Adding to Chatswood’s growing skyline, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-anderson-chatswood-54-56-anderson-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">The Anderson</a> is grounded in a simple principle: apartment living in a major centre does not have to come at the expense of space and outlook.

Set on Anderson Street in the heart of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/chatswood-nsw-2067">Chatswood</a>, the new residential tower, a collaboration between developers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/changfa-group">Changfa Group</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/huirong-group">Huirong Group</a> with architecture and interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ajc-architects">AJC Architects</a>, will introduce 122 apartments that prioritise generous proportions, considered orientation, and a strong connection to the surrounding heritage precinct.

The design originated from a Design Excellence Competition, where AJC proposed a building that combines suburban-style apartment scale with the density expected in a transport-rich centre. The development will include more than 1,800 square metres of retail and commercial space at street level, landscaped communal roof terraces, and a ground-floor pocket park framed by canopy trees. Together these elements aim to create a building that integrates with Chatswood’s evolving streetscape while maintaining a strong residential focus.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151353 project_image_fid=353250]

A key driver behind the architecture was the desire to deliver family-sized apartments rarely seen in the Chatswood market. The Anderson includes a mix of one to four-bedroom apartments, with around 35 per cent of the residences configured as three or four-bedroom homes. At the top of the building, two double-storey penthouses span approximately 200 square metres each, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on scale and long-term liveability for both downsizers and intergenerational households.

Orientation and outlook were central to the planning of the building. The apartments are positioned to maximise views to the north and east across Chatswood’s heritage precinct, with upper levels capturing glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. South-facing apartments gain distant views toward the Sydney CBD and Harbour Bridge, while the building’s configuration intentionally reduces western exposure at lower levels to minimise overlooking toward the nearby railway corridor.

The external design references the character of the surrounding conservation area without replicating it directly. A brick podium anchors the building to the street and introduces a series of architectural portals that draw inspiration from the nearby Chatswood Presbyterian Church. Above this base, the tower shifts to a lighter, more open expression defined by horizontal lines and carefully detailed balconies that balance privacy with outward views.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151353 project_image_fid=353254]

Toward the top of the tower, AJC introduces a distinctive lantern-like element formed by sliding screens. These screens provide both solar shading and privacy while also creating a visual marker for the building within the Chatswood skyline. The feature reinforces the architectural intent of the project, a structure that is visually refined while still responding to the practical requirements of apartment living.

Inside the residences, interior architecture by Hayball focuses on clear spatial flow and practical everyday use. Open-plan living areas connect directly to large balconies, extending the internal living spaces outward and allowing natural light to move deeper into the apartments. Kitchens are designed as central working spaces with premium appliances and carefully selected materials, positioned to serve both daily living and entertaining.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151353 project_image_fid=353256]

Bathrooms follow a similarly restrained design language, using refined fixtures and materials to create calm, functional spaces, while wardrobe areas adopt a gallery-style layout with integrated lighting and generous storage. These elements reflect a broader design approach that prioritises clarity, functionality, and durability over decorative gestures.

Positioned just a short walk from Chatswood Interchange, residents will have direct access to rail, metro, retail, and dining. The Metro extension allows travel from Chatswood to Martin Place in approximately 11 minutes, placing the CBD within easy reach for residents while maintaining the convenience of a walkable North Shore neighbourhood.

One-bedroom apartments at The Anderson start from $1,022,000.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151353]

Joel Robinson

How AJC designed The Anderson to bring oversized apartment living to Chatswood

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/bridgewell-development">Bridgewell Capital</a> has lodged plans for a major mixed-use apartment development in the heart of Maroubra, seeking a significant uplift in height and density controls to deliver 120 apartments and a 120-place childcare centre near Maroubra Junction.

The State Significant Development application, filed through the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway, covers a 3,270 sqm amalgamated site at 251-257 Maroubra Road and 133-135 Garden Street. The proposal includes a concurrent rezoning that would increase the maximum building height from 12 metres to 35.6 metres and lift the floor space ratio to 4.02:1.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bka-architecture">BKA Architecture</a>, the project would replace a mechanic’s workshop and several detached homes with a 10-storey residential building above four basement levels.

