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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/doma-group">DOMA Group</a> has unveiled plans for Newcastle Quay, a major waterfront precinct set to reshape Newcastle’s harbourfront and further cement the city’s evolution into one of Australia’s fastest-growing urban destinations.

Positioned on a prominent site within the Honeysuckle Precinct, Newcastle Quay will span both sides of Honeysuckle Drive, connecting directly to the Foreshore Promenade and sitting within walking distance of Newcastle Interchange.

The mixed-use precinct is planned to include around 1,000 apartments, more than 28,000 sqm of commercial office space, 6,000 sqm of retail, and a 180-room hotel anchored by a 500-seat conference and exhibition centre, a move expected to significantly lift Newcastle’s ability to attract major business and tourism events.
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<img alt="DOMA Group unveil Newcastle’s future with transformative Newcastle Quay Precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0642ca09-67cc-4920-8a7e-d18df9729b4e" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/%3D.png?VersionId=CnDmZxQnOV5LN0ePu7jaFBXC9tPGTrWm" />

The proposal builds on DOMA’s growing Newcastle pipeline, where the developer has already delivered 866 apartments and more than 19,000 sqm of commercial and retail space since entering the market in 2013. A further $2 billion pipeline is also in the works across the city.

The masterplan and executive architecture are led by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, with building concepts developed alongside Stewart Architecture, Architecture AND and Curious Practice, and landscape design by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/turf-design">Turf Design Studio</a>. More than 11,000 sqm of open space is planned, including a new waterfront park known as Honeysuckle Green, upgrades to Tree of Knowledge Park, and new pedestrian and cycling links throughout the precinct.

At the centre of the development will be the heritage-listed Wickham School of Arts, which DOMA plans to reposition as the civic and cultural heart of the precinct through restaurants, bars, events and public gathering spaces.

The broader vision is to create a genuine day-to-night precinct, blending residential, hospitality, retail, commercial and cultural uses in a way Newcastle has yet to experience at this scale.

DOMA Group Managing Director Jure Domazet said the aim was to create a precinct that becomes synonymous with Newcastle itself.

“Our vision is to create a precinct that not only delivers high-quality commercial, residential, and cultural spaces, but also defines Newcastle’s waterfront for generations to come,” Domazet said.

DOMA’s Chris Farrington said the project would fundamentally change how Newcastle is perceived nationally.

“Newcastle Quay is more than a waterfront precinct, it is a national announcement for this city,” Farrington said.

“A world-class Conference and Exhibition Centre will open Newcastle and the Hunter Region to a national and international audience for the first time, delivering something this city has long deserved.”

The project is expected to generate more than 4,000 full-time equivalent jobs and act as a major economic driver for the Hunter region through tourism, business events, hospitality and commercial investment.

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Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the final parcel of harbourfront land will be a "true mixed-use precinct destination that includes housing, hospitality and entertainment, commercial spaces, retail, economic and social outcomes."

Joel Robinson

DOMA Group unveils 1,000-apartment Newcastle Quay precinct

ASX-listed developer Stockland is continuing to ramp up its return to the apartment market.

In late 2024, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/stockland">Stockland</a> announced it would resume apartment development after a 13-year absence, launching with Stanton Place in Rosebery, a 144-apartment project now under construction.

Last week, the developer unveiled plans alongside the NSW Government for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-nsw-gov-unveils-plans-for-3-300-home-waterloo-south-renewal">3,300-home precinct in Waterloo</a>.

Now, Stockland has shifted its focus in St Leonards, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to replace an approved 42-storey office tower with a 52-storey residential development comprising more than 500 apartments.

<img alt="Stockland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8979095e-9072-432b-a7da-58b180cf994d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-20%20at%204.27.36%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=_jbRXYOafCSHjwsz.yQCNIymMyCj8zkF" />

An existing 14-storey commercial office building would make way for a 264.5-metre tower designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bates-smart">Bates Smart</a>. The project would deliver 538 apartments, including 30 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses at the podium and ground plane.

It will rise from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">601 Pacific Highway</a>, a prominent 2,844 sqm triangular site adjoining Mitchell Plaza and fronting Pacific Highway.

The development is being pursued under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway after Stockland’s proposal was declared State Significant Development earlier this year.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans 52-storey mixed-use tower with 538 apartments in St Leonards" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="67f40f35-0458-47ab-80c0-a4e98a31838a" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%201.png?VersionId=rxXe3njr.auuGDuiR0k42uI8Zr4K.gZA" />

The apartment mix includes 217 one-bedroom apartments, 191 two-bedroom apartments, 122 three-bedroom apartments, and eight four-bedroom residences. Six basement levels would accommodate 300 car spaces, bicycle parking, loading areas, and building services.

Bates Smart said the project has been shaped around a series of urban design principles intended to improve the pedestrian experience and respond to the evolving character of St Leonards.

“With a boundary length of almost 75m along Pacific Highway and 70m along Atchison Street to the north, complying simply with the LEP envelope and required setbacks would result in a very wide tower form on the skyline,” the architects noted in the Design Report.

“We propose breaking the tower form into two defined volumes rather than a singular form.”

The podium has similarly been articulated into separate forms to reduce perceived bulk and create a finer-grain response to Mitchell Plaza and Atchison Street. Retail tenancies would activate the lower levels, while commercial space is proposed across the podium floors.

<img alt="First look: Stockland plans 52-storey mixed-use tower with 538 apartments in St Leonards" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="90149990-0551-40d2-bd48-14b69a015d12" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/stockland%202.png?VersionId=MJC2KIIWFvU9FPGr3IVq09gkRN_gX3m8" />

The design also places a significant emphasis on communal amenity and environmental performance. Residents would have access to landscaped terraces, wellness areas, flexible workspaces, and rooftop communal facilities, while the all-electric building is targeting an average 7-star NatHERS rating. Bates Smart said the project incorporates passive design measures including natural ventilation, integrated shading, and lightweight façade systems.

