The residential transformation of St Kilda Road is set to continue into with more new apartment plans for the sought-after boulevard.

Wing Tai Asia has lodged plans for a major residential tower at 464-466 St Kilda Road, replacing the former VACC House with an 18-storey mixed-use development designed around a retained heritage podium and a sculpted contemporary tower.

The proposal, prepared under Victoria’s Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway, would deliver 325 apartments and ground-floor retail across the prominent 4,653 sqm boulevard site in Melbourne’s St Kilda Road North Precinct.

The project centres on the adaptive reuse of the site’s heritage-listed VACC Building, an eight-storey office designed by Bernard Evans that has occupied the address for decades. Planning documents state the development would involve “carefully dismantling and conserving off-site the original metal fabric of the podium visible from St Kilda Road,” before reinstating it as the defining frontage of the new scheme.

Above the restored podium, Wing Tai is proposing a curvilinear residential tower. The scheme includes 172 one-bedroom apartments, 63 two-bedroom apartments, 66 three-bedroom apartments, and 24 four-bedroom apartments, alongside two ground-floor food and beverage tenancies fronting St Kilda Road.

The tower has been designed with substantial articulation and variable setbacks to minimise perceived bulk and maintain view corridors along the boulevard. Urbis, which prepared the planning report, said the design “has been significantly articulated through a curvilinear design” with “an interplay with materials, façade expression and depth” to create visual separation and visual interest.

The proposal also includes 254 basement car spaces, landscaped pedestrian links connecting St Kilda Road and Queens Lane, and a biophilic landscape strategy featuring canopy trees, raised planters, cascading greenery and a glass oculus pool overlooking the eastern frontage.

Planning documents confirm the $270.1 million development will contribute 3 per cent of project costs to the Social Housing Growth Fund as part of the application process.

Wing Tai acquired the St Kilda Road property in 2018 alongside Abacus Property Group for $95.38 million, before later consolidating ownership of the site. The property previously served as the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce headquarters for around 60 years.

The transformation of the St Kilda Rd boulevard is already beginning to materialise, with a number of high-profile projects recently completed, launched, or approaching launch as developers continue to back the long-term appeal of the precinct.

Among the most notable recent completions is Louise by Samuel Property Group, just off the strip on Queens Lane, the same pocket Hirsch &amp; Faigen recently launched The Queensbury. Mirvac is too on the same street with The Albertine, which is approaching completion.

Dexus recently secured approval for its slice of St Kilda Road, while Gurner also has approved plans for the precinct.

Joel Robinson

Wing Tai unveils 325-apartment St Kilda Road tower on former VACC House site

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

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

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

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

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

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
</section>
</section>

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Apartments

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A stretch of Little Lonsdale Street between Queen and Elizabeth is becoming a microcosm for various other pockets of the CBD and Southbank, in that is will be a showcase of previous planning attitudes. As a raft of new towers push through, the fundamental feel of this Little Lonsdale stretch is being altered to something very different.

The crux of the issue was best described by Laurence Dragomir at the turn of 2015:

<blockquote>
The proposed development continues the recent trend of large scale high-rises encroaching on the relatively low scale streetscapes which define Melbourne's 'Little' streets and laneways. I've always been a proponent for skyscrapers in the CBD, I won't shy away from that fact, however I don't consider developments of this scale to be appropriate responses to the character and grain of these areas.

The footprints of these sites is generally much smaller than the larger sites on the primary CBD streets. This results in narrow skyscrapers with two shared boundaries that if built to the extremity as usually tends to occur, creates a 'wall' effect that is amplified on much smaller streets from a pedestrian perspective.

I don't consider this to be a desirable outcome and would invite anyone to tell me otherwise or convince me that these are the type of streets we wish to create moving forward.
<cite>Laurence Dragomir, "<a href="/news/planning-application-278-little-lonsdale-street-melbourne">Planning Application: 278 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne</a>", February 19 2015</cite>
</blockquote>

Much has changed since early 2015, particularly the planning fundamentals that underpin what can and cannot be approved within Melbourne's CBD. The stretch of Little Lonsdale Street is heading into a phase of redefinition, owing to construction beginning on a number of towers that were approved prior to Minister Wynne's new planning decree.

Union Tower and 399 Little Lonsdale are both at early construction, with Brady Group also poised to launch sales for the <a href="/buildings/380-melbourne-380-lonsdale-street-melbourne">hulking 380 Melbourne</a>. With <a href="http://380melbourne.com.au/">380 Melbourne's website taking registrations</a>, Brady Group also have the approved 207 metre 272-282 Queens Street up their sleeve, as well as a failed development site opposite 380 Melbourne at 278 Little Lonsdale Street.

The above projects fall within a roughly 150 metre stretch of Little Lonsdale Street, turning it into a a monument to previous planning attitudes; highlighting all that is both good and bad about Melbourne's sustained development drive over recent years.

Good in that two multi-level car parks have or will be razed, with the expectation that what replaces them will be of an almost infinitely superior design outcome. Bad in that this emerging 'wall' effect will subsume another section of Melbourne's CBD, which incidentally acts as a gateway to the sensitive Guildford Lane Precinct.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image102_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="422" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image102_1.jpg?itok=M9TaC-OX" title="An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group</figcaption></figure>380 Melbourne as the are's largest development also shapes as the most promising. A much improved public realm experience will see an aesthetically pleasing street level overhaul, including a new mid block pedestrian thoroughfare and heavily green aspects applied to its Little Lonsdale Street podium.

380 Melbourne has the luxury of maintaining quite a sizeable development plot, allowing for higher levels of design sophistication and increased setbacks. 399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower with their smaller plots employ lesser setbacks, resulting in "a 'wall' effect that is amplified on much smaller streets from a pedestrian perspective" as Laurence so correctly spoke about.

