A luxury beachfront apartment at Rainbow Bay has more than doubled in value since it sold off the plan six years ago, setting a new local apartment record in the process.

The three-bedroom apartment in the Flow development on Petrie Street, the first of four new projects locally by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects, has sold for $7.4 million, after originally selling for $3.27 million when the project launched in 2020.

The seventh-floor apartment, comprising 187 sqm of internal living space and a 54 sqm balcony overlooking Froggies Beach and Snapper Rocks, was purchased by a local family.

The transaction was negotiated by Pezet Matheson director Kerry Pezet and equates to more than $30,000 per sqm.

Pezet said the sale reflected the limited opportunities to buy into the boutique beachfront development.

"The sale highlights the rarity of opportunities within the boutique beachfront development, where residences seldom become available," Pezet said.

"Flow is one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held buildings. Buyers from our database move quickly when residences become available, and achieving an off-market sale at $7.4 million demonstrates the depth of demand for property of this calibre."

<img alt="Flow" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c585b206-2130-4eee-a50c-3f27c51a7c70" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-06%20at%208.33.25%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=m3pHRDV62Y3fvN.XQuQHq.52ilTWpRLf" />

Flow was the first of four luxury apartment developments delivered by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects at Rainbow Bay and was completed in 2023.

Positioned on the beachfront overlooking Snapper Rocks, the residence includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room and views stretching north along the coastline towards Surfers Paradise.

Pezet Matheson Residential principal Mitchell Lambert said buyers continued to prioritise quality beachfront apartments in tightly held locations.

"Flow Residences offers a rare combination of elevated beachfront positioning, architectural excellence, comprehensive resident amenity and premium finishes, which is exactly what discerning purchasers are seeking," Lambert said.

"The transaction further reinforces Rainbow Bay's reputation as one of Australia's premier coastal lifestyle destinations, where limited supply and growing demand continue to support strong market performance."

Pezet Matheson originally marketed and sold out Flow off the plan, making the latest transaction a return to one of the project's original buyers.

Paul Gedoun is selling his third project, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/radia-rainbow-bay-271-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Radia Rainbow Bay</a>, after recently completing, and selling out, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/esprit-217-227-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Esprit</a>. He has plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-s-s-projects-proposes-88-apartment-wellness-tower-at-coolangattas-boundary-street">fourth building</a>, 88 apartments on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/209-213-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Boundary Street</a>.

Joel Robinson

Rainbow Bay apartment doubles in price since off the plan sale during pandemic

The long-planned transformation of Brisbane's historic Shafston Estate has taken another major step, with Capella Hotel Group announced as the luxury hospitality partner behind what will become Brisbane's first branded residences.

The project, to be known as Capella Residences Brisbane, is being delivered by Verso Projects at the landmark Kangaroo Point riverfront estate, with completion targeted for 2029.

The announcement follows a series of planning changes to the project over recent years. The site was originally approved in 2023 for a 15-level, 37-apartment development designed by Rothelowman for Burgundy Group before Verso Projects took over the 10,070 sqm riverfront holding and lodged revised plans with Kerry Hill Architects to increase the development to a 25-level tower with 51 apartments.

The latest announcement confirms Capella Hotel Group will bring its branded residential offering to the project, marking just the second Capella Residences development globally after Seoul, and the group's first branded residential project in Australia.

The <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/23-castlebar-street-kangaroo-point-qld-4169">Castlebar Street development</a> will centre around the restoration of the heritage-listed Shafston House, one of Brisbane's oldest residences, originally constructed in 1851 by Reverend Robert Creyke as a single-storey cottage known as Ravenscott.

<img alt="Capella" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2b9f4ce5-638f-4d6b-8082-3ca7e4b75fca" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-09%20at%207.20.41%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=f7aeqsW_DzOJI4FymWb3lD8NptSfsP7q" />

Capella said the project aligns with its focus on heritage-led developments, with the Brisbane estate combining the restored historic residence with a new luxury apartment tower and hospitality-inspired resident amenities.

Residents will have access to the Capella Living Room, a concierge-led communal space inspired by the group's luxury hotels, alongside landscaped gardens, six swimming pools, wellness and recreation facilities.

The broader estate will also include two riverfront homes, a six-berth private marina, porte cochère arrival experience, secure basement parking and a new section of public riverwalk along the Brisbane River frontage.

The heritage Postal Depot Building will also be retained and repurposed as a guest house, in line with the revised development plans.

The project represents another evolution for the site, which Kerry Hill Architects previously described as a rare opportunity to restore one of Brisbane's most significant heritage estates while creating a new benchmark for apartment living.

"The Shafston Estate provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore one of Brisbane's finest heritage precincts and to reinstate residential use as a unique site perched on the edge of Kangaroo Point," Kerry Hill Architects said in its Urban Context Report accompanying the planning submission.

"The project will celebrate excellence in sub-tropical residential design, setting a new benchmark for vertical living in Brisbane."

Verso Projects, which now has an $8.5 billion development pipeline spanning more than 6,000 dwellings across apartments, townhouses, retail and commercial projects, said the partnership with Capella would elevate the development beyond a traditional residential project.

"We feel honoured to be restoring Shafston Estate to its former glory, elevating it to new heights of luxury and excellence underpinned by Capella's distinctive service ethos and design philosophy, and making it a standout landmark in Brisbane," Verso Projects CEO Steve Laffey said.

"By partnering with Capella, globally recognised for its refined approach to luxury hospitality and deep respect for cultural and historical context, we will elevate this project beyond a residential offering into a world-class destination."

Capella Hotel Group President Roland Fasel said Brisbane's emergence as a global city made it the right location for the company's Australian residential debut.

"Brisbane is a city on the cusp of something remarkable, and Capella Residences is our commitment to being part of that story," Fasel said.

"The Capella residential experience is more than luxury. It is about a sense of belonging to a place with deep meaning."

Private appointments have now opened for the project, with a display suite expected to open in late 2026 ahead of the planned 2029 completion.

Capella to launch Brisbane's first branded residences at Shafston House, Kangaroo Point

Lewis Land's latest apartment release within its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan is targeting one of the Gold Coast's fastest-growing buyer groups, with almost a third of apartments at Solis priced below $1 million.

The seven-storey building at Biggera Waters will comprise 91 apartments, including 24 one-bedroom residences starting from $778,000, a price point Lewis Land says is aimed squarely at first home buyers struggling to enter the Gold Coast market.