Planning documents note the site is around 350 metres from St Leonards Station and 400 metres from the metro entrance, placing it within one of Sydney’s most connected emerging residential precincts.

The project arrives amid a wave of large-scale redevelopment proposals reshaping the St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline. Several nearby sites have recently been approved, lodged, or declared under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway as the precinct absorbs significant residential density uplift tied to transit-oriented development policies.

<img alt="Stockland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7805bd7c-dfd7-4b35-8e15-ec4a8bf8e61b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-20%20at%204.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=iY12K2m2bQ6EeDnshqfZC9rbLx_oEugP" />

Bates Smart’s report describes St Leonards as transitioning away from its historical commercial identity toward a more mixed-use urban environment.

“In recent years, the character of St Leonards has started to evolve, driven by new development trends along the Pacific Highway corridor,” the report said.

“These projects have increasingly focused on residential accommodation, marking a shift from its purely commercial roots.”

Sekisui House Australia is currently selling Waterstone down near Newlands Park, in a pocket being branded "St Leonards South." Hyecorp recently completed Audrey in the same pocket.

First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower

ANZ believes the Reserve Bank is in no rush to move again.

Following the release of the May Monetary Policy Board Minutes, ANZ has taken the view that the RBA is now firmly in a holding pattern, with the cumulative impact of previous rate hikes giving the Board scope to assess how the economy evolves from here.

That positioning, in ANZ’s view, makes a June rate hike unlikely.

The bank continues to expect the cash rate to remain unchanged at 4.35 per cent for an extended period, with the RBA adopting what is effectively a wait-and-see approach.

The Minutes point to a Board that sees financial conditions as already restrictive, but without a clear read on just how restrictive they are. That uncertainty has shifted the focus away from immediate policy action and toward monitoring both domestic conditions and global developments, particularly the conflict in the Middle East.

As ANZ interprets it, the Board is deliberately avoiding strong forward guidance.

Instead, it is allowing itself flexibility, acknowledging that monetary policy has limited ability to influence the near-term trajectory of inflation, while also recognising that economic growth is likely to remain below potential for some time.

Despite that pause in momentum, ANZ notes that the Board still carries a tightening bias.

The Minutes reveal that, in weighing up its decision, the Board seriously considered another 25 basis point increase. The key debate centred on the trade-off between inflation and activity, particularly in the context of global uncertainty.

Ultimately, most members leaned toward the inflation side of that equation.

Underlying inflation is still expected to remain above target for an extended period, regardless of how external risks evolve. That has led to a view within the Board that the risks to its inflation objective have increased, and that the current cash rate may not be sufficiently restrictive to fully contain those pressures.

That’s important.

While the decision, for now, is to hold, the underlying tone of the Minutes suggests the door to further tightening has not been closed.

ANZ also points to commentary from Assistant Governor (Economic) Sarah Hunter, who highlighted the risk that inflation could pass through the economy more quickly and broadly than in previous cycles. Both Hunter and a majority of the Board expressed concern that inflation expectations could become less anchored after such a prolonged period above target.

That combination, persistent inflation and the risk of expectations shifting, is what continues to underpin the RBA’s cautious stance.

However, where ANZ diverges from the RBA is on the outlook for activity.

The Board appears relatively comfortable with current spending patterns, effectively downplaying recent declines in business and consumer sentiment. It notes that sentiment has historically been only weakly correlated with actual spending, and that feedback from its liaison program has not yet pointed to a meaningful slowdown in consumption.

ANZ is less convinced.

The bank believes the link between household disposable income, sentiment and spending is more direct than the RBA is currently acknowledging. With inflation continuing to erode real incomes, ANZ expects household spending to soften more materially than the central bank is forecasting.

That divergence matters because it shifts the balance of risk.

If activity weakens more than expected, the trade-off between inflation and growth changes. In ANZ’s view, that would reduce the need for further tightening and reinforce the case for the RBA to remain on hold.

It also suggests that the current policy setting may already be doing more work than the Board fully appreciates.

The broader takeaway from ANZ’s interpretation is that the RBA is walking a narrow path.

On one side sits the risk of inflation remaining elevated for longer than expected. On the other is the growing pressure on households and the potential for a sharper slowdown in activity.

For now, the Board is choosing to wait.

But it is a pause that still carries an underlying tightening bias, rather than a clear pivot toward easing.

In practical terms, that leaves the cash rate anchored at 4.35 per cent for the foreseeable future, with the next move still uncertain.

For borrowers, it reinforces the reality that relief is not imminent.

And for the broader economy, it highlights the delicate balance the RBA is trying to strike, between bringing inflation back to target and avoiding an unnecessarily sharp slowdown in growth.

According to ANZ, it is a balance that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

RBA to hold rates for "prolonged period" rather than hikes: ANZ

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/venturecrowd-property-projects">VentureCrowd</a> is down to the final Canopy Villa release at Cumulus Grand Villas in Carrara, as construction continues on the 59-residence gated community positioned above 100 hectares of natural savanna on the Gold Coast.

The remaining Canopy Villa forms part of one of four collections within the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bda-architecture">BDA Architecture</a>-designed community and has attracted interest from buyers seeking larger-format homes that combine privacy, security and low-maintenance living. Positioned within a private cul-de-sac and facing a protected black she oak forest, the four-bedroom villa includes a large private outdoor area suited to pet owners and families wanting more flexible space.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/cumulus-grand-villas-carrara-17-baltimore-court-carrara-qld-4211">Cumulus Grand Villas</a>, located at 17 Baltimore Court, comprises a mix of three and four-bedroom villas across the Skyline, Canopy, Savanna and Broadview collections. Prices currently range from $1.455 million to $1.895 million, with the final Canopy Villa priced from $1.825 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135663 project_image_fid=360477]

The Canopy Collection villas offer four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and approximately 245 sqm of internal space, alongside double garages and landscaped private areas. Expansive glazing, open-plan living spaces and private balconies have been designed to maximise natural light and outlooks toward the surrounding savanna landscape.

