statistics all point to manufacturing’s endurance, as well as its transformation and increasingly diverse character.
Most manufacturers these days are small, agile and creative. Manufacturing is increasingly interwoven with creative industries, through innovation-driven additive manufacturing, craft-based production, and bespoke maker scenes.
Cities such as New York and Portland are actively planning for this, because they recognise that the creative-manufacturing interface generates jobs, assists place marketing, contributes to liveability and enlivens local communities.
Creative-manufacturing favours older industrial sites
There is, however, a planning dilemma cities must face. Enterprises at the interface tend to locate in inner-city industrial zones. This is where other relevant enterprises are co-located and buildings are more suitable, often older and lower rent, with limited restrictions on noise.
Like-minded micro-enterprises sub-let workshops or pods within older factory complexes. They cannot afford commercial rents in stand-alone buildings. Older industrial zones also provide access to distribution and business networks, cultural venues and institutions, and final markets.
These are the very zones favoured for major “renewal” schemes. In practically every case, this means medium- and high-rise apartments. Retail space is provided, typically at ground-floor level (which often sits vacant for months or years).
Ironically, the presence of creative industries helps sell real estate. But such renewal schemes rarely, if ever, provide replacement workshop space zoned for industrial uses.
Carrington Rd, an unassuming creative-manufacturing hub
Our new report documents enterprises in one such industrial precinct in Marrickville, inner Sydney, that’s slated for redevelopment. A single 700-metre-long stretch of Carrington Road is home to more than 200 diverse micro-enterprises and small manufacturers.
These have strong local ties, employing an estimated 1,800 workers. Fifteen discrete enterprise clusters thrive there. These include theatre production, puppet and prop-making, furniture restoration, fashion and textiles.
What underpins this pre-eminent creative-manufacturing interface precinct? It’s a combination of affordability, sympathetic landlords, industrial land use zoning, and a mix of small and large factory spaces with suitable features.
Proximity to the CBD, media corporations, major entertainment venues and iconic cultural institutions is vital. That’s because these firms supply stage sets, install event equipment, rent studios for photography, television and film shoots, and perform at corporate functions.
The social and cultural milieu of surrounding areas is also crucial. These areas generate nearby markets for locally made fashion, jewellery and ceramics.
No consultation on a looming loss for the city
Shockingly, enterprises in industrial zones potentially affected by this latest renewal strategy are not being consulted before rezoning.
NSW Planning and Environment commissioned a consultancy firm to investigate employment impacts of proposed redevelopments throughout the Sydenham-Bankstown corridor. The report was a desktop study. Detailed site inspections “were not undertaken nor interviews or consultation with businesses in the Opportunity Sites”.
When we visited Marrickville’s creative-manufacturing enterprises, it became clear none had been consulted about the details of renewal plans for the precinct. They were unaware the closing date for public submissions was imminent.
Creative micro-enterprises and small manufacturers reported that city fringe relocation is not feasible. Rezoning this industrial space, one of inner Sydney’s last, may force enterprises to close altogether. Others said they would move overseas.
The loss for Sydney could be tragic. As one artisan said: "If all the people who worked on this street worked in one company and were sacked, it’d be national headlines."
Similar processes are under way in Melbourne’s inner north, an iconic part of that city’s cultural profile. Rezoning in the name of urban density has given a green light to the conversion of old light industrial buildings into residential developments.
So, just as Creative Victoria establishes a Collingwood Arts Precinct to host creative practitioners, tenants next door have been evicted to make way for a 12-storey apartment block. The developer has now objected to the potential noise from local venues.
Learning from other global cities
Our project’s next phase is to explore how other global cities foster creative and manufacturing enterprises.
Chicago has planned manufacturing districts and Portland, Oregon, has industrial sanctuaries. These are long-standing and successful examples of industrial land preservation. The German zoning system has also long mixed “non-disturbing” industry with other uses.
San Francisco’s production, distribution and repair (PDR) zone attempts to accommodate the growth of small manufacturers. New, higher-rent office development cross-subsidises lower-rent industrial space. Austin, Boston, Los Angeles and Nashville in the US and Vancouver, Canada, are pursuing similar policies.
In China, Shenzhen, the 21st-century “workshop of the world”, is looking to the “creative economy” not to replace but to enhance Chinese manufacturing prowess.
While growing cities like Sydney clearly need to plan for housing, another conversation in our cities is needed, not just about high-rise redevelopments, but about what’s at stake when industrial lands are rezoned.
Chris Gibson, University of Wollongong; Alexandra Crosby, University of Technology Sydney; Carl Grodach, Queensland University of Technology; Craig Lyons, University of Wollongong; Justin O'Connor, Monash University; Xin Gu, Monash University 
The discussion appeared in <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-our-cities-thriving-creative-precincts-be-saved-from-renewal-83042?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2030%202017%20-%2081866652&amp;utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20August%2030%202017%20-%2081866652+CID_a8078e42d468edbf1d13a3574d52dfb3&amp;utm_source=campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Can%20our%20cities%20thriving%20creative%20precincts%20be%20saved%20from%20renewal" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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Can our cities’ thriving creative precincts be saved from ‘renewal’?

