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

Redevelopment

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The redevelopment of western Sydney's The Paper Mill by Coronation Property will see the heritage-listed mill building in Liverpool repurposed as an open plan dining venue.
Joe Nahas, Managing Director of Coronation Property said retailers, overseen by a single operator, can be envisaged as traditional ‘stalls’ which include an artisanal bakery and cafe, a rotisserie, woodfired pizza kitchen, inhouse brewery, private dining and kids play area.
“This space, complete with dessert carts and open fireplaces, will be Liverpool’s destination dining spot – a modern-day bistro that reflects the values of slow living: cultivating community, simplifying our lives and reclaiming time for what matters most,” he said.
“The retail precinct at The Paper Mill will be a vibrant community zone, comprising approximately 1,400 square metres of premium retail space in a contemporary open-plan setting with exposed ceilings and concrete flooring.
“Ultimately, we’d like to emulate the buzzing retail and food culture that areas such as Balmain, Newtown or Surry Hills provide.
The mill building is expected to open by the end of 2017. 
The regeneration of The Paper Mill precinct includes the construction of 882 apartments on the site, across four contemporary buildings – The Paper Mill, The Bindery, The Gild and The Foundry.
Mr Nahas says The Paper Mill will be a significant drawcard for residents of both Liverpool and wider Sydney. 
“The Paper Mill will connect the indoor and outdoor lifestyle that people love, and once it is fully occupied, the precinct will be home to around 3,000 people who will enjoy the amenity on offer, in addition to Liverpool locals and visitors from other parts of Sydney," he said.
“Liverpool already ticks a lot of boxes for infrastructure, and there’s more on the way, with the region set to benefit from $7 billion in infrastructure investment over the coming decade.
“This is why Liverpool is fast shaping up to be one of the most desirable locations for young buyers to live in Sydney.”
The site’s industrial history began in 1864, when The Australian Paper Company purchased 17 acres of the Collingwood estate in Liverpool.
 For more information, <a href="https://liveatthepapermill.com.au" target="_blank">click here</a>.  
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Open plan dining venue slated for Sydney's heritage mill building

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A flue has thrown the future of Fitzroy’s Spanish Club on Johnston Street into doubt, after a recent VCAT decision denied a planning permit for the redevelopment of the existing building.
But papers have already been lodged to Supreme Court to appeal VCAT’s decision.
The site’s developer Tim Gurner had agreed to absorb the Club’s substantial debt and transfer ownership of that debt into his company’s name to ensure that the banks could not pursue the Club for costs whilst the redevelopment was ongoing.
Proposed plans by his GURNER firm would have seen the 787 sqm site transformed into a new Spanish bar and restaurant, with clubhouse facilities at ground level and apartments occupying the 5 – 6 levels above.
After successfully mediating with all objectors except for one, the permit was denied on a technicality due to an adjoining property owner’s automotive paint shop, and this landowner’s refusal to negotiate a new location for an exhaust flue on the shared boundary.
The elected president of The Spanish Club, Margarita Ros, explained that unless the decision is overturned the business will have to sell up and close, as without the support of redevelopment its business model cannot remain viable in its current form.
“Tim Gurner had taken on personal liability for the Club’s existing debt and has been paying our interest for over a year to ensure that we could continue trading and operating in the community until the redevelopment had been completed, however now I don’t see how we can repay the debt and continue to function as a community,” Ros said.
“The Club has played a vital role in helping to integrate and promote multiculturalism in Victoria. Over the years, it has also assisted the broader community through fundraisers for various disaster recover appeals. To think that this might be our last year working with the community is too upsetting to contemplate. It’s just devastating.”
The location of the flue fails to meet Environmental Protection Authority guidelines and is also a non-conforming use within the current mixed use zoning, leading the VCAT Member to rule that the flue was in an unacceptable position for the proposed development. 
Commenting on the matter, Tim Gurner said that it was disappointing to see the permit denied on such a small technicality.
 
