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;

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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.

Joel Robinson

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

The Gold Coast Planning Committee has supported the preliminary approval for the Benowa Gardens Urban Village project following an extensive community consultation and assessment process.

The proposal will now proceed to a full council vote on June 2.

The application sought approval for a masterplanned urban village on the existing Benowa Gardens Shopping Centre site, combining new housing, retail, dining, health and lifestyle amenities within a walkable, integrated precinct.&nbsp;

The proposed redevelopment includes around 413 apartments integrated above a revitalised mixed-use centre featuring a full-line supermarket of 4,000 sqm, 6,000 sqm of specialty retail and dining space across around 30 retailers, a 7,000 sqm health and wellness precinct, and roughly 9,630 sqm of office and medical suites.&nbsp;

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fb36ae47-80bc-45f0-9914-31b0c7b6007d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/PR26576%20Ashmore%20Road%20C4%201121%20FI.jpg?VersionId=6mRKk2uU4r67TmTt39DKGUlvFRbTVqWa" />

The broader masterplan also includes very significant traffic and transport improvements, wide pedestrian walkways, upgraded pedestrian and cycle connections, and enhanced public areas designed to create a more connected and walkable community environment.&nbsp;

Centre owner Patrick Lu said the milestone reflected months of detailed planning, technical assessment and ongoing communication with local residents, businesses, schools and stakeholders.

“We appreciate the time, consideration and care Council officers and the Planning Committee have given this proposal throughout the assessment process,” Lu said.

“We also sincerely thank the local community for engaging with us, sharing feedback and participating in the consultation process over many months.

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="32fd1fc3-d0e6-485f-ac57-9916c9bcb818" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/PR26576%20Ashmore%20Road%20C5%201121%20FI_2.jpg?VersionId=fz8qQKDBLQ7MyFRc856Zccfbh9nFwLOe" />

“We understand projects of this scale bring questions and concerns, which is why we have worked hard to listen carefully, provide information transparently and continue refining elements of the proposal where possible.

“Our vision has always been to create a well-designed, community-focused urban village that responds to the changing needs of the Gold Coast, while delivering improved amenity, housing diversity, healthcare access and local lifestyle benefits.

“This proposal is about creating a genuine live-work-play environment where residents can access everyday services, schools, healthcare, dining, shopping and green space within walking distance, while also supporting local jobs and economic activity.”

<img alt="$1b Benowa Gardens Urban Village moves to Full Council following Planning Committee support" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="50dfbd04-590e-4fc6-983b-766880947867" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Dining%20Day%20Time%20-%20High%20Resolution.jpg?VersionId=BP7ZoKJ0DdL_8iRkkC8VVx99moICV6kg" />

Lu said the proposal had evolved significantly through consultation and technical review, particularly around traffic, pedestrian and student safety and neighbourhood connectivity.&nbsp;

Melissa Griffin, Director at Urbis, said the recommendation recognised the strategic importance of delivering more housing and services within established urban areas already supported by infrastructure.

“This proposal represents the type of thoughtful, integrated growth that planning frameworks across South-East Queensland are encouraging,” Ms Griffin said.

“The project seeks to place housing, retail, healthcare and employment opportunities together in a highly accessible location close to schools, transport and existing services.

“Importantly, the process has involved significant technical assessment and community engagement to ensure local issues and feedback were properly considered throughout the planning pathway.”

$1 billion Benowa Gardens Urban Village heads to council vote following Planning Committee support

Surfers Paradise is officially set for its first new residential development with a 45-storey skybridge connecting the two towers.

John Camilleri’s Celestino Developments has been given the green light by the Gold Coast City Council to develop its major beachfront precinct across its huge 4,000 sqm oceanfront site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/63-79-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">63–79 Garfield Terrace</a>, just five months after its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-exclusive-billionaire-winx-breeder-s-bold-two-tower-surfers-paradise-play-with-45th-storey-skybridge">submission in late 2025</a>.

The approved scheme will deliver two towers rising 55 and 48 storeys, connected by a skybridge positioned on level 45 that will house a range of resident-only wellness and entertainment spaces.

In its notice of approval, the Gold Coast City Council said the&nbsp;proposed overall built form has been designed to complement the scale, intensity and protect the adjacent amenity and surrounding streets through the use of varied setbacks, site cover and architectural elements.