Add these projects to the already completed Melbourne Star, Melbourne Sky and Elm Tower, and the result is less than ideal. In isolation each project has its own design merit, yet together they shift the physical form well beyond what should be considered acceptable for the area, while eroding the finer grain street level character of the area.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image106.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="317" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image106.jpg?itok=0NT8HoGv" title="399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman</figcaption></figure>With Planning Minister Richard Wynne's reworked planning controls, the 'Little Lonsdale effect' could now not be repeated elsewhere within Melbourne's CBD.

What remains unclear is Brady Group's intentions for the Phillips Shirts site at 278 Little Lonsdale Street. Submitted prior to the change in planning controls and having failed to gain approval for a 180 metre residential tower, the historic building now sits forlorn as if almost caught between two differing planning eras.

It will be fascinating to see Little Lonsdale Street change over the next five years. For those who appreciate the current character of this stretch of Little Lonsdale Street, best take it in now while you still can.
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silvermb

Little Lonsdale Street becomes a showcase of previous planning attitudes

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Early works have commenced on two suburban Melbourne projects that promise to reshape their respective surrounds.

A precursor to construction proper, early works for both 62 Wests Road Maribyrnong and 719 High Street Epping are underway, with both developments set to comfortably become the tallest towers in their respective suburbs.

These new suburban high points will also further expand the grip of apartment living into relatively untapped areas, although Maribyrnong does have a growing catalogue of apartment projects found primarily within Edgewater Estate. Nonetheless, piling has begun on the site of Maribyrnong's tallest tower with developer JMC Group also acting as builder, although it's unknown if these current works will flow into construction proper.

The final and tallest stage of Marque Maribyrnong fronts Raleigh Road and Wests Road, and is surrounded by strategic development sites. Directly north lies the former munitions factory site which is earmarked for residential conversion, while land to the east has been subject to rezoning discussions which could see the precinct host multiple high rise towers in the future.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image90.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Wests Road, Maribyrnong. Renders: Interlandi Mantesso Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="362" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image90.jpg?itok=UxeM0Gnu" title="Wests Road, Maribyrnong. Renders: Interlandi Mantesso Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wests Road, Maribyrnong. Renders: Interlandi Mantesso Architects</figcaption></figure>Early works for JMC Group's final phase of Marque Maribyrnong follow on from their second phase, which is dubbed Aspire. Nearing completion, Aspire and the already completed Calibre represent JMC Group's two shorter endeavours in the residential precinct, with the final phase set to span 18 levels or 56 metres.

Approval is held for 165 apartments within the final building.

While it will comfortably become Maribyrnong's tallest tower upon completion, the final phase of Marque Maribyrnong will likely be joined by a fellow high rise by way of Orion International Group's <a href="/buildings/summus-2-wests-road-maribyrnong">Summus</a> which is also on Wests Road and recently went to construction tender. When delivered Summus will span 15 levels or 48 metres.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image86_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="719 High Street. Image: Pelligra"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="343" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image86_1.jpg?itok=Et0vF04N" title="719 High Street. Image: Pelligra" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>719 High Street. Image: Pelligra</figcaption></figure>Meanwhile, heavy machinery is onsite at 719 High Street with the project looking likely to become Epping's first high density, high rise development.

Hand in hand with preliminary onsite works is the release of new imagery showing the mixed-use project which corners High Street and Wedge Street. According to construction and development company Pelligra, 719 High Street will include offices, apartments, a gym and shopping centre, medical facilities plus a multi-level car park within a building spanning 12 levels.

Initially approved during 2013, 719 High Street is poised to become City of Whittlesea's tallest building and the first manifestation of the <a href="https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/building-planning-and-transport/planningdev/planning-for-the-future/place-snapshots/epping-place-snapshot/epping-central-overview">Epping Central Structure Plan</a> which promotes growth across Epping's central spine.

719 High Street's fresh design comes as Pelligra prepares to push through a fellow Epping project at 790 High Street. The more modest Alto Epping features 29 apartments across 6 levels, with C&amp;K Architecture responsible for the design.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image87_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A first for Epping in more ways than one. Image: Pelligra"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="349" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image87_0.jpg?itok=7mLzsVod" title="A first for Epping in more ways than one. Image: Pelligra" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A first for Epping in more ways than one. Image: Pelligra</figcaption></figure>
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Two significant suburban projects break ground

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One of the largest approvals during the Matthew Guy planning era is quietly going about facilitating changes to the permitted scheme that will significantly increase the project yield.

Dubbed Ultimus Tower, when under the guidance of selling agent CBRE City Sales 38 Freshwater Place changed hands at the turn of the year, with Sydney-based interests now driving the project. PCT Developments and Management is listed as the applicant for the revised scheme, with GL Investment Co Melbourne Pty Ltd installed as the newest site owner.

Post its initial submission during 2013, the Metier3-designed skyscraper was eventually granted approval by the current Planning Minister in March 2015. The permit at the time allowed for a 73 level mixed-use tower which forms part of the wider Freshwater Place precinct, but which also holds a Power Street frontage.

With a nominal development cost of $400 million, the most recent design iteration, set above a 3,096sqm site, will round out the Freshwater Place Precinct.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image119_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Intended ground level pedestrian treatment. Planning image: Metier3"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="379" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image119_0.jpg?itok=udyvNZ_O" title="Intended ground level pedestrian treatment. Planning image: Metier3" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Intended ground level pedestrian treatment. Planning image: Metier3</figcaption></figure>Under a Section 72 amendment the tower in its external appearance will remain much the same at 272.25m tall at its roof level, although internally the configuration will be altered heavily.

With Metier3 still acting as project lead, the latest owners have sought to boost apartment numbers from 482 to 607. Premium apartments account for 14 of the 607, and are considerably more larger with internals of up to 195sqm. Overall, apartment sizes fall back into line with what could be considered the norm; single bed apartments of typically 50sqm, doubles with 70-80sqm and triples with 115-125sqm.

In line with the originally approved plan, a hotel component has been retained, although suite numbers have fallen from 390 to 299. The approved office space of some 1,288sqm has been eliminated as has the majority of retail space within the scheme; from 3,083sqm to a mere 538sqm.