Construction is now underway across the fully funded development, which VentureCrowd says has become an increasingly important consideration for buyers assessing off-the-plan opportunities on the Gold Coast. The project is being delivered by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/devcon">Devcon Property Group</a>, which has operated in South East Queensland since 1993 and delivered more than 1,000 homes across the region.

VentureCrowd Director of Property David Whitting previously said the project responds to changing buyer priorities in the prestige Gold Coast market.

“Flexible floorplans have proven particularly relevant for purchasers aged between 40 and 65, including next home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Whitting said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135663 project_image_fid=360505]

The buyer profile at Cumulus has reflected that shift toward owner-occupier-driven demand. Stuart Towns and Tracey Loynes recently purchased a Canopy Villa, drawn to both the lifestyle offering and the flexibility the home provided for their next stage of living together.

The couple, who met three years ago, sold their Robina home earlier this year after identifying what they saw as strong long-term investment potential at Cumulus while remaining within the same Gold Coast market. The villa’s private backyard was a major drawcard for their dog Luna, while proximity to golf courses including Emerald Lakes also aligned with their lifestyle interests.

Beyond the residences themselves, the community has been planned around shared lifestyle and recreation amenities. The Infinity Terrace will include a 20-metre heated pool, barbecue facilities, alfresco dining spaces and elevated retreat areas overlooking the surrounding landscape. Walking trails, a private nature reserve, orchard and herb garden are also integrated into the masterplan.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135663 project_image_fid=360473]

BDA Architecture Director Darren Greenaway said the design approach was heavily influenced by the site’s outlook and secluded setting.

The practice sought to create what Greenaway described as a “little piece of paradise,” drawing inspiration from the elevated views, surrounding greenery and quiet location.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/carrara-qld-4211">Carrara</a> continues to attract buyers seeking larger homes within proximity to the coast but without direct beachfront pricing. Cumulus sits within easy reach of Broadbeach, Pacific Fair, Robina Town Centre and the M1, providing connections north to Brisbane and south toward the Gold Coast Airport and northern New South Wales.

The first stage of Cumulus Grand Villas is targeting completion in 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135663]

VentureCrowd nears sell-out of Canopy Collection at Cumulus Grand Villas in Carrara

Waverley Council has made a call that many councils have been reluctant to make publicly. Growth is coming, regardless of who controls it.

The release of the Bondi Junction Vision and Master Plan is less about whether the Eastern Suburbs’ primary centre will change, and more about how that change is shaped, funded, and ultimately experienced on the ground. Waverley Council has released a 100-page plan which is effectively the first comprehensive blueprint for Bondi Junction in over two decades, and in doing so, signals a clear shift in how councils are positioning themselves in the current planning environment.

For the past 18 months, the conversation across New South Wales has been dominated by the State Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms and the emergence of the Housing Delivery Authority pathway. Both have created faster, more centralised avenues for development approvals, particularly in well-located, infrastructure-rich areas like Bondi Junction.

Waverley Council’s response has been to move early, and decisively.

Rather than react to individual proposals as they come through the HDA or broader State-led reforms, Council has sought to establish a clear, place-based framework that sets the terms for how Bondi Junction evolves. The underlying position is relatively straightforward: if densification is inevitable, it should be tied to infrastructure, public domain improvements, and a cohesive vision for the centre, not delivered piecemeal through ad hoc applications.

<img alt="bondi junction" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7f1f729c-ed99-4c6c-bf87-ffbce6991941" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-19%20at%209.58.16%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=ULX4OlXKjeJ5BvNCNGL86evgXCjCfMih" />

At its core, the document is attempting to reposition Bondi Junction from what it largely functions as today, a transport interchange anchored by a major retail centre, into something far more layered. The ambition is to transform it into what the plan describes as the “civic and cultural heart of Sydney’s East,” a place that is active beyond commuting hours and capable of supporting a broader mix of uses, experiences and communities.

That repositioning is built around four key ambitions.

The first is to create a true destination. Bondi Junction already attracts significant foot traffic, with more than 86,000 daily transport users and millions of annual retail visits, but much of that activity is transient. People pass through, rather than stay.

The Master Plan seeks to change that dynamic. It leans heavily into the idea of an “18-hour economy,” extending activity well beyond traditional retail hours through dining, cultural programming, events, and a more active night-time offering. This is not just about adding more hospitality venues, but about fundamentally shifting how the centre operates, from a daytime shopping destination to a place that functions across the full span of the day and into the evening.

Oxford Street Mall sits at the centre of that shift.

Long seen as underperforming relative to its potential, the Mall is identified as one of the key catalyst projects in the plan. It is to be reimagined as a day-to-night spine, combining retail, dining, wellness and cultural uses in a way that creates a continuous flow of activity. Outdoor dining, rooftop venues, laneway activation and a curated events program are all part of the strategy, alongside significant public domain upgrades that aim to improve comfort, safety and usability.

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The second ambition is to transform Bondi Junction into a world-class interchange.

Despite being one of the most heavily used transport nodes in Sydney, the current experience is fragmented. Connections between the station, Westfield, Oxford Street Mall and surrounding streets are often unclear, and major roads create physical barriers that disrupt pedestrian movement.

The Master Plan proposes a more seamless, people-focused network. That includes clearer pedestrian links, improved wayfinding, better integration between transport modes, and a rethinking of how arrival into the centre is experienced. The aim is to shift the perception of Bondi Junction from a place people move through, to a place they arrive in.

The third ambition focuses on greening and open space.

One of the more consistent pieces of community feedback throughout the Vision phase was the need for more greenery, better public spaces, and a more comfortable urban environment. Despite being surrounded by major parks, Bondi Junction itself has relatively limited accessible open space, with much of the public realm dominated by hard surfaces and traffic infrastructure.

The plan responds with a network of new and upgraded public spaces, increased tree canopy, and what it terms the “Parkline,” a green link connecting Waverley Park through to Centennial Park. This is not just about aesthetics. It is about addressing heat, improving liveability, and ensuring that increased density is matched by access to high-quality outdoor space.