<img alt="First look exclusive: Billionaire Winx breeder’s bold two-tower Surfers Paradise play with 45th-storey skybridge" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-30%20at%209.53.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=ADyPJ_TFbJvSU9wZFOiCBnlPtgF7VWqW" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/dbi">DBI</a>, the development will comprise 275 apartments across the two towers, including a mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom residences, as well as several penthouses. The apartments will sit above a landscaped podium featuring more than 90 metres of beachfront pool frontage, private resident lawns, lounges, and wellness spaces.

DBI said the design draws heavily from the movement and form of the coastal environment, with curving balcony lines and sculpted façades intended to soften the scale of the towers while maximising ocean outlooks and passive shading outcomes.

“The project occupies a rare, uninterrupted oceanfront site and has been shaped by a design philosophy that merges architectural elegance with environmental responsiveness and a carefully curated lifestyle experience,” DBI said in planning documents submitted to the Gold Coast City Council.

The most distinctive element of the approved project is the skybridge linking the two towers at level 45. The elevated communal space is planned to include executive lounges, formal dining areas, wellness facilities, and panoramic ocean-facing outlooks.

“The skybridge enhances the identity of the development, promotes social interaction, and delivers a lifestyle experience not found elsewhere on the Gold Coast,” DBI said.

At podium level, residents will have access to a suite of resort-style amenities, including resident lounges, private dining rooms, a yoga lawn, gymnasium, plunge pools, and treatment spaces. The beachfront pool has been designed with separate lap, lounge, and children’s areas extending across the width of the site.

The project will also introduce new food and beverage offerings along the Enderley Avenue and Oceanway frontages, contributing additional activation to the beachfront precinct.

First look: Winx billionaire’s beachfront Surfers Paradise apartment development greenlit

COVID-19

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The Australian master franchisee for multinational discount retailer Miniso has collapsed into voluntary administration amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Launched in Australia back in 2017, Miniso is headquartered in Guangzhou, China,
It is understood the company suffered from a lockdown decline in foot traffic, and it did not have a very strong e-commerce strategy.
Miniso’s local landlords, including ASX-listed centre owners Scentre Group, GPT Group, Vicinity Centres and Stockland, are not receiving rent payments during the pandemic.
Other creditors, including ANZ Bank, the Australian Taxation Office and parent company Tabata Holdings, are owed more than $6 million combined, with the China-based parent the largest creditor.
Earlier this month an application was granted to the joint and several voluntary administrators of Miniso Master Franchisee Pty Ltd to extend the convening period for its next creditors meeting for a period of six weeks up to and including 21 September 2020.
The first meeting of creditors was held on 23 July 2020.
Miniso operates a hybrid ownership model of business whereby the stores operate through franchisee agreements, joint venture arrangements and stores wholly owned by the Miniso corporate group.
The company purchases and holds stock on behalf of the entities within the Miniso group. The administrators identified 12 group owned stores, 13 franchises, six joint ventures and one wholesale store within the group.
The administrators have, amongst other things, undertaken to continue to trade in order to conserve its value for a potential sale and/or recapitalisation.
The known unsecured creditors of the company, including the landlords, are owed approximately $24.3 million and the secured creditors of the company are owed approximately $132,431. A stocktake showed a stock value of $3.8 million.</div>
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<div>The administrators continue to work with a related party that has expressed interest in putting forward a DOCA proposal. </div>
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Miniso Master Franchisee Pty Ltd, the main revenue generating entity associated with its business in Australia, appointed Grant Thornton as administrators in July.
Miniso has 32 trading stores in Australia, however they are not all in administration.
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“The company entered into voluntary administration generally due to the difficult trading conditions as a result of COVID and consumer trading habits being restrained,” Grant Thornton administrator Philip Campbell-Wilson said in a statement.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Discount retailer Miniso Australian master franchisee collapses into voluntary administration

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20 person COVID-19 cap on attending Spring Sydney home auctions 

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The Victorian Government has extended the eviction moratorium until the end of the year. 
Evictions continue to be banned for both residential and commercial tenancies, except under certain circumstances, until 31 December 2020. Rental increases continue to be banned for the same period.
Residential tenants and landlords who struggle to reach agreement over rent reductions have access to the dispute resolution service run by Consumer Affairs Victoria for residential tenancies. The Victorian Small Business Commission offers a similar service for commercial tenancies. 
Residential and commercial tenants and landlords can also take advantage of more support, including further land tax reductions and more grant funding.
The moratorium on evictions will apply from 29 March until 31 December 2020.
Landlords cannot increase the rent between 29 March and 31 December. 
They can increase the rent after this period, but only within the terms of the lease agreement and the Residential Tenancies Act.
 