“To have a scheme overturned due to a neighbouring land use that is not even allowed in this zone, and from an exhaust flue that is not compliant with EPA guidelines is incredibly disappointing and shortsighted,” he said.
“The Spanish Club has been celebrating the unique culture of Spanish immigrants for the better part of 50 years; it is run by a voluntary committee and all income that is generated is reinvested into the Club.”
Immigrant social clubs all over Australia have been ordered to either adapt or close their doors for good in recent years. The Sydney Spanish Club was forced to shut in 2013, while Melbourne’s Celtic Club has been on the market for many years after failing repeatedly to forge agreements to redevelop the ailing pub.
“What doesn’t make sense is that the VCAT Member even stated he was in support of the project in terms of its overall design outcome and height. Why then fail to provide a permit on a technicality, why not instead issue a permit pending the ability to resolve the issue,” Gurner said.
“We believe the decision was incorrectly made and of a poor judgement. We will be challenging the decision at the Supreme Court to attempt to keep the Spanish Club alive and thriving into the future,” he concluded.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Spanish Club redevelopment off to Supreme Court after GURNER's permit denied by VCAT

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The Star Entertainment Group’s new six-star hotel planned for Sydney has ­selected a winning design.
It is the FJMT design for its Pyrmont site. 
It was the most dramatic tower with a spiral twist, which some have already suggested looks like an askew stack of silver Star casino gaming chips.
The $500 million tower marks the return to the NSW capital of Marriott's premium Ritz-Carlton brand which will rival Crown's planned 71-storey tower across Darling Harbour at Barangaroo. 
FJMT's design was chosen out of a competition that pitted it against local rival BVN and UK-based Grimshaw Architects.
Local sandstone will feature in the base of the building and will fade out out as the tower rises. 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Star Casino selects FJMT spiral as design winner

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GUEST OBSERVER
The Queensland Planning and Environment Court has recently weighed in on the controversial issue of redevelopment in the Brisbane suburb of West End by overruling a Brisbane City Council decision refusing an owner’s application to demolish two pre-1911 houses. 
The owner of the houses at 8 and 10 Amersham Street submitted a development application to obtain approval to demolish the houses, which was initially refused. In the appeal brought by Mr Farrah, the court was called on to decide whether the dwellings were reasonably capable of being made structurally sound. If not reasonably capable, the  planning instrument allowed the houses to be demolished.
While there was much deliberation over valuation evidence led by each of the parties, the court was ultimately persuaded by:
<ul>
<li>the absolute cost to make the houses structurally sound, which he found to be in the order of $96,000 and $136,000 respectively;</li>
<li>the risk that expenditure to make the houses structurally sound would not be recovered if the houses were sold in the open market; and</li>
<li>the fact that even once made ‘structurally sound’ the houses would be far from habitable and would require considerable further expenditure to become so, potentially leading to the dwellings being left to deteriorate again.</li>
</ul>
It could be argued that each of these issues in itself would not be sufficient to demonstrate that the dwelling was not reasonably capable of being made structurally sound. Valuation evidence suggested the ‘as is’ values of the dwellings were $970,000 and $920,000 respectively, which puts the absolute costs in some perspective. However, in circumstances where it was recognised that the costs may not be recovered if the property was sold in a structurally sound but not habitable state, these expenses were seen as unreasonable. The judge seemed to be recognising that the impact of refusal may be that the property is left to deteriorate until such a point that it can be demolished and redeveloped, which was clearly not the intention of the planning instrument.
While this outcome will be encouraging for developers, it is still difficult to formulate any sort of rules as to when preservation will be required, as what is reasonable will depend on the circumstances of the particular case at hand. This decision, however, is unlikely to be met with approval by existing residents concerned with preserving character and exclusivity in the area.
Tony Mylne, is partner, TressCox Lawyers and Joshua Liddle, solicitor. They can be contacted <a href="https://www.tresscox.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>.
 