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Commercial property sector returns and capital growth eased in the year to June from the previous year, recent figures from the Property Council/IPD Australian All Property Index, released by MSCI, show.
Leading index provider and analytics firm MSCI Inc. recorded an annual 11.9% total return for Australian property to June 2017,  a step down from 13.4% in June 2016. 
While the number indicates that the commercial property market is still strong, it has stabilised in recent quarters, according to a media release.
The index covers 1396 assets across all the sectors of office towers, shopping centres, industrial property, healthcare and hotels.
That the market had cooled off slightly, was evident from the drop in both income return (down from 5.6% to 5.0%) and capital growth (6.6% to 5.6%) between June 2016 to June 2017. 
However, office markets outperformed, driven by strong capital growth in Sydney (10.9%) and Melbourne (5.8%).  Perth continued to soften, with negative annual capital growth of -2.7%, but Brisbane showed positive growth of 1.9% in the office sector. 
MSCI also noted that “strong market movements in Sydney office rents have not translated into higher income returns for investors as capital growth has continued to outpace income growth”. 
Valuations are however clearly reflecting changing rental assumptions, it added. 
Summing it up, Mitchell McCallum, vice-president for MSCI, said the results show that “markets have stabilised in recent quarters, although we continue to see strong growth, especially in the non-core sectors, with Healthcare showing a record annual total return of 25.1%”.
“The limited scale that the non-core sectors currently offer in Australia has contributed to the interest we are now seeing in the build-to-rent sector as a viable option,” said McCallum. 
MSCI’s global property database illustrates that this is not a new idea, as it is a substantial sector in other global markets, making up 50% of MSCI’s national database in the Netherlands, 23% in the US and 6% in the UK, to highlight a few. The lower yields have generally been offset by a strong capital growth profile. Over 14 years the residential sector has recorded a 7% total return on average across global markets, added McCallum.
Other highlights from the index:
<ul>
<li>Super and major Regional Shopping Centres were the only retail sub-sector with a higher return than for June 2016, with some of the largest shopping centres changing hands over the past year. </li>
<li>The Hotels and Healthcare segments were still performing very strongly, showing total returns of 22.8% and 25.1% respectively. </li>
<li>As tightening cap rates and lack of stock have fueled demand for other none core property options, build-to-rent has seen a major surge in Australia. </li>
</ul>
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prateek24-ezbwHMbNAk