It means that tenants can’t be evicted if they are served a notice to vacate between 29 March and 31 December 2020 because you can’t pay your rent due to the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on your financial situation.
This will apply for a tenant or sub-tenant:
<ul>
<li>in a residential property</li>
<li>living in a rooming house</li>
<li>in social housing</li>
<li>under a site agreement at a caravan park </li>
<li>in specialist disability accommodation.</li>
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COVID-19 Victorian residential eviction moratorium extended

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COVID-19 has created major challenges for building owners and landlords, with remote working suddenly ubiquitous.
Good use of innovative PropTech can help get people back into commercial buildings, by making them great places to work, making them safer and reducing costs for owners and operators. Attendees at the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://go.questevents.com.au/e/447962/2020-08-27/3v6zhh/3402105112?h=J6cvkLiw4pWNenBE-IMSTtDQwPE8CpEjA3rCIz448Io" target="_blank">PropTech Summit 2020</a> will hear the brightest minds discussing how to solve today’s most pressing business challenges, with COVID-19 featuring heavily as a driver for change.
Keep up to date and ensure your business practice is relevant to today’s conditions by hearing how:
<ul>
<li>Dexus are adapting to the way office space will be consumed in a post COVID world (Mark Hansen, Chief Information Officer, Dexus)</li>
<li>Operational data supports improves the safety, comfort of Scentre Group’s shopping centres (Varun Nair, Head of Facilities Management, and Phillip Yang, Head of Centre Technology, Scentre Group)</li>
<li>Smart building technology investments pay for themselves by delivering energy savings, maintenance efficiencies and increased tenant experiences (Sven Sylvester, Corporate Innovation Lead | Investment Director, Taronga Group)</li>
<li>Implementing PropTech impacts the bottom line (Suzette Lamont, Regional Director, Client Solutions, CBRE Asia Pacific and Leah Ong, Director of Real Estate, Volvo)</li>
</ul>
 Some of these changes will be specific to the current crisis, but others are here to stay. Tomorrow’s clients are going to demand more than ever from the spaces they live, work and shop in. Technology has moved from a nice value-add to an essential. 
The full speaker list is available <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://go.questevents.com.au/e/447962/speakers/3v6zhm/3402105112?h=J6cvkLiw4pWNenBE-IMSTtDQwPE8CpEjA3rCIz448Io">here</a>. To see the agenda, click <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://go.questevents.com.au/e/447962/agenda-day-one/3v6zhk/3402105112?h=J6cvkLiw4pWNenBE-IMSTtDQwPE8CpEjA3rCIz448Io" target="_blank">here</a>.
To book online, click <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://go.questevents.com.au/e/447962/registration/3v6zhp/3402105112?h=J6cvkLiw4pWNenBE-IMSTtDQwPE8CpEjA3rCIz448Io" target="_blank">here</a>, or email, click <a href="mailto:info@questevents.com.au?subject=Register%20me%20for%20PropTech%20Summit%202020" target="_blank">here</a>. 
 
 
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

What does COVID-19 mean for PropTech?