<img alt="Harbour Shires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e7486e37-22f6-4c92-b212-9b0622070b8f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.34%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=W8MJwJUCf6HkIyl_EVSksnd.QI6MZryY" />

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lewis-land-group">Lewis Land</a> Head of Development Michael Long said the developer deliberately allocated a significant proportion of the project to more affordable apartment types.

"First home buyers have been priced out of many parts of the Gold Coast, and we saw a clear opportunity to address this and play our part in a longer-term housing solution," Long said.

"That's why 24 of the 91 apartments being delivered at Solis have been designed and priced for the city's next generation of homeowners, quality one-bedroom apartments, half of which include an additional multipurpose room to maximise space and flexibility.

"This approach places 30 per cent of apartments in Solis under $1 million, and with close proximity to Harbour Town's future light rail extension connecting residents to the city's major employment and knowledge hubs, it's a win for buyers looking to secure their first property."

<img alt="Sores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="550526d3-73ba-4710-9739-c5f4294a30ef" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.29%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cQQdXHt9wS0UXwZEm5Py5bH_3kAmzyhu" />

Designed by BDA Architecture, Solis will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with residences ranging up to 232 sqm. Apartments feature generous balconies and contemporary finishes, while residents will have access to Harbour Shores' lagoon pool, clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga studio and sauna.

The focus on first home buyers resonated with purchaser Holly Humphreys, who said she and her boyfriend spent more than a year searching for their first property before shifting their attention from houses to apartments.

"We fell in love with the first house we bid on and got our hopes up, but after repeated knockbacks we learned not to get too attached," Humphreys said.

"We offered at the high end of price guides, but sales kept going even higher. That's where we really struggled and we needed to re-evaluate our budget and our expectations. Standalone houses were off the table, and we pivoted to apartments and townhouses."

Humphreys said it was encouraging to see developers recognising the growing demand from first home buyers.

"There's a growing number of young buyers looking to enter the market earlier because they understand that getting in now can make a real difference as prices continue to rise," she said.

"It's fantastic to see a developer recognise this and then actively take measures to deliver an apartment with us in mind."

Solis is the first development planned within the second stage of the Harbour Shores masterplan, with early works expected to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Lewis Land targets first home buyers at latest Harbour Shores release, Solis

Luxury apartment developer Abadeen has recorded $19.25 million in apartment sales across two of its Lower North Shore developments in the lead-up to the end of the financial year, headlined by the sale of a $6.75 million penthouse at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/koyo-crows-nest-5-rodborough-avenue-crows-nest-nsw-2065">KOYO in Crows Nest.</a>

The transactions also included the sale of a newly completed three-bedroom apartment at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/park-residences-cremorne-2-sutherland-street-cremorne-nsw-2090">Park Residences in Cremorne</a> for $6.35 million, with the residence selling shortly after the project's first public inspections following completion.

The sales come as completed, owner-occupier-focused apartments continue to attract strong demand across Sydney's Lower North Shore, particularly from buyers looking for certainty and immediate occupancy.

The penthouse at KOYO spans 491 sqm across a single level and was designed by architect Koichi Takada. The development is one of Abadeen's flagship boutique projects in Crows Nest.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108800 project_image_fid=370093]

Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said buyer activity lifted noticeably in the lead-up to the end of the financial year.

"We saw a clear increase in enquiry levels, inspection numbers and buyer engagement across our completed projects leading into the end of the financial year," Brown said.

"Buyers have become far more decisive over the past six months. The combination of improving confidence, limited supply and the ability to physically inspect completed residences is creating strong competition for premium apartments in the best locations."

Brown says the&nbsp;response to Park Residences following completion has been particularly strong.

"Buyers want certainty and are responding positively to the opportunity to walk through a finished product, inspect the quality firsthand and move in immediately," Brown suggested.

"Projects such as Park Residences and KOYO demonstrate that when the product is exceptional and the location is irreplaceable, buyers are prepared to act quickly."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114246 project_image_fid=370116]

Abadeen CEO Joe Tack said quality continued to differentiate projects in the current market.

"Today's buyers are incredibly discerning," Tack said.

"They are seeking larger floorplans, premium finishes, walkability, lifestyle amenity and confidence in the developer delivering the project. Well-designed boutique developments continue to outperform because they offer something genuinely difficult to replace.

"The enquiry we are seeing across our completed and recently completed Lower North Shore portfolio is very encouraging, and we expect this momentum to continue into spring."

The sales follow increased enquiry across Abadeen's Lower North Shore portfolio which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/northcote-collective-naremburn-2-northcote-street-naremburn-nsw-2065">Northcote Collective in Naremburn</a> which also completed recently.

KOYO penthouse headlines Abadeen's $19.25 million EOFY sales flurry

The City of Sydney has approved plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/billbergia">Billbergia Group</a> and Metrics Credit Partners’ $3.5 billion Castlereagh Place project in the heart of the Sydney CBD

The towers will be among the tallest in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/sydney-nsw-2000">Sydney</a>'s CBD, with more floors than any other residential tower in the city.&nbsp;

The 6,000 sqm site was acquired by the joint venture partners in 2024. It is the largest amalgamated land parcel in the Sydney CBD and comprises eight individual sites fronting Castlereagh, Pitt and Liverpool Streets.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/castlereagh-place-sydney-324-348-pitt-street-sydney-nsw-2000">Castlereagh Place</a> will transform an underutilised city block into a landmark mixed-use destination, anchored by two 82-storey towers comprising 607 luxury residences above an 8-level podium housing a 209-room luxury hotel. A 1,000 square metre civic park on ground level features a curated mix of food, beverage and retail.

The plans have been refined over the past year to rebalance the residential and hotel offering, and reconfigure the retail footprint to create a stronger, more dynamic dining experience.

A three-level flagship building on the prominent corner of Pitt and Liverpool Streets will be the gateway to the Castlereagh Place lifestyle precinct. Set to become a Sydney icon, the building is capable of housing multiple hospitality venues.

“Castlereagh Place is designed to be the City's next great urban oasis - an energetic mixed-use precinct that pulses with life, day and night,"&nbsp;said Joseph Kinsella, Group Director of Billbergia.

"It will bring the vibrancy of places like Barangaroo and Darling Quarter into a more accessible, central destination at the very heart of Sydney."