Australian commercial property market stabilising after strong growth: MSCI

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<div>An interesting week indeed for Australian econofans, with an emphatic rebound in engineering construction reported for the second quarter of the calendar year, driven by Western Australian resources projects (or, at least, one project). </div>
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<div>Then on Thursday, a +0.8 per cent quarterly increase to $28.3 billion was reported for private new capital expenditure, which is not something we've been able to say too often over the past five years! </div>
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<div>The increase was largely driven by a +2.7 per cent uplift in expenditure on plant and equipment to $12.5 billion. </div>
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<div>The improvement lately has been as much about a steadying of the resources states as anything else, although Victoria is now seeing a relatively strong expansion in investment. </div>
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<div>Only a tiny fraction of the lift in investment in Victoria has been driven by mining or manufacturing, instead being overwhelmingly accounted for by services industries and other sectors. </div>
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<div>Perhaps more importantly, the outlook is brightening, with a +17.6 jump in the third estimate for FY2017-18 capital expenditure to just under $102 billion (against market expectations of less than $96 billion, so that's a significant beat). </div>
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<div>Mining investment plans have lifted - though remaining unsurprisingly as subdued compared to the heady peak - while services and other selected industries are beginning to hit their straps, with an increase of +18.6 per cent on prior year expectations. </div>
 Construction confounds 
<div>AIG's industry surveys, which report on the direction of industry sectors relative to a neutral reading of 50, now record a very strong expansion in the massive services sector (56.4), while manufacturing (59.8) is expanding at the fastest pace in 15 years. </div>
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<div>A salient concern in 2016 was that a disorderly drop in residential construction could lead to widespread unemployment and the strong multiplier effect of that industry going into reverse. </div>
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<div>And yet the construction sector is now top of the pile, with a survey reading of a blistering 60.5 in July. What gives?</div>
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<div>I was down in Sydney this week, and was struck by the burgeoning use of serviced and other office space - you can't help but notice the difference from 2012, when office space was abundant and activity appeared moribund. </div>
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<div>Anecdotal, yep, and yet this has become of the key drivers of the construction outlook. </div>
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<div>Building approvals for office buildings, educational space, and other commercial construction are absolutely flying in New South Wales and Victoria, sending the annual dollar value of non-residential building approved nationally to the highest level on record. </div>
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<div>And while high-rise apartment approvals have, as expected, dropped by a quarter, there has been a more sustainable rebalancing towards approvals for townhouses, boutique apartment blocks, and detached housing.</div>
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<div>A bit of reluctant credit where it's due, too: the manufacturing surveys pointed to an uplift in infrastructure investment as a key driver of the rebound, responding to the ramp up in budget spend. So, a small hat tip for Treasurer ScoMo there, too. </div>
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<div>New phase</div>
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<div>With capital expenditure and engineering construction no longer in material decline after five years of pain, it's fantastic to see the services and manufacturing industries coming to the party to rebalance the economy.</div>
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<div>The only people forecasting an imminent recession now are apparently doing so more in hope than expectation, and the unemployment rate is steadily declining back towards the 4 to 5 per cent range. </div>
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<div>With almost all indicators pointing to improving rather than deteriorating economic conditions ahead, the economy and our housing markets are moving into a new phase, with the household sector to become the main point of focus. </div>
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<div>Specifically there will be a great deal of analysis of household debt, and how households cope with the prospect of a normalisation of interest rates from the end of 2018 forth. </div>
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PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blogger</a>.
His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.
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Mining cliff Rest In Peace: Pete Wargent

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An IGA-anchored convenience centre in Brisbane’s Everton Hills has sold to private investor for $7.7million in a deal brokered by Savills.
The shopping centre, On Q Centre, has a gross lettable area of 2,019 sqm and the transaction reflects an initial yield of 6.7%.
Everton Hills is located in the Hills District of northern Brisbane.
The centre features a prominent 5,035 sqm site located at the corner of Queens and South Pine Road.
The deal was negotiated by Jon Tyson and Michael Harcourt of Savills following an on market expressions of interest campaign.
Tyson said the On Q Centre had a high exposure location due to its corner position on two main roads.
It has a mix of retail, service and medical oriented tenancies.
“Well located convenience centres like On Q Centre continue to be highly sought after by a range of buyer groups primarily including private investors smaller fund managers and property syndicates,” Tyson said.
On Q Centre is the latest in a string of South East Queensland convenience centre sales brokered by Savills during the first half of 2017, added Harcourt.
Others brokered by Savills this year include Wynnum West Shopping Centre for $7.88 million, Pinnacle Pines Shopping Centre for $19.7 million and a Red Rooster-anchored convenience centre in Narangba for $4.2 million.
“This sustained level of activity clearly indicates that investor demand for centres of this nature remains solid as we enter the second half of the calendar year,” Harcourt said.
Recently, two adjoining commercial properties in the Brisbane suburb of Kangaroo Point, opposite the Shafston Hotel, were snapped up for $1,940,000 in an off-market deal through Savills.
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Brisbane convenience centre sells for $7.7 million through Savills

