<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

Brunswick

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A Brunswick landmark has been listed for sale by negotiation with a $3.5 million price tag.
The 1903 Federation Free Style building at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-offices-vic-brunswick-501942650" target="_blank">307 Victoria Street</a> features a warehouse, showroom and penthouse.
It has housed designer printing business Papers Of Distinction since 1997, founded by vendor Jillian Houlihan.
Set on the Boase St corner, the 529sq m property has Art Nouveau detailing, including tulip mouldings.
It was also formerly the United Friendly Societies medical dispensary building.
IRC Property Group agent Raff De Luise said most of the potential buyers planned to live in the two-bedroom penthouse and operate their business beneath.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Brunswick warehouse, showroom and penthouse for sale

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Ray White Brunswick auctioneer Jamil Allouche noted the former Brunswick dairy price “blew everyone away.”
It sold recently for $440,000 over its reserve as nine buyers fought for the charming four-bedroom family home.
The bidding started at $1.2 million and flying past its $1.35 million reserve, the sale price of <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-brunswick-122769070" target="_blank">4 Bell St, Brunswick</a> fetched $1.79 million.
CoreLogic put the median house price at $856,000.
It last sold for $1.175 million in 2011.
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Brunswick former diary cottage sells at $1.79 million

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It's unprecedented times for Brunswick and surrounding suburbs Brunswick East and Brunswick West. Never before have the trio of postcodes been so popular with Melbourne's apartment builders with 13 separate projects currently under construction.

The yield of apartments from these projects is set to exceed 1,300 dwellings. Brunswick East leads the way with seven projects under construction, followed by Brunswick with four and Brunswick West with two.

Sourcing Apartments.com.au's Project Database, the area is traditionally dominated by medium-sized apartment projects averaging 40-50 dwellings, although the current count of 1,300 apartments under construction is skewed by two large projects which jointly account for approximately 700 apartments under construction.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image40_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Ettaro and York Brunswick West are underpinning the area's construction progress"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="221" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image40_4.jpg?itok=te8wrDOg" title="Ettaro and York Brunswick West are underpinning the area's construction progress" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Ettaro and York Brunswick West are underpinning the area's construction progress</figcaption></figure>The largest with 400 plus apartments is Brunswick East's Hayball-designed Ettaro which is rapidly approaching completion at the hands of LU Simon, whilst York Brunswick West has seen works begin on the second phase of the project for developer R.Corporation.

Most recent to begin construction have been The Moreland and Protec Property Group's The Dux located adjacent to Anstey Station. A long time favourite of Apartments.com.au, Anstey Precinct as it has been christened is a pocket of Brunswick dedicated toward urban renewal/higher density living.

Joining The Dux under construction within Anstey Precinct are Hendrix Apartments and 8 Bresse Street, with the much publicised Nightingale Apartments on Florence Street set to begin its build. Post its visit to VCAT and subsequent minor design alterations, Nightingale is now poised to become the latest project within Anstey Precinct to offer "delivery of tangible, meaningful, visitable and assessable built outcomes," following in the footsteps of <a href="/news/is-this-melbournes-best-new-residential-development">The Commons</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_4890.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Bensons Property Group's C3 Brunswick"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="380" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4890.jpg?itok=kYDuEGLs" title="Bensons Property Group's C3 Brunswick" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Bensons Property Group's C3 Brunswick</figcaption></figure>Further to the 13 projects under construction, Apartments.com.au has identified a further 10 apartment projects set for an imminent construction start. 

Among them is Alpha 14 Property Group's Crest on Sydney Road, the aforementioned Nightingale Brunswick and what shapes as Moreland's tallest project to date, Brunswick Heart. Set over 14 levels, site preparation for the RotheLowman-designed project is complete with a builder set to take site possession shortly.

