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

Melbourne

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A $1 billion twin-tower vertical community is set for development in Melbourne, with Queens Place designed to create a 'Melbourne within Melbourne' according to developer 3L Alliance.
The development, 350 Queens Place on Flagstaff Hill, will even feature laneway shopping at ground level and a host of other services such as restaurants, private cinemas, a library, poker and mah jong room, a private garden terrace, karaoke suite, and even a cigar bar.
The development features offering one, two and three-bedroom apartments in a range of floorplans, living options, finish levels, amenity and view opportunities. The one, two and three-bedroom apartments range from 45 to 168 square metres, with prices starting at $449,000 designed in collaboration by Cox Architecture, Fender Katsalidis Architects and Hecker Guthrie.
3L Alliance General Manager Gavin Boyd said  the design of the building was inspired by Melbourne’s myriad alleys, and much-loved institutions like the historic Block and Royal Arcades, and  is criss-crossed at ground level by a network of intimately scaled laneways.
"The architecture of Queens Place weaves the city’s past, present and future into a striking, tri-form composition that succeeds at every level and from every vantage point," he said.
"Be it for exercise, entertaining or entertainment, a quiet escape, or to partake in your favourite indulgence, the level of communal amenities is above and beyond that of any residential development in Melbourne’s history.
"Reaching new heights on floors 69 to 78, the expansive and sublimely appointed ‘Queens Residences’ will reward owners with the ultimate in urban sophistication across a selection of penthouses and sub penthouses. "
The display suite is currently located at 332 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, and is open from 11am to 4pm daily and contactable via 1300 793 798.
For more information <a href="https://queensplacemelbourne.com.au/en/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Queens Place, Melbourne tower one secures 80 percent sellout

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Melbourne-based Piccolo Developments has purchased a quarter acre site in Fitzroy from not-for-profit Australian Volunteers International for $7.8 million.
The 71-75 Argyle Street property comprises an office building and car parking on a 1,059 square metre corner site.
It sold well above the expectations of $6 million plus at a rate of $7,635 per square metre, according to selling agents Nick Peden, Clinton Baxter and James Lockwood of Savills Australia.
Peden said they received more than 130 enquiries from local and off-shore developers and investors. 
"We had a huge amount of interest, given the location as arguably one of the best precincts for multi-unit development in Melbourne, and that interest was reflected in what was one of the best land rates of any recent comparable sale,’’ Peden said.
He said Fitzroy, and particularly the Brunswick Street precinct, was one of the popular dining, entertainment and fashion precincts in inner Melbourne.   
The property is close to the CBD and has good access to public transport. It has frontage to Argyle and Fitzroy streets.
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prateek24-ezbwHMbNAk

Melbourne developer Piccolo buys Fitzroy site for $7.8 million

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Hair salon Viva Studio has agreed terms on a new lease in Melbourne’s CBD in a deal brokered by Savills Australia and CBRE.
The property, located within Bourke House at 147-149 Russell Street, is spread over 142 square metres.
The rental is more than $2000 a square metre per annum net and the tenancy is for a five-year term with a further five-year option.
The deal was brokered by Savills Australia’s Damien Abela and CBRE’s Zelman Ainsworth.
“The location, virtually on the Bourke Street intersection, is one of the busiest precincts in this part of town, and an ideal location for a business looking to expand its reach within the CBD,’’ the agents said.   
 
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Hair salon leases space in Melbourne's busy Bourke Street

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Despite expectations of steady income and jobs growth in Melbourne, house values are forecast to decline more than 6 percent from the end of 2016 through to early 2020.
However, the declines are likely to be confined mostly to apartments in comparison with detached dwellings, according to CoreLogic-Moody’s Analytics Australia Home Value Index Forecast.
House values in Melbourne reached a new high in April, but the outlook was described as "less positive."
The current momentum will enable values to gain 7.1 percent this year, but the effects of high levels of incoming supply—200,000 dwellings approved for construction from 2013 to 2015—will depress house values through to 2020. 
CoreLogic-Moody’s Analytics Australia Home Value Index Forecast, suggested house values nationwide are expected to rise 6 percent this year and 4.1% in 2017.
Much of this rise will be driven by continued gains in Sydney, where values are forecast to rise 7.3 percent this year, or about half the 14.9 percent rise in 2015.
Melbourne’s market is nearing a peak and could be entering a slump because of high incoming supply.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Melbourne apartments to bear brunt of price downturn: CoreLogic Moody's