Car parking provisions remain unchanged at 480, with both motorbike and bicycle allowances increasing.

With a new plot ratio of 36.8:1, setbacks to the north and west have been increased to 10m, with the eastern flank remaining unchanged at 5m. The podium height increases to 9 levels or 32.85m, with a new larger Gross Floor Area of 113,898sqm. This placed the tower among one of Melbourne's largest developments.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image122_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Power street perspective. Planning image: Metier3"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1248" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image122_0.jpg?itok=aKv3Hl4D" title="Power street perspective. Planning image: Metier3" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Power street perspective. Planning image: Metier3</figcaption></figure>As part of the revised application documents, a tentative timeline for construction has been included as part of the amended aviation application. The building itself and crane utilised in the construction process will be well under the PANS‐OPS barrier, but the building will penetrate the Essendon OLS barrier by 58.75m; the crane even moreso.

To this end the tower crane is expected to begin operation during August 2017 and continue through to September 2019.

These dates would suggest a best case scenario.
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38 Freshwater Place's proponents ramp up their intentions

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Population and employment growth is propelling Box Hill to become its own mini city. In addition to bustling retail, restaurants, health and education facilities, Box Hill also sports the <a href="http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/Building-Box-Hill">busiest transport hub</a> in Melbourne’s east with more than 20,000 train commuters a day.

Add the <a href="http://www.economicprofile.com.au/whitehorse/economy/employment#geography">13,000 jobs</a> on the go and a population set to increase by <a href="http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/Building-Box-Hill">26 percent in the next 5 years</a>, and Box Hill is being eyed off by developers and home buyers alike.

With the 117m <a href="/buildings/whitehorse-trio-845-851-whitehorse-road-box-hill">845-851 Whitehorse Road</a> receiving a Notice of Decision and Golden Age's purchase of a 7344sqm site at 517-521 Station Street, planning confidence within Box Hill is also on a high. Box Hill's massive growth is also underpinned by the fact that <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/box-hill-booms-upwards-with-apartments-as-suburban-grows-up-20160630-gptv7k/">1,200 units</a> were approved in the suburb during 2015.

Hayball shapes as the dominant architecture practice in the municipality, with 18 projects completed or underway in the City of Whitehorse. Box Hill alone holds 11 for Hayball, including <a href="http://www.chloeboxhill.com.au/">Chloe</a>'s 96 apartments and <a href="http://taohome.com.au/">Tao Home</a> with 82 units and a focus on Chinese senior living. These projects continue the firm's approximately 6 year involvement in the area, beginning with the award winning Jade Apartments student accommodation project for Jeff Xu's Golden Age.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/john_street_rhiannon_slatter_screen-2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Jade Apartments, Box Hill. Image courtesy Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="773" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/john_street_rhiannon_slatter_screen-2.jpg?itok=GdIrm_hZ" title="Jade Apartments, Box Hill. Image courtesy Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Jade Apartments, Box Hill. Image by Rhiannon Slatter</figcaption></figure>Urban.com.au met with Hayball director Eugene Chieng at the firm's Sturt Street offices to discuss their involvement in Box Hill, having completed over a dozen projects and with another half a dozen on the books in the 80-100 dwelling range. Chieng identifies a number of factors which have contributed to the growth in Box Hill, breaking down the components that make Box Hill such an emphatic apartment stroghold.

According to Chieng it's a combination of the suburb's culture, and the desire of government at local and state level to turn Box Hill into a thriving activity centre. This is seen in the number of mixed-use developments which are predominantly residential in nature, but with extensive retail at ground level.

However there has also been an increase in the number of developments which have a component of hotel and/or serviced apartments. 

Box Hill has also undoubtedly a hub for Australians of Chinese descent, with the area a magnet for Chinese-backed investment and development.

With so many apartment developments at sales and marketing and with more in the pipeline, Chieng says developments need to offer a point of difference to distinguish themselves in a competitive market. To this end Hayball have designed 82 apartments within 19-21 Poplar Street in Box Hill for developer Sunbright Investment Australia. 

Known as TaoHome, Chieng believes the project has been envisaged as a new way of living; an apartment community that’s designed especially for seniors, with shared facilities like a rooftop walking track, traditional Chinese Wellbeing Centre and Mahjong area also included. The tailoring of TaoHome for a specific demographic also sees Chinese satellite TV, universal power plugs for Chinese appliances and Fotile kitchen rangehoods to accommodate Chinese stir-frying. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/tao_home_communal_lounge_low_res.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Tao Home communal lounge. Image courtesy Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="349" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/tao_home_communal_lounge_low_res.jpg?itok=TJ2rvV0y" title="Tao Home communal lounge. Image courtesy Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Tao Home communal lounge. Image courtesy Hayball</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Culturally it is widely common practice for the Chinese to look after their parents but the younger generation here in Australia generally don't want to live with their parents, so Tao Home has been designed in response to this. TaoHome offers the opportunity for multi-generational living.

The apartments have been designed so that they can be combined or left separated for privacy. The idea is not too dissimilar to  a granny flat. - Eugene Chieng, Director, Hayball
</blockquote>

Chieng describes the project as a "very collaborative process" with a client that was very open minded, which was required for a project that was very lateral in its way of thinking. The project still contains traditional apartments but also dual key apartments which include a number of features for elderly care.

The project is 80% sold with completion on the 8-storey building expected in early 2018.

Another Hayball project, Chloe Apartments at 15-17 Irving Street features 96 high end 1 and 2 bedroom apartments over 9 levels for Cubick Property. Chieng says the project has been well received with apartments almost sold out. The project offers views to the adjacent Box Hill Gardens across the road as well as towards the city, and features a 'Rooftop Club' offering residents indoor and outdoor dining, lounges and a fireplace.