The fourth ambition is perhaps the most important from a development perspective: growth that gives back.

Bondi Junction is already the primary location for new housing supply in the Waverley LGA, and that is expected to continue. The area carries a target of 2,400 new dwellings by 2029, with further growth projected beyond that as demand for well-located housing continues to rise. The Master Plan does not seek to limit that growth. Instead, it attempts to shape it.

New housing is to be concentrated around transport, with stepped building heights designed to protect the character of surrounding neighbourhoods. At the same time, the plan introduces a more explicit link between development uplift and public benefit. This is where value capture becomes central.

The document outlines a framework where increased development potential is tied to contributions that fund public domain improvements, community infrastructure, open space, and affordable housing. It is an approach that recognises that much of the transformation of Bondi Junction will be delivered by the private sector, but seeks to ensure that the benefits of that growth are shared more broadly. The Civic Precinct is a key part of that equation.

Leveraging Council-owned land, the plan proposes a consolidated civic and cultural hub centred around Ebley Street. This would include new community facilities, cultural spaces, and potentially a new Council Chambers, creating a focal point for civic life that currently does not exist in Bondi Junction at scale.

It is one of several catalyst projects identified in the Master Plan, alongside the Oxford Street Mall transformation. These projects are intended to anchor change, acting as early interventions that unlock broader investment across the precinct.

Importantly, the Master Plan is not just a design document. It includes a delivery framework that sets out how these ambitions are intended to be realised.

Council is explicit in acknowledging that it cannot deliver the transformation alone. Implementation will require coordination between State agencies, private developers, landowners and the community, with a mix of planning agreements, infrastructure contributions and direct delivery mechanisms used to fund and stage improvements over time.

The plan outlines a mix of short-term, medium-term and long-term actions, from immediate public domain upgrades and planning controls, through to larger-scale projects that will unfold over the next decade or more. In practical terms, the next 12 to 24 months will be the most important.

This is when the Master Plan will move through exhibition, refinement and eventual adoption. It is also the period in which Council will seek to embed the framework into its planning controls, giving it weight in the assessment of future development applications.

Council officers have indicated that once the Master Plan is in place, it could be used as a benchmark when assessing Housing Delivery Authority proposals, and potentially reduce the need for further HDA declarations within Bondi Junction. In effect, it is an attempt to bring planning control back to the local level, while still aligning with State housing targets.

That tension between State-led reform and local planning control is not unique to Waverley. It is playing out across Sydney.

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If delivered as intended, Bondi Junction will become denser, more active, and more complex. It will support more residents, more workers, and a wider range of uses, extending beyond its current retail core into a more layered urban environment.

“The civic and cultural heart of Sydney’s East”: Bondi Junction masterplan revealed

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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The 28 room City Crown Motel at 287-289 Crown Street, Surry Hills has sold for $8.8 million.
LJ Hooker Commercial South Sydney agent Barry Griffiths secured a <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-nsw-surry+hills-501549079" target="_blank">room rate of $314,000</a> with seven bidders.
The 385 sqm site was sold with approval for a 42 bed motel.
The purchasers were described as private partners looking to get a foothold in the inner city accommodation market.
It last traded when bought by Nola Holdings in 2002 at $3.55 million.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Crown Street, Surry Hills motel sells at $314,000 a room

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<img src="/images/2015/11/17/Holdencapital_banner.jpg" alt="" width="518" height="109"> 
SPONSORED POST
Your GST obligations are not a project cost as they are ‘self-liquidating’ however, they are a cost that you need to account for from a cash flow perspective.   Financiers have a number of ways of dealing with GST on both the initial site acquisition and then the GST portion of the subsequent development costs. 
GST on Initial Land Acquisition – When considering the funding of the initial site acquisition, you need to be clear with the potential financier on how GST payable on the acquisition is to be dealt with. Some funders will require that you cover the GST from your own cash flow or capital resources while others will allow a temporary gearing excess to fund the GST on the undertaking that you claim the refund and the payment is directed to reduction of the debt.
 GST on Development Costs – Developer Funded – Some financiers require the developer to finance the GST payable on the development costs from their own resources. Progress claims are funded from the loan facility on a “net of GST” basis and the developer is required to ‘top up’ the payments to the builder/creditors for the GST portion and then claim the GST refund back to their own account. In these cases the developer will need to allow a cash reserve from their capital contribution sufficient to fund 10% of the first two months estimated project costs. The GST refund claims then reimburse the cash reserve to provide for future GST outlays.
 GST Funded by a separate overdraft facility – Some financiers will provide an overdraft facility specifically for the purposes of covering the GST commitment, which is separate from the construction facility. They will require an undertaking that the developer will claim the GST back on a monthly cycle and have the GST refund electronically credited to the nominated account. The overdraft is secured by the project security but financiers differ in the LVR and LCR calculation – some require it to be covered within their maximum tolerances where others will allow it ‘outside’ of their calculations of the key ratios, acknowledging the ‘self-liquidating’ nature of the facility.
GST Funded within the Project Finance Facility – Some financiers allow a ‘self-liquidating’ cost line within the project funding categories to cover GST – this is basically a cash flow utilisation of the project financing facility limit. The financier will allow the first two months claims to be GST inclusive but from month 3 onwards the progress claim allowable will be adjusted for the GST refund that should have been received by the developer from the claim two months previously. The developer still needs to manage their cash flow to account for the ‘ins and outs’ over a 3-month cycle.   The optimum outcome from a developer’s perspective is to be provided with a GST overdraft facility that is excluded from the financiers calculations of its key ratios but it is important to understand your financiers preference up front when finalising your funding.
 