The scheme comprises 120 apartments, including 27 affordable housing units to be managed by a community housing provider for 15 years, alongside 203 basement car spaces and 92 bicycle spaces. A childcare centre occupying nearly 900 sqm of floor area would sit at ground level and be capable of accommodating 120 children and 22 staff.

<img alt="First look: Bridgewell plots 120 apartments and childcare centre in Maroubra town centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="038a0639-f9e4-4303-8fcc-d43e73fa480f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Bridgewell%20pers.png?VersionId=eGBElxmNqJW.YF3JFYgHTnPgAstdyXR3" />

According to the Design Report, the project has been conceived as a “gateway proposal” that responds to Maroubra’s evolving urban character and its proximity to the town centre.

“Designed to complement the character of Maroubra’s town centre, this gateway proposal features a building scale that matches its surroundings,” the report stated.

“It integrates residential units above a ground-level childcare centre, fulfilling the strategic objectives of the Randwick City Council Masterplan.”

The apartment mix is weighted toward larger residences aimed at families and downsizers, reflecting changing demographics in the Randwick LGA and increasing demand for medium-density housing close to transport and amenity.

BKA Architecture said the proposal seeks to reinforce Maroubra Road as a civic spine while improving the pedestrian experience around the site through landscaping and upgraded public interfaces.

“The design capitalises on the following site opportunities: reinforcement of Maroubra Road as a civic spine, enhancement of pedestrian pathways and the public interface via new landscaping, and strong market demand for two and three-bedroom apartments to support families and down-sizers,” the Design Report noted.

<img alt="First look: Bridgewell plots 120 apartments and childcare centre in Maroubra town centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ee509779-3c7e-4918-b03d-761c785459d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Bridgewell%20site.png?VersionId=eZC4Ruyn.C7O.Qwfr1SVeP5.ds1c5.66" />

The building has been designed with setbacks and articulation intended to transition between the commercial intensity of Maroubra Junction and the surrounding lower-scale residential neighbourhoods. Communal open space is proposed on level one, while upper-level apartments would secure views towards Port Botany, Maroubra Beach and Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The development sits around 200 metres east of the Maroubra Junction intersection of Anzac Parade and Maroubra Road, within one of Randwick’s identified strategic centres. The site is close to Pacific Square Shopping Centre, major bus routes, schools, parks and future cycling infrastructure proposed under the Maroubra Junction Masterplan.

The Maroubra proposal aligns with broader NSW Government initiatives encouraging higher-density housing near established centres and transport corridors, particularly where affordable housing is incorporated.

Bridgewell is also working on a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/goldfields-sets-the-stage-as-quartet-milton-launches">new 55-unit project in Killara</a>.

First look: Bridgewell plots 120 apartments and childcare centre in Maroubra town centre

National diversified developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/goldfields-group">Goldfields</a> has launched its latest Brisbane apartment project, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/quartet-milton-33-manning-street-milton-qld-4064">Quartet Milton</a>, marking its entry into the sought-after inner-city suburb just two kilometres from the CBD.

The circa $100 million development will rise 18 storeys and deliver 131 apartments, offering a mix of one, two-, and three-bedroom residences.

Ideally located on Manning Street, Quartet residents will be within 300 metres of Milton Station, 500 metres from the Milton Ferry Wharf, and a short walk to Milton Markets, the iconic Park Road, as well as a range of breweries and cafés.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=367993]

Designed by architecture firm <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> and brought to life by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a>, the building features a simple, gridded façade paired with generous glazing to enhance views, maximise aspect, and capture both sunrises and sunsets from within the apartments and their generously sized balconies.

Residents will have access to a 1,000 sqm rooftop, curated to balance wellness and entertaining, in response to increasing demand for wellness-focused shared spaces.

"We've approached Quartet Milton as a complete lifestyle offering, not just apartments, but a place where the design, amenities, and location all work together in a meaningful way," says Goldfields Managing Director Lachlan Thompson.

"Buyers are looking for that sense of confidence, knowing the vision has been carefully thought through not just by us as developers, but by all our consultants appointed to bring this together, and that it will be delivered to the standard they expect."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=368000]

Cera Stribley Co-Founder and Managing Principal Domenic Cerantonio said the rooftop is designed to feel like a place "you'd genuinely use every day."