Chloe is more 'western' in its approach particularly in light of TaoHome, says Chieng and more investor and owner-occupier driven. Chloe has been tendered and construction is commencing soon.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/chloe-1-847x1024.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Chloe, Box Hill. Image courtesy Cubick"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="701" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/chloe-1-847x1024.jpg?itok=vZtp3I5E" title="Chloe, Box Hill. Image courtesy Cubick" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Chloe, Box Hill. Image courtesy Cubick</figcaption></figure>Hayball's experience and body of work in Box Hill has seen the firm field several enquiries and approaches by new and return clients for developments in Ringwood. Its appeal lies in the new train station and bus interchange, in addition to Eastland's expansion which includes associated community facilities.

Ringwood much like Box Hill has also been identified as an activity centre where density is appropraite. Hayball are particularly interested in working on multi-generational and highly mixed-use projects in the area says Cheing, building on the office's work on TaoHome - creating more meaningful retirement developments with less high care and greater shared facilities, either via a vertical village model or townhouse typology. 

Urban.com.au will continue to follow the progress of Box Hill and Ringwood with a keen interest.
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Laurence Dragomir

Hayball's Eugene Chieng discusses the rise of Box Hill 

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Sales and marketing agents Marshall White have shifted their focus to virtual reality as a selling tool due to shifting preferences and expectations from prospective buyers.

Based upon recent project marketing experiences, younger generations heavy reliance upon the digital sphere has allowed Marshall White to sell out projects without a physical display suite.

As sales agent for <a href="/buildings/no-308-308-carlisle-street-balaclava">308 Carlisle Street</a>, Marshall White managed to sell all apartments within the project without a display suite or budget toward traditional print advertising. All 45 apartments were sold in under six weeks with the majority of purchasers aged between 25 and 30.

Marshall White believe buyers were drawn to location, enticed by what they term "a refined sales campaign" that simply put forth the advantages of a well-connected lifestyle coupled with an apartment of quality.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/00117814_img_02_1600x.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="308 Carlisle Street exterior. Image courtesy Marshall White"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="314" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/00117814_img_02_1600x.jpg?itok=X5DzXEgI" title="308 Carlisle Street exterior. Image courtesy Marshall White" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>308 Carlisle Street exterior. Image: Marshall White</figcaption></figure>Urban.com.au spoke to Leonard Teplin, Projects Director at Marshall White, who sees this as an opportunity to better invest the hundreds of thousands of dollars developers would spend on lavish display suites into innovative alternatives that are not only cost and time effective, but more authentic and impactful.

<blockquote>
This generation has changed the game; they are heavily reliant on the digital sphere and entrust it with major life decisions. People plan dates, book accommodation and apply for jobs with people they’ve never met and in places they’ve never been, online every day – so why would we expect any less of them when it comes to purchasing property?

Buyers are overloaded with choice and bombarded with advertisements, which has made them less perceptible to traditional marketing tactics. In order to be effective you must know your audience, what they value, who they trust, where they source their information – these things often hold more significance than their gender or profession and allow us to develop tailored marketing strategies that resonate with our buyers on a deeper level.

An integrated approach simplifies the sales process and leverages technology, videography, photography, renders, brand partnerships, and direct marketing to achieve a far more cost effect result within the shortest possible time frame.
<cite>Leonard Teplin, Projects Director, Marshall White</cite>
</blockquote>

While digital marketing has hit the mark with younger buyers, Leonard Teplin acknowledges print media as still maintaining an integral role to play in the sales process with older purchasers.

In order to access the virtual reality display without a physical display suite, prospective buyers would visit the Marshall White offices where all the necessary technology is in-house. A interactive display of approximately 72 inches occupies a space within Marshall White's offices and the general consensus has been positive, particularly for buyers who would otherwise struggle to visualise themselves in a prospective apartment space.

<blockquote>
What we've tried to do is create a 3D experience where the buyer puts on the headset which allows them to stand in the kitchen or bathroom and get a real sense and feel for the space. Virtual reality is the perfect solution for taking your product interstate or internationally, without having to build display suites or rely on printed or digital advertising material.

You're providing buyers with a fully immersive experience of the apartment and we expect more and more developers to embrace the concept.

<cite>Leonard Teplin, Projects Director, Marshall White</cite>
</blockquote>

Earlier this year the agency in tandem with <a href="/developers/moda-corp">Moda Corp</a> sold all 27 luxury apartments at High &amp; Spring in the same time frame as 308 Carlisle without any traditional or digital advertising, achieving a sales average of approximately $1,050,000 per apartment. This was done via Marshall White's database of existing clientele and interested parties.

Teplin believes that if a client is prepared to work with them in delivering a product to the market, then in those circumstances traditional advertising becomes obsolete as there's already a ready made audience for that particular type of property.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/arch2a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="High &amp; Spring has proven successful without traditional advertising. Image courtesy Marshall White"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="279" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arch2a.jpg?itok=hzPtPpRR" title="High &amp; Spring has proven successful without traditional advertising. Image courtesy Marshall White" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>High &amp; Spring has proven successful without traditional advertising. Image: Marshall White</figcaption></figure>Looking further ahead at the potential implications of the Victorian Government's soon to be introduced apartment standards and their impact on the market, Leonard Teplin expects an increased number of sites would be considered 'undevelopable' due to excessive setback requirements.

Teplin argues that minimum ceiling heights of 2.7 metres are "fine but we need to make sure the planning scheme gets adjusted accordingly so that mandatory height limits in certain zones (such as Residential 1: 9 metres) can cater for three levels at 2.7 metres."

Most sites will reduce in value, says Teplin, and the government may not care about this but if implemented in its current form, there will be a long period of no development (like <a href="/new-apartments/sydney-nsw">Sydney</a>) whilst the price of housing goes through the roof.