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Property Observer has over the years compiled a list of the top renovating tips from many experts, which could shape your plans during the COVID-19 renovation spree.
Top Renovating Tips
1. Chris Gray (Property Empire) Start by choosing the right property, making sure it is an unemotional investment, as opposed to an emotional home purchase.
Are you looking to buy, renovate and sell, or buy, renovate and hold? If you’re selling it’s imperative that there is an immediate and almost guaranteed profit in the deal. If you’re looking to hold, you need to buy the right property that will continue to grow strongly forever. The renovation profit in a hold strategy is more about icing on the cake, maximising your rental return and ensuring you have minimal maintenance to do in the future.
2. Shaynna Blaze (Selling Houses Australia) Assess your lifestyle.
Before working out the design and layout of your home, the first thing for any renovators to ask themselves: how do I like to live? Is your lifestyle casual? Do you like to entertain? Do you hate cleaning or noise? These different lifestyles will not only effect how the layout is but also the surfaces and colours you end up choosing.
3. Andrew Winter (Selling Houses Australia) Put your hard earned cash where it shows.
Make sure you put your hard earned cash where it shows. Quality kitchens and bathrooms will always add value to your home and a smart façade will make your house the envy of your neighbours.
4. Amanda Talbot (Stylist and author) 5% of the value of your house should be in your kitchen
Your kitchen needs a wow factor, including good storage; quality hardware, drawer runners and soft closing draw mechanisms. 5% of the value of your house should be in the kitchen.
5. Cherie Barber (Renovating For Profit) 1% of the value of your house should be spent on your bathroom
Aim to spend between 1% to 1.5% of your current property value on your bathroom renovation. If your property is worth $400,000 you would spend around $4,000 renovating it.
Once you know your budget, allocate your money according to how immediately obvious each component is. If the vanity is the first thing you see when you come through the door, spend more money on a nice vanity, splashback and mirror. Your bathroom is the second most important room in your house, besides your kitchen, in terms of adding real fiscal value.
6. Angus Kell (Archicentre) Go Green
Go green and cash in on the latest change in buying behaviour. Buyers can’t get enough of solar hot water, rainwater tanks and drip-feed irrigation systems
7. Patrick Bright (EPS Property Search) Avoid doing the work yourself to “save money”
A small budget means there is always a temptation to do some or all of the work yourself to save money but DIY renovations can easily backfire. If the quality of workmanship is substandard this will diminish your sale price, possibly eliminating any profit you might have made in much the same way as under-capitalising on a renovation.
8. Lisa Montgomery (Vogue Financial) Landscaping is important
The indoor/outdoor room is now a popular part of the Australian lifestyle, so allow for a percentage of your overall budget to be spent on landscaping so you can complement the work you’ve carried out inside the house. Even if your budget is modest, basic greenery and clean, functional outside areas will only improve a property’s appeal.
9. Nick Tobias (Tobias Partners Architecture) Research your architect.
Establish a shortlist of architects you feel are best equipped in terms of aesthetic and technical prowess. Spend time reviewing the work of different practices, including speaking to past clients. Remember to keep things simple, trends come and go.
10. Carolyn Burns-McCrave (House Rules, Burns-McCrave Design) Work from the inside out
A good floor plan is at the heart of a successful design and that each space should be tailored to the people who live there. Burns-McCrave says to work from the inside out; creating spaces that function and flow before thinking about colours and accessories.
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10 DIY renovation tips for home owners

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Spacenow has announced that its flexible commercial space marketplace has registered a surge in demand from business owners and individual workers looking for alternatives to long-term commercial space leases.
It is as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the pivot to remote working.
Since March 2020, Spacenow has recorded a 290% increase in new customers.
It has recorded a 550% increase in enquiries from both large corporations, SMBs, start-ups and sole traders looking for short term, modulable and Covid-Safe flexible office space options closer to home.
The platform has also surpassed 5,000 listings across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
It noted new listings added to the platform every day and customers including Canva, Uber Eats, Merivale, Stan, Allianz, Hoyts, and Woolworths.
Recruiting agency Real Time Australia has ditched its two Sydney &amp; Melbourne offices, now fully reliant on Spacenow for all its commercial space needs.
“The current economic uncertainty and social distancing measures mean that large corporate offices and CBD areas across Australian cities will continue to lay dormant for a while.
"However, working for home every day for months on end isn't a sustainable model for workers both from a workspace set-up and mental health perspective.
"There needs to be another model that supports this shift to remote and hybrid work, one that helps bring work closer to people’s homes, in a safe environment”, explained Daniel Gunning, CEO of Spacenow.
Spacenow has launched Flexible Project Spaces, in partnership with Aussie professional cleaning services marketplace Whizz. It is part of a Covid-19 decontamination service.
With Flexible Project Spaces organisations from all sizes as well as individual professionals and workers can rent any type of space - whether it be a single desk, a meeting room, a full office floor, an event space, an offsite venue or more - by the hour, day, week or month depending on their changing needs.
The Decontamination Service uses a process called antimicrobial fogging which decontaminates touch points and creates a barrier that provides on-going surface protection for up to 28 days.
Gunning added on one end it allows property owners to drive better utilisation and higher revenue from their property assets -
"We’re even seeing hotels transform their rooms into workspaces, while businesses on their end can find affordable solutions to the remote work conundrum, ultimately making consequent leasing savings that they can re-invest in what matters more to their business.”
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Flexible commercial space marketplace Spacenow records 290% growth due to COVID