"A 25-metre pool framed by city and mountain views, wellness areas, and private dining spaces for evenings with friends create a setting designed for year-round comfort and effortless Brisbane living."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=367999]

In addition to the 25-metre pool, the rooftop will include a sauna, cold plunge, fully equipped gym, and zen gardens, all complemented by panoramic views of the city and river.

While the building is expected to appeal predominantly to owner-occupiers, Goldfields anticipates interest from investors seeking strong rental returns, driven by the project's design, location, and the city's projected capital growth in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108736 project_image_fid=367991]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/milton-qld-4064">Milton</a>, widely regarded as one of Brisbane's most desirable inner-ring suburbs due to its lifestyle offering and proximity to the CBD, has experienced a shortage of new apartment supply in recent years.

Goldfields is already active in the Brisbane residential market through its Ripley Valley masterplanned community, Hayfield. The 109-hectare neighbourhood is already home to more than 300 families and features a large community park.

Plans for the precinct include a 4 km running track, future schools, and retail and commercial amenities, all within a 35-minute drive of the Brisbane CBD.

Goldfields also plans to deliver a new mixed-use tower at 88 Robertson Street in Fortitude Valley, within the James Street precinct. The project will include 16,000 sqm of boutique commercial space, a level of wellness facilities, and a rooftop restaurant and event space, akin to Goldfields House in South Yarra, its flagship mixed-use development on Chapel Street, which is crowned by the Beverly Rooftop bar, one of Melbourne’s best-known venues.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108736]

Goldfields sets the stage as Quartet Milton launches

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/stockland">Stockland</a> and Homes NSW have taken the next major step in the transformation of Waterloo Estate, lodging a Concept State Significant Development Application and concurrent rezoning proposal for the renewal of Waterloo South.

The proposal, now on public exhibition, outlines plans for around 3,300 new homes across the 12.3-hectare precinct. A minimum 30 per cent of residential gross floor area will be delivered as social housing, approximately 20 per cent as affordable housing, and a maximum 50 per cent as market housing. The redevelopment would more than quadruple the number of homes currently on the site and more than double the existing supply of social and affordable housing.

The renewal of Waterloo South forms the first stage of the broader Waterloo Estate transformation and is set to unfold over the next 10 to 15 years. The estate currently contains 750 social housing dwellings and 120 private homes.

<img alt="First look: Stockland and Homes NSW unveil plans for 3,300-home Waterloo South renewal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ba2da34b-171b-4ff1-b0c7-4baf0bce97f2" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Waterloo%20public.png?VersionId=S5apPKOqjPHJhk_SzCvdVPxsEBYs300o" />

The proposal, prepared by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a> and Beam Planning, spans 10 street blocks bounded by Cope, Raglan, George, Wellington, Gibson, Kellick, Pitt and McEvoy Streets, directly adjoining the Waterloo Metro Station precinct and within walking distance of Redfern and Green Square stations.

Under the masterplan, building heights would range from two to 33 storeys, delivering approximately 282,485 sqm of residential floor space alongside at least 10,000 sqm of non-residential uses and a minimum 5,000 sqm of community space. The planning framework has been specifically structured to support the mixed-tenure outcome, with the residential gross floor area capped at a maximum 50 per cent market housing allocation.&nbsp;

The Urban Design Report describes the vision as creating “a unique and vibrant mixed-tenure housing precinct that supports the needs of the community and delivers much needed housing in response to National and State Government priorities.”&nbsp;

<img alt="First look: Stockland and Homes NSW unveil plans for 3,300-home Waterloo South renewal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6e1a6d8b-0626-4fa7-94fc-aa91c0af86dc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/waterloo%20per.png?VersionId=duyiJTFOeezTNdM22leI3SoHuqnW6ZaY" />

A major focus of the revised proposal has been increasing the social and affordable housing component. The Minns Government increased the affordable and public housing allocation from 35 per cent to 50 per cent after coming to office in 2023.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said the changes were critical to maintaining Waterloo’s social diversity.

“When we came to government, we immediately reviewed the plans for the Waterloo renewal and boosted the number of public and affordable homes from 35 to 50 per cent,” Jackson said.

“This was a crucial step to ensure Waterloo remains a welcoming place for people from all walks of life to call home now and into the future.”&nbsp;

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the project would reshape the precinct for generations.