Kinsella said the project will build on&nbsp;Sydney’s growing laneway culture with the City’s largest network of new activated lanes - an expanded, next-generation take on precincts like Angel Place, Palings Lane and Ash Street in Wynyard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374401]

Castlereagh Place has been designed by architects <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fjc-studio">fjcstudio</a> in collaboration with Trias Studio, Aileen Sage and Polly Harbison Design, joint winners of an international design competition in 2018.&nbsp;

Signature design elements from the original scheme remain unchanged, while the public domain has been significantly enhanced, delivering 60 per cent more open-to-sky space.

Pedestrian access will also be enhanced through new laneways linking Pitt, Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets, drawing people into a new civic park with outdoor seating, landscaping and integrated public art.

With activated laneways supported by strong hospitality offerings, Castlereagh Place is tipped to become a vibrant new dining destination in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

It marks the largest undertaking to date for the Billbergia and Metrics Credit Partners partnership. Together they are developing other underutilised Sydney sites into mixed-use precincts, including the $2.2 billion Concord Central and the $1.3 billion Chatswood Grand Residences.

Metrics Managing Partner and Group CEO Andrew Lockhart said Castlereagh Place is a landmark project that will redefine Sydney’s skyline.

"As the tallest residential high-rise development, the revitalised site will offer panoramic views across the CBD and surrounds. We are excited to partner with Billbergia to reinvigorate an underutilised site and create a sophisticated and contemporary mixed-use offering situated in the heart of Sydney.”

Total apartments within the towers have increased to 607 dwellings, with a focus on larger floorplans. Aligned to growing market demand, Castlereagh Place now comprises 299 three-plus-bedroom apartments, 198 two-bedroom units and 110 one-bedroom configurations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374402]

Resident amenities will include an exclusive residents club containing a gym, rooftop pool, dining rooms, co-working spaces, library, golf simulator, games room, cinema room, and access to an exclusive concierge service. There will be around 500 basement car spaces below the towers.

The development will also include a state-of-the-art wellness centre, set to feature a bathhouse with magnesium pools, hot/cold plunge pools and premium amenities.

&nbsp;

According to fjcstudio, the towers will feature distinctive yet elegant architectural design reflecting Sydney’s geometry and urban character, with a network of through-site links and intimate public spaces activating the streetscape.

"Castlereagh Place is a city-making project of significant scale and ambition," said Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director at fjcstudio.

"It will create a rich urban complex of public open spaces, landscaped gardens, and vibrant laneways. Defining these new public spaces and the important streetscape of Castlereagh Street is a sequence of fine-grained, diverse retail and hotel architecture designed in collaboration with Aileen Sage, Polly Harbison Design and Trias.

“Rising above the tree-lined, human-scale streetscape are two slender residential towers that will transform the city skyline and look towards the Harbour, Hyde Park, and the Royal Botanic Garden.”

Demolition and early construction works have commenced onsite at Castlereagh Place.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134477]

Billbergia, Metrics, approved for $3.5 billion Sydney skyscrapers

Footscray

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Near on a year after being submitted, Footscray's last major development within the Joseph Road Precinct is all but reality.

Last week it was recommended by internal planners that Maribyrnong Council's City Development Special Committee issue a Notice of Decision to Grant a Permit for the multi-towered development which accounts for the last 'super site' within the 17 hectare renewal area. 2 Neilson Place is the final piece of the puzzle within the vast formerly light industrial land holding which constitutes the Joseph Road Precinct.

Over recent years six separate scheme within the precinct have gained approval, amounting to some 3,300 new apartments. 

<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/image77_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="2 Neilson Street. Planning image: Architecton"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="542" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image77_2.jpg?itok=tP_P4IeT" title="2 Neilson Street. Planning image: Architecton" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>2 Neilson Street. Planning image: Architecton</figcaption></figure>Carrying a cost of development of $180 million, 2 Neilson Place is positioned to add another 500 plus apartments to Joseph Road Precinct. Of these, 5% are to be allocated as affordable housing.

Set across 6,323 square metres, 2 Neilson Place also adds 620 square metres of retail floor space, 3,418 square metres of office space and capacity for a childcare centre. A variety of amenities are anchored by podium and tooftop open spaces.

Well beyond the preferred maximum building height of 12 storeys, "consideration has been given to reducing the heights, however any reduction in height would not make any significant difference to the urban environment of Joseph Road." This is in response to earlier approvals in some instances reaching 32 levels.

<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_0054.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Riverina's first phase under construction"><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_0054.jpg?itok=ylsRe4Gi" title="Riverina's first phase under construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Riverina's first phase under construction</figcaption></figure>With the planning aspect of Joseph Road Precinct all but complete, the challenge for developers is to now deliver the thousands of approved apartments.

In total 23 separate residential towers are in play within the precinct, and of those only a trio of mid-sized towers which represent stage one of Riverina are at construction. Having ridden the wave of foreign-based interest in Melbourne's apartment market, Riverina had sold well initially, although the rate of sales for current and future releases may not be as rapid.

The sheer number of apartments involved coupled with the restrictive measures placed on foreign investors and the 'cooling' within certain pockets of Melbourne's apartment market may lead to a slower roll-out of construction within Joseph Road Precinct.

4 Neilson Place known as The Tannery has conducted a low-key sales campaign whilst Growland's Victoria Square opposite Riverina has begun its sales campaign in earnest.
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silvermb

Joseph Road precinct's final application sails toward reality; now for the task of delivery

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A vacant development site in Melbourne’s inner western suburbs of Footscray has been listed.
The <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-vic-west+footscray-502352954" target="_blank">130-186 Buckley Street</a> property is zoned Mixed Use and comprises 4341 square metre on three titles, with 290 metres street frontage.
According to the marketing agent, Teska Carson director George Takis, the property should appeal to developers, investors and owner-occupiers.
"This is a very well located site right on Buckley Street and close to Middle Footscray station,” Takis said.
“Footscray is one of the most rapidly growing suburbs in Metropolitan Melbourne, with the location currently subject to unprecedented levels of residential and commercial development.
“This is a direct consequence of the policies of the Victorian state government and Maribyrnong City council in promoting this precinct as an ideal inner city fringe location.
"We expect strong interest for this property from buyers, especially developers, at a time when Footscray is emerging as one of Melbourne’s key residential and commercial destinations,’’
The property will be sold by public tender closing Wednesday, May 17 at 2pm and is expected to fetch more than $4.4 million.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Vacant Footscray development site listed