Sites will only start to stack up financially once the rate per square metre gets to "ridiculous levels like Sydney… these proposed amendments will kill what little affordability there is left in the market."
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Discussing the future of the apartment market with Leonard Teplin

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<div class="tg-tlc-storybody_intro">
Despite the massive surge in property prices in Sydney’s West, the region is still home to the city’s most affordable rental apartments.
</div>
Government statistics reveal median entry level one-bedroom weekly rents are as low as $280 a week.
That secures a one-bedder, mostly unrenovated, around Blacktown and Fairfield.
Carramar offers the cheapest two-bedroom median rentals at $300 a week, $20 less than Cabramatta at $320.
<table style="height: 440px; width: 549px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td colspan="4">
 
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td colspan="2">
 
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
 Postcode
</td>
<td colspan="4">
Median
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
 
</td>
<td colspan="2">
$
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
                                                              Lowest 1 bedroom
</td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140">
2148 (Blacktown)
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="66">
280
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140">
2165 (Fairfield)
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="66">
280
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140">
2195 (Lakemba)
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="66">
315
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140">
2145 (Greystanes)
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="66">
320
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140">
2144 (Auburn)
</td>
<td colspan="2" width="66">
335
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140"> </td>
<td colspan="2" width="66"> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
                                                              Lowest 2 bedroom
</td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2163 (Carramar)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
300
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2166 (Cabramatta)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
320
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2165 (Fairfield)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
350
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2195 (Lakemba)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
360
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2192 (Belmore)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
370
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
                                                             Highest 1 bedroom
</td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2000 (Sydney)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
630
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2009 (Pyrmont)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
600
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2039 (Rozelle)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
600
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2022 (Bondi Junction)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
595
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2050 (Camperdown)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
590
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">
                                                             Highest 2 bedroom
</td>
<td colspan="2"> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2000 (Sydney)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
895
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2027 (Darling Point)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
798
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2061 (Milsons Point)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
798
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2011 (Woolloomooloo)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
795
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
2010 (Surry Hills)
</td>
<td colspan="2">
780
</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="140"> </td>
<td width="38"> </td>
<td width="38"> </td>
<td width="20"> </td>
<td width="20"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Anglicare Sydney’s recent rental affordability snapshot reviewed some 15,000 properties available on the first weekend of April and found only 76 were affordable and appropriate for households on income support payments without placing them in “rental stress”.
The NSW Fair Trading rental bond data shows the dearest one- and two-bedroom units for lease are all within proximity of the CBD.
The most expensive units have a median rent of $630 for a one-bedder and $895 for two bedrooms.
Two-bedroom tenants pay around $100 a week less in Darling Point and Milsons Point, where the median rent is $798.
Milsons Point leasing agent Andre Pang says new developments have meant rental prices have been steady.
The Rental Bond Board data will be released regularly on the Fair Trading website from later this year.
Victor Dominello, the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, says the open data initiative will allow renters and landlords to compare median rents across NSW.
“We are living in the digital age and open data can be utilised to empower communities and policymaking,” he said.
Lakemba is the third cheapest rental suburb according to the state government figures. The median rental for a one-bedroom Lakemba unit is $315 a week.
An as-new studio apartment near Lakemba train station is available at $290 per week, complete with kitchenette, ensuite and balcony.
Greystanes has median rental price for one-bedroom units at $320 a week.
Auburn is over $50 a week more expensive than Blacktown. Its one-bedroom median unit price is $335 a week.
There are only two two-bedroom properties up for rent on realestate.com.au in Carramar, and they’re both available at $300 a week.
The Rental Bond Board had 537,000 bonds held for the Greater Sydney area, where median rents rose 4.3 percent over the March quarter.
NSW Fair Trading the top 5 postcodes with the highest and lowest median rents (per week) in Sydney for apartments.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Blacktown and Fairfield offer Sydney's cheapest rentals

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St Kilda Road will be the setting for the debut of another international developer, with Singaporean outfit Lian Beng Group's intended residential tower now with City of Port Phillip.

Having secured <a href="/new-apartments/596-st-kilda-road-melbourne">596 St Kilda Road</a> during 2015 for $25 million, first-time market entrant Lian Beng Group have submitted for approval a residential scheme that further morphs the boulevard into a sought after residential strip. Stepping away somewhat from the premium apartment buyer which has defined St Kilda Road in recent times, the proposal consists predominantly of oversized single bedroom dwellings.

Noted within the <a href="https://eservices.portphillip.vic.gov.au/webdocs/909902/ADV%20Architect%20Report%20-%20Incl.%203D%20images.PDF">town planing submission</a>, project architect <a href="/architects/bates-smart">Bates Smart</a> references the eclectic nature of Windsor and the youthful aspects of the development, perhaps a reference to the target buyer.

Externally 596 St Kilda Road's 19 levels are defined by 1,150sqm of vertical garden space arranged seemingly draped over the design's exterior; a far cry from the 1940's apartment complex onsite which is set to make way for the tower.

<h2>596 St Kilda Road application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image26_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aerial render of the tower's green exterior. Planning image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="650" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image26_3.jpg?itok=NeE-_Bkq" title="Aerial render of the tower's green exterior. Planning image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aerial render of the tower's green exterior. Planning image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Site offered for sale by CBRE City Sales during 2015</li>
	<li>Purchased by Lian Beng Group for $25 million</li>
	<li>Site area: 1,800sqm with two street frontages</li>
	<li>Proposed 19 level tower at 60 metres</li>
	<li>170 dwellings: 95 x 1BR and 75 x 2BR with study options for either</li>
	<li>4 level basement containing 162 vehicles and 57 bicycle bays</li>
	<li>Ground level amenities including 20 metre pool, sauna and gymnasium</li>
	<li>Total GFA: 21,847sqm</li>
	<li>Single cafe tenancy at ground level</li>
	<li>Commissioned public artwork to be determined after discussions with Council</li>
</ul>
Supplementing the vertical gardens is 892sqm of ground floor green area, with Bates Smart describing the building as living design.

With the tower's projecting planters intended to mirror the gardens of St Kilda Road in a vertical fashion, they are also designed to become an external extension of internal spaces. Bates Smart heavily reference the pavilion throughout their urban context report, essentially created a tower where external spaces are designed to be used as often as possible.