These 10 projects combined will add another 800 plus dwellings to Moreland's ballooning apartment market.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_4929.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="MakShaq's 8 Lygon is moving toward construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4929.jpg?itok=RF9uPV-H" title="MakShaq's 8 Lygon is moving toward construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>MakShaq's 8 Lygon is moving toward construction</figcaption></figure>Whilst construction and projects at sales remain robust within Brunswick and its adjoining suburbs, there are signs that the surge in apartments may be slowing.

2016 has brought a discernible slow down in the number of larger apartment projects filtering through Moreland City Council's online planning platform. Indeed scant few new listing within Moreland have been added to the Apartments.com.au Project Database in recent times as developers seem content in delivering on the healthy backlog of approved projects.

With the persistent talk of market oversupply, the easing of projects at planning could also be a sign that developers have cooled on the Brunswick market somewhat given it has traditionally been the domain of smaller sized apartments aimed toward investors and singles/couples.
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silvermb

Unprecedented times for Brunswick's apartment growth, but can it last?

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A Brunswick development site has been sold by Raine &amp; Horne at $1.2 million.
Its town planning permit consist of 10 generous two bedroom apartments, 1 one bedroom apartment and a 52sq metre office on the ground floor.
Set within walking distance to cosmopolitan Sydney Road, the <a href="https://www.rhcommercial.com.au/properties/15-breese-street-brunswick-3056-victoria-cd7744c8-1283-4440-958e-0cd86e076c66" target="_blank">Breese Street property</a> was offered by Raine &amp; Horne agent Tim Frian.
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Brunswick development site sold by Raine & Horne Commercial

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Brunswick's Anstey Precinct has been a favourite of Apartments.com.au's for some years, essentially a microcosm of Melbourne's greater push toward higher density living outside the central city.

Anchored by Anstey Railway Station and with Breese Street as its spine, the Anstey Precinct has been subject to intense apartment development during recent years. While Apartments.com.au has been both positive and <a href="/expert-insights/buying/the-anstey-precinct-failing-at-a-basic-level">critical</a> of the resulting built-form, one planning application <a href="/news/giving-something-back-12-duckett-street-brunswick">shone through during 2014</a>.

Fast forward and the site in question at 12 Duckett Street is now up for sale with Colliers offering the 4,858sqm land parcel with approval for an interesting apartment development 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/image35_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Duckett Street merging with the Upfield Bike Path. Image: Colliers"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="265" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image35_2.jpg?itok=snjefRq2" title="Duckett Street merging with the Upfield Bike Path. Image: Colliers" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Duckett Street merging with the Upfield Bike Path. Image: Colliers</figcaption></figure>While developers will be drawn by the MOS Architects scheme allowing for 185 apartments and 11 commercial tenancies, the true 'super' nature of 12 Duckett Street is the manner in which it addresses the public realm.

With two separate residential buildings either side of Duckett Street the proposal sought and was granted the right to turn part of Duckett Street into a car free zone. Hand in hand with this is the introduction of a generous amount of green space on and around the development.

<blockquote>
The piazza is integral to the success of this development. We identified our subject site as a significant contributor to the high quality emerging developments within the close proximity.

Integration with the existing shared Upfield path is established as the site opens up to this path, promoting alternative movements and significant pedestrian activity.
<cite>MOS Architects, 2014 planning statement</cite>
</blockquote>

Approximately 80 metres of active frontage, high site permeability, green walls and setbacks to the Upfield bike path; these are traits not applicable to the majority of apartment developments which have landed within Anstey Precinct in recent years. And consequently this is why 12 Duckett Street is such an interesting and important development for the region.

<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/image33_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Hendrix and 8 Breese are in the early stages of construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="198" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image33_6.jpg?itok=Mt_uhfg7" title="Hendrix and 8 Breese are in the early stages of construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Hendrix and 8 Breese are in the early stages of construction</figcaption></figure>While 12 Duckett Street looks for a new owner, construction is back on the agenda within Anstey Precinct. Almost simultaneously, two mid-sized apartment projects have begun construction with Maycon's Hendrix Apartments and Romano Property Group's 8 Breese both approaching bulk excavation.