This article was written by Dan Holden of HoldenCAPITAL, who are a bespoke construction finance firm, they arrange construction finance and invest in projects through their equity fund, Queen Street INVEST. To discuss your project finance requirement please call (07) 3171 4200 or visit HoldenCAPITAL <a href="https://www.holdencapital.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>.  
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Don't forget your GST obligations when arranging your project finance: HoldenCAPITAL

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<div>As promised, a quick look around the traps at where APRA's cooling measures have slowed investor lending the hardest, and where some or all of the hot air is coming out of the investor market.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>New South Wales saw $5.6 billion of investor loans in September 2015, taking activity back down to the breached for the first time in December 2014 - though as I analysed here previously, owner-occupier lending has (apparently) soared to unprecedented heights in recent months, more than compensating for the decline. Macroprudential measures undertaken to cool housing markets will inevitably have some unintended consequences, one of which may be that lenders demanding high returns on target potential borrowers with existing equity, which in a curiously reflexive manner might temporarily skew lending towards markets which have already outperformed through the cycle (i.e. Sydney). That's one to watch for next year, but for now total lending for NSW housing of more than $14 billion in September was the biggest month on record, even if the numbers were somewhat fishy.
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<div>It's a near-identical story in Victoria, with a notable decline in investor lending, but a corresponding leap in owner-occupier lending.</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/17/A2.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/17/A2.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div>
In Queensland the decline in investor lending has been relatively marked from $2.0 billion in March, although there was a slight rebound in September to $1.67 billion. A spirited increase in owner-occupier lending means that total lending has increased moderately over the past year. Queensland's property markets are something of a multi-speed affair, with certain areas of SEQ - such as some sub sub-regions within Brisbane and the Gold Coast - faring relatively well, but many regional markets decidedly in the doldrums. 
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<div><img src="/images/2015/11/17/A3.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div> </div>
<div>Not much in the way of good news to report for Western Australia, with investor lending tailing off sharply in recent months from $1.26 billion in December 2014 to just $0.82 billion in September 2015.</div>
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<div>It hasn't been a great time for the South Australian economy in recent years, with the trend unemployment rate of 7.7% way above the national average of 6.1%, while employment growth has been non-existent for years now. Fortunes for the state waned further this week when it was finally confirmed that Arrium will cut 250 jobs from its Whyalla steelworks, with further cuts expected from Alinta.</div>
<div>
 Despite the ongoing labour market shock, South Australia is home to a number of relatively affordable property markets after so many years of lacklustre growth. As such South Australia is also the one state where investor lending is actually in an uptrend on a 12mMA basis, with the $469 million in investor lending in September representing a solid increase on the prior year equivalent figure of $390 million.</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/17/A5.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
<div><img src="/images/2015/11/17/A5.jpg" alt=""></div>
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<div>The outlook has been looking up for the economy and labour market of Tasmania lately, but a lack of existing equity in the market following no real dwelling price growth for close to a decade appears to have knocked the investor market for six, with volumes declining from a record high $86 million in June to only $60 million in September.</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/17/A6.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></div>
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<div>The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) continues to meander along, with investor lending pulling back since June here too, declining from a record spike of $224 million to $142 billion.</div>
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<div>
Finally, there are no positives at all to draw from this data series for the Northern Territory, where investor lending has all but collapsed over the past year from $122 million to $75 million. With elevated vacancy rates and nose-diving rents, Darwin and other parts of the Top End are heading for a potentially sharp and long overdue property market correction.
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Overall, it has become clear that APRA's cooling measures have worked quickly and effectively, knocking out a good deal of riskier investor lending right across the board. The property markets story for 2016 will largely be of to what extent lenders can push up the market share of owner-occupier loans in order to compensate for the evident decline in investor volumes.
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<div>
PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">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" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.
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APRA's traps and investor loans: Pete Wargent

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Ipswich, once the capital growth leader for the Brisbane metropolitan area and a favourite target for property investors from around Australia, is mounting a comeback after three years in the doldrums.
Up until 2013, Ipswich City dominated the growth rankings for Greater Brisbane. In a report early in 2013, I wrote: “Ipswich City is the capital gains star of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The municipality which encompasses the south-western fringe of the Greater Brisbane area has the top five suburbs for long-term capital growth. It has eight of the top 10 - and 15 of the top 25 suburbs.”
At that time, virtually every suburb of Ipswich had a long-term growth rate (average annual growth in median prices over the previous 10 years) above 10% per year. It had attracted home-buyers in large numbers and investors seeking affordable prices and above-average rental yields.
Today, after three down years, the same suburbs have long-term growth averages in the 4-5% range.
But the comeback has started, with the first compelling evidence seen in the latest quarterly figures. Hotspotting analysis of sales volumes shows that Ipswich City has belatedly joined the overall positive trend in the Brisbane market. The LGA now has eight suburbs with clear growth trajectories – double the number in the previous survey three months ago. 
Brisbane’s real estate sector has been behaving quite differently to that in Sydney, where for much the past 2-3 years there has been double-digit price growth right across the metropolitan area.
In Brisbane, there has been growth in individual sectors, but it has not been widespread and the generalised growth figure for the city overall has been moderate at best. 
The Brisbane North precinct was the first to get on a growth path about two years ago and many suburbs in that area recorded double-digit annual growth in median prices.
That market is no longer pumping to the same degree – sales activity has tapered off in most of those suburbs which were previously the market leaders of Greater Brisbane.
Now the southside has taken over. In our survey three months ago, Brisbane South was the market leader, with Logan City alongside. Now Logan City (the affordable urban bridge between Brisbane City and the Gold Coast) is the clear leader, with 18 growth suburbs, followed by Brisbane South with 13.
And starting to mount a challenge, well behind these other sectors in the cycle, is Ipswich City.
There was an inevitability about the Ipswich revival because this precinct ticks all the boxes. It is a perfect fit the “power combination” of factors that drives real estate markets – affordability plus infrastructure plus jobs nodes. 
This area has a good supply of suburbs with median house prices in the $200,000s, ample land for future development, big government spending on infrastructure of all kinds, an ambitious and proactive council, and billions in investment from the private sector. 
Many big businesses with major warehousing needs are based out there because the land is cheap and the transport links are good.
Entities involved in key current projects across Ipswich City include Mirvac, GPT, TNT Express, Devine, Lend Lease, Ramsay Health Care, the State Government, the Ipswich City Council and an array of major Asian companies.
As well as cheap entry prices, the area offers solid rental yields, typically in the 5.5% to 6% range.
Goodna is a fairly typical offering. It’s a modest but well-connected suburb, located on the Ipswich Motorway and the rail line to central Brisbane, close to multiple jobs nodes and not far from the extensive facilities of the Springfield master-planned community. It recorded 120 houses sales in the past year at a median price of $290,000 and median yield a little below 6%. 
As the overall Ipswich City market rises, some suburbs are starting to deliver the kind of price growth that made Ipswich a capital growth star in the past. The suburbs of Ipswich, East Ipswich, Woodend and Yamanto have all had double-digit growth in median prices in the past 12 months, while others have grown between 5% and 10%. 
I suspect it’s poised to return to the status that made it popular among bargain-hunting investors in the past.
 