“This concept DA brings thousands of new public, affordable and market homes on the doorstep of the Waterloo Metro station another step closer to reality,” Scully said.

“Importantly, alongside the new homes the plan also proposes new open space where residents and the broader community can gather, relax and play.”&nbsp;

<img alt="First look: Stockland and Homes NSW unveil plans for 3,300-home Waterloo South renewal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="867520cb-6e07-4204-885e-53793ac88066" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Waterloo%20public%20a.png?VersionId=lgSI85Q23xBLYLC9NcWKuWZY2HfP4zQ3" />

Stockland Managing Director and CEO Tarun Gupta said the project had been shaped around long-term liveability and community infrastructure.

“As delivery partner, Stockland is proud to be working with the NSW Government on the renewal of Waterloo South – a significant project with community at its heart,” Gupta said.&nbsp;

The planning documents place strong emphasis on “Designing with Country,” recognising the site’s location on Gadigal land. The masterplan incorporates new east-west pedestrian links, activated streetscapes, rooftop communal spaces, retail frontages, and landscaped public areas intended to improve permeability and community connection throughout the estate.&nbsp;

The proposal also seeks to establish a more flexible planning framework for future detailed SSDAs, including updated provisions for educational uses, creative industries, rooftop communal areas, and active frontages. A minimum seven per cent of residential floor space will be delivered as affordable housing managed in perpetuity by community housing provider City West Housing.&nbsp;

The Social Impact Assessment prepared by Urbis describes the renewal as one of Australia’s most significant public housing transformations, identifying substantial long-term positive impacts associated with housing supply, accessibility, public domain improvements, and community infrastructure.&nbsp;

Stockland and Homes NSW have already commenced the first stage of resident relocations, with some tenants moved into newly completed homes at Waterloo Metro Quarter and the Boronia development nearby.

First look: Stockland, NSW Gov, unveils plans for 3,300-home Waterloo South renewal

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/smith-by-valli-collingwood-224-228-smith-street-collingwood-vic-3066">Smith Collingwood</a> is a new boutique apartment development bringing a refined, design-led approach to one of Melbourne’s most established inner-city neighbourhoods.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/pandolfini-architects">Pandolfini Architects</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/lisa-buxton-interiors">Lisa Buxton</a>, Smith by Valli sits on iconic Smith Street and comprises just 22 residences tailored toward owner-occupiers seeking a more considered style of apartment living.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140747 project_image_fid=367540]

The design of Smith focuses on a north-facing orientation across all residences, a relatively uncommon feature in dense inner-Melbourne settings. Each apartment has been planned to maximise natural light and outlook, alongside a material palette defined by warm tones, custom joinery, and a full suite of Gaggenau appliances.

The development comprises a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, with pricing currently ranging from just under $1 million to around $4.85 million for the premium penthouse-level residences, reflecting growing demand for luxury owner-occupier product in Melbourne’s inner urban market.

Residents will also have access to a private rooftop garden designed as an elevated retreat above the city, &nbsp;featuring curated landscaping, veggie boxes, intimate seating areas and spaces for relaxed gatherings. Sustainability has also been integrated into the project through a 7-star energy rating and two secure bicycle facilities for every residence.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140747 project_image_fid=367529]

Smith by Valli sits in the heart of one of Melbourne’s most established retail and hospitality strips, within walking distance of venues such as Falco Bakery, Carnation Canteen and Alimentari, alongside parks and everyday services. With a Walk Score of 99, the location reinforces the project’s positioning toward buyers prioritising walkability and access over car dependency.

With only a limited number of residences, Smith reflects growing demand for smaller, highly curated apartment developments that prioritise design quality, liveability, and connection to neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=140747]