Between the two developer-builder driven projects, approximately 135 apartments will be added to Anstey Precinct in addition to some much needed ground level activation by way of retail outlets.

Also set for construction is Nightingale at 6 Florence Street after receiving a Notice of Decision from Moreland City Council during March. After a well publicised VCAT rejection, the proposal was subject to minor alterations with limited onsite car parking included. With final approval in the offing, Nighingale looks like its set to join the Anstey Precinct, albeit long after it was intended.

<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/image32_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Awaiting movement. Image: www.nightingale.melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image32_2.jpg?itok=VPoL3See" title="Awaiting movement. Image: www.nightingale.melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Awaiting movement. Image: www.nightingale.melbourne</figcaption></figure>
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Anstey Precinct's premier development site offered for sale

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When you mention <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick</a> to anyone who's from the other side of the Yarra you're quite likely to get a rendition of the Franco Cozzo ad, a massive expletive-ladden anti-hipster tirade or hushed jibes about lefties.

However we need to question how long those stereotypes will last. Apartments.com.au labelled <a href="/news/hotspots-lygon-street-east-brunswick">Lygon Street in Brunswick East a development hotspot</a> in August 2013 and the picture today is dramatically different. Not that Lygon Street is seeing significantly less development, it's that the planning applications are flying in from all over Brunswick and increasingly <a href="/new-apartments/coburg-vic-3058">Coburg</a>.

A quick glance at the <a href="/">data portal</a> for Moreland shows there are currently 69 projects across the municipality yielding a total of 5,575 units across all statuses. 57 of those projects with 4,293 units are located in postcodes 3055, 3056 and 3057: <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-west-vic-3055">Brunswick West</a>, Brunswick and <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-east-vic-3057">Brunswick East</a> respectively.

10 of the projects located in either of the three postcodes are under construction, 13 at sales, 18 approved and 16 are currently before council. Most of those projects are located on the Brunswick activity strips of Sydney Road and Lygon Street however this might just be about to change.

<h2>Moreland's Neighbourhood Centres Strategy</h2>

The City of Moreland has liberally applied the residential growth zone to many parts of the municipality outside its three key activity centres of Brunswick, Coburg and <a href="/new-townhouses/glenroy-vic-3046">Glenroy</a> and the draft neighbourhood<a href="http://moreland.vic.gov.au/neighbourhood-centres-strategy"> </a>centres strategy now viewable on Moreland's <a href="http://moreland.vic.gov.au/neighbourhood-centres-strategy">website</a> seeks to clarify the council's vision for its second-tier activity centres.

In a nutshell the strategy aims to introduce controls to 11 of the 12 neighbourhood centres in Moreland. The neighbourhood centres are scattered throughout the municipality and include areas such as Grantham and Union Streets, Melville Road and Victoria Street in Brunswick West. Gaffney Street in <a href="/new-apartments/pascoe-vale-vic-3044">Pascoe Vale</a>, Merlynston, Fawkner and <a href="/new-townhouses/oak-park-vic-3046">Oak Park</a> are also on the list of areas where development will be encouraged.

The aforementioned areas come under the residential growth zone and in some part include mixed use and commercial 1 zones.

More than 50% of the <a href="http://moreland.vic.gov.au/globalassets/areas/amendments/amendmentslib-7208/c159/mcc3068-neighbourhoodcentresstrategy_v3.pdf">draft strategy document</a> is dedicated to design and built-form guidelines for the areas where development up to 4 levels is permissable.

<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/bruns_4_level.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Albert Street, Brunswick East"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="431" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/bruns_4_level.png?itok=IZus8DTn" title="Albert Street, Brunswick East" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Albert Street, Brunswick East</figcaption></figure><h2>Should Moreland be aiming higher?</h2>

Great urban initiatives like <a href="/expert-insights/buying/letting-sydney-road-drown-in-a-traffic-sewer-is-not-an-option-its-time-to-revitalise-the-strip">Revitalise Sydney Road</a> are focused on reconfiguring the look, feel and operations of Sydney Road but is it time to think bigger and earmark sites on Sydney Road for future office-only uses?