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Just one in 10 cash-strapped borrowers who took a COVID-19 mortgage break from repayments to the big four banks have exited the payment relief program.
The Australian Banking Association confirmed many Australians are unwilling to make any repayments.
About 485,000 mortgages have been deferred in Australia with the nation’s largest seven banks, including the Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Suncorp and Bank of Queensland.
But new data released by the big four banks found that in May and June:
• About 75,800 customers on mortgage deferrals had exited the repayment holiday program (9 per cent).
• About 50,000 are making partial repayments and 62,500 are making full repayments (15 per cent).
The ABA’s chief executive, former Queensland premier Anna Bligh, said there was "a very long road and plenty of hurdles to clear." 
Customers were initially given repayment deferral for up to six months, but banks are set to offer further extensions.
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Most mortgage relief recipients still taking COVID-19 repayment break

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Households recorded almost record high financial comfort levels in June, but residential property owners expect to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 downturn until at least 2021, according to the latest report from ME Bank.
"Australian household financial comfort increased 3% to 5.76 (out of 10) in the past six months to June 2020 − just shy of its historical high of 5.78 recorded in December 2014," the July 2020 ME Bank household financial comfort report found.
"Contrary to expectations, financial comfort has jumped the most among typically struggling cohorts such as casual workers, the unemployed, low income households and single parent households (though their comfort levels remain a great deal lower than the average household and higher-income Australians)."
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2020/7/29/ME%20bank%20graph%201.png" alt="">
Despite this, the report found that more owner occupiers (25%) expect the value of their property to fall during 2020/21 than rise (22%).
This represents a significant change from just six months ago, when only 6% expected property prices to fall and 47% expected them to rise.
Furthermore, the report found that expectations vary significantly across major capital cities, with occupiers in Sydney less pessimistic than Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Perth owner-occupiers are highly pessimistic, with 40% expecting lower prices in comparison to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane expecting a fall of 22%, 29% and 27%.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2020/7/29/ME%20bank%20graph%202.png" alt="">
Investors are more optimist about dwelling prices than six months ago, 26% now expect the value of their investment property to rise in the next twelve months.
Across households, those most worried about debt include 51% of those paying off a mortgage compared to 21% of households that own their home.
"Financial comfort levels are up for now, but many households are on the cliff's edge," the report said. 
"Many eyes will be on what governments do in the final months of 2020 and into next year."
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Financial comfort rises but property owners remain pessimistic: ME Bank July household financial comfort report

