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

Joel Robinson

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Home Loans

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ING DIRECT will increase interest rates by 0.18% p.a. across its variable owner occupier and investor residential loan portfolio, effective 15 January 2016. 
As at 15 January 2016, the variable interest rate on the Orange Advantage offset home loan for residential owner occupier borrowers will be 5.02% p.a. (5.21% p.a. comparison rate).
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ING DIRECT to increase variable home loan rates

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Misinformation is the scourge of real estate consumers.
And too much of it comes from people who present themselves in public as experts providing “analysis” when in reality they’re mis-diagnosing situations and adding to the media pipeline of misinformation.
It’s extraordinary how often economists, mortgage brokers, researchers, valuers, Reserve Bank officials and others do that.
This connects to my comments earlier in the week about the way many commentators arrive at their conclusions: if Event A coincides with Event B, then Event A must have caused Event B.
That’s about as sophisticated as real estate analysis gets for most cases. 
Therefore, if low interest rates coincided with Sydney’s boom, then low interest rates are obviously the cause of the Sydney boom. This is accepted as fact by almost everyone out there among the chattering classes with almost-knowledge of real estate.
Question: why have low interest rates not caused equivalent booms in Perth, Canberra, Darwin, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and most of regional Australia?
Many markets have been going backwards, un-stimulated by the level of interest rates.
Here are some other things Sydney’s property boom coincided with: the change in state government in 2011, the subsequent massive rise in infrastructure spending and the surge in the NSW economy to No.1 in the nation. Perhaps those events had something to do with it.
Here’s another thought. The other city market that’s shown some buoyancy in recent years is Melbourne, though not as much as Sydney. Is it not relevant that Victoria’s economy has been the No.2 in the nation, not as strong as NSW but above the national average? Melbourne also has a fairly big infrastructure spend happening, though not as big as Sydney’s.
The relative performances of the property markets in those cities have mirrored the health of their respective state economies and their outlay on new infrastructure, which generates economic activity, jobs and housing demand.
The issue of the week has been housing finance data and how it has been interpreted by commentators with almost-knowledge of property.
Regulatory authorities have introduced “macro prudential measures” to slow down property investor activity. The latest ABS data on housing finance shows a decline in lending to investors.
There’s only one conclusion a reasonable observer could draw from that, right? Clearly the regulatory measures are working. I mean, duh!
Well, that’s what you would say if you’re a business with a lust for limelight and your vision extends no further than the length of your upturned nose.
And multiple commentators rushed out press releases saying just that, including the ever-hungry RateCity which claimed: “Today's sharp drop in investor housing commitments shows that differential pricing is having a dramatic effect on the housing market.”
There were many others expressing similar views. APRA makes announcement, lenders lift interest rates for investors, investors stop taking out loans – simple, obvious and clear-cut.
Except it’s not.
Investors haven’t stopped staking out loans. They’ve switched the status of their borrowing from investor to home-buyer, thereby accessing cheaper rates and easier terms.
The apparent fall in investor borrowing reflects a trend towards reclassifying loans as owner-occupier. Most commentators have missed that. 
“The (APRA) moves are having a dual impact: weakening investor loans but indirectly boosting owner-occupier loans as these become more appealing for both lenders and borrowers that have the option of purchasing as an owner-occupier,” Westpac economist Matthew Hassan says.
And National Australia Bank economist Tapas Strickland says that while there appears to be a decline in investor lending, “caution is warranted”.
A dose of caution generally, before commentators rush to shallow analysis in the pursuit of profile, would be welcome.
 