Say a concept like that outlined by the Revitalise Sydney Road comes to fruition and the public transport capacity of the road is boosted, the amount of people who will be able to travel up and down from Moreland to the new Parkville Station will increase substantially.

Most of the office space on or near Sydney Road is contained above retail shops or as add-on components to warehouses west of the Upfield train line. A company with a requirement for 1000 square metres of modern office space would be hard pressed to find a site suitable in Brunswick which is curious given it is and will be a natural spill-over area for the biotech and health-focused Parkville area.

In a policy document dated 2011-2016, some of they key challenges for Moreland include 'continued loss of land for employment purposes to residential conversion', 'poor perception of the North as the place for business' and 'limited supply of quality office space'. Perhaps it's time for a commercial development and employment-focused strategy.
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Alastair Taylor

Crystal ball gazing: City of Moreland 

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Thrust into the spotlight last year, <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick's</a> <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Nightingale apartment</a> development has re-entered Moreland's planning system after VCAT revoked the project planning permit in a highly contentious decision.

At 6 Florence Street, the project became a poster boy of sorts for current planning inconsistencies with the project's approval nullified due to a lack of onsite car parking even though it is located within metres of Anstey Railway Station, Upfield Bike Path and Tram 19. The tribunal challenge came from adjoining developer Chaucer Enterprises, with VCAT ultimately ruling that Nightingale should make a contribution towards meeting the parking demands it generates, in line with other apartment developments.

The decision was so contentious the Victorian Planning &amp; Environmental Law Association and Ratio Consultants held a <a href="/news/vpela-seminar-summary-vcats-nightingale-decision-car-parking-and-the-future-of-sustainable-development">special seminar</a> on the ruling, exploring possible ramifications.

<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/ca627_florencest_5094.21.25pm.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Commons led the way in sustainability. Image courtesy nightingale.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/ca627_florencest_5094.21.25pm.jpg?itok=wHj2MBtW" title="The Commons led the way in sustainability. Image courtesy nightingale.melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Commons led the way in sustainability. Image courtesy nightingale.melbourne</figcaption></figure>Nightingale is much the same as <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">The Commons</a> directly opposite, with the completed project serving as a prototype for many of the ideas fundamental to <a href="http://www.nightingale.melbourne/">The Nightingale Model</a>. The Commons has no car parking spaces onsite.

No car parking is fundamental to The Nightingale Model; its core expectation is that financial return is equal to sustainability and liveability, where it is suggested that financial return is far and away in front for the typical development model.

In the revised plans submitted during December, three car parks have been included within Nightingale at ground level with access via a laneway to the rear of the site. 42 bicycle spaces are also included.

<h2>Better luck this time</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/image12_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Preliminary sketch of Nightingale 2.0. Image courtesy nightingale.melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="361" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image12_3.jpg?itok=qMrfUTz6" title="Preliminary sketch of Nightingale 2.0. Image courtesy nightingale.melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Preliminary sketch of Nightingale 2.0. Image courtesy Nightingale, Melbourne</figcaption></figure>Florence Street and its three car spaces aside, the partnership behind The Nightingale Model are hoping for a less complicated planning run with their next project dubbed Nightingale 2.0.

After a survey where near on 200 respondents registered their desire to live within a Nightingale apartment, planning documents for the project at <a href="/buildings/nightingale-2-0-30-railway-place-fairfield">72A Station Street, Fairfield </a>were lodged in the first week of the new year. Designed by <a href="/architects/six-degrees-architects">Six Degrees</a>, the project is adjacent to Fairfield Railway Station and will include 20 apartments and three retail premises.

Nightingale 2.0 will have zero car parks in line with the philosophy of the project partners.