This is achieved by floor to ceiling glazing, extended slabs and operable screens.

Conceived as a series of stacked pavilions, 596 St Kilda Road does carry similar external traits to existing Bates Smart residential projects such as <a href="http://www.pelotongroup.com.au/property/queens_road.htm">Proximity on Queens</a> and Canberra's <a href="https://www.batessmart.com/bates-smart/projects/sectors/residential/atelier/">Atelier</a>, albeit with the addition of green vertical highlights.

596 St Kilda Road's apartment mix sees 95 single bedroom apartments range in size between 50-62sqm while dual bedrooms range between 77-82sqm.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image43_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A garden living exemplar, similar to what can be expected within the project. Planning image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="333" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image43_4.jpg?itok=5y5uzN2E" title="A garden living exemplar, similar to what can be expected within the project. Planning image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A garden living exemplar as identified by the architect. Planning image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>St Kilda Road has proven to be fertile grounds for both local and international developers in recent years, as its transformation from commercial enclave to residential boulevard continues.

Asian developers are well represented in the area, with Lian Beng Group merely the latest to cash in upon Melbourne's high density living surge. <a href="/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> will have <a href="/buildings/parque-melbourne-555-st-kilda-road-melbourne">Parque St Kilda Road</a> complete soon enough with settlement due by the end of next month, while a handful of other projects are in the pipeline.

<a href="/new-apartments/the-mayfair-412-st-kilda-road-melbourne">412 St Kilda Road</a> is at planning on behalf of Malaysian-based <a href="/developers/uem-sunrise">UEM Sunrise</a> while the likes of Wuzhong and Chinese-affiliated <a href="/developers/golden-age-group">Golden Age Group</a> are also active on the strip.

<h2>596 St Kilda Road development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Lian Beng (St Kilda) Pte. Ltd.</li>
	<li>Architecture and Urban Context Report: Bates Smart</li>
	<li>Planning: <a href="/developers/urbis">Urbis</a>
</li>
	<li>Traffic Engineering Assessment: GTA</li>
	<li>Sustainability Management Plan: Norman Disney &amp; Young</li>
	<li>Waste Management Plan: Leigh Design</li>
	<li>Landscape Plan: Tract</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Lian Beng Group enter Melbourne with 596 St Kilda Road

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It looks to be one of those instances where a single image says it all.

In this case the lead image above illustrates the rapid change engulfing the northern stretch of <a href="/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne's CBD</a>. During a recent visit to Hickory Group's topping out ceremony for <a href="/buildings/la-trobe-tower-323-la-trobe-street-melbourne">La Trobe Tower</a>, the scale of this change became patently evident.

Given abundant coverage to date on Apartments.com.au, towering individual planning applications and rendered city models fail to adequately convey the emergence of a new crop of tall Melbourne towers. The above image for instance would be greatly augmented should the 210 metre <a href="/buildings/uno-melbourne-117-abeckett-street-melbourne">111 A'Beckett Street</a> rise in the foreground; essentially block out three of the new crop of towers which all weigh in above the 200 metre mark: Vision, <a href="/buildings/victoria-one-452-472-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Victoria One</a> and <a href="/buildings/light-house-450-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Light House</a>.

Assuming that we're currently at a nominal half-way point in the construction of this rash of new residential towers across the north of Melbourne's CBD, what observations can be made at this time?

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_8244_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Welcome to the new Melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_8244_0.jpg?itok=2sMDbtcB" title="Welcome to the new Melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Welcome to the new Melbourne</figcaption></figure>On a more intimate level, the street character of Elizabeth Street in particular has been drastically altered.

Minimal setbacks have given the eastern site of Elizabeth an imposing presence from street level; some will argue it as a welcomed change representing Melbourne's progression, while others will note that Elizabeth Street is becoming a cold and uninviting public place. Much will depend upon how readily these new towers interact with the streetscape upon their respective completions.

A previously rundown streetscape or an uninviting wall of towers, for those who value urban design it could be argued neither is a particularly palatable outcome.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_8245.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lighthouse on show"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="388" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_8245.jpg?itok=neLmdL4H" title="Lighthouse on show" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lighthouse on show</figcaption></figure>On a larger scale though, these new towers have definitely brought a fresh design dynamic to Melbourne's skyline, with <a href="/architects/fraser-partners-0">Elenberg Fraser</a> the primary firm responsible.

The architecture practice can lay claim to seven current towers in the northern stretch of Melbourne's CBD; five are at construction with the shortest being the 172 metre <a href="/buildings/avant-60-abeckett-street-melbourne">Avant</a>. Colour and form are coming to the fore, with Light House above a prime example of Elenberg Fraser's progressive design dynamic.

Perhaps though the most stylish tower on the rise anywhere in Melbourne is <a href="/buildings/eq-tower-127-abeckett-street-melbourne">EQ Tower</a>. It's pinkish-purple facade and inverse flowing lines are particularly attractive and it has rapidly emerged as a beacon of design prowess, owing to its many unique characteristics.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_8229.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="EQ Tower"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_8229.jpg?itok=My0-ANw-" title="EQ Tower" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>EQ Tower</figcaption></figure>With many towers under construction now taking on their own unique characteristics, here is an overview of the current status of all major towers within Melbourne's northern CBD zone:

<h2>Planning and approved</h2>

<a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">386 William</a>, <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">183 A'Beckett</a>, <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">Scape La Trobe</a>, <a href="/buildings/97-franklin-street-melbourne">97 Franklin</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/441-451-elizabeth-street-melbourne">441 Elizabeth</a>, <a href="/developments/greater-dandenong-vic">102 Franklin</a>, <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">478 Elizabeth</a>, <a href="/buildings/eq-tower-127-abeckett-street-melbourne">111 A'Beckett</a>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/97_franklin_talls.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="97 Franklin Street as rendered into the new Melbourne skyline."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="428" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/97_franklin_talls.jpg?itok=Mr2k9-IG" title="97 Franklin Street as rendered into the new Melbourne skyline." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>97 Franklin Street as rendered into the new Melbourne skyline.</figcaption></figure><h2>Sales</h2>