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The Swiss AFIAA (Foundation for International Real Estate Investments) has broadened its interest in the Australian real estate market with an “asset swap”. 
The company has bought an office building in Melbourne’s <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-offices-vic-melbourne-502382946" target="_blank">628 Bourke Street</a> (above) for its property portfolio for around $181 million. The seller is M&amp;G Real Estate Asia. 
In return, AFIAA has sold its “HQ South” office building at <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/520-wickham-street-fortitude-valley-qld-4006-2013471731" target="_blank">520 Wickham Street</a> (Fortitude Valley) in Brisbane, which measures nearly 14,000 sqm, to the investor for $119 million. 
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The Melbourne property is in the CBD and offers around 23,400 sqm of office space and 940 sqm of retail space. Both the lift lobbies and individual floors have been renovated in recent months. One of the key tenants is the insurance company QBE.
AFIAA chief executive Ingo Bofinger said the group was planning further acquisitions in central metropolitan locations as part of its growth strategy. 
“The transaction is a prime example for the implementation of our focus strategy: We are investing the sale price received for HQ South of around AUD 119 million in a larger property in Melbourne, where we already have two more properties,” Bofinger said.
“We are eying further potential to increase rents in excellent locations in Melbourne in particular.” 
Potential properties also include real estate with development potential whose value added is to be enhanced by asset management using refurbishment measures.
In Australia, AFIAA also owns properties in Sydney in addition to two other properties in Melbourne’s CBD. 
AFIAA is an investment foundation under Swiss law that invests foreign real estate assets. Forty-five Swiss pension funds currently invest directly in prime foreign properties through AFIAA. The properties in Australia are centrally managed by the AFIAA office in Sydney. 
The legal consultant for the acquisition and sale was Mills Oakley. 
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Swiss AFIAA Foundation does an asset swap deal, buys in Melbourne, sells Brisbane HQ to realty investor 

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Centuria Metropolitan REIT, Australia’s largest metropolitan office REIT, announced its inclusion on the S&amp;P/ASX 300 Index from the start of trade on September 18.  
The S&amp;P/ASX 300 Index includes up to 300 of ASX-listed entities by float-adjusted market capitalisation and provides a widely-used benchmark for many general equities and real estate specific institutional investors.
“We have previously indicated it was our goal to be included in the Index. We’re delighted to have achieved this milestone, thanks to the support of our securityholders,” said Nicholas Blake, trust manager of the REIT.
“Inclusion in the index will enhance CMA’s relevance within the Australian equity market and generate increased institutional investor interest.”
The ASX inclusion caps an eventful year for the real estate investment trust. It  merged with Centuria Urban REIT (CUA), posted a statutory net profit of $37.7 million in the financial year 2017, and also completed a $90 million capital raising, increasing CMA’s market capitalisation to over $500 million.
Recently, the REIT bought three commercial properties in Perth, one of them being the Hatch building (below) and Melbourne for a total of $150 million. 
Centuria Group entity Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP) is included in the S&amp;P/ASX 300 Index, while Centuria Capital (ASX: CNI) is a potential candidate for inclusion at a future rebalance.
“The inclusion of the REIT in the ASX/S&amp;P 300 Index is an important milestone for CMA, which was launched in December 2014. Combined with our $1.6 billion unlisted property syndication business, we now have three distinct property investment platforms that can grow independently. This enhances the group’s overall growth prospects,” said Group CEO John McBain. 
 
 
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Centuria Metropolitan REIT added to S&P / ASX300 index 

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A development site in Melbourne’s Box Hill has been sold to a local development group with Chinese connections for $13.5 million through Savills in an off-market deal.
The transaction follows a recent spate of sales along Prospect Street as the precinct continues its transition from commercial to high-rise residential development, according to Savills.
The property at <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/property-profile/31-35-prospect-street-box-hill-vic-3128" target="_blank">31-35 Prospect Street</a> is a rectangular site with an area of 1,653 sqm.
It is used as an open air car park generating income of nearly $45,000 per annum.
The property is situated within the rapidly changing “Major Development Precinct” of Box Hill with development height potential of at least 20 levels.
The deal was brokered by Savills’ Clinton Baxter and Nick Peden.
The selling price reflects a strong rate of $8,166 per sqm.
Baxter said that the site was snapped up by an under bidder following the agency’s recent $12.19 million sale of nearby 15-17 Prospect Street, and $22.25m sale of 843 Whitehorse Road.
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“We are experiencing unprecedented developer interest in Box Hill as the market seeks to take advantage of the greater height allowances within the Activity Centre and the huge demand for apartment living within walking distance of Box Hill Central Shopping Centre ” Baxter said.
Peden added that the property was held by a local private family for many decades.
 