<h2>Comment</h2>

Three car spaces within Nightingale comes across as an almost token offering from the development team to placate VCAT's ruling. Considering The Commons directly opposite has no car spaces included, that all the prospective Nightingale buyers were comfortable with no car parks attached to their apartment and that <a href="/news">Moreland City Counci</a>l unanimously voted to approve the development in its original guise, it makes the VCAT ruling all that much more questionable.

No doubt a degree of hypocrisy can be levelled at VCAT with Fairfax Media this week reporting on the tribunal's fresh ruling which has <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/five-storeys-zero-car-parks-vcat-gives-green-light-to-contentious-building-20160117-gm7kx6">permitted a Brunswick East development</a> to proceed with zero car parks, even though it is a comparatively fewer public transport options relative to Nightingale.

VCAT inconsistencies aside, it is highly likely that Moreland City Council will green light the alterations to Nightingale's design in quick time.
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Nightingale heads back to planning in the wake of VCAT's howler

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The well-known Bridie O’Reilly’s pub in Melbourne's Brunswick fetched $6.03 million at its hotly contested auction.
The 29 Sydney Road pub was sold to a local investor through Colliers International’s Guy Wells and Pat Connolly, along with Jonathon McCormack and Alex Ham of Gross Waddell.
The sale of the nearly 1,120 square metre site translates to a yield of 4.23%.
Bidding opened at $5 million and multiple parties threw their hat in the ring. 
The winning bid was by Peregrine Projects, a local developer with plans to retain the original heritage corner pub while developing up to 60 apartments over five levels on the remainder of the block.
The property was sold by local builder and investor John Connellan, who held the hotel for 18 years after redeveloping it for The Bridie O’Reilly group.
Formerly known as the Sarah Sands Hotel, it was extensively refurbished in 1997 and now operates as an Irish-themed pub and entertainment venue.
Situated at the corner of Brunswick and Sydney Roads with additional frontage to Black Street, the hotel comprises a ground floor lounge area, large dining room/nightclub area and an outdoor courtyard. 
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Melbourne's Bridie O’Reillys pub auctioned off above $6 million

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Underpinning the continued popularity of <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick</a> and surrounds as an apartment hotspot, a host of planning applications are before Moreland City Council for assessment. Many sites in question continue the trend of apartment developments subsuming former industrial facilities, while the odd application such as <a href="/buildings/cannatella-625-sydney-road-brunswick">611-621 Sydney Road</a> provide a surprise reuse.

With many projects in the 3-5 level category, Apartments.com.au has chosen to highlight the larger projects currently at planning spread over Brunswick, the always in demand <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-east-vic-3057">Brunswick East</a> and the emerging <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-west-vic-3055">Brunswick West</a>. Notable applications include:

<h2>611-621 Sydney Road, Brunswick</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/image182.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Peter Brown Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="382" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image182.jpg?itok=2Hrtg66U" title="Image courtesy Peter Brown Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Peter Brown Architects</figcaption></figure>The Courthouse Hotel looks set to be no more with an application seeking the delivery of an eight level apartment building. Received by Moreland City Council during April, Peter Brown Architects have conceived the design which will include a mixture of one and two bedroom apartments set behind a retained Sydney Road facade.

Ground level facilities see a bar/restaurant included, which will be located above a multi-level basement car park.

<h2><a href="/new-apartments/mesh-apartments-8-florence-street-brunswick">8 Florence Street, Brunswick</a></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/image180_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy CHT Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="260" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image180_0.jpg?itok=FJN-dM84" title="Image courtesy CHT Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy CHT Architects</figcaption></figure>A departure from <a href="/architects/cht-architects">CHT Architects'</a> typical design approach, 8 Florence Street presents as an openable, perforated metal exterior. 16 single bedroom and 8 dual bedroom apartments are spread over five levels, with two restaurants at ground level likely to bring some much needed activation to the area.