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/75609/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Those who value “multiculturalism” and “access to the city” as key markers of a vibrant, progressive city will find these attributes in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray.
Yet, at the same time, they will find them under threat through the forces of gentrification. These are the same forces that have, through time, transformed former “slums” such as Carlton, Fitzroy, Abbotsford and Richmond into “blue-ribbon” suburbs of Melbourne.
It is, inevitably, Footscray’s turn because of its proximity to the CBD. Many outside stakeholders have aspirations and conceptualised visions for the suburb.
These emerged at the turn of the millennium, when the Melbourne 2030 plan and its subsequent updates envisioned a new “central activity area” in Footscray.
A suburb in transition
In response to the metropolitan plans, substantial changes have been made to the council’s planning framework. New schemes allow for developments up to 25 storeys high along the banks of the Maribyrnong River and over the Footscray Market site.
With public investment to match, further catalysts of urban renewal were the substantial upgrade of Footscray railway station and other investments to polish the public realm.
Following the script of urban intensification, apartments have mushroomed in and around the suburb – with developers and investors colluding to rewrite and perpetuate new narratives.
In a tacit attempt to dilute Footcray’s shadier reputation, the suburb has been reimagined as the next “St Kilda” or “Fitzroy”. This has helped to raise unit prices and attract different types of residents and businesses.
These market-led models of urban development and renewal discount Footscray’s existing socio-physical and cultural landscape. The result is exclusionary, culturally homogeneous places and spaces. These reflect the fundamental top-down global and cultural drivers of the city in the race to climb (or, in Melbourne’s case, retain) liveability rankings.
On the contrary, multiculturalism is essentially a bottom-up phenomenon: ethnic enclaves form organically in the process of migrants settling down and “accessing the city” economically, socially and culturally. This is something that cannot be planned nor designed, but can be assisted.
In fact, Footscray has been an exemplar of this practice. The suburb’s absorption of immigrants has given rise to distinct Vietnamese, South Asian and Horn of African commercial precincts.
Improvement or displacement?
Formal agents of change (politicians, administrators, planners, designers) seem to view this urban condition as a temporary, transitional state to be eventually “improved”. They are often narrowly focused on physical and economic benchmarks.
The changes are compounded by a contemporary housing affordability crisis. Footscray has been attracting a local migration of first-home buyers and “hipsters” searching for more affordable properties and rent.
One might argue that this is a recipe for a multiculturalism where differences co-exist – or at least are juxtaposed. That might be true, if only the local white gentrification culture does not displace the minority cultures and socio-economic groups, as is happening to newer outer centres such as Sunshine and Broadmeadows.
Footscray’s beating heart
Critically, many may not realise the tenuous vulnerability of the place.
Last December, Footscray lost one of its most substantial cultural institutions, when the Little Saigon Market burnt down due to an electrical fault. Befitting current development trends, there are now plans for the site to become a 12-storey “mixed use” apartment building.
Both Footscray Market and Little Saigon Market are the key urban centres that sustain the commercial, culinary and cultural life of the suburb. However, Footscray Market is wholly owned by an individual – and there has been a proposal to replace it with a ubiquitous “mixed use” tower-on-podium development. This would (and still could) hasten the demise of Footscray’s distinctive character.
This is in stark contrast to the hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market and other markets. Established during the European colonisation and migration period, these have accrued heritage status. This arguably implies that Footscray’s markets are “minority markets” for lesser sub-cultures.
Significantly, in Footscray, multiculturalism and access to the city are lived experiences. The spatial and social implications are reflected in the ways buildings are used and goods are sold on the street.
A walk along Leeds Street reveals the finest scale of commercial practice by individual vendors. They hand-carry or push their cultural-specific wares on shopping trolleys – tactics to camouflage their subversive practices in busy pedestrian areas.
A different story
What we advocate for here is that there are alternatives to the ubiquitous developer-driven urbanisation; these make it possible to carefully consider the local communities directly affected by developments.
The City of Melbourne’s complex negotiations between developers and key stakeholders at Queen Victoria Market offers a potential local model. There’s no reason this model could not be carefully applied and extended to Footscray’s markets.
Complementing the markets, Footscray’s small and fine-scaled businesses should be recognised as alternative models of urban vibrancy and participative, socioeconomic resilience.
These are highly interrelated practices, which help mitigate socio-economic inequity, while meaningfully contributing to and showcasing Melbourne’s multiculturalism.
Sidh Sintusingha is senior lecturer in Landscape Architecture, University of Melbourne and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sidh-sintusingha-352893" target="_blank">here</a>.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Footscray: When a suburb's turn for gentrification comes

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Site purchase and demolition for one of Footscray's key renewal sites occurred during 2012. Thereafter the Binks Ford site has seen precious little activity.

But now plans are afoot for an intensive redevelopment of the 9,047sqm plot which abuts the Footscray rail corridor.  Developer AVIC Developments Pty Ltd is seeking the green light for 412 dwellings across four separate residential buildings, with the tallest maxing out at 10 levels.

Dubbed 'Cowper Village' within the application, 34 Cowper Street was sold some years ago by Places Victoria. In a push to regenerate the massive land holding, AVIC Developments Pty Ltd has teamed with architects ClarkeHopkinsClarke. 

<h2>34 Cowper Street application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image55_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The proposed development's northerly aspect. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="564" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image55_6.jpg?itok=P0SBVfgG" title="The proposed development's northerly aspect. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The proposed development's northerly aspect. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Vacant 9,047sqm site with 166.7m street frontage</li>
	<li>Proposed residential development of 412 dwellings across 4 separate buildings</li>
	<li>16 x townhouses, 192 x 1BR, 194 x 2BR, 10 x SOHO</li>
	<li>Maximum building height: 10 storeys or 31.7m</li>
	<li>4 retail tenancies: total of 518sqm available</li>
	<li>Provision for 196 vehicles and 84 bicycles</li>
	<li>Cost of development estimated at $100 million</li>
	<li>Ground, Level 1 and rooftop green spaces</li>
</ul>
Current plans for 34 Cowper Street are modest from a height perspective, relative to a number of earlier site-specific designs created (as seen below), and relative to the scale of development throughout the adjacent Joseph Road Precinct.