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Property 101: Guidance for approvals for demolishing Queensland heritage homes

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) official Brian Parker has announced his union is banning work on the art-deco redevelopment of Sydney’s historic Bondi Pavilion. The work is part of a A$38 million “refurbishment” that residents – including actor Jack Thompson and musician Dave Faulkner – are concerned is designed to privatise public space.
But why is the CFMEU sticking its neck out over these issues, which overwhelmingly do not impact its blue-collar base?
To answer this question, it’s important to look at who joined Parker on the platform at a recent rally – veteran unionist, ex-Communist and conservationist Jack Mundey. Mundey is a Sydney folk hero. He popularised the term “green ban” – which the CFMEU has dubbed its recent efforts to save Sydney’s heritage – in the 1970s.
Today, opponents of the West Village development in Brisbane, WestConnex in Sydney and the recently halted East West Link in Melbourne are all asking similar questions to those of the 1970s. Why are multibillion-dollar projects put ahead of green spaces and affordable housing? And why do ordinary people so rarely get a say over the cities they inhabit?
The story of Mundey’s union, the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF), and its successful campaigns to save historic locations like The Rocks and green spaces like Kelly’s Bush shows why this radical heritage speaks to contemporary Australia.
<h2>Civilising the industry</h2>
Mundey came to prominence when the Australian construction industry was booming. Meredith and Verity Burgmann note that new building approvals across the country soared from A$1.7 billion in 1966 to A$2.9 billion in 1971. This meant inner suburbs and CBDs were being remade with new construction.
Boom times for construction also meant boom times for building unions: workers were in demand and in a better position to bargain. The BLF in New South Wales gained in both members and power during this period. This allowed it to rethink the role of unionism.
But the BLF members didn’t just discover a green thumb and decide to be the saviours of inner Sydney. They were among the most exploited of workers: low-skilled, often from migrant backgrounds, and working in an unsafe industry with low rates of pay.
When Mundey and his supporters won control of the union in 1968, they first turned to “civilising” the industry. This included both significant improvements in health and safety and the use of militant tactics to win wage parity with other workers in the industry.
Fixing these basic issues was a requirement for workers to consider more socially conscious demands.
When workers were later interviewed, they revealed Mundey nurtured a rapport through these traditional trade union struggles, which got members onside for the wave of green bans to follow. The unashamedly working-class BLF began to adopt issues beyond “normal” trade union politics.
<h2>Housewives meet unionists</h2>
Among the union’s first “bans” took place after the Battlers for Kelly’s Bush – an all-female committee from well-to-do Hunters Hill – cautiously approached the BLF in June 1971 to save one of Sydney’s last remaining harbourside green spaces.
The women were initially reluctant. Images of macho builders' labourers violently picketing sites and sawing down goalposts at the SCG prior to a controversial Springboks rugby game were fresh in their memories. Similar images are associated with the CFMEU today; their members are regularly labelled thugs, gangsters and criminals.
However, the Hunters Hill committee was impressed by an initial meeting with BLF official Bob Pringle, who proposed a union ban on the site.
Committee members remember the BLF as having political and social “vision”. But Mundey remembers the decision to place the ban as divisive for his newly democratised union:
Some opined that since [builders' labourers] couldn’t afford to live in Hunters Hill … we should not become involved.
It was, however, “quality of life” issues that won the day. Mundey was successfully able to sway his members by posing the issue as one of:
… [a] millionaire developer, hell-bent on building luxury homes and apartments for the fortunate few at the expense of the many who would lose a natural outdoor space of beauty and recreational value.
Workers were increasingly realising that rather than just being passive victims of urban development, they could and should be able to have a voice in the fate of the cities they were building.
The BLF approved the first green ban at the request of a 600-strong community meeting. Such consultation became a hallmark of its politics.
The union undertook similar bans in working-class suburbs like The Rocks, Woolloomooloo and Surry Hills – not only as “the builders’ labourers could identify easily with the people affected”, but because they had pioneered a politics that put preserving urban spaces ahead of developers’ profits.
The BLF’s 1975 deregistration by an alliance of government, bosses and rival unions capped off this period of experimentation.
<h2>The ‘right to the city’?</h2>
Clearly, the example of Mundey, the BLF and the green social consciousness they pioneered speaks to contemporary Australia.
A lack of rental affordability, spiralling house prices and continuing sell-offs of prime public land for development make the slogan of “people before profits” eminently appealing. Yet today’s industrial relations landscape is marked by significant restrictions and penalties for strike action.
The return of limited green bans could complement a broader strategy, perhaps borrowing divestment strategies from the climate change and refugee rights movements. Union super funds provide significant funding to construction projects, and an activist union might choose carefully – in consultation with communities – which ones are deserving of their members’ money.
In so doing, we might start to make a better, more liveable city.
Jon Puccini is UQ research fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jon-piccini-202430" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Bondi Pavilion ‘green ban’: why revive an old union heritage protection tactic?