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Melbourne’s property market is nearing a peak and could be entering a slump because of high incoming supply according to the latest CoreLogic-Moody’s Analytics Australia Home Value Index Forecast, 2016Q2.
The forecast said momentum in Australia’s housing market has been sustained, with the CoreLogic Home Value Index rising 1.7 percent in May however predicted a 6 percent decline inMelbourne house values from the end of 2016 through to early 2020.
"Despite expectations of steady income and jobs growth in Melbourne, house values are forecast to decline more than 6% from the end of 2016 through to early 2020. How- ever, the declines are likely to be con ned mostly to apartments in comparison with detached dwellings," the report said.
"House values in Melbourne also reached a new high in April, but the outlook here is less positive. The current momentum will enable values to gain 7.1 percent this year, but the effects of high levels of incoming supply—200,000 dwellings approved for construction from 2013 to 2015—will depress house values through to 2020. 
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"Price growth in Melbourne and Sydney, after a period of deceleration, picked up again in April and May, and signs of a recovery are evident in Brisbane and Perth. However, the markets in Adelaide and Darwin are sluggish and are expected to underperform. 
"House values nationwide are expected to rise 6 percent this year and 4.1 percent in 2017. Much of this rise will be driven by continued gains in Sydney, where values are forecast to rise 7.3 percent this year, or about half the 14.9 percent rise in 2015."
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High supply pipeline could drive Melbourne property market slump: CoreLogic-Moody’s Analytics

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GUEST OBSERVERS
The selection of Melbourne to participate in the international 100 Resilient Cities program sponsored by the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation generated a mix of hopes, expectations and concerns.
In a report released today, researchers assessing the program found a surprising degree of co-operation among the city’s many local councils. The result is the Resilient Melbourne Strategy, adopted this month, which marks a shift towards “whole-of-city” thinking.
In 2013, at the time of Melbourne’s selection, its fragmented governance was a concern. How could a framework for urban resilience emanating from the US be adapted to very different city governance structures operating in Melbourne? What could a single chief resilience officer (CRO) hope to accomplish in just two years across a metropolitan region with more than 30 local government authorities?
The Melbourne project began in earnest with the appointment of the CRO, housed at the City of Melbourne, in November 2014. A year later an RMIT University research team interviewed a wide range of people who were either closely involved with or clearly interested in the project implementation. Interviewees include those serving on the project steering committee, some who had attended a project briefing and some who had only been told about it.
<h2>Overcoming fragmented governance</h2>
It is fair to say the researchers were sceptical about what could be achieved in just two years to foster a city-wide approach to urban resilience. In Australia’s rather cumbersome, three-tiered structure of government it is hard to focus on metropolitan regions that fall somewhere between the responsibilities of state and local governments. Thinking about cities as a whole has only just entered the strategic thinking of our national governments.
Yet the researchers were pleased to find the project had generated unprecedented levels of co-operation involving 29 local government authorities in metropolitan Melbourne. The implementation process had met with widespread approval.
Each of the 100 cities now participating in the Resilient Cities Challenge is provided with a “City Resilience Framework”. This guides development of a specific strategy for the city.
<h2>Adapting to local conditions</h2>
The framework draws heavily on US experiences – especially that of New Orleans since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Melbourne steering committee realised it would have to adapt the framework considerably to work in a city with 32 local councils.
In Toby Kent, the project initiators selected a CRO who had evident skills in motivation and negotiation. The researchers were told that the patient work involved in building collaboration across so many local government areas made the project stronger than it would have been otherwise.
The concept of urban resilience promoted by the Rockefeller Foundation urges cities to consider a wide range of potential “shocks” and accumulating “stresses”. The research found this approach promoted boundary-crossing dialogues. These exchanges involved people concerned with infrastructure planning, economic development, social care, community development and environmental protection.
Some of the interviewees expressed misgivings about the growing popularity of the concept of resilience in policy discourses. Despite this, the research findings suggest it does have a capacity to get people thinking beyond the normal boundaries of policy and practice.
<h2>Towards a more holistic view</h2>
In Australia, the concept of resilience has largely been associated with emergency management. However, the semi-structured research interviews tended to focus more on accumulating social, economic and physical stresses. These make the city as a whole more vulnerable, but are often neglected.
It was noted, for example, that urban planning can leave many people feeling socially isolated. One council has now applied “a lens of preventing family violence” into all areas of its work, ranging from infrastructure planning and economic development through to health promotion and community development.
The Resilient Melbourne project released a preliminary resilience assessment in June 2015. This was developed into the newly launched Resilient Melbourne Strategy.
Much of this strategy aims to “scale up” existing projects or initiatives. The aim is to demonstrate that these can be more effective on a metropolitan rather than localised scale.
Follow-up research will be needed to find out which elements of the strategy become embedded in the policies and practices of Melbourne’s local government authorities and the multitude or public and private sector organisations trying to ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed long before they become full-blown crises.
Importantly, the research found that the project was able to generate some innovative policy and practice dialogues and demonstrate the benefits of whole-of-city thinking.
Martin Mulligan is senior researcher, Globalism Research Centre, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/martin-mulligan-108697" target="_blank">here</a>.
Blythe McLennan is research fellow - Emergency Management, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/blythe-mclennan-8288" target="_blank">here</a>.
Tarnya Kruger is research assistant, Landscape and Environmental Sociology, University of Melbourne and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tarnya-kruger-271311" target="_blank">here</a>.
All are authors for The Conversation.
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Has the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge benefited Melbourne?