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EXPERT OBSERVER
It’s wrong to expect a “snap-back” at shopping centres, food courts, cinemas and other places where people used to gather to spend money.
We’ve identified three reasons why spending in physical stores on goods like clothes is likely to remain much lower than it was for a long time.
<h2>1. Fear, much of it age-based</h2>
First, even when governments relax restrictions, lots of people will still be worried and will go out less. Unless there are zero cases for several weeks in a state or city, many people will remain reluctant to go out.
This is why we have previously argued that there is a big dividend in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-case-for-endgame-c-stop-almost-everything-restart-when-coronavirus-is-gone-134232" target="_blank">eliminating</a> COVID-19 in the style of New Zealand, the Northern Territory, and South Australia, rather than bumping along with “suppression” – and several new locally-acquired cases a day – as Victoria is still doing.
This reluctance to go out and spend, irrespective of government restrictions, could be seen in Australia before government restrictions were imposed, as shown on the “Consumers and mobility” tab of the <a href="https://grattan.shinyapps.io/covid-econ-tracker/" target="_blank">Grattan Econ Tracker</a>.
The effects of fear shouldn’t be underestimated.
Spending in <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2005.04630.pdf" target="_blank">Sweden</a> has fallen almost as much as in Denmark, even when Denmark was in lockdown and Sweden had minimal restrictions. Swedes are afraid to go out, particularly if they are old.
Spending by people aged 70+ has fallen further in Sweden than in Denmark, and 60-69 year-olds have cut their spending by about the same amount in both countries.
This isn’t surprising. COVID-19 is much more deadly for older people.
Age-based fear is a challenge for retailers because older households now spend significantly more than younger households. 25 years ago it was the <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/920-Generation-Gap.pdf" target="_blank">other way around</a>.
<h2>2. Time to form new habits</h2>
Second, we are likely to keep spending on different things, and using different channels, even after restrictions are lifted.
Habits tend to form when behaviour changes consistently. They strengthen over time, and are particularly sticky once behaviour has been consistent for a <a href="http://repositorio.ispa.pt/bitstream/10400.12/3364/1/IJSP_998-1009.pdf" target="_blank">period of months</a> – and we’ve been living with lockdown for that long in Australia.
Once formed, the new habits can persist unless there is another shock.
Australians have become used to doing more of their purchasing online. They have become used to spending more on living comfortably at home, and less on clothes for the office and to go out.
After the shutdown, people are likely to continue to work from home more often.
The habits of shopping remotely, and spending more on home furnishings and less on clothes, are likely to continue, and they would be likely to continue even if COVID-19 vanished tomorrow.
<h2>3. Global recession</h2>
Third, irrespective of COVID-19 regulations and behaviours, we are heading into an “old-fashioned”, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33748" target="_blank">globally synchronised, deep recession</a>.
For the moment, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-key-to-the-success-of-the-130-billion-wage-subsidy-is-retrospective-paid-work-135042" target="_blank">JobKeeper</a>, the temporarily-boosted <a href="https://theconversation.com/scalable-without-limit-how-the-government-plans-to-get-coronavirus-support-into-our-hands-quickly-134353" target="_blank">JobSeeker</a> payment, and a recent <a href="https://business.nab.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NAB-Data-Insights-May-Report.pdf" target="_blank">bounceback</a>, have resulted in <a href="https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/business/commbank-card-spending-data-shows-modest-lift-202006" target="_blank">spending on credit and debit cards</a> a bit more than this time last year.
But unemployment jumped to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0">7.1%</a> on Thursday. That official rate understates how bad things are.
In May an extra 227,700 Australians lost their jobs (on top of 607,400 in April).
But only 85,000 of them were counted as unemployed. When and if the bulk of those people look for work, the unemployment rate will climb further.
Employed Australians, total
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342603/original/file-20200618-41230-ffex5d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342603/original/file-20200618-41230-ffex5d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> Includes Australians regarded as still employed because they are on JobKeeper. <a class="source" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0" target="_blank">ABS 6202.0</a>
After JobKeeper <a href="https://theconversation.com/whatll-happen-when-the-moneys-snatched-back-our-looming-coronavirus-support-cliff-138527" target="_blank">ends in September</a> (or is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-improve-jobkeeper-hint-it-would-help-not-to-pay-businesses-late-140435" target="_blank">phased out</a> as a result of the government’s review) many of the three million people on it will also become counted as unemployed.
Australians who have lost their jobs are likely to spend less than they did before.
After each of the previous two recessions it took <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/dont-expect-a-v-shaped-recovery-after-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">years</a> for employment to recover.
<h2>Spending need not recover after COVID</h2>
These three factors – fear, new habits, and recession – are present in countries and regions that seem to be well clear of coronavirus.
Much of China has been free of most government restrictions for months. Manufacturing and infrastructure spending has largely returned to pre-COVID levels.
But consumer activity is still <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/china/retail-sales-annual" target="_blank">below pre-COVID levels</a>, and it is inching up only slowly.
Australia might well see an “opening party” on the day each particular COVID-19 restriction is lifted.
But after that, the best guess is that consumer spending will remain very subdued and refocused for a long time.
For those in the hardest-hit <a href="https://theconversation.com/which-jobs-are-most-at-risk-from-the-coronavirus-shutdown-134680" target="_blank">sectors</a> and <a href="https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2020/06/the-latest-jobs-data-shows-urban-electorates-are-now-being-hit-hardest-by-covid-19/" target="_blank">regions</a> – particularly arts and recreation, hospitality, and clothing – the pain will continue long after the restrictions are lifted.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140628/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-daley-1870" target="_blank">John Daley</a>, Chief Executive Officer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168" target="_blank">Grattan Institute</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/retail-wont-snap-back-3-reasons-why-covid-has-changed-the-way-we-shop-perhaps-forever-140628" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Retail won’t snap back. 3 reasons why COVID has changed the way we shop, perhaps forever