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Luar Batang, one of Jakarta’s oldest waterfront squatter areas, is being flattened. Residents and their homes will be removed to free up flood-prone land and access to the city for tourists. Thousands of people will be evicted, disrupting if not destroying livelihoods, jobs, homes and long-established social networks.
Like the illegal settlements in Kalijodo district, Luar Batang has received global attention for the heavy-handiness of the state-led intervention. Yet the decision to demolish a community built on a unique combination of circumstance, place and people is unlikely to be reversed.
The Luar Batang story is not exclusive to Jakarta. In many cities in the Asia-Pacific and developing countries, informal or unplanned settlements continue to grow and are seen as a blight on city development.
These “parasites” of the city are on land that the formal planning system deemed unsuitable for development. Yet state and private developers now see them as a relatively easy land gain to reap higher financial returns.
Rather than engage in strategies to upgrade settlements, some policymakers want them “out of sight, out of mind”. The settlements’ structure, people and image do not conform to middle-class and private developer views.
<h2>Informal settlement isn’t the exception</h2>
Globally, informal settlements in urban areas are growing at an unprecedented rate. In 2016, UN-Habitat estimated that around one billion people live in slums (an extreme type of informal settlement). That’s about one-quarter of the world’s urban population.
A United Nations report, The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015, noted that the Asia-Pacific region has gained a reputation as home to the world’s biggest and most populated slums and informal settlements. While the urban middle class has grown and good gains have been made in reducing urban disparities, including poverty, basic human right <a href="https://unhabitat.org/urban-themes/human-rights/">s</a>remain elusive for people in such settlements.
In October 2016, the UN Habitat III Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development takes place in Quito, Ecuador. This global event happens only every 20 years.
Habitat III offers policymakers the chance to adopt a better-managed, more humane approach to the complexities of urbanisation. Regional meetings and other laudable initiatives have been taking place for the last 18 months. Government, civil society and other stakeholders have been working towards a New Urban Agenda to be debated and adopted at Habitat III.
With more than 54% of the world’s population now urban, informal settlements are burgeoning. The challenges are daunting. So where will informal settlements and the people who live in them be placed at Habitat III?
<h2>Seismic shift in attitudes is needed</h2>
The emerging agenda is strongly centred on the Habitat III policy theme of the “Right to the City and Cities for All”. The sociologist Henri Lefebvre proposed the “Right to the City” in 1968. David Harvey developed the concept in the new millennium as a means to reshape urbanisation by enhancing or extending access to human rights.
The Right to the City agenda requires a monumental shift in society attitudes. It requires us to reduce sociospatial injustices, achieve sociospatial inclusion, increase equity, improve multi-level governance and, importantly, respect the sociocultural diversity that increasingly defines cities.
Therein lies a major hurdle. The rights of the people in informal settlements are being taken away or withheld at many levels, such as access to safe water, sanitation and educational opportunities. As well, their non-compliance with the norms and values of prevailing formal planning – such as land tenure and where and how they build houses, construct spaces and undertake social activities – means they have reduced rights to a city.
The Right to the City idea challenges us first and foremost as individuals to decide what basic human rights – such as land, housing, water and sanitation – are “non-negotiable” and “must haves” in city development. Changing how informal settlements and the city are viewed requires a multi-scale and multi-institutional policy underpinned by a major coalition of support.
For teachers in the privileged position of educating university students who will one day be urban planners and designers in a multicultural world, for example, this requires major realignment of planning education. We need to integrate civic responsibility and the broader Right to the City into current approaches.
Initiatives by Australian universities to work with tertiary institutions in developing countries and interested stakeholders are small but important steps. These opportunities to share ideas, work together in the field and experience everyday life in informal settlements let graduates see first-hand what the Right to the City means. This opens eyes to future international development opportunities.
As noted in a recent assessment of the Pulosari kampung (“village”) in Bandung, Indonesia, we need to “step outside our comfort zone on how we view and understand the city”.
The “Right to the City” debate at Habitat III is important for Australia in how it positions itself working with developing countries and with the greater issue of human rights for the next 20 years as mainstreamed into the urban realm.
For example, recognising the role that informal settlements play in providing affordable housing – rather than seeing them as an aesthetic problem – is part of changing society’s blinkered view of an increasingly complex urban world.
With Habitat III looming as a landmark global event, will informal settlements be taken seriously as people seek a reasonable life in the city? What impact will this have on the urban divide?
Paul Jones is associate professor, Urban &amp; Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-jones-2290" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Slums: Will Habitat III defend the human right to the city?