Terry Ryder is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
 
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Brisbane's Ipswich mounting a property comeback: Terry Ryder

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Last week, 3,226 properties were taken to auction which was the highest number of auctions this spring and up from 2,947 auctions the previous week.
Although auction volumes rose, so too did the preliminary auction clearance rate which was recorded at 63.8%, up from 61.4% over the previous week.  
The higher auction clearance rate was largely due to a large volume of auctions in Melbourne over the week and a slightly higher auction clearance rate as well as a moderate lift in clearance rates in Sydney.  At the same time last year, there were a higher number of auctions over the week (3,360) as well as a higher auction clearance rate (68.5%).
<a href="/images/2015/12/cap-cities.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/12/cap-cities.jpg" alt="">
 
Melbourne auction volumes rose sharply over the week with 1,548 properties auctioned last week up from 1,204 over the previous week. So far, we have captured results for 1,362 of these auctions.  The preliminary auction clearance rate was slightly higher last week (69.5%) compared to the previous week (69.0%) however, it was the fourth successive week that the Melbourne market recorded clearance rates below 70%.  Over the same week in 2014, Melbourne had a lower auction clearance rate of 68.9% across a lower 1,504 auctions.  Across the individual regions of the city; Inner (70.1%), Inner South (70.7%), Outer East (70.9%) and West (75.2%) were the only regions to record clearance rates above 70%.  The Mornington Peninsula with a clearance rate of 64.8% had the lowest clearance rate across the city.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/melbourne.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/melbourne.jpg" alt="">
 
The preliminary auction clearance rate for Sydney was recorded at 61.0% last week across 1,200 auctions, of which we currently have results for 880 auctions.  The preliminary clearance rate has rebounded from a final clearance rate of 58.4% the previous week from a slightly higher 1,248 auctions.  Sydney auction clearance rates are now below 70% for seven consecutive weeks.  Over the same week a year ago, Sydney had a much higher auction clearance rate of 73.1% across a higher 1,417 auctions.  The only regions of the city to record a clearance rate above 70% were: City and Inner South (73.3%), Eastern Suburbs (76.6%) and North Sydney and Hornsby (71.1%).  At the same time, Central Coast (34.8%) and South West (34.2%) each had clearance rates below 40% over the week.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/Sydney.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/Sydney.jpg" alt="">
 
There were 198 Brisbane properties taken to auction last week, of which we have results for 122 auctions. The preliminary data indicates that 45.9% of these auctions were successful.  Over the previous week, both the number of auctions (168) and the clearance rate (37.7%) was lower.  At the same time last year there were fewer properties taken to auction (142) however, the clearance rate was at a similar level (45.8%).  Gold Coast had a preliminary auction clearance rate of 48.0% with results capturing for 50 of the 80 total auctions.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/brisbane.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/brisbane.jpg" alt="">
 
Adelaide recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 49.4% last week which was lower than the 58.1% clearance rate over the previous week.  The clearance rate was calculated from 81 results across 119 total auctions which is lower than the 146 total auctions for the previous week.  At the same time last year there were 152 auctions with a clearance rate of 55.4%.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/adelaide.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/adelaide.jpg" alt="">
 
In Perth there were 38 auctions last week with 18 results so far.  The preliminary clearance rate was recorded at 50.0%, up from 16.2% the previous week.  The preliminary clearance rate is slightly higher than the 45.5% at the same time last year across 57 auctions.
Canberra’s preliminary auction clearance rate last week was 66.1% which was down from 76.6% over the previous week. The city had 100 auctions this week with 62 results so far which is a lower number of total auctions compared to the 122 the previous week.
Of the 10 Tasmanian auction results reported so far this week, 6 sales have been recorded.
 
Cameron Kusher is research analyst for CoreLogic RP Data. You can contact him <a href="https://blog.corelogic.com.au/author/cameron-kusher/" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Combined capital city auction clearance rates rise: Cameron Kusher

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The ABS released its lending finance figures for the month of September 2015 which showed a seasonally adjusted 9.5% jump in commercial finance, though in trend terms commercial finance has looked somewhat peaky. Total lending finance increased from a seasonally adjusted $70.7 billion in August to a new cyclical high of $75.3 billion, another signal that low interest rates are gradually biting and having a positive impact on credit flows.
<a href="/images/2015/11/16/A1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/11/16/A1.jpg" alt="">
 