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EXPERT OBSERVER
The immediate impact of the coronavirus shutdown is striking in its magnitude, its speed and its concentration on a small set of industries.
My attempt to identify where the virus and the shutdown will have the biggest effect suggests that in February 2020 about 2.7 million workers were employed in the most exposed industries.
And while it won’t be possible to know for sure until April 16 when we get data from the Bureau of Statistics on the labour force in March, I believe it’s reasonable to think the jobs of about 900,000 are already under threat.
Which jobs are most at risk?
In the table below I list those whom I think are most at risk.
For one group of about 1.4 million workers – primarily in industries involving eating out, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and air travel – the loss of work is the inevitable result of government shutdowns.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323200/original/file-20200326-133027-18tpnci.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323200/original/file-20200326-133027-18tpnci.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> February 2020, <a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6291.0.55.003" target="_blank">ABS 6291.0.55.003</a>
Another group, comprising about 900 thousand workers, are in retail trades (non-food) and personal services, where the effect on jobs is coming from consumers cutting spending apart from on essential items.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323198/original/file-20200326-133027-bfmy9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323198/original/file-20200326-133027-bfmy9v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> February 2020, <a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6291.0.55.003" target="_blank">ABS 6291.0.55.003</a>
Workers in both at-risk groups are predominantly young. More than half are under 35 years of age. Six out of seven are employees. About one in every seven is an owner/manager or works in a family business.
A slightly higher proportion are female than male. They are evenly split between full-time and part-time.
Some industries will grow
Some industries are seeing rapid increases in demand due to the coronavirus. They include the retail grocery trade and associated logistic services, and the supply of office essentials needed to work at home.
In a relatively short period there is also likely to be an increase in demand from the health care and health services industries.
Other areas where increased demand seems likely are the home delivery of goods bought online, cleaning services and services usually undertaken by volunteers and government agencies who are occupied dealing with COVID-19.
The total workforce will shrink
So far there has been little impact of the supply of workers, but it will happen.
It is beginning to occur as schools and childcare centres close and workers withdraw in order to care for their children, and it is accentuated by parents not wanting to risk outsourcing the task to grandparents.
In the coming weeks, there will be further hits to labour supply as illness from COVID-19 causes workers to need to take leave and other workers withdraw to provide care for family members who become ill.
It is difficult to be precise about the magnitude of withdrawal from the labour market, but it is potentially large.
To start with, most of the impact is likely to come from withdrawal for caring or to avoid illness.
As an indication of the potential scale of withdrawal, in 2019 there were <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6333.0" target="_blank">1.21 million</a> families with children aged from 0-9 years in which either a sole parent or both parents were in paid work.
In 2016 there were <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/2016" target="_blank">634,500</a> people aged 65 to 84 doing voluntary work.
Workers becoming ill might also have a substantial impact on labour supply.
Under a (hopefully pessimistic) scenario that COVID-19 continues its current rate of growth over the next three weeks, with those infected in the previous two weeks then unable to work, this would be about 67,500 persons out of work due to illness.
COVID-19 has already had a dramatic effect on employment – that much is evident from news images of queues at Centrelink.
Further impacts are almost certain in coming weeks.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323194/original/file-20200326-133016-13rn33f.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323194/original/file-20200326-133016-13rn33f.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> February 2020, <a class="source" href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6291.0.55.003" target="_blank">ABS 6291.0.55.003</a>
The scale and speed of what’s happening is creating the most serious labour market policy challenge of the post-war era.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134680/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeff-borland-1079" target="_blank">Jeff Borland</a>, Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/which-jobs-are-most-at-risk-from-the-coronavirus-shutdown-134680" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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