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GUEST OBSERVER
With Melbourne driving 46 percent of Australia’s apartment development, it’s a good time to be a developer in the world’s most liveable city.
And in theory, it’s also a good time to be a purchaser as apartments flood the market, increasing stock and therefore theoretically driving down pricing. It’s the age old story of supply versus demand.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, by 2020 Melbourne’s population will rise to five million, making it the largest city in Australia and sparking even more demand for more housing and apartments.
As a relative newcomer to the Melbourne property development scene, I’ve been striving to create innovative and affordable developments that provide people with access to purchasing property. Many of my friends work typical jobs, and I’d like to think they should be able to afford to live in said developments.
From my reading of the current situation and listening to debates play out in state and federal politics, it seems that access is currently at the core of the public debate and, more specifically, affordability to access.
I take the concept of affordability very seriously and in my position I’m fortunate to have control over providing reasonably priced property in the current market.
What is concerning from where I stand is the ability to deliver this. Hear me out because this is a very different point of view – one which isn’t discussed often in the public domain.
That is: the emergence of a new sub-market within the property market that is focused on acquiring land, receiving permit approval and selling without intention of going into construction.
While there are of course examples where the economy changes and you may not be able to build as planned, I think more and more permits are being sold and people are taking advantage of the demand for permit approval and selling at inflated prices.
This is where I find myself in a quandary. Of course, I agree with a free market and I applaud those who find new opportunities to create value out of the property market – this is innovative and entrepreneurial. 
However, as a developer who is trying to develop projects that are in the reach of everyday working people, I see how this practise limits what developers are able to do in terms of minimising the cost base of development.
If a vendor is selling at an inflated price, it creates a tricky situation for the buyers. The developer who purchases the site with the intention to build is forced to sell apartments at a higher price to meet their targets, which ultimately comes out of the purchaser’s pocket.
On the other side of the coin, selling at this inflated cost means local developers cannot afford to invest and that many of these sites can only be purchased by foreign developers. Therefore, the majority of the stock will be sold offshore to purchasers who can afford to buy at these inflated prices.
To put it very simply, let’s use the below example to articulate.
An original land owner has obtained a permit to build apartments on a site. Assuming the original holding cost is $10 million, the apartments could be sold to purchasers for around $8,000 per square metre.
The original land owner sees there is risk in developing and decides to sell the site to generate windfall profits with no associated risk. The site is then sold to another developer for $40 million. The new land owner will now have to on-sell apartments to end purchasers for perhaps around $10,500 per square metre in order for the development to provide a return.
As you can see, this trend is creating a vicious cycle. This begins with the permit approvals and leaves developers like us with no choice but to consider whether to follow the crowd, despite understanding the implications on affordability and local investment for the world’s most liveable city. 
With decent apartments in the city now all but out of reach of first homebuyers, it is now up to developers, agents, consumers and the government to intervene and look at limited restrictions that at least deters this flipping sub-market or to encourage developers to actually…develop.
Many people will fiercely disagree with my opinion on this sensitive topic, but this is out there now.
We should conduct ourselves for the future, not as a singularity.  
Mohan Du is founder and managing director at Capital Alliance Investment Group and can be contacted <a href="https://capitalalliance.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Melbourne driving 46 percent of Australia’s apartment development: Mohan Du