Smith by Valli delivers design-led apartments to Melbourne’s inner north

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Sydney’s lockout laws, as well as current and proposed restrictions in other Australian cities including Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle, are perhaps more about regulating people’s behaviours in cities than about liquor licensing.
Such knee-jerk responses to tidy up the mess of complex issues belie society’s need for diversity. They also neglect culture’s debt to the manifold possibilities of social behaviour in urban space.
Viewed as part of a broader historical pattern, such episodes of regulatory crackdown remind us that a seemingly purified city is not necessarily a healthy or diverse one.
<h2>Early steps</h2>
Australian cities have always been extraordinarily diverse places. Amid broader sociocultural and regulatory shifts, this diversity has produced instability as people from different backgrounds, ages, means, religions, sexualities and abilities have come together.
Some of the places where these instabilities play out are on the streets and in drinking establishments such as the café, bar and pub. People watch each other, ascribing meanings onto each other based on visual cues. Public drunkenness is one such cue.
An especially notorious instance was in London in the early 1700s during the gin craze. William Hogarth, the pictorial satirist of urban life, captured “Gin Lane” in 1751. On the streets of London, Hogarth moralised the issue, representing men wasting away rather than working, and a mother neglecting her children, allowing them to fall headfirst down the stairs. 
The issue was not alcohol itself (Hogarth thought beer okay), but rather the relationship between gin, nationalism and the lower classes, which apparently produced vice and neglect. The London authorities’ response was to regulate by introducing the Gin Acts, which raised prices and cut consumption.
In Australia, liquor licensing has also never operated in a historical or urban vacuum. English writer Richard Horne observed in Melbourne in the 1850s:
"The scenes that are witnessed, half-way up Bourke Street, in the direct line of both our Houses of Parliament [Spring Street], actually surpass anything in St Gile’s or Covent Garden [London] after dusk. It may seem strange that city authorities do not abate these disgraceful nuisances.
The “nuisances” he saw were young women. A typical mid-19th-century moralist, Horne believed – based on visual cues – that these women were “depraved”. Being an unaccompanied woman on the street was apparently linked to the dual vices of drinking and prostitution.
The solution Horne proposed was intervention by the urban authorities, to clear the streets for people that he perceived as more respectable.
<h2>The 20th century to today</h2>
Over the next century, the temperance movement sought to eliminate all alcohol consumption. So came about the pubs with no beer: the coffee palaces.
Across the Australian city, immaculate buildings were designed by leading architects to house these late-night venues, including the Federal Coffee Palace in Melbourne, the Sydney Coffee Palace in Woolloomooloo and the People’s Palace in Brisbane.
Urban improvement extended from buildings to the streets where freshwater fountains were constructed to quench the thirst of urban dwellers “in the interests of humanity and temperance”. Improving streets and cities for the greater good, such measures were typical of turn-of-the-20th-century social advocacy.
Young people were known to congregate around the fountains. Even during periods of restrictive liquor licensing, urban diversity has taken many forms, so long as alternative public places have been provided.
The next challenge for inner-city urban life related to liquor regulation was the early closing movement, coupled with rapid mid-20th-century suburbanisation that emptied out the Australian CBD outside the working week. The early closure of pubs led to the infamous six o’clock swil<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://journals.publishing.monash.edu.au/ojs/index.php/ha/article/view/347">l</a>.
Although temperance campaigners denied the existence of a “Pig Swill” during the NSW Royal Commission on Liquor in 1952, had the campaigners visited a pub or the street in the late afternoon their minds might have been changed. The refusal to visit the streets, to seek out visual cues, represented a form of wilful blindness typical across urban history.
At that time, hordes of pub patrons, predominantly men, entered the street on their way home to the suburbs. Outside Melbourne’s Young and Jackson pub on Swanston Street, opposite Flinders Street Station, men lined up to publicly urinate against the tiles. Walking past this prominent spot, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, was no doubt an undesirable street experience.
Over the coming years every Australian city liberalised its licensing hours. Adelaide was the last to do so in 1967. These changes paved the way for the night culture familiar to us today.
Whenever authorities have regulated the city there have been unintended consequences. Heightening liquor regulation has for centuries been the immediate response of urban policymakers when confronted with people and behaviours deemed socially undesirable.
The overarching goal has been to impose a sense of order on the city and its spaces. But that happens at the expense of street life, public safety and social diversity. Shutting the pub early impacts urban life as a holistic ecosystem and, without viable public alternatives as in the past, this serves to eliminate difference on the street.
Cities thrive as messy places. No matter the underlying justification, to “lock out” the city is to diminish it.
Andrew J. May is professor of history, University of Melbourne and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-j-may-96245" target="_blank">here</a>.
James Lesh is research assistant and PhD candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-lesh-257650" target="_blank">here</a>.
Both are authors for The Conversation.
</body></html>

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