<div>Although there have been instances of stronger monthly results for lending finance - a flood of recapitalisation through the financial crisis saw spikes in June 2007 and January 2008 respectively - the monthly trend result has now hit a fresh high of above $73 billion. Shifting composition
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<div> </div>
<div>With APRA having clamped down on property investment loans, lenders are evidently pushing owner-occupier products harder, with the red line in the chart below denoting another 3% increase in the month to beyond $21 billion. In trend terms owner-occupier lending has surged more than 20% higher over the past year, while major renovations activity ("alterations and additions") trended up to its best result in four years.</div>
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<div>
<div>The great surge in owner-occupier loans over the past year has been almost entirely accounted for by New South Wales and to a somewhat lesser extent Victoria. Mirroring figures previously reported by the Reserve Bank, September was a healthy result for commercial finance with a 9.5 per seasonally adjusted jump in the month to $46.1 billion. While the trend result looks peaky, this can be a rather unpredictable series, and in rolling annual terms commercial lending has surged 50 per cent higher over the past half decade to sit at its highest level in some 7.5 years.</div>
 <div>Property investor loans clamp-down</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Loans to purchase investment property are now clearly softening, which overall is a healthy sign for residential real estate markets which had become far too top-heavy with investors, resulting in rising vacancy rates and declining rents in some regions. On a rolling annual basis NSW investment loans tore out a new record of $67.9 billion, but this particular peak is now close to being in following three months of softer results. In June the Premier State had seen an unprecedented $6.6 billion of investor loans written in a single month, but over the last two months of available data the total dollar value of NSW property investment loans has come in at around $5.6 billion (which is nevertheless still a huge volume in historical terms).</div>
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<div>
Despite the softening in investment loans, with the volume of NSW owner-occupier lending booming by an astonishing 46.2% over the past year, September was the greatest month on record for total NSW property lending at well over $14 billion at the state level.
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<div>Now it may be that some of the outlandish $8.55 billion of NSW owner-occupier lending in September was bogus - or at least not genuinely representative of new property market demand - with some existing owners having opted to refinance following the tightening of mortgage rates by some lenders. At the sub-regional level it would be no surprise on this evidence to see surprisingly strong auction and property market results in some of Sydney's inner ring, particularly in the eastern suburbs. However it's clear that the heat has already come right out of the western and outer south-western suburbs, leaving some recent buyers wondering what they've let themselves in for.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Generally speaking APRA's macroprudential measures have been effective in slowing the pace of investor lending right across the board. Next up, I'll take a look at the trends in investor lending across each state and territory.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">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" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.
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Shifting sands (record NSW lending?) Pete Wargent

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Caledonia Investments seems set to walk away from its ­hostile takeover bid for ALE Property Group, owner of a $900 million pub portfolio.
The largest investor in ALE Property lobbed its $770-million all-cash takeover offer in October.
But the Australian Financial Review's authoritative Street Talk column says Caledonia is expected to formally withdraw after prolonged talks with the company failed to strike a deal on the offer at a 74% premium to ALE's net tangible asset value.
ALE owns a $900 million portfolio of 86 pubs which are operated by ALH, a joint venture between Woolworths and Bruce Mathieson.
Woolworths is ALE's second largest shareholder with around an 8% stake.
Led by Mark Nelson, the Sydney-based private investment group holds around 26% of ALE, which engaged Macquarie Capital for its defence.
Caledonia, which hired Moelis &amp; Company, was set up in 1992 to manage the fortunes of the Darling family and later adding the Nelson and Vicars families.
It has $2.8 billion under management.
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Caledonia Investments takeover bid for ALE pub portfolio languishes

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I’ve always liked the saying “It isn’t difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill – just add dirt.”
The focus on clearance rates by some commentators is plain ridiculous especially when they insert the word “Sydney” into the clearance rate debate.
As we all know Sydney is made up of some 700 suburbs – where some are still performing above expectations and some are caught in a downward spiral. This is not an historic first as we have seen this pattern on many occasions previously with the areas of western Sydney, north – west Sydney, Canterbury Bankstown and surrounding areas the hardest hit.
These areas coincidentally have been the engine room for the Sydney property boom so they were always going to break – down. This is not a collapse rather a correction.
If you take the areas within a 5 to 10 kilometre radius of the Sydney CBD they are still performing with gusto<a href="https://www.rwm.com.au/news/" target="_blank">.</a> Although it should also be noted that quite a few properties are withdrawn from public auction which go unreported. Properties that are passed in and sold an hour or two later are reported as sold – at – auction.
When I do a Domain search for properties in Greater Sydney that are on the market I see all up there are presently 12,922 properties, which isn’t a lot on the grand scale of things. The estimated Sydney population in 2015 is 4,840,000. What is interesting is that approximately one – third of these properties would be set down for public auction. So why the focus on clearance rates?
What I find even more interesting is why all the properties are bundled together? Well that’s easy to explain as most of the commentators are connected to some media organisations in some shape or form. If they were to list areas where clearance rates are identifying a nose – dive then nobody would advertise in those local newspapers, so it’s commentary by self-preservation.
Yes the call for concern is well justified with Sydney posting an annual growth of 12.8% and Melbourne even higher at 15.6%. To put this into some sort of perspective Auckland is presently running away at 27% annual capital growth – which is scary.
There are two game – breakers in property markets; interest rates and unemployment. The Australian Bureau of Statistics have just released its labour force survey for October which recorded that the seasonally – adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.9%, down 0.3 points from September. We live in a funny society where some sections were desperately hoping that the unemployment figure would rise.
Now the interest rate scenario is even more interesting as we need to take into account that the Sydney property market has experienced a massive change to its normal landscape. We need to factor in the new significant buyer – investors. They have been driving the markets to levels never seen before, so we need to pay particular attention to yields.
Sydney 12 months ago was recording 3.7 per cent, today it has dropped back to 3.3%. Melbourne 12 months ago was 3.3%, today it is 3.0%. Brisbane 12 months ago was 4.5%, today it’s 4.4%. Adelaide has seen no change and sits at 4.2% and Perth has gone from 4.1% to 4.0%. (Source: Core Logic RP Data)
From these figures the two biggest investor markets, Sydney and Melbourne, are not surprisingly recording the highest downward corrections. Yields in 2016 will command special interest especially in the Sydney and Melbourne property markets. The cash rate debate is anyone’s guess where if the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to cut the cash rate there are absolutely no guarantees that the banks will pass that cut on after their last decision to increase interest rates.
Yes I have no doubt that we will see some interesting corrections in 2016 where I predict the areas that have experienced massive infrastructure expenditure to suffer the most. This is not anything new as it’s happened plenty of times previously, although some areas of Sydney have not seen any infrastructure expenditure in over fifty years. Take the northern beaches for example where their last significant expenditure was that dumb Spit Bridge in 1959.
If one was to sit back and collate all the stamp duty paid from Palm Beach to Seaforth over the last 56 years you would come up with a near nil return for infrastructure expenditure. Still the state government insists on thousands and thousands more high density housing developments with no proposals to build new transport plans aside from double – decker buses.
Maybe stamp duty rates should be determined by infrastructure expenditure within a particular region?
<h4>MOSMAN – 2088</h4>
• Number of houses on the market this time last year – 114
• Number of houses on the market last week – 75
• Number of houses on the market this week – 74
• Number of apartments on the market this time last year – 76
• Number of apartments on the market last week – 60
• Number of apartments on the market this week – 61
<h4>CREMORNE – 2090</h4>
• Number of houses on the market this time last year – 13
• Number of houses on the market last week – 12
• Number of houses on the market this week – 13
• Number of apartments on the market this time last year – 36
• Number of apartments on the market last week – 17
• Number of apartments on the market this week – 16
<h4>NEUTRAL BAY – 2089</h4>
• Number of houses on the market this time last year – 10
• Number of houses on the market last week – 6
•Number of houses on the market this week – 5
• Number of apartments on the market this time last year– 34
• Number of apartments on the market last week – 30
*Number of apartments on the market this week – 36
 