Terry Ryder is the founder of <a href="https://www.hotspotting.com.au/" target="_blank">hotspotting.com.au</a>. You can <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email him</a> or follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
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Investors switching borrowing status: Terry Ryder

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Fifteen lenders have announced rate increases to owner-occupied variable home loans according to comparison website finder.com.au, with the biggest increase being 0.20% by Westpac, Macquarie Bank, Citibank and ME Bank.
The Bank of Queensland and CUA are the latest to announce home loan increases, according to finder.com.au consumer advocate Bessie Hassan.
<a href="/images/2015/11/5/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-05%20at%2010.16.22%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
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She said 15 lenders monitored by finder.com.au have so far announced variable rate owner-occupier home loan increases of up to 0.20 percentage points, with one lender’s move already reportedly effective (Citibank).
“So far, the biggest increase was 0.20 percentage points by four lenders: Westpac, Macquarie Bank, Citibank and ME Bank, while the average rise was 0.17 percentage points. This will add an extra $33 per month to a $300,000 mortgage, as well as putting more pressure on many households who are preparing for the most expensive time of year at Christmas.," she said.
“Bank of Queensland and CUA were the latest lenders to announce variable rate increases to its owner-occupied home loans yesterday (November 4, 2015), with their standard variable home loan rates set to rise by 0.18 and 0.13 percentage points respectively. CUA also announced a 0.14 percentage point drop to one of its home loan products while raising eight others.
“It’s clear that the Reserve Bank is having less of an impact on interest rate movements so there’s no point for borrowers to wait for a cash rate cut and expect lenders to follow. However, the silver lining is that there are hundreds of home loans out there and many smaller lenders are offering very competitive deals. For instance, the cheapest variable rate home loan is 3.79% by Mortgage House (12-month discounted rate). Now is the time to compare home loans, ask your lender for a discount or switch to a better deal before the rate hikes take effect.”
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Fifteen lenders announce owner-occupied variable rate increases

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Heritage Bank has today cut its discount variable home loan rate to 3.98%.
The special discount variable rate is available for owner-occupier loans of more than $150,000, with a maximum LVR of 90%.
Heritage has also cut the rates on its Home Advantage Variable package product, which bundles together a home loan, credit card and transaction account.
The Home Advantage Variable rate for a loan of $700,000 or more is 3.98%; for a loan from $250,000 to $700,000 it is 4.03% and for a loan of $150,000 to $250,000 it is 4.13%.
The new rates are effective from Thursday, 5 November.  
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Heritage Bank cuts discount variable home loan rate to 3.98%