Indeed ClarkeHopkinsClarke's initial submission for 34 Cowper Street was significantly higher; 7 levels have been lopped from earlier plans in order to comply with preferred building heights under local built form guidelines. The loss of 7 levels hasn't demonstrably affected to total project apartment yield, with 33 less dwellings across the project.

Further design changes following Maribyrnong City Council's initial feedback also see a reworked open space plaza, enhanced pedestrian connectivity and amendments to the internal laneway.

<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/image57_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Site concepts by Plus Architecture and Peddle Thorp Architects which advanced no further."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="390" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image57_6.jpg?itok=Tr2gGNiU" title="Site concepts by Plus Architecture and Peddle Thorp Architects which advanced no further." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Site concepts by Plus Architecture and Peddle Thorp Architects which advanced no further.</figcaption></figure>With Jospeh Road Precinct all but accounted for, and the Kinnears site <a href="/news/rf-property-australias-first-melbourne-project-enters-the-starting-gates">ready for its sales launch</a>, 34 Cowper Street is the last of Footscray's 'super sites' to enter planning. Beyond the Binks Ford redevelopment, smaller-scale blocks such as Ryco at 11-19 Whitehall Street and the 501 Receptions site at <a href="/new-apartments/495-507-barkly-street-footscray">501 Barkly Street</a> represent the next largest development sites in the pipeline.

The additions of 34 Cowper Street to the Apartments.com.au Project Database boosts the overall number of apartments monitored by Apartments.com.au within Footscray to an impressive 7,400. This figure is spread across 37 separate projects, with the majority of apartments found within Joseph Road Precinct.

Of those 7,400 plus apartments under 500 are at construction, alluding to the massive growth in Footscray's population that awaits.

<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/image56_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A broadside development perspective. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="270" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image56_4.jpg?itok=DNs5j1ul" title="A broadside development perspective. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A broadside development perspective. Planning image: ClarkeHopkinsClarke</figcaption></figure><h2>34 Cowper Street development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: AVIC Development Pty Ltd</li>
	<li>Architect &amp; Urban Context: ClarkeHopkinsClarke</li>
	<li>Planning: Hellier McFarland</li>
	<li>Traffic Engineering: Traffix Group</li>
	<li>Waste Management: Leigh Design</li>
	<li>Sustainable Management Plan: F2 Design</li>
	<li>Environmental Noise Assessment: Marshall Day</li>
	<li>Wind Assessment : MEL Consultants</li>
	<li>Landscape Plan: MDG Landscape Architects</li>
	<li>Statement of Environmental Audit: Golder Associates</li>
	<li>Social Impact Assessment: Ratio Consultants</li>
</ul>
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Footscray's Binks Ford site finally in line for development

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The long-dormant Kinnears site fronting Ballarat Road is all but ready to begin its transformation into one of Footscray's largest apartment-driven urban renewal projects.

An onsite display suite that will cater for the multiple towers to be developed over the life of the project is now complete, and ready to be swung into action once developer R&amp;F Property Australia launches the first phase of the project. And Kinnears' first stage looks to be a 15 level apartment tower at the eastern end of the sprawling site.

Kinnears which is addressed 124-188 Ballarat Road is R&amp;F Property Australia's first major development in Melbourne. 

Kinnears' rebirth first came to prominence <a href="/news/rf-properties-advance-plans-for-kinnears-footscray-redevelopment">during late 2015</a>, with Elenberg Fraser enlisted by the developer to create a new masterplanned residential enclave. In doing so, limited demolition and adaptation of existing heritage buildings spread over the site has been worked into the overall masterplan, which also includes provisions for 1,400 plus new dwellings.

The display suite model depicting the entire project is very much in line with the 2015 site plan, and sees a number of new north-south pedestrian and vehicle links dividing the site.

<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/image2kinn.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Kinnears site masterplan."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image2kinn.jpg?itok=cXhqcWcX" title="The Kinnears site masterplan." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Kinnears site masterplan.</figcaption></figure>Information within the display also elaborates on the project's public features. Shops and a supermarket will be set around a plaza, with communal facilities such as a childcare centre, kindergarden, maternal and child health centre also in the mix. Offices, a gym and further medical-based spaces add the the development's mixed-use nature.

R&amp;F Property Australia, part of Guangzhou-based R&amp;F Properties, has been trying to gain a foothold in Melbourne for some years.

At one stage the developer was primed to secure Fishermans Bend's <a href="https://urban.melbourne/projects/fishermans-bend-renewal-area/60-82-johnson-street-south-melbourne">60-82 Johnson Street</a>, but that deal <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/developer-mcnee-makes-a-30-million-killing-on-south-melbourne-apartments-site-20170124-gtxnkd">failed to materialise</a>, with local developer Salvo Property Group subsequently securing the approved site. R&amp;F Property Australia's next move was for Kinnears, successfully acquiring the site from <a href="http://www.afr.com/real-estate/residential/richard-gu-nets-60m-for-footscray-development-site-20140722-jjllw">AXF Group for $60 million during 2014</a>, with development plans already in motion at that stage.

Based in Melbourne, R&amp;F Property Australia's first successful move on the national development scene was in Brisbane. Dubbed <a href="http://www.rfaustralia.com.au/project/brisbane-1/">Brisbane 1</a>, the project sees 600 plus apartments in development over multiple buildings on a 4,661sqm plot in South Brisbane.

With the imminent launch of Kinnears, R&amp;F Property Australia also now has a Melbourne-based apartment project that will be rolled out in stages over coming years. Imagery for subsequent stages of the Kinnears development can be seen <a href="http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/plans-lodged-for-first-stage-of-kinnears-rope-factory-redevelopment/pub/maribyrnong_hobsons_bay/">here</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/image77_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="R &amp; F Properties first Australian project. Image: brisbane1towers.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="724" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image77_1.jpg?itok=sb9vAKmn" title="R &amp; F Properties first Australian project. Image: brisbane1towers.com.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>R &amp; F Properties first Australian project. Image: brisbane1towers.com.au</figcaption></figure>
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R&F Property Australia's first Melbourne project enters the starting gates 

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The latest and last of Footscray's Joseph Road Precinct super-sites has gone to advertising, outlining a quartet of residential towers planned for the site which is referred to as 2 Nielson Place.

No less that 577 apartments are requested as part of a permit that would square away Joseph Road Precinct's final major land allotment. FJP Pty Ltd is behind the development push, with Architecton in the primary design role; something they would be altogether used to given their existing design experience within the precinct.