Moreland Fencing are the client for the projects which finds itself directly opposite <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">The Commons</a> building within Brunswick's Anstey Precinct.

<h2><a href="/buildings/288-albert-street-brunswick">284-294 Albert Street, Brunswick</a></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/image181.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy ROTHELOWMAN"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="334" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image181.jpg?itok=qPUp1Aft" title="Image courtesy ROTHELOWMAN" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy ROTHELOWMAN</figcaption></figure>Appearing to be a sister development to the adjoining <a href="/buildings/288-albert-street-brunswick">Brunswick Heart</a> project which is at sales on behalf of CBD Developments, 284-294 Albert Street Brunswick is a fellow <a href="/architects/rothelowman">ROTHELOWMAN</a> design. Spread over eight levels are 56 apartments with retail uses at ground level.

Also known as 343 Sydney Road, 284-294 Albert Street is now at advertising after lodgment with Moreland City council during late 2014.

<h2><a href="/buildings/breese-street-204-206-albion-street-brunswick">204-206 Albion Street, Brunswick</a></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/image178.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Taouk Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="301" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image178.jpg?itok=EjcsZf2j" title="Image courtesy Taouk Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Taouk Architects</figcaption></figure>Royal Nut Company look set to leave their long term home with a recent planning application seeking to replace the low-rise facility with an eight level apartment building containing 63 residences and two retail outlets. 18 single, 44 dual and 1 triple constitute the apartment mix within the proposal while 68 car parking spaces are located within the basement.

As a nod to the site's history <a href="/architects/taouk-architects">Taouk Architects</a> have included a squirrel embossed upon a mesh screen/glazing background over the podium.

<h2><a href="/buildings/b-e-apartments-11-brunswick-road-brunswick-east">11-15 Brunswick Road, Brunswick East</a></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/image179.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Interlandi Mantresso Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="242" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image179.jpg?itok=Fc9LEVMx" title="Image courtesy Interlandi Mantresso Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Interlandi Mantresso Architects</figcaption></figure>Set to span ten levels above a three level basement, 11-15 Brunswick Road finds itself in an increasingly popular apartment pocket with a host of projects either completed or under construction in the vicinity. A single office space and 116 apartments constitute the Interlandi Mantesso-designed structure.

Currently on public display, the proposal was submitted to Moreland City Council during November 2014.

<h2><a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">2-6 Duckett Street, Brunswick</a></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/image184.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Idle Architecture Studio"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="255" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image184.jpg?itok=UKA1I0Jy" title="Image courtesy Idle Architecture Studio" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Idle Architecture Studio</figcaption></figure><a href="/architects/idle-architecture-studio">Idle Architecture Studio</a> enter the fray with a six level proposal seeking approval for 36 apartments and two offices. The application was lodged on behalf of Mondrian Developments and is in close proximity to 11 West Street as highlighted below.

The 701sqm site is expected to hold 38 car parking spaces which will service the 11 single and 25 dual bedroom dwellings.

<h2>350-364 Moreland Road, Brunswick West</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/image70_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy ClarkeHopkinsClarke"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="328" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image70_4.jpg?itok=n82ezx8Z" title="Image courtesy ClarkeHopkinsClarke" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy ClarkeHopkinsClarke</figcaption></figure>Unassuming it may appear from street level, but an application for 350-364 Moreland Road has recently been advertised showing 72 apartments within a five level building. Designed by <a href="/architects/clarke-hopkins-clarke-0">ClarkeHopkinsClarke</a>, the projects seeks approval for 40 single bedroom dwelling, 32 dual bedroom dwellings and a cafe tenancy at ground level.

Situated over a 2,082sqm site, the proposal is midway between Moreland Station and the 55 tram.

<h2>2-8 Barry Street, Brunswick</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/image186_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Architeria"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="163" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image186_0.jpg?itok=ng-VnMdN" title="Image courtesy Architeria" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Architeria Architects</figcaption></figure>After a period of consultation with Moreland City Council's planning department, 2-8 Barry Street has gained approval. Designed by <a href="/architects/architeria-architects">Architeria Architects</a>, 2-8 Barry Street is set to accommodate 36 apartments over four levels plus three offices in a project for <a href="/developers/ouson-group">Ouson Group</a>.

