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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</section>

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Structure Plans

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On Wednesday 19th March the Planning Minister Matthew Guy <a href="http://premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/9434-major-new-jobs-precinct-for-melbourne-s-northwest" target="_blank">announced</a> the Metropolitan Planning Authority, Moonee Valley City Council and Essendon fields are to begin working on a new framework "to guide an exciting new aviation and employment precinct in Melbourne's inner north".

According to the <a href="http://www.mpa.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Brochure.pdf" target="_blank">brochure on MPA's site</a>, the plan will incorporate the Essendon Airport masterplan and Moonee Valley's Airport West structure plan into an overall framework which could have the capacity to create up to 25,000 jobs across aviation, technology and retail sectors.

Whilst stating "development of the precinct responds to the 20-minute neighbourhood initiative outlined in Plan Melbourne" the MPA talks up the road connectivity and mentions the #59 tram route in such a way that it's hard not to think it was merely added as a footnote.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9bAF87hLi2U" width="100%"></iframe>

Most interestingly Matthews Avenue is set to receive a makeover and the strip located south of Airport West shopping centre fronting Matthews Avenue has been zoned Commercial 1 and 2. This will allow mixed-use development to occur in the corridor thus diversifying the precinct beyond the light industrial/wholesale trade uses that currently exist.

Whilst work is just kicking off on the plan, readers with a keen eye for detail might have noticed the flyaround in the above video depicts an upgraded Matthews Avenue still dominated with car parks fronting the street and an English street with an interesting lack of pedestrian infrastructure.

Granted it's merely a video that showcases the potential of the area, however the visuals and the language employed in the MPA-produced documentation points to a potentially worrying missed opportunity should the auto-dominated narrative in the documentation follow through to the plan eventually adopted.

Home to La Manna and other large scale retailers and aviation businesses that are synonymous with auto-centric transport access, the Metropolitan Planning Authority would be wise to fight for the plan to have a long-term view on producing good urban design outcomes with extra focus on improving pedestrian amenity and sustainable transport options.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="314" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&amp;source=embed&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=Macquarie+Park,+New+South+Wales&amp;aq=0&amp;oq=Macquarie+PArk&amp;sll=-37.725973,144.890742&amp;sspn=0.015292,0.033023&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Macquarie+Park+New+South+Wales&amp;t=m&amp;layer=c&amp;cbll=-33.781585,151.123564&amp;panoid=jdaEqona-mVApALRM7O7dQ&amp;cbp=13,303.12,,0,-4.15&amp;ll=-33.786477,151.124582&amp;spn=0.022399,0.048237&amp;z=14&amp;output=svembed" width="100%"></iframe> <a href="https://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&amp;source=embed&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=Macquarie+Park,+New+South+Wales&amp;aq=0&amp;oq=Macquarie+PArk&amp;sll=-37.725973,144.890742&amp;sspn=0.015292,0.033023&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=Macquarie+Park+New+South+Wales&amp;t=m&amp;layer=c&amp;cbll=-33.781585,151.123564&amp;panoid=jdaEqona-mVApALRM7O7dQ&amp;cbp=13,303.12,,0,-4.15&amp;ll=-33.786477,151.124582&amp;spn=0.022399,0.048237&amp;z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a>

Above is a Google Street view of Waterloo Road in Sydney's Macquarie Park. Despite two heavy rail stations on the Epping-Chatswood rail link, business precincts such as Macquarie Park still feature infrastructure and planning controls to support the automobile, robbing the streets of much pedestrian appeal.

Commercial 1 and 2 zoning and the expected dramatic increase in jobs over time will put pressure on the Tullamarine Freeway and specifically the Matthews Avenue/English street interchange and simply relying on the #59 tram won't allow employees who live to the West, East and North East of the precinct to travel to comfortably on public transport.

If Melbourne is to experiment further with decentralised and diversified employment and mixed-use precincts, we should not develop them under the false premise that the existing road network will be the dominant transport access mode.

Tomorrow a look at how we can enhance the public transport connectivity for Airport West and Essendon Airport through significant road-based public transport investment.
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Alastair Taylor

Airport West and Essendon Airport: auto-centricity status quo?

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Following on from <a href="/news/matthew-guy-on-the-mpa-transport-advice-and-pans-ops">Alastair's article on Monday</a>, Apartments.com.au continues its coverage of the Plan Melbourne Strategy by today taking a look at the Reformed Zones, particularly the new Residential Zones - setting the scene for what is effectively Part 2 of our interview with Planning Minister Matthew Guy.