Following on from an initial application, revised plans were submitted late last year which lessened the height of three towers and consequently the overall apartment yield.

<h2>2 Neilson Place application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image35_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Architecton's latest project for the precinct."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="527" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image35_8.jpg?itok=ZpmurAUP" title="Architecton's latest project for the precinct." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Architecton's latest project for the precinct.</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Vacant land plot of 6,264sqm with two street frontages</li>
	<li>Proposed quartet of towers, with the tallest at 26 levels or 86 metres</li>
	<li>577 apartments: 230 x 1BR, 274 x 2BR, 73 x 3BR</li>
	<li>Average apartment sizes: 1BR: 46sqm, 2BR: 76sqm, 3BR: 115sqm</li>
	<li>290sqm of ground floor food/drink space</li>
	<li>465sqm of commercial office space</li>
	<li>3,113sqm of communal open space</li>
	<li>3,382sqm of internal communal facilities</li>
	<li>Podium parking for 572 cars</li>
	<li>Estimated development cost: $180 million</li>
</ul>
<h2>Amenity plus</h2>

The staged development is noteworthy for the level of amenity that it intends to bring to the precinct.

As outlined above, a combined total of 6,495sqm of communal space is dedicated to the 577 apartments, which equates to an average of 11.26sqm of open space per apartment. This figure is very much symptomatic of the larger, staged developments within Joseph Road Precinct.

Project specific amenities include podium-top facilities such as a gym, pool, change rooms, internal and external lounge areas, shared kitchen, dining areas, yoga room and a large landscaped open space area. Each tower rooftop sees an external courtyard adjoining an internal multi-purpose area.

Aesthetically 2 Nielson Place's major tower has been designed to be clad in rose gold glass, with Luna St Kilda cited as a design example. Offsetting the 86m golden edifice would be a smaller tower with light grey tinted glass as its primary expression, while the smaller duo would feature dark glass framed by offwhite composite panels.

'Sandstone' finished tiles are envisaged for the projects ground level interface, providing the street level with a 'softer' more earthier appearance.

<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/image34_9.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Amenity to the fore"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="412" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image34_9.jpg?itok=1awYbeLP" title="Amenity to the fore" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Amenity to the fore</figcaption></figure><h2>Joseph Road Precinct at large</h2>

2 Nielson Place is Joseph Road Precinct's seventh major development; of those seven, five can be considered multi-tower developments. At this stage and assuming 2 Nielson Place is approved along its current design path, 23 residential buildings are slated for the precinct, with none yet to reach completion.

2 Nielson Place's 577 apartments adds to the roughly 3,385 apartments already given the nod for the riverside precinct. These apartments will be delivered in towers of up to 31 levels.

How Joseph Road Precinct's planning outcomes compare to initial structure plan expectations will be the subject of another forthcoming article.

<h2>2 Neilson Place development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>FJP Pty Ltd ATF Palazzo Family Superannuation Fund</li>
	<li>Architecture and Urban Context: Architecton</li>
	<li>Planning: Urbis</li>
	<li>Landscape Plan: Urbis Landscape Architects</li>
	<li>Traffic Engineering Assessment: Ratio</li>
	<li>Acoustic, Pedestrian Level Winds and Wind Tunnel Test: Vipac</li>
	<li>Sustainable Management Plan: Sustainability House</li>
	<li>Waste Management Plan: Ratio</li>
	<li>Cultural Heritage Report: Terra Culture</li>
</ul>
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2 Neilson Place rounds out Footscray's Joseph Road Precinct

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On 2 January 2017, it was reported that several popular eateries and bars in <a href="/new-apartments/footscray-vic-3011">Footscray</a> had been vandalised, including the perennially successful 8 Bit Burgers on Droop Street, and Up In Smoke on Hopkins Street. 8 Bit had the warm new year's welcome gift of 14 smashed windows and the words “F**k off hipster scum” spray-painted on their entrance.

Meanwhile, another popular coffee haunt, Rudimentary, had rotten meat thrown into their premises. The stench of it was so bad it took the staff <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rotten-bag-of-meat-thrown-at-hipster-cafe-in-footscray-20170103-gtl8yr">several days to remove.</a>

This isn't the first instance of protests against gentrification in Footscray. Littlefoot Bar reported that anti-gentrification stickers had been pasted on their facade shortly after opening in 2015. Some of these had messages like, “People said it was too dangerous to live here, but you can actually find a couple of nice cafes now”. These stickers stopped shortly after the owners posted their own story about being a local family of 8 years and wanting to start a bar on Barkly Street where none had previously existed.

I've tried three out of four of these businesses (sorry Littlefoot, I'm a bit of a dag to be hanging out late at night drinking whiskey and listening to groovy music), and the products and services they offer are of a very high standard, with price points to match. Clearly their success shows that the price point is appropriate for the market they are targeting.

Reading about these acts, I feel awful for the owners of these businesses and can only imagine how hard they worked to establish themselves. Who exactly are the “hipster scum”? Do they mean me? (Probably). And what does ''hipster'' even mean? Is that like saying “yuppie”? What does that even mean? That could mean anybody.

The great minds on the Urban Happiness: University of Melbourne Facebook group got talking about these incidents, and most were in agreement about how senseless the vandalism was. Others saw it as an act of protest by locals resisting social change and gentrification.

I suggested that perhaps if businesses such as these weren't charging $25 for fries, milkshake and teeny burgers, maybe more people could try them and incidents like this wouldn't occur so often, or at all. But observations like this miss the important issues. Another clever comment from another user was that just because people like $2000 Prada bags, it doesn't mean every suburb needs a Prada shop.

Everyone knows that Footscray has a rich culinary history, and a wide range of food from the Asian and African continents can be enjoyed with much gusto at a range of price points (usually between $9 and $14 for a large, satisfying main meal). Until the untimely demise of the Little Saigon Market, it was possible to enjoy all manner of Asian dishes with a side of rice for under $12, and usually with an entree (mung bean pie or crispy fried squid) or a drink.

It could be said that the hamburger was once part of the everyday suburban food experience, but at its core is a symbol of US imperialism; selling and consuming such things only prolongs this hegemony. Until the recent gourmet burger proliferation, burgers have been a fast food that is accessible to anyone, along with meat pies, pizza and, of course, ''Friday night fish n chips''.