The project is expected to advance to sales in the near future.

<h2><a href="/buildings/the-grove-1-5-olive-york-way-brunswick-west">1-5 Olive York Way, Brunswick West</a></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/image4_7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy MAP Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="290" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image4_7.jpg?itok=AtCPiIhc" title="Image courtesy MAP Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy MAP Architecture</figcaption></figure>VCAT only last week ruled in favour of the multi-building proposal put forward by Equity Properties Pty Ltd. Lodged during mid 2013, the <a href="/architects/map-architecture">MAP Architecture</a>-designed project will carry in the vicinity of 350 apartments over the now vacant 5,297sqm site which abuts the Tullamarine Freeway.

1-5 Olive York Way joins the completed 2-6 Olive York Way with 140 apartments and R.Corporation's at sales <a href="/buildings/the-york-8-olive-york-way-brunswick-west">8 Olive York Way</a> in finding new purpose for a previously underutilised tract of land.

<h2>11 West Street, Brunswick</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/image13_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy MOS Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="355" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image13_0.jpg?itok=PuFcg2MS" title="Image courtesy MOS Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy MOS Architects</figcaption></figure><a href="/news/giving-something-back-12-duckett-street-brunswick">Lauded on Urban.com.au</a> as a development with noteworthy urban realm contributions, 12 Duckett Street has been approved and is now known as 11 West Street, Brunswick. <a href="/architects/mos-architects">MOS Architects</a> have conceived the development which looks to activate a considerable area adjacent to the Upfield rail line.

The latest revision on Apartments.com.au's database includes 184 apartments within the development over 5-8 levels, although this may have been adjusted as the approved version consists of four buildings of up top six levels.

<h2>808-818 Sydney Road, Brunswick</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/image187_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy Fieldwork Projects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="352" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image187_0.jpg?itok=s66Eq77i" title="Image courtesy Fieldwork Projects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image courtesy Fieldwork Projects</figcaption></figure>Last but not least is 808-818 Sydney Road, Brunswick which found favour with VCAT earlier in the year. Wasting no time after gaining approval, the proponents for the prime Brunswick site have elected to sell the approved <a href="/architects/fieldwork">Fieldwork Projects</a> scheme.

Selling agent CBRE is in charge of the process which will likely see a new owner take control of the 2,032sqm site with 91 apartments and six retail tenancies totalling 478sqm allowed for.
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Brunswick bulks up with a wave of fresh planning applications

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In one of our very early articles, Apartments.com.au covered what we refer to as the <a href="/news/anstey-in-development">Anstey precinct</a>: a tract of land adjoining Anstey Station which was and continues to be subsumed by proposed and under construction mid-rise apartment developments. Now the best part of two years on, the former industrial pocket nestled in behind Sydney Road has seen enough redevelopment to pass comment on the respective successes or failures of the area.

There's clearly no doubt that the Anstey precinct has been a hit with apartment buyers, as evidenced by the seven apartment projects finished in recent years. There seems to be no slowing down either, with <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">8 Breese Street,</a> Maycon's Hendrix Apartments and <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Nighingale Apartments</a> the next in line.

In this regard, a massive tick goes to Moreland City Council for advancing the cause for urban regeneration and higher density living in a totally appropriate area. But what of the street level activation and generally public amenity for all these new residents?

<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_6824_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Take that, sensible urban design!"><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_6824_0.jpg?itok=ppmyWRqY" title="Take that, sensible urban design!" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Take that, sensible urban design!</figcaption></figure>Quite simply, there is none. Apartments.com.au raised the issue during 2013 and 2014, but now as Breese Street in particular continues to fill out, it's evident that all things street level have been completely neglected.