July 1st 2013 saw the introduction of five new zones across the state - Residential Growth Zone, General Residential Zone, Neighbourhood Residential Zone, Commercial 1 Zone and Commercial 2 Zone. Replacing the nine previous zones, in an effort to streamline the planning process and encourage and enable ..."a broader mix of new businesses nearer to existing services and where people choose to live. The reformed residential zones also aim to better manage growth and protect liveability and neighbourhood character."

The strategy behind the new residential zones is best summarised by the following paragraphs, taken from Plan Melbourne:

<blockquote>
Reformed residential zones were introduced across Victoria on 1 July 2013 to better manage growth and protect liveability and neighbourhood character. The certainty provided by the reformed residential zones enables local governments to clearly determine the scale and location of new unit, townhouse and apartment development, and greatly improves local governments’ ability to plan for this type of development with confidence that the zones will influence outcomes on the ground.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
The new zones are the Residential Growth Zone, General Residential Zone and Neighbourhood Residential Zone. The Reformed Zones Advisory Committee has suggested that metropolitan local governments seek to apply each of the zones together, to provide a balance between protecting local attributes and addressing ongoing housing needs. In locations where the community is seeking to promote housing diversity and housing supply, it might apply the Residential Growth Zone. Alternatively, for locations where the community is seeking to limit housing change and population growth, it might apply the Neighbourhood Residential Zone. It is challenging for communities to clearly define locations for housing growth and locations for protection from change. However, the reformed residential zones will ensure that change will occur according to community expectations.
</blockquote>

<div class="rtejustify">See table below for a summary of each new zone.</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify"><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/Reformed%20Zones%20Table.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Reformed%20Zones%20Table.jpg?itok=Xu03Mw_0" typeof="Image"></a></div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">And a look at how these zones may be applied, for example, to Dandenong:</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify"><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/Dandenong%20Zones.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/Dandenong%20Zones.jpg?itok=rl9Id4WS" typeof="Image"></a></div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">And now a word from the Minister:</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">UM: One of the issues with Melbourne 2030 is basically that it had the same broad aims of reducing development in suburban streets away from transport and concentrating development within activity centres. One of the things that happened was councils said we don't need development in backstreets so we'll discourage that but also they used the structure planning process to introduce controls that were so harsh that they were basically saying they don't want growth in activity centres and also don't really want growth anywhere. So we're not sure whether with the new zones some councils will try and propose very low or no growth areas. Can you explain how the new zones will be implemented?</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">MG: The new zones, in particular the C1 (Commercial 1) zone, is like (the) Capital City Zone throughout every Municipality. The C1 is very flexible and it is a zone that encourages growth within it. Someone in the development industry said to me "well why do you allow Glen Eira to put 76% of their residential areas into Neighbourhood Residential (Zone)? You've locked the whole place up!". Well I say to them you've got to view it within the context of all the zone structure within the municipality. They've got a decent amount of C1, which again, residential has a right of use, the ability to build in that area is strong. There's the urban renewal precinct in Caulfield, then there's two sites down south which are quite significant and you look at the population trends in there,and you look at the Bureau of Statistics forecasts and they can almost get 60% more dwelling numbers (than) what they need to the year 2030 in the areas that they've got than they would under the current system. They can get it through the C1, through the Urban Renewal Precincts and they can get it through the General Residential Zone. So it's about looking at all the zones in the municipality rather than just bits of it.</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">I was in Banyule today and the council there is again saying that they'll probably only have a third of the municipality that they'll ask for Neighbourhood (Residential Zone), most will be in General (Residential Zone) and they'll tweak the General - there'll be a General Plus if you like, and a General Minus. So a general with a little less development and a general with a bit of a development focus to it and they'll use the (Residential) Growth Zone in a number of strategic sites and they're saying in the Structure, in terms of estimates on dwellings vastly exceed what we've been told to (provide) even under previous Governments and they've dropped off. So it's just about making sure they've got the right...not just the right mix but the right ability to get supply... and they do but it's in the defined areas which the C1 has helped enormously.</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div class="rtejustify">Look out for Nicholas Harrison's conclusion to Apartments.com.au's epic "Conversations with Matthew Guy" Trilogy in the coming days. Peace out.</div>

<div class="rtejustify"> </div>

<div> </div>
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Laurence Dragomir