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Box Hill site snapped up by developer for $13.5 million: Savills 

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One month after 55 homeowners in Sydney’s Macquarie Park became instant millionaires after a private developer payed in excess of $80 million for the neighbours are following suit.
Some 33 of 36 units on the one Macquarie Park block are on the market through Savills.
The unit blocks on 12-14 Lachlan Avenue and 13 Cottonwood Crescent, Macquarie Park are zoned B4 mixed use, with potential to construct 12,688sqm of GFA (STCA) with a 45 metre maximum height limit. 
The land includes two detached existing residential flat buildings with 12-14 Lachlan Avenue containing 24 apartments and 13 Cottonwood Crescent containing 12 apartments, both constructed over four levels complete with ground floor secure garage parking.
According to Neil Cooke, Director, Residential Site Sales at Savills, there is also an opportunity to obtain a delayed settlement, which may suit a number of developers and investors alike.
“Macquarie Park has become one of Sydney’s fastest growing and most desirable suburbs to live and work," he said.
"The changing face of Macquarie Park from a light industrial and commercial centre to a mixed use core, has seen the demand for residences close to employment centres and transport connections skyrocket over the past two to three years."
Stuart Cox, Director, Residential Site Sales at Savills, said rezoned opportunities like this rarely become available in growth suburbs of this scale and significant interest from local, interstate and offshore developers is expected.
“Macquarie Park has plans to grow to the fourth largest CBD in Australia by 2030, by doubling its current working population of 40,000 employees and expanding from 850,000 square metres of commercial space to potentially over 2 million square metres," he said.
"Since 2009, when the Chatswood to Epping Railway line opened, the demand for investor and owner occupier grade dwellings has soared, with the average unit growing from $416,000 to $796,000 or an average of 11.8% per annum.
“We expect this site will rival its neighbour’s record breaking sale price as we have already had a number of interested parties enquire and the expressions of interest campaign hasn’t even commenced."
12-14 Lachlan Avenue &amp; 13 Cottonwood Crescent, Macquarie Park is being offered for sale by way of expressions of interest beginning Tuesday 5 September.
Some 55 homeowners in Sydney’s Macquarie Park became instant millionaires in August when a private developer payed $80 million for the 5,130sqm site situated at <a href="https://www.savills.com.au/_news/article/109976/153819-0/6/2017/macquarie-park-home-owners-to-follow-successful-merger-trend" target="_blank">15-21 Cottonwood Crescent</a>.
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Neighbours of Macquarie Park's $80 million property sale list

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One of the most consistent linkages in real estate is that the cities with the tightest vacancies are the ones showing the best rental growth.
This, of course, is no great surprise but real estate data often makes no sense. This is one instance where it does.
The figures on rentals and vacancies are among the most consistent in the real estate research field - and it’s an area where competing research sources generally agree with one another, a lot more often than they do on median prices and the level of price growth.
Domain and SQM Research, for example, have comparable figures on vacancy rates in each of the capital cities and also on rental growth.
The two sources broadly agree that the tightest rental markets are found in Hobart (vacancies around 0.5%), Canberra (1.2%) and Melbourne (1.5%).
The highest vacancy rates are in Perth (4% to 5%), and in Brisbane and Darwin (both around 3%).
The respective vacancy situations correlate closely with annual growth in house rentals.
SQM Research says Hobart house rents have grown 8% in the past year, while both sources record 6-7% growth in Canberra and around 5% in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, the city with the highest vacancies, Perth, has the worst rental performance: SQM says house rents have dropped almost 6% in the past year while Domain records a decrease of more than 7%.
Darwin house rents have dropped 5.5%, according to both sources, while both say Brisbane rents are unchanged.
In most of the major cities, vacancy rates are higher for apartments than they are for houses - and this, too, is reflected in rental performance.
Both Domain and SQM record double-digit growth for apartment rents in Hobart and around 5% increases in Canberra and Melbourne.
In Brisbane, where inner-city oversupply is a growing issue, apartment rents are down about 1% overall.
In Perth, where vacancy rates generally are high but especially in the inner-city unit markets, apartment rents have fallen 7% (SQM) or 10% (Domain).
In Darwin, where unit oversupply has been an issue as well, apartment rents are down 8-9% in annual terms.
The overall impression from all the figures is that rents have not matched prices in growth performance, which has resulted in rental yields contracting in most cities.
The only city with a gross rental yield for houses above 5% is Hobart, which sits at 5.4% according to Domain. 
Terry Ryder is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="mailto:%20%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'%3E%20%3C!--%20var%20prefix%20=%20'ma'%20+%20'il'%20+%20'to';%20var%20path%20=%20'hr'%20+%20'ef'%20+%20'=';%20var%20addy38821%20=%20'ryder'%20+%20'@';%20addy38821%20=%20addy38821%20+%20'hotspotting'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'com'%20+%20'.'%20+%20'au';%20document.write('%3Ca%20'%20+%20path%20+%20'/''%20+%20prefix%20+%20':'%20+%20addy38821%20+%20'/'%3E');%20document.write(addy38821);%20document.write('%3C//a%3E');%20//--%3E/n%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20type='text/javascript'" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
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