What has become a disappointing norm in the area is the practice of building to site boundaries with no setbacks and little articulation in form. This is the case for all buildings bar two - Anstey Square and The Commons - which incidentally happen to be the two more meritorious developments in Anstey, by way of softening their street level interface.

So big deal if there are no setbacks and zero street level consideration. Well you get the above scenario where there's no greenery, no compromise, no incentive or stimulation for passers by and absolutely no urban design nous. Maybe a little harsh, but is it unrealistic to expect that once in a generation change as is going on in Anstey could bring with it an equivalent level of sophisticated, contemporary street level public amenity? No, the plastic chairs in the above photo don't count!

As new buildings appear, footpaths seem all the more narrowed and barren, while greenery… well, don't bother. For mine, Moreland City Council has missed a trick; surely the Anstey of today was not what they had in mind say three, five or seven years ago? Have they fallen behind the development curve or simply given little credence to the need for a pleasant and safe streetscape to service a rocketing population?

<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_6831.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Anstey Square proves something for the eye, within its site boundary of course."><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_6831.jpg?itok=tfyNSJVJ" title="Anstey Square proves something for the eye, within its site boundary of course." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Anstey Square provides something for the eye, within its site boundary of course.</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Ultimately though, it shouldn't be in the hands of the developer/architect to create these spaces of their own volition, but rather adhere to a well formulated green/structure plan devised by Council. If every high density project within Anstey delivered a little of what 12 Duckett proposes, the area would be the benchmark for urban renewal.

In due course Apartments.com.au will take a pictorial tour of Anstey precinct, highlighting its hits and misses, and why 12 Duckett Street is so important.
<cite>Mark Baljak, <a href="/news/giving-something-back-12-duckett-street-brunswick">"Giving something back &gt; 12 Duckett Street, Brunswick"</a> (July 7, 2014)</cite>
</blockquote>

12 Duckett Street which the above quote refers to, proposed eliminating vehicle traffic on Duckett Street for the sake of a public piazza between two intended buildings. Incidentally the application received a Notice of Decision to Grant a Planning Permit in the first quarter of 2015.

With the piazza comes a string of ground level tenancies expected to draw in pedestrians to a communal focal point, rather than the transient movements currently witnessed to either Anstey Station or Sydney Road.

<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/image71_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A piazza for Anstey Precinct. Image courtesy MOS Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="371" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image71_0.jpg?itok=LAcbOKr4" title="A piazza for Anstey Precinct. Image courtesy MOS Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A piazza for Anstey. Image courtesy MOS Architects</figcaption></figure>The Anstey precinct to date is an abject let down where arguably it matters most: street level. One thing is certain, it would now take a considerable amount of funding to fix the wrongs as opposed to placing a minimal levy on the sale of each apartment that would go toward public realm works; not an altogether uncommon practice.

Perhaps removing car parking along Breese Street in certain areas in favour of remodelled footpaths and/or water-sensitive urban design raingardens is in order; City of Yarra alone has in excess of 50 <a href="http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/environment/Saving-water/Water-Sensitive-Urban-Design-WSUD/">on-street raingardens</a>. If no forethought, then a little retrospective effort at least would go along way to bringing the Anstey precinct up to scratch.

<h2>Extrapolating the Bend</h2>

In some small way there is a viable comparison between Anstey, Docklands and Fishermans Bend.

Where vast areas of Docklands were delegated out to a single developer with the purpose of creating a masterplanned outcome along with the associated services and public amenity, Anstey is much like Fishermans Bend in that there are many sites within the area under the control of a multitude of developers. Anstey is a clear example of what occurs if there is no cohesive overarching plan to which developments need to adhere to, particularly regarding the public domain contributions.

Both Anstey and Fishermans Bend are industrial areas finding a new purpose by way of higher density redevelopment. In certain quarters Fishermans Bend has already been likened to another Docklands: should Fishermans Bend fail to get the critical public realm right in addition to its built form, it may worse yet be likened to Anstey.
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