<a href="/buildings/wills-place-17-wills-street-melbourne">Wills Place</a>, <a href="/buildings/queens-place-157-a-beckett-street-and-370-queen-street-melbourne">Queens Place</a>, <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">303 La Trobe</a>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image69_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="303 La Trobe has joined Queens Place at project sales"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="350" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image69_4.jpg?itok=tge5ePVc" title="303 La Trobe has joined Queens Place at project sales" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>303 La Trobe has joined Queens Place at project sales</figcaption></figure><h2>Early phase construction</h2>

<a href="/new-apartments/iglu-229-franklin-street-melbourne">229 Franklin</a>, <a href="/buildings/aurora-melbourne-central-224-la-trobe-street-melbourne">Aurora Melbourne Central</a>, <a href="/buildings/scape-melbourne-393-swanston-street-melbourne">Scape Swanston</a>, <a href="/buildings/avant-60-abeckett-street-melbourne">Avant</a>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image66_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aurora Melbourne Central on the rise. Image: Adrian"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="391" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image66_3.jpg?itok=_fhDPQ01" title="Aurora Melbourne Central on the rise. Image: Adrian" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aurora Melbourne Central on the rise. Image: Adrian</figcaption></figure><h2>Mid construction</h2>

<a href="/buildings/empire-melbourne-398-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Empire</a>, <a href="/buildings/light-house-450-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Light House</a>, <a href="/buildings/victoria-one-452-472-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Victoria One</a>, <a href="/buildings/eq-tower-127-abeckett-street-melbourne">EQ Tower</a>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image65_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Empire and Light House have progressed rapidly"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="360" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image65_0.jpg?itok=bK2WonaE" title="Empire and Light House have progressed rapidly" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Empire and Light House have progressed rapidly</figcaption></figure><h2>Topped out</h2>

<a href="/buildings/la-trobe-tower-323-la-trobe-street-melbourne">La Trobe Tower</a>, <a href="/buildings/eporo-tower-279-la-trobe-street-melbourne">Eporo Tower</a>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_8228.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A recent shot of La Trobe Tower"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_8228.jpg?itok=8ck0dVB4" title="A recent shot of La Trobe Tower" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A recent shot of La Trobe Tower</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

The changing face of Melbourne's northern CBD

<html><body>
Integrated residential property funds management and real estate services organisation Oliver Hume is seeking to develop another slice of industrial West Melbourne, becoming the group's third Melbourne apartment project behind <a href="/new-apartments/cheltenham-vic-3192">Ilixir</a> in Cheltenham and The Principal which fronts Flemington Road.

Jackson Clements Burrows are behind the design for 164-184 Roden Street which if approved, will retain the exterior of the substantial heritage building onsite, along with a portion of the interior floor plate set back to the inner columns. This is done so in order to provide legitimacy to a healthy number of warehouse shells intended within the development.

Works for the existing onsite building began during 1889, with subsequent additions through to 1937 for then expanding hardware merchants Briscoe &amp; Co. According to heritage consultants Bryce Raworth,164-184 Roden Street and the associated street addresses the existing building holds fall under a D grade heritage listing.

City of Melbourne have received 12 objections to the development.

A <a href="http://www.cbremelbourne.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/164-172_Roden_bro_v9_redslash-IN-dd.pdf">sales campaign</a> for the site was conducted by CBRE during late 2014, with Oliver Hume's plans for the project lodged with City of Melbourne during June of this year.

<h2>164-172 Roden Street application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image19_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The project's interior courtyard. Planning image: JCB"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="328" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image19_11.jpg?itok=XC4M9DRz" title="The project's interior courtyard. Planning image: JCB" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The project's interior courtyard. Planning image: JCB</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Site offered for sale during late 2014</li>
	<li>3,637sqm site containing dual industrial warehouse buildings and three street frontages</li>
	<li>Proposed partial demolition and construction of an 8 level, 28.8m buildings</li>
	<li>206 dwellings: 21 x warehouse shells, 2 x duplex, 30 x loft, 101 x 1BR, 52 x 2BR</li>
	<li>Provision for 120 vehicle and 150 bicycle bays over two basement levels</li>
	<li>Jack Merlo designed landscaped internal courtyard</li>
</ul>
206 dwellings are included within the project's eight levels, despite a planning overlay expecting a preferred building height of four storeys. From a prospective apartment buyer's point of view, 164-184 Roden Street may be an attractive prospect as the development team has gone to lengths to create diversity of living options within the development.

Dual level warehouse shells, duplexes and loft options add to the ubiquitous one and two bedroom apartments within the development. Single bedroom apartments span the 48sqm-62sqm range, with living options expanding in size thereafter.

The warehouse and loft formats presumably seek to set the project apart from its West Melbourne contemporaries, with advertised plans indicating that both loft and warehouse options are proportionately large. Two storey, two bedroom lofts sit between 97-98sqm with ample exterior areas in tow.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_8350.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="420 Spencer Street is moving on up"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_8350.jpg?itok=ZdwYblCJ" title="420 Spencer Street is moving on up" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>420 Spencer Street is moving on up</figcaption></figure>News of Oliver Hume's Roden Street endeavour comes as another prominent site in West Melbourne went to planning last week. 405-417 Spencer Street is now subject to a 22 level application which seeks retail and commercial uses in addition to 181 apartments.

405-417 Spencer Street aside, the entry of 164-184 Roden Street to the Apartments.com.au Project Database sees 25 separate residential projects listed within West Melbourne, with total apartment numbers for these projects in excess of 3,300.

Largest of all these projects is 355-371 Spencer Street which carries approval for 700 plus apartments, while West Melbourne's tallest building is currently heading skyward. Set to reach 131 metres, The Spencer as seen above has picked up its construction pace considerably now that the build is beyond the podium levels.