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The past few weeks have been hectic for real estate with headlines about a possible shift in market sentiment as the major banks all increased their home loan rates and we also saw a drop in auction clearance rates below 65%. 
And so somewhat lost among all of these headlines is the news about the passage into law of the long-awaited review of Strata Title Legislation in NSW.
The Strata Scheme Management Bill and Strata Scheme Development Bill have both passed the Legislative Council. The two bills contain more than 90 changes to how strata agreements are governed.
Long after the other headlines start to fade these changes are going to impact the market for many decades.
I think that the correctly described as a ‘once-in-a-generation reform’ to the state’s strata title laws after much debate will come into force from July 2016. The Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation (interesting title) Victor Dominello who has been responsible for the bills, said that the laws are an important step forward for the state.
He noted that more than two million people live and work in strata and that the new laws will cater for the needs of 21st century strata living.
“The new laws will modernise collective decision making processes, increase protections against unresolved building defects and improve out-dated regulation impacting on renovations,” he said.
The key changes have received a deal of publicity and have also attracted a lot of emotional comment but I think the case and need to renew many older buildings has been fairly established.
Across Sydney there are pockets of development from the 1960’s and 1970’s that fall a long way behind modern standards and amenity. If we fail to make it possible to redevelop these buildings then this paralysis can have a detrimental impact on urban standards and possibly create disadvantaged areas, where values fall and we see a cycle of neglected investment. In a dynamic city this sort of urban renewal is vital to the city’s livability.
Now of the nearly 100 changes in the updated legislation, most notable is the requirement that only 75% of owners will need to agree for an apartment building to be sold.
One of the other key points addressed is a move making it easier for owners to complete cosmetic and minor renovations to their apartments, again this is important to keep apartments modern and with the services and facilities that owners require without being consumed by over regulation and far too much red-tape.
The changes will also prevent proxy farming, and while the extent of proxy farming is hard to measure, it can often be used to set up long-term appointments and policies in a building that do not always work for the owners. This change should be a welcome move.
Then we see another key change, which has also attracted a great deal of industry comment, which will see the introduction of a defects bond to fix building defects early in new developments. In the past we have seen some poor quality buildings leaving the owners corporation with a major headache and on some counts big repair bills that sometimes came on top of big legal bills because of a disagreement with a developer or their insurance company.
The new bill has a requirement of developers to lodge a bond of 2% of the contracted price of the building as a form of security to fix any defective work.
Here again the changes should be welcome and should not be seen as a threat among well-regarded developers. The suggestion that the introduction of these bonds might further inflate prices is a bit of a bluff as experienced developers have to their credit always understood the importance of delivering quality buildings, and most already do so.
The new provisions have also taken on some house-keeping issues to tackle that can have an annoying or even detrimental impact on people’s daily lives. These include the addressing of the perennial issues of (illegal) parking, pets and smoke drift.
According to The Minister the over-riding objective has been to modernise our strata laws to better reflect the way people live and work in 2015 and beyond, and as everyone is aware the numbers of people living in strata developments is now massive and growing.
In some parts of Sydney in areas like Rhodes, Chatswood, the CBD, Zetland and Pyrmont, plus many other spots, the concentrate of apartments and the density of population really dictates that the rules need to be keeping up with the pace of modern development, and to date they have not.
It is more than 20 years since the last major amendments to strata law were made and over those two decades we have seen how and where many people live change dramatically. Today’s strata landscape is also much more varied than a three-level walk up building and now includes city high rises, sometimes very large scale buildings, townhouses, dual occupancies, offices, retirement villages, mixed use and tourism.
According to published figures there are currently over two million people, including 25% of Greater Sydney’s population, living or working in more than 75,000 strata schemes across NSW.
But what is a very interesting figure is the prediction that by 2040, half of all Sydneysiders will be living or working in strata and that single static alone underlines the urgency and importance of the current review. The new Strata Scheme Management Bill and Strata Scheme Development Bill follows a comprehensive community consultation, with over 3,000 individual submissions received.
With the bill soon to become law it’s a good idea to take a keen interest as the development industry and buyers are all going to be impacted for many years to come but I think the laws do go a long way to creating a better outcome for strata buyers and developers and their passage ends a long drawn out process.
 
Peter Chittenden is managing director for residential of Colliers International. He can be contacted <a href="https://www.projectagenda.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>.
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New strata rules set to have big impact: Peter Chittenden

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Suncorp Bank has announced it is increasing its variable interest rates for owner-occupier and investor loans.
The non-major bank announced its rates will increase by 16 basis points for new and existing loans from November 20.
Suncorp’s Standard Variable Owner Occupier rate will increase to 5.70%.
Its Investment Standard Variable Rate will increase to 5.97%.
It was partly attributed to an increase in the bank’s wholesale funding costs.
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Suncorp raises home loan rates