 ROBERT SIMEON is a director of <a href="https://www.rwm.com.au/" target="_blank" title="RWM" rel="nofollow">Richardson Wrench Mosman and Neutral Bay</a> and has been selling residential real estate in Sydney since 1985.  He has also been writing real estate blog <a href="https://www.rwm.com.au/news/" target="_blank" title="Virtual Realty News" rel="nofollow">Virtual Realty News</a> since 2000. 
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Why clearance rates aren’t clear: Robert Simeon

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A prized Blackwattle Bay development site, with jetty, near the Sydney Fish Markets has been scheduled for an online auction next Tuesday.
The 2988 sqm Bank Street holding, currently utilised for fish freezing storage, was recently bought off market by a private local investment syndicate. 
 <img src="/images/2015/11/13/blackw.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="288">
The previous owner, the Chinese developer Dahua sold mid-year after its controversial mixed use development plans for the precinct drew a backlash from the NSW government.
"At 11am on Tuesday 17th, a reserve price will be uploaded and a starting bid logged," the <a href="https://auctionworks.net.au/" target="_blank">auctionworks.net.au</a> auctioneer David Scholes said.
The bidding will close at 1pm Wednesday, unless there is last minute further bidding.
"All interested parties will need to register with the agents and provide sufficient identification to allow them to select a bidder’s number and compete," Mr Scholes said.
Competitive bidding is expected as Blackwattle Bay is the crown jewel in the NSW Government’s Urban Growths renewal plans for a waterfront tourist precinct.
While Urban Growths' Bays Market masterplan has yet been released, work on the foreshore walk is scheduled to commence in early 2016.
The nearby Sydney Fish Market land will be up for tender in March next year. 
The site for auction, which sits between Poulos Bros and Hymix, has been listed as a place of state significant development under the State and Regional Development SEPP with the minister as the consent authority rather than City of Sydney Council.
The existing controls allow hotels but developers are likely to seek mixed residential usage.
"The short auction deadline is not ideal, but the option to purchase is a live prospect," the Deans Property listing agent, Robert Deans said.
"It is a great opportunity alone or as part of a broader scale redevelopment," he said. Any redevelopment of the nearby fish market must be approved by the SFM Merchants and Tenants.
The Labor State Government started the Bays Precinct consultation and the Liberal Government appointed Urban Growth as the coordinating agency. 
The sales brochure point to an Urban Growth document that indicates more density and higher planning controls was possible for the site.
"It appears from the captured image that it is proposed that the building on the subject land will be a 14 storey building," says the auction marketing.
"This is speculative and interested parties should make their own assessments," it said. 
Most of the Blackwattle Bay waterfront is government-owned, but Jin Huiming's Dahua Group paid $17.5 million to buy the site from Bidvest last year.
The Dahua Group on-sold the site to the current vendors, Fishbank Development Corporation in June this year, according to a caveat on the title, but the delayed settlement sale has not yet been finalised.
Mr Jin, 63, previously was ranked by Forbes as the 36th richest person in China a decade ago when Dahua was ranked in China's top 10 real estate companies.
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Strategic Blackwattle Bay site listed for online auction after Chinese developer sells

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Leading adventure retailer Kathmandu is opening what is set to become Australasia’s first Green Star accredited retail store in Melbourne CBD on November 14.
In partnership with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the Kathmandu Store Design and Development team are currently developing an industry-first Green Star rating tool to guide the sustainable design of stores across Australia.
The store has been built to achieve a five Green Star score by using sustainable design techniques, building materials and featured technologies that reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste.
Tim Loftus, the Kathmandu sustainability spokesperson says that the Galleria store brings the company’s commitment to sustainability to life.
“Kathmandu is creating a benchmark for sustainable design and building in retail.
“The Galleria store speaks to our brand belief of respecting the environment. We’re incredibly proud to invite Melburnians to visit Galleria and experience the store.”
Romily Madew, GBCA's CEO echoed Tim's thoughts and suggested Kathmandu’s leadership sends a signal to the retail industry.
“Kathmandu is showing the rest of the retail industry that sustainability is a strategic business decision – one that reinforces brand equity and commitment to ethical business practices.
 “Consumers are increasingly rewarding sustainability with their wallets, and Kathmandu’s leadership will lead the way in reinventing the bricks-and-mortar retail experience in Australia.” 
Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Environment Portfolio, Counsellor Arron Wood, says the new store sets a precendence for sustainable practice in Melbourne’s retail sector.
“There is a clear business case for green buildings in terms of air quality and staff attraction and retention’, Cr Wood said.
“Staff that work in healthy and well-designed environments are more likely to be happy and productive employees.”
The Galleria store is the first to be built as part of Kathmandu’s sustainable building design programme, which uses innovative principles and materials to reduce a store’s overall environmental footprint. 
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