So, what is under attack here? Is it the individual businesses, or the culture they represent? Our culture has been formed out of many, including American. Let's set aside the hegemonic hamburgers and look at the bigger issues here.

Gentrification is widely accepted as the process of a new socio-economic group moving into a suburb alongside the established cohort, and when too much of this occurs too quickly, the result is that the existing cohort moves elsewhere. Gentrification can result in a change of place, a change of demographics and an increase in property prices. An immediate effect of this is new businesses popping up and attracting new customers, and new financial and social capital, which gives life to existing buildings and streetscapes that have been in disrepair, therefore contributing to ''civic literacy'', where <a href="http://www.nathanstorring.com/2014/10/29/jane-jacobs-on-gentrification">everyone can take ownership of the space by engaging with the place</a>.

<a href="/new-apartments/maribyrnong-vic-3032">Maribyrnong</a> City Council (MCC) has been actively trying to promote Footscray as a town that is “open for business” through attracting new businesses to enliven the streets, but also by moving the ''undesirables'' along. Footscray has a reputation for being a rough place. At its most benign, it's viewed as a post-industrial town coming out of a decline, and at its worst, as a town with a reputation for street violence and drug abuse, regularly frequented by transient people with antisocial habits.

MCC has been trying to improve Footscray by changing the street-furniture and urban design in Nicholson Street and near the train station, which is cleaner and well lit at night to discourage people from hanging around in public. Private sector enterprises (both commercial and social) have been embraced and are changing the area by bringing in new customers and new activity.

Dr Maree Pardy, social and cultural anthropologist, has described MCC's approach as ''vengeful with a cappuccino”! The ''undesirables'' who used to have somewhere to meet are being moved away, and MCC gets what it wants: new business that activates the street frontages and brings in new residents, and new trade. But these approaches fail to recognise the causes of anti-social behaviour in the first instance and/or why they come to Footscray, and this is where local and state government need to step in and help in a big way, or get behind social enterprises that can.

Dr Pardy also talks about the fact that the visceral (or voyeuristic?) experience of meeting familiar faces and watching people is probably lost as a result of council's clean-up. The Wominjeka Tarnuk Yooroom rock sculpture, meaning ''welcome bowl'', was much derided as a waste of money by the Traders' Association when completed in 2013, on the corner of Paisley and Nicholson streets. The artwork fulfills the meeting place aspect, but without offering shade for hot and wet days.

In fact, the whole Nicholson Street Mall is without decent shelter from the elements. Even though the mist of water that sprays from a few of the rocks is a welcome relief on a summer's day, this is annoying for the remaining three seasons of the year; the sculpture, therefore, has a tinge of the vengeful.

If the vandals targeting these four businesses are class warriors trying to resist demographic changes in the area, they have missed the boat by at least 5 years – the residential property prices and rates of growth tell us that Footscray is now firmly on the radar of first-home buyers trying to get a bargain. It might be a coincidence that these businesses all popped up around 2015; the 2015-16 financial year demonstrated an <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/suburb-profile/footscray-vic-3011">18% jump in the median 2 bedroom house price</a>, from $627K to $745K.

Between 2010 and 2012, Footscray and the surrounding suburbs of <a href="/new-townhouses/seddon-vic-3011">Seddon</a> ($875K), <a href="/new-apartments/yarraville-vic-3013">Yarraville</a> ($865K) and <a href="/new-apartments/west-footscray-vic-3012">West Footscray</a> ($721K) all had either steady or no growth, but since 2012 have had about 11% growth per year (obviously from differing median house prices). Consider further that the median 2 bedroom house price in inner city Melbourne is $1.336 million.

Footscray offers a lot of housing close to the city and is well-serviced by public amenities for considerably less money than other areas that have a strong multicultural working-class background, such as <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick ($899K)</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/richmond-vic-3121">Richmond ($1,119 million)</a> &amp; <a href="/new-apartments/flemington-vic-3031">Flemington ($875K)</a>. The steady growth in Footscray, Seddon and West Footscray is a reflection of the popularity of the area and its affordability – or rather, they are less expensive than all the other options.

I see Footscray as being relatively self-contained compared to other inner city suburbs that enjoy cultural spill-over (<a href="/new-apartments/collingwood-vic-3066">Collingwood</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/fitzroy-vic-3065">Fitzroy</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/abbotsford-vic-3067">Abbotsford</a>, and <a href="/new-apartments/brunswick-vic-3056">Brunswick</a>, <a href="/new-apartments/coburg-vic-3058">Coburg</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/preston-vic-3072">Preston</a>) by virtue of being located close to the Port of Melbourne, bounded by the Maribyrnong River and Old Geelong Road, and surrounded by manufacturing and industrial complexes to the east and south.

Even the rest of Melbourne shares this impression – a current series of postcards published by Public Transport Victoria promoted the suburb with a design aesthetic straight out a 1930s travel magazine, making the Footscray Market appear like an oasis in a dense jungle.

The bike ride I take most days between the city and Footscray is either via Dynon or Footscray roads – the greyfields that separate the rest of Melbourne from Footscray. Regardless of its isolation from artistic hotspots, there's no shortage of creative happenings. The locals create their own artistic (Footscray Community Arts Centre) and creative (100 Story Building) opportunities.

Perhaps this is why the place feels very tribal, for want of a better word, and residents want to protect that as much as possible. A great example of this was seen during the Grand Final, when picket fences all around the west were painted in Western Bulldogs red, white and blue.

The class warriors vandalising a few small businesses are prepared to act in an ugly way to protect their westside “tribe''. The west offers some of this city's few remaining suburbs where it is still possible for the average Melburnian to own their own home in a vibrant and diverse area within 10km of the CBD. In the mind of the vandal, you have to match the reputation of Footscray to join the tribe, otherwise you are a threat.

Frankly, asking new businesses, or even new residents, to “prove their rep” so they can be accepted is childish in the extreme! What I would say about these businesses is that start-up ventures such as these could easily have failed, and surely the proprietor's struggle is admirable. They don't need to prove how much of a Westie they are because they obviously love the suburb and are doing their best to add to its diversity.

In simple terms, the benefits of these new businesses to Footscray are:

<ul>
<li>They offer a variety of goods and services at different price points.</li>
	<li>They provide new employment opportunities that previously did not exist (and not just for those who work there, but for professionals and tradespersons facilitating opening their premises).</li>
	<li>They pay council rates and taxes.</li>
</ul>
But what do these businesses actually do for the street?