Conversations with Matthew Guy, Episode II - In the Zone

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As a precursor to numerous planning applications appearing for Fishermans Bend, today we'll focus on Montague - one of four defined Fisherman's Bend sub-precincts planned by the state government. Montague has a structure plan, with the City of Port Phillip adopting it during September 2012.
To view the entire structure plan document suite, click <a href="http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/montague-precinct-structure-plan.htm" target="_blank">here</a>, but for the time being we'll focus on Montague as seen through Port Phillip's eyes.
In the southern area of Montague, City Road is to have the least amount of change as seen below. City Road, according to the structure plan will have a simple and easy to understand built-form profile.
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/city_road_1.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Indicative scope of change for City Road - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/city_road_1.png?itok=9RcwgXSl" title="Indicative scope of change for City Road - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/city_road_2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="City Road's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/city_road_2.png?itok=KhzEKzf8" title="City Road's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/city_road_stats_map.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="City Road Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/city_road_stats_map.jpg?itok=zeYe6bRS" title="City Road Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
Moving toward the central area, the density and height of buildings will increase markedly compared to City Road as seen below. The difference between City Road and Southern Neighbourhood is clearly outlined in the basic height/setback and street profile - note the change of uses.
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/southern_1.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Indicative scope of the Southern Neighbourhood - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/southern_1.png?itok=N1Nt4FAN" title="Indicative scope of the Southern Neighbourhood - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/southern_2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="South Neighbourhood's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/southern_2.png?itok=ZLdu0QMh" title="South Neighbourhood's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/southern_stats_map.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Southern Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/southern_stats_map.jpg?itok=J35Bu-_e" title="Southern Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
The Northern Neighbourhood of Montague is where City of Port Phillip has planned to have mixed use towers of up to the 100m in height.
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/northern_1.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Indicative scope of the Northern Neighbourhood - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/northern_1.png?itok=jRRGGKlm" title="Indicative scope of the Northern Neighbourhood - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/northern_2.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Northern Neighbourhood's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/northern_2.png?itok=Xxo1ev3g" title="Northern Neighbourhood's basic height/setback principles - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/northern_stats_map.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Northern Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/northern_stats_map.jpg?itok=trhb-vuZ" title="Northern Neighbourhood map and stats - Image credit City of Port Phillip" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
Given the brief outline above, what is not clear is if the Port Phillip vision will be fully implemented or even partially implemented as the Planning Minister has extended his <a href="http://planningschemes.dpcd.vic.gov.au/portphillip/ordinance/61_01s_port.pdf" target="_blank">authority</a> to the City of Port Phillip lands located within Fisherman's Bend (all land South of the West Gate Freeway).
Planning minister Matthew Guy's getting a bit of bad rap in the mainstream media at the moment with titles such as "Mr Skyscraper" and the like. We don't wish to join this mainstream media gravy train, however the Planning Minister has the authority to override the City of Port Phillip planning framework if he desires.
The Montague Structure plan on face value ticks a lot of boxes: significant increases in density, diversity of land use (heavy integration of residential, commercial and retail), unashamedly urban and very much public transport friendly (however in saying public transport friendly, we still have reservations that Light Rail will not cope with the influx of people to the area).
Many questions remain unanswered about Montague and Fishermans Bend in general. One thing is known, Apartments.com.au will bring readers information first.
To that end tomorrow we'll look at 123-125 Montague St South Melbourne, one of the area's first submitted applications.
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Port Phillip's Montague Structure plan

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Update: 30/8/13.  Kevin Rudd has announced if the ALP are re-elected on September 7th, they will establish a Minister for Cities.  We welcome Federal Leadership in cities and hope everyone who views the following lecture walks away with the same impression we did: increasing density in appropriate areas - distributed thoughtout entire metros - increases localised economic opportunity away from the central cores of Australia's cities.  
If we're to have a debate the future of our cities, we believe strategies like Transforming Australian Cities should be at the forefront of outlining alternatives to never-ending outer suburban growth and a way to get a better return out of each and every Australian city's existing infrastructure for future productive growth.
Original Text 11/03/2013:
The City of Melbourne's Director of Design, Rob Adams, authored a report in 2009, which was then revised in 2010, on how it is possible to grow Melbourne by another 2.5-3.5 million people by utilising a mere 10% of the existing urban area - without sprawling further and further beyond the Urban Growth boundary.
If you have a spare hour, a must for anyone wishing to understand the Transforming Australian Cities strategy should watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfnynzD0yDI">t</a>he following lecture Rob gave to the Simon Fraser University in Canada where he paints the historical context and goes through the 11 steps of elimination to calculate the area available for redevelopment in future.
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lfnynzD0yDI" width="100%"></iframe>
The <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/Statistics/Documents/TransformingCitiesMay2010.pdf" target="_blank">supporting documentation</a> is also available on CoM's website. 
<a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/transforming_australia_cities_banner.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Title page from the Transforming Australian Cities report - © City of Melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/transforming_australia_cities_banner.png" title="Title page from the Transforming Australian Cities report - © City of Melbourne" typeof="foaf:Image"></a>
 
 
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