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Sydney real estate needs foreign investors but Australian regulators may be giving them an unintended advantage over local investors and home buyers.
Especially now that one of China's biggest financial institutions has started offering zero-deposit home loans for off-the-plan apartments in Australia.
The banking division of PingAn Insurance unveiled its offering to Chinese investors in Shanghai last week, charging around its credit card rate of 14 per cent, Fairfax Media reported.
"Join hands with PingAn and realise your overseas property dream," the marketing advised.
"Become an Australian property owner with zero down payment," the marketing added.  
Hardly the borrowing practices that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Reserve Bank of Australia want.
With increasing impact since last December, our regulators have sought to cool the property market here in Sydney, and elsewhere on the east coast, with tighten lending practices on local banks for Australian property investors. 
APRA requirement for local banks to contain growth in investment lending to 10 per cent a year has triggered an emerging constraint within property markets. Some banks have doubled the deposit to 20 per cent for those investing in off the plan property. Other banks have stopped lending at all. 
Australian regulators are powerless to prevent the lending practices of offshore banks. And PingAn is no small outfit - ranked 96 in U.S. Fortune Magazine’s Global 500 Leading Companies ranking and 1st among China’s non-State owned enterprises. 
But these zero deposit loan offerings confirm the concerns highlighted in the recent past by leading mortgage broking chief John Symond. 
For many months John Symond has worried that the APRA investor home loan lending crackdown would have unintended consequences given the huge increase in non-Australian residents buying property.
"You might find these foreign investors have even a bigger go because regular Australians are going to find it tougher to get through the hoops to be able to borrow money to buy an investment property," John Symond, the founder and chairman of Aussie Home Loans suggested.
"Without picking on the Chinese, they have had a huge spike on new housing something like $12 billion in last 12 months - now this doesn't come under APRA as a lot bring money from China. 
"They are certainly help driving the pricing up and driving the shortage of properties available for first home buyers and people looking to buy their home in Australia."
John Symond then fronted the Federal parliamentary inquiry into home ownership where he noted it was "very easy to play at the edges and talk about APRA tightening up lending restrictions for investors, but what about the 20 to 25 per cent, in some areas 30 per cent, of foreign buyers who predominantly don’t borrow here?"
Mr Symond noted Chinese investors are unable to buy freehold property at home so are attracted by the Australian market with new measures such as a foreign investors fee of $1000 per million dollars invested not expected to dissuade the Chinese purchasing influx.
There was a previous policy that property developers were restricted to selling 50% of any new off the plan development to foreign investors. But during the global financial crisis the Rudd changed the ratio to 100% where it is still today. 
Perhaps it is time for Treasurer Scott Morrison to review the playing field.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Time for Treasurer Scott Morrison to review FIRB 100% off the plan allowance

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Industry super fund-owned bank ME will increase interest rates by 0.20% across its variable home loan portfolio, with changes coming into play 20 November 2015.
ME will also increase its Online Savings Account variable interest rate by 0.45% to 3.55% p.a. from 28 October, which includes a 1.55% p.a. variable bonus rate to eligible customers.
ME chief executive officer Jamie McPhee, said the Bank had moved rates to provide a balance between offering competitive home loan rates to customers on the one hand, and delivering acceptable rates of return for its industry super fund shareholders and their members on the other.
“Up until the Financial System Inquiry recently addressed the unfair capital advantages of the larger banks, smaller banks like ME have been achieving below-market shareholder returns in order to remain competitive with the majors," he said.
“The rate increase we have announced today puts us on a path where we can continue to grow the Bank while offering some of the best home loan rates available for working Australians."
According to the bank revenue and cost pressures increased over the last 12 months due to regulatory changes around liquidity, greater economic uncertainty, and stronger competition in the owner occupied market.
 
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ME to increase interest rates by 0.20% across variable home loan portfolio

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Macquarie has joined the big four and St George Bank in increasing their variable rates for owner-occupiers and investors.
With a 20 basis points rise, Macquarie’s standard variable rate will be 5.70% for home owners, and 5.97% for investors.
St George opted for a 15bp rise, which will bring their owner-occupied variable rate to 5.69% and investment rate to 5.94%.
Their rate increases come into effect November 20.
Macquarie operates on the same APRA controlled internal risk-weighting model as Australia’s four major banks.
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Macquarie to raise rates by 20 bps