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Construction company Hindmarsh has finished the structural work behind the new Dutton Lane retail development in Western Sydney's Cabramatta. 
The $16 million project is scheduled for practical completion in early 2016. Essential services such as electricity and water twill be switched on over the coming weeks.
The three-storey Dutton Lane development will offer ground floor retail shops, commercial offices and car parking on level 1 and additional car parking on level 2. Approximately 4,300sq m of retail space will feature about 30 tenancies as well as 275 car spaces. 
 
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Dutton Lane redevelopment reaches key milestone

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Australian construction company Built has won a site safety award for its refurbishment of a high-rise office building at 20 Martin Place, which is part of a $1-billion renaissance of Sydney’s central business district.
Built won the Site Safety – Commercial Projects $50,000,001 &amp; Over award for the second year running at a Master Builders Association of NSW Excellence in Construction Awards ceremony. This was Built’s fourth MBA Site Safety award, and the third award recognised in NSW.
The $110-million refurbishment presented a number of challenges like the necessity to retain the building’s structural steel frame. Overcoming this challenge was critical to ensure the developments commercial viability, achieve its environmental objectives and preserve 20 Martin Place’s sizeable 21 storey stature in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.
Built partnered with cloud platform provider Aconex Ltd for the revamp of the building.
The firm wanted to deploy the neutral, cloud-based Aconex collaboration platform at 20 Martin Place because its project team was separated by far-flung geographies and multiple time zones.
Building owner Pembroke Real Estate had several stakeholders in the United States, and the building façade envelope was designed by James Carpenter Design Associates, based in New York. The architects, Crone Partners, were based in Australia.
“It was very important to be able to move information seamlessly between geographies,” said Daniel Graham, Built’s design director.
Built stripped the existing 22-story building down to the underlying steel structure and relocated the core of the building to the north side. This allowed for larger and more flexible office floor plates.
Other changes included the replacement of inefficient building systems and a new, high-performance glass façade that cut operating costs by minimizing the energy needed for lighting, heating and cooling.
With these changes, 20 Martin Place will offer 19,080 square meters of office space and is expected to earn a 5-Star NABERS Energy rating and a 5-Star Green Star As-Built rating.
With help from Aconex, the project team of more than 500 was able to easily access the most up-todate versions of documents and drawings from anywhere. Centralizing correspondence on the platform further improved communications, while limiting rework and cost overruns. By the end of the A$100-million project, more than 230,000 documents were registered on Aconex and nearly 160,000 pieces of correspondence were received.
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Built wins safety award for refurbishing Sydney's 20 Martin Place

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Dexus Property Group has signed on Neil Perry for its $80 million retail development of the landmark Gateway tower at Sydney's Circular Quay.
Gateway's redevelopment, which is being undertaken by Dexus Wholesale Property Fund, will convert the existing three-storey retail podium into multiple dining precincts, doubling the retail space to 4385 square metres. 
Perry's The Burger Project and Chat Thai will be included on the first level.
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Neil Perry for Dexus Gateway Tower

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A development application has been made for Melville's Garden City Shopping Centre to increase the retail outlet from 72,000 square metres to approximately 120,000 square metres.
The expansion and redevelopment of the Perth shopping centre by AMP Capital is worth $750 million and would be completed 2019, subject to approval.
The development application is at City of Melville Council and Garden City until September 2015.
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