<ul>
<li>Late night trading makes streets safer for pedestrians and residents at night.</li>
	<li>They add a sense of vitality, movement and progression: there is somewhere to go.</li>
	<li>They contribute to an enriched urban experience and civic literacy.</li>
</ul>
So, I wouldn't say that bad gentrification has occurred here in Footscray… yet. In The Life and Death of American Cities, journalist Jane Jacobs says that a little bit of gentrification is good for all the positives listed earlier, but that too much means the existing diversity is stamped out, and the only choice for existing residents is to move on.

In the case of Footscray, perhaps it is just that some of the negative effects of gentrification have occurred sooner than anticipated: for instance the sharp increase in property values, further dividing those who own and those who rent. Of course, expensive niche food and drink such as $6 cold-drip coffee doesn't appeal to everyone, nor is it readily accessible to all residents.

Cost differences aside, the fact that these things exist alongside $10.50 burgers, $9 bowls of pho and $12 platters of beyaynetu in this wonderful, crazy place means our new “hipster” cafes are making a bigger contribution to diversity than they probably thought.

Redmond Hamlett is a Director of <a href="http://www.woollanhamlett.com.au/">Woollan Hamlett Architects</a>, a St Kilda-based architecture practice specialising in projects that create enhanced social outcomes.
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Redmond Hamlett

Hipsters join the westside tribe

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A Melbourne investor investor has paid $1.425 million on 2 percent yield for a Footscray warehouse with development potential
The property, 112 Buckley Street, is a 435 square metre office and warehouse on a 646 square metre site sold subject to a monthly lease to an auto repair business returning $28,560 per annum net.
Selling agent Julian Heatherich from Savills said it was a prime development site with the potential for a six level building and an existing tenancy providing holding income, sold as a long term investment.
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Investor buys Footscray site on 2 percent yield

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The heart of Footscray is in for more change as Banco Group looks to facilitate the development of an underutilised tract of land.

With the balance of the sizeable site an at grade car park, 14 Albert Street has been earmarked for a mixed-use development. In addition to residential apartments, a cinema, supermarket, speciality shops, aged care facility, medical centres and a restaurant have all been included within the JAM Architects-designed proposal.

In its revised application, the development team has also sought to maintain activity around the development post hours.

According to the Urban Context Report, "It has long been a desire of Council to consolidate core retail within this precinct as well as facilitate a number of night-time activities that aid in maintaining security and preventing undesirables loitering within the Centre."

<h2>14 Albert Street Footscray application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image30_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aerial perspective of the development. Planning image: JAM Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="582" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image30_8.jpg?itok=7uvDyJsJ" title="Aerial perspective of the development. Planning image: JAM Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aerial perspective of the development. Planning image: JAM Architects</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Site area: 4,776sqm with three sizeable street frontages</li>
	<li>Current use: Commercial car park</li>
	<li>Proposed 13 and 19 storey mixed use development at 64.4m</li>
	<li>235 apartments: 146 x 1BR, 89 x 2BR</li>
	<li>Six cinema complex</li>
	<li>Medical centre on first floor and a two level nursing home above</li>
	<li>Supermarket and retail space totalling 2,469sqm</li>
	<li>420 car parking spaces over two basement levels and 180 bicycle bays</li>
	<li>Public realm upgrades along each of the Albert, Paisley and Grench Street frontages</li>
</ul>
<h2>Project features</h2>

14 Albert Street's ground level is anchored by a 1,206sqm supermarket, with 8 additional retail tenancies in tow. Dual courtyards also front Paisley Street and Albert Street.

Level 1 sees a function room, cafe, restaurant, outdoor terrace and the aforementioned cinemas ring additional car parking located through the podium. Level 2 is monopolised by 13 medical suites whilst level 3 is dedicated to ancillary aged care services.

120 aged care suites consume the following two levels, with level four including an outdoor terrace. Residential apartments follow thereafter and are supported by two expansive outdoor terraces.

<h2>Banco times three</h2>

14 Albert Street follows in the footsteps of Banco Group's first foray into the area by way of 18 Albert Street. Completed by Hacer during 2014, 18 Albert Street saw the construction of residential apartments above Footscray Plaza.

Also designed by JAM Architects, 18 Albert Street's revamp also brought a sizeable public artwork to the area, with the installation of a 240-square-metre screen on Albert Street and Pailsey Street. According to LED manufacturer Megabay, "The screen titled ‘<a href="http://www.megabay.com.au/recent-projects">Centricity</a>’, is Victoria’s largest LED-programmed steel sculpture designed by Melbourne artist Matthew Harding and symbolises Footscray’s diversity."

With 14 Albert Street set to join 18 Albert Street, Banco Group via their entity Paisley Pty Ltd still have a remaining central Footscray development site in the works, likely to be the nearby Forges site which will be subject to a separate planning application.

<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/174_a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The revamped Footscray Plaza. Image: Hacer"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="294" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/174_a.jpg?itok=fKBPBd0g" title="The revamped Footscray Plaza. Image: Hacer" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The revamped Footscray Plaza. Image: Hacer</figcaption></figure><h2>14 Albert Street Footscray development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Paisley Pty Ltd / Banco Group</li>
	<li>Architect: JAM Architects</li>
	<li>Planning: G2 Urban Planning</li>
	<li>Traffic &amp; waste Assessment: Salt 3</li>
	<li>Sustainable Management Plan: Edifice</li>
	<li>Landscape Plan: Rush Wright and Associates</li>
	<li>Wind impact Assessment: MEL Consultants</li>
</ul>
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Banco pushes further into Footscray

<html><body>
A mixed-use development site in Melbourne’s Footscray has sold for $2.3 million before auction.
The 34 Moreland Street property has a permit for building 22 apartments over five levels and a ground floor commercial tenancy. 
The 370 sqm site sold on a unit rate of $104,545 per apartment and a land rate of $6,216 per sqm. 
The selling agents were Fitzroys’ Michael Ryan and James Gregson alongside Colliers’ Andrew Ryan and Hamish Burgess. 
The mixed-use zoned corner site comprises a single-level warehouse tenanted to pilates operator White Dog Studio on a three-year lease ending March 2018, returning $36,050 per annum. 
The permitted development of 1,271 sqm includes two and one-bedroom apartments and basement car parking. 
The site is located within the Footscray Activity Centre and close to Footscray Railway Station and Victoria University. 
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