<h2>164-184 Roden Street development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Oliver Hume</li>
	<li>Architect and Urban Context Report: Jackson Clements Burrows</li>
	<li>Planning: Contour Consultants Australia</li>
	<li>Heritage Consultants: Bryce Raworth</li>
	<li>Traffic: Traffix Group</li>
	<li>Landscape Architect: Jack Merlo Design</li>
	<li>ESD: ECM Group</li>
	<li>Waste: Leigh Design</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Oliver Hume and JCB add to the West Melbourne dynamic

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One of 2016's largest projects is set to continue the high density infill between Yarra's Edge and the emerging Fishermans Bend Precinct.

Created by MGS Architects, the dual residential tower scheme's most striking feature is its multi-colured facade which is designed as a contemporary interpretation of the nearby shipping yards. Located at 13-33 Hartley Street on the perimeter of Docklands, the site is hard up against the West Gate Freeway and adjacent to the recently sold development site at <a href="/developments/docklands-vic-3008">85-93 Lorimer Street</a>.

13-33 Hartley Street will also enjoy frontage to the park which forms part of the permit approved 85-93 Lorimer Street, which was designed by Elenberg Fraser.

Kew-based entity Claric Ninety Nine Pty Ltd is the proponent behind the Hartley Street development.

<h2>13-33 Hartley Street Docklands application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image21_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="As rendered from Yarra's Edge. Image: MGS Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="319" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image21_8.jpg?itok=bLZCMO4G" title="As rendered from Yarra's Edge. Image: MGS Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>As rendered from Yarra's Edge. Image: MGS Architects</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Site area: 6,713sqm</li>
	<li>Proposed 37 and 40 level residential towers with the taller at 131.3 metres</li>
	<li>612 apartments: 202 x 1BR, 370 x 2BR, 26 x 3BR, 14 x 4BR</li>
	<li>3 retail tenancies totaling 255sqm and 700sqm of 'community' space</li>
	<li>Provision for 424 vehicles, 370 resident bicycles, 71 visitor bicycle spaces and 58 motorcycle spaces</li>
	<li>1,507sqm of communal facilities, including a lap pool, gym, yoga/kids play area, meeting room, cinema room, lounge areas and library</li>
	<li>Plot ratio: 12.29:1</li>
	<li>Gross Floor Area: 82,568sqm</li>
	<li>Estimated cost of development: $200 million</li>
</ul>
<h2>Acknowledging one's surrounds</h2>

<blockquote>
The Port of Melbourne is Australia’s largest container terminal and has a very significant impact on the local landscape. Viewed from above neatly arranged rows of colourful containers from all parts of the world animate an otherwise dull industrial port.

It is this colour and texture that the building design references in the balcony balustrade treatment of the apartments at the upper and lower floors. Larger apartments are located at these floors where balconies are cantilevered in patterns and varied in colour to evoke the Port’s container landscape

The great Australian painter Jeffrey Smart was known for his stylised depictions of urban landscapes. He had a particular fascination with roads and road signs which he rendered with a stark reality and precision.

We have treated the car parking podium of the building as a canvas for an over scaled road sign. In this case the sign however is not read as a flat painted surface but as a series of projecting screens that morph into view on approach. The signage is directional and changes in accordance with the location of the observer.
<cite>Urban context report, MGS Architects</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image47_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A nod to Jeffrey Smart. Planning image: MGS Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="294" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image47_3.jpg?itok=qs0DcvXo" title="A nod to Jeffrey Smart. Planning image: MGS Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A nod to Jeffrey Smart. Planning image: MGS Architects</figcaption></figure><h2>Ins and Outs</h2>

Single bedroom dwellings range in size between 48-59sqm, with dual bedroom apartments spread over 67-125sqm. While three bedrooms range between 120-167sqm, MGS Architects have included 14 four bedroom apartments; somewhat of an oddity when considering the wider Melbourne apartment landscape.

These four bedroom apartments have an area of some 200sqm.

Every apartment is provided with a balcony that is located directly off the living area, with south facing dwellings afforded winter gardens that span the full width of the dwelling. It is worth noting that according to the submitted documents, 'Saddle Back’ bedrooms occurs in 2 of 12 apartments per typical floor on the west tower and in 2 of 9 apartments per typical floor on the east tower.

'Saddle Back’ apartments are a point of contention in the current Melbourne planning climate owing to the lack of direct access to natural light.

As part of the intended development, 912sqm of the site area will be seeded to infrastructure needs, with open space accounting for another 1,826sqm.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image48_5.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Setbacks and ground level interface. Planning image: MGS Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="209" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image48_5.jpg?itok=mf8QXFgm" title="Setbacks and ground level interface. Planning image: MGS Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Setbacks and ground level interface. Planning image: MGS Architects</figcaption></figure>When combining 13-33 Hartley Street's 612 apartments with those of 85-93 Lorimer Street and Mirvac's upcoming <a href="/buildings/voyager-docklands-103-south-wharf-drive-docklands-vic-3008">Voyager Tower</a>, there exists the potential for a further 1,868 apartments to be pumped into the sliver of Docklands land south of the Yarra River.

Potential future development sites that fall within this section of Docklands will be largely confined to a tract of land west of Hartley Street; beyond that adjoining areas fall under Fishermans Bend and its differing planning controls.

<h2>13-33 Hartley Street Docklands development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Claric Ninety-Nine Pty Ltd</li>
	<li>Architect and Urban Context Analysis: MGA Architects</li>
	<li>Town Planning: Roberts Day</li>
	<li>Buffer Constraint Assessment: GHD</li>
	<li>Traffic and Transport Assessment: Cardno</li>
	<li>Acoustic Report,: Renzo Tonin &amp; Associates</li>
	<li>Wind Report: Cermak, Peterka, Petersen</li>
	<li>Social and Community Infrastructure Assessment: ASR Research</li>
	<li>Waste Management Plan: Leigh Design</li>
	<li>Environmentally Sustainable Design: IrwinConsult.</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

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