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<div class="innertext" data-placeholder="">Domain has released a list of Melbourne suburbs where there was a 100% success rate at auction last month.</div>
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<div class="innertext" data-placeholder="">Suburbs with 100 % clearance rates (houses)</div>
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<th class="igc-table-header tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" scope="col" data-column="0">
<div class="tablesorter-header-inner">Suburb</div>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-dynamic-column tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" scope="col" data-column="1">
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-dynamic-column tablesorter-header tablesorter-headerUnSorted" scope="col" data-column="2">
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Caulfield South</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner South</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">23</td>
</tr>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Yarraville</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">18</td>
</tr>
<tr class="igc-table-row">
<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Blackburn South</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Outer East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">10</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Moonee Ponds</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">10</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Windsor</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner Urban</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">10</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Coburg North</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">North</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">9</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Fitzroy North</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner Urban</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">9</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Elsternwick</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner South</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">8</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Carlton North</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner Urban</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">7</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Heathmont</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Outer East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">7</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Keilor</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">7</td>
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<div class="innertext" data-placeholder="">Suburbs with 100 % clearance rates (units) in May</div>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Brighton</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner South</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">14</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Mentone</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Inner South</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">7</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Keilor East</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">5</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Forest Hill</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Outer East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">4</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">MacLeod</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">North East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">4</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Williamstown</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">4</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Blackburn</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Outer East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">3</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Chadstone</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">Outer East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">3</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Flemington</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">West</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">3</td>
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<th class="igc-table-header igc-table-header-left">Ivanhoe</th>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">North East</td>
<td class="igc-table-cell igc-table-dynamic-column">3</td>
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Melbourne's best auction suburbs in May 2016: Domain

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Australian developer Flagship Property Holdings has been appointed by Plenary Group to develop a 331-room, 20 storey four-star hotel as part of the $300 million expansion of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and South Wharf Precinct.
The hotel is due to be completed in the first half of 2018. Probuild, architects Woods Bagot and NH Architecture will also work on the project.
Flagship Property Holdings chief executive officer Steve Wise said Flagship and Plenary previously partnered on the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf hotel, developed as part of the Melbourne Convention Centre and South Wharf DFO Retail Precinct.
“The MCEC is one of Australasia’s leading conference centres, so we’re excited to be given the opportunity to develop the new hotel in conjunction with our project partners as part of the Centre’s broader expansion," he said.
“We’re now looking forward to progressing plans and commencing on-site works for the new hotel, which is going to play a key role in helping MCEC attract even larger and more diverse events to the city.”
For more information click <a href="https://www.flagshipgroup.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>. 
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Flagship to develop new hotel as part of $300m MCEC expansion

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A trophy home in Malvern, modelled on Melbourne's iconic Chanel Building is set for weekend auction with $3 million plus hopes.
The elegant four-bedroom home is a venture between Don Ravida, founder of construction company Ravida Homes and the company's business development manager David Scott.
They bought the property for $1.35 million in 2014.
The façade has been paint-matched to the exact colour of the Chanel building on Flinders Lane.
With custom designed with interiors from Samantha Eades of Eades &amp; Bergman, the luxury aspects include double Herringbone oak floors and solid marble bench tops.
Set on 502 sqm, the home office overlooks the landscaped gardens, a built in barbecue bench and a swimming pool.
The property on the quiet tree-lined street at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-malvern-122630006" target="_blank">3 Plant Street</a> goes to auction June 4 through Jellis Craig agents Iain Carmichael.
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