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GUEST OBSERVER
Last week, Westpac hoisted its lending rate by 20 basis points in a bid to recover the costs of recent capital raisings. There is speculation other banks will follow. Australia’s non-bank lenders could be winners from such a scenario - but the choice may not be as simple as the lowest interest rate.
The outcome of the Financial Systems Inquiry
The background to Westpac’s move lies in recommendations by the Financial System Inquiry that the capital base of Australian banks should be increased to an “unquestionably strong” level and that there should be a narrower gap in different mortgage lending requirements between institutions.
As a result Australian banks have considerably increased capital levels this year by approximately $16 billion.
However, higher capital levels and bank stability may come at additional costs, even if trade-off theory suggests greater bank and system resilience would normally equal lower funding costs. That’s because bank investors have high dividend expectations, so this means the costs of boosting capital may be passed onto borrowers.
Capital levels are likely to increase further as regulators seek to narrow the gap between the practices of the big banks and smaller lenders, and amid their increasing concern at Australia’s house prices. In particular, large banks are expected to increase capital required under their internal risk weighting models for mortgages.
Will non-bank lenders grow their mortgage books?
Non-bank lenders provide mortgage loans with comparable features but unlike banks are exclusively funded from wholesale markets and not from consumer deposits.
As a result, banks face minimum capital requirements enforced by the Australian Prudential and Regulation Authority to protect depositors, while non-bank lenders are unregulated and may more freely choose their funding mix and hence have lower funding costs.
This often implies lower capital ratios for non-banks than banks. Raising capital levels for banks only may have an impact on the balance between bank and non-bank competitors.
The following chart shows the counts and total assets of banks and non-bank lenders in Australia over time:
<a href="/images/2015/10/19/image-20151018-25135-1sqzbqr.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2015/10/19/image-20151018-25135-1sqzbqr.jpg" alt="">
 
The size of non-bank lenders ($120 billion) is much smaller than the size for bank lenders ($3.8 trillion) and has shrunk in relative terms over the past years. This may suggest that Australians fail to really consider this sector to finance their homes despite competitive mortgage rates from non-bank lenders.
There are many reasons for this – convenience may be one of them as banks are able to offer a larger product range and cover most financial needs of consumers, and consumers prefer to bank with a single institution.
The small size is a great disadvantage as relative fixed costs are higher for small firms than for the major banks.
Should you choose a bank or non-bank to finance your home?
Consumers seeking mortgage finance for a property – either a new borrowing or refinancing of an existing loan – can choose between a large number of banks and non-bank lenders, along with hundreds of loan products.
Comparison websites generally rank lenders and products according to the most obvious criterion – the interest rate. Non-bank lender often provide the cheapest terms. But the lowest rate loan is not necessarily the best loan.
The choice between bank and non-bank lender can be important if you want to use an offset facility. Offset facilities are not always included and they can expose borrowers to lender risk.
Having savings in an offset facility means that in effect the lender owes you money. Banks are much less risky in this regard because they benefit from government guarantees as well as greater scrutiny that are tied to the bank status.
Non-bank lenders are excluded from such guarantees and furthermore may have a greater exposure to market instability.
During the global financial crisis non-bank lenders (especially overseas firms) that were funded through capital markets, rather than customer deposits, were challenged as wholesale funding markets dried up. Some failed and total volumes shrank between 2009 and 2013 (see chart above).
Still, it is likely that more Australians change to non-bank lenders in the future. Changing a lender is easy as mortgage brokers often provide the legwork, plus exit fees have been considerably reduced since new laws came into effect on 1 July 2010 limiting mortgage exit fees to the lender’s losses directly connected to the borrower exiting the loan early.
Are non-bank lenders dangerous to our system?
Low volumes mean non-bank lenders are currently of no systemic concern to the economy and regulators. However this may change in the future as volumes shift and grow for non-bank lenders.
New market participants enter as new non-bank loan platforms are developed. One example is internet-based peer-to-peer lending.
Australians may adapt to this new regime and take on new technologies offered and seek the lenders providing the cheapest funding. Consumers generally do not care about the lenders’ own funding and may arbitrage the differences in mortgage rates by shifting the business from regulated banks to unregulated non-banks.
A concern may arise if non-bank lending is successful and to become a large player that is systemically important. In such a scenario the government would be well advised to consider regulating the industry.
Such regulations may include minimum lending and funding standards with the mission to protect de facto consumer deposits via offset accounts and to ensure the credit supply in economic downturns when wholesale funding markets are constrained.
We may be some time away from such a scenario in light of the increasing dominance of bank lenders.
 
Harry Scheule is associate professor, Finance, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney and author for <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/harry-scheule-3573" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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