Two years after completing one of the newest developments in North Sydney, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a> is turning its attention to the rapidly evolving St Leonards apartment market.

The developer, which completed AURA by Aqualand on North Sydney's Walker Street, has lodged plans for a 5,918 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/33-37-herbert-street-st-leonards-nsw-2065">33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards,</a> seeking approval for a pair of residential towers rising above a shared podium opposite Royal North Shore Hospital.

The proposal forms part of the broader transformation underway across the St Leonards-Crows Nest precinct, where former industrial and commercial sites are increasingly being redeveloped into high-density mixed-use projects tied to major transport infrastructure.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc428cf-fe70-4cac-9cd5-264ad53af62c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=otKSnHtbjAvAddOnovyXQMgcAwE6DMe1" />

According to the planning documents, the site sits “within the St Leonards–Crows Nest Strategic Centre, identified by the NSW Government as a key area for accommodating future jobs and housing across Sydney.”

The proposal has been designed by fjcstudio, formerly FJMT Studio, and is being progressed through the State Significant Development pathway due to its scale and affordable housing provision.

The scheme would comprise 413 apartments, including 46 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses fronting Herbert Street. The project would also include communal open space, landscaping, a swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s play areas and podium-level resident amenities.

Planning documents show the development would consist of a part-13, part-39 storey tower form positioned above a four-storey podium.

“The development comprises a unified podium that activates the street interface, and two setback towers to accommodate new housing supply while maintaining an appropriate human scale at ground level,” fjcstudio noted in its Design Report.

The northern and southern towers have been shaped to respond to the surrounding skyline while also limiting overshadowing impacts to nearby public open space, particularly Talus Reserve.

The design report said the differing tower heights were intended to “contribute to a varied skyline while responding to the surrounding built form context and solar access considerations.”

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36da62dc-ff9e-41f2-a7e3-7be38373751c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.45%E2%80%AFAM_0.png?VersionId=Mo6Rp2r.XRLTzIfg_PEEpw8NepDH8UBs" />

The site sits directly opposite Royal North Shore Hospital and within walking distance of both St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

While the site itself sits just outside the formal Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development boundary, the planning documents repeatedly reference its alignment with the broader TOD objectives reshaping the Lower North Shore.

“The site is located adjacent to St Leonards Station and in close proximity to Crows Nest Metro which is within the Crows Nest Transit Orientated Development Accelerated Precinct which has been identified by the NSW Government to support housing delivery,” the Design Verification Statement noted.

According to fjcstudio, the project has been designed to respond to the broader transition occurring across St Leonards, where increasing residential density is being concentrated around transport infrastructure and employment hubs.

“The broader precinct is undergoing significant change, with a mix of existing mid-rise buildings and newer high-density developments,” the report stated.

“Recent and approved projects indicate a consistent shift toward taller built form, typically organised as tower-and-podium typologies with more active ground levels.”

The proposal includes close to 6,000 sqm of retail and commercial space across the ground floor and podium levels, designed to create a more activated street edge along Herbert Street.

Aqualand’s plans would also introduce a landscaped podium shared between the two towers, with communal open space in the form of a podium rooftop designed to support resident interaction and improve urban greening outcomes. The scheme would also introduce pocket parks at the northern and southern ends of the site, including a landscaped area at the corner of Herbert and Ella streets designed to improve pedestrian amenity and soften the streetscape.

&nbsp;

The proposal is being progressed through the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway, which was introduced to accelerate housing supply across the state. The application was declared State Significant Development in April 2025 following an expression of interest process.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="faf6d97d-2671-454f-b85a-fe1c6a7be608" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.49%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=diVd28OBVr5.YV.7prrOz.uAanwwwm7a" />

St Leonards has been particularly active with new developments in recent weeks. Developer SP Setia’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-sp-setia-targets-st-leonards-skyline-with-40-storey-tod-tower">plans for a new 42-storey tower</a> recently went on exhibition through the same pathway, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">Stockland’s 52-storey tower proposal</a> was also recently unveiled.

Aside from the St Leonards project, which is expected to take around nine months to move through the approvals process ahead of a potential 2027 launch, Aqualand is also preparing to launch Boronia, a new apartment project in Roseville comprising around 111 apartments on Larkin Street.

The developer also has approvals in place for the next stage of the Barangaroo precinct, which will feature new residential, retail, hospitality and community uses, alongside a new metro entry across the five-hectare site.

More than 50 new retail destinations are planned for Central Barangaroo, alongside a 270-metre-long boulevard connecting Hickson Park to Nawi Cove. Together with Harbour Park, more than 50 per cent of the precinct will comprise public open space and parkland.

Joel Robinson

First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-5" data-turn="user" data-turn-id="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" data-turn-id-container="e65dbe94-e3b6-47f7-b62a-9cbb30c9bf79" dir="auto">Time &amp; Place’s plans to transform the former David Jones factory building in Surry Hills into a mixed-use residential precinct have gone on exhibition through the NSW Government’s In-fill Affordable Housing pathway.</section>

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:f4d533b7-64a5-413d-86fd-5c99649c2b73-2" dir="auto">
The Marlborough House proposal, lodged for the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marlborough-house-47-97-marlborough-street-surry-hills-nsw-2010">47-97 Marlborough Street</a> site, would see the adaptive reuse of the heritage-listed warehouse building alongside the construction of new residential additions and a separate apartment building on the northern portion of the site.

The proposal seeks approval for 172 apartments across three buildings, including 15 per cent affordable housing managed by a community housing provider for at least 15 years from occupation.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d1d3c2a-bf13-47d6-a335-7c01102cdee1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cjMYrbR.BLUlWH4dar0RVDDo0bG.u2YT" />

Interior view from the Northern Building Penthouse overlooking the park

&nbsp;

The redevelopment is planned for the prominent 3,413 sqm site bounded by Marlborough Street, Goodlet Street and Lansdowne Street, directly opposite Eddie Ward Park and around 200 metres from the Surry Hills light rail stop.

Time &amp; Place acquired the former David Jones building in 2024, marking the first time the property had changed hands in around 50 years.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal centres around the adaptive reuse of the former David Jones factory, originally constructed between 1913 and 1935 in the Inter-War Chicagoesque architectural style.

Wardle noted in its Architectural Design Report that the building “occupies a significant place in the industrial and cultural history of Surry Hills” and at its peak was “the largest department store manufacturing facility in Australia, employing over 800 people and fuelling the growth of Sydney’s fashion and retail industries.”

The practice said the project positions itself “not as an isolated intervention, but as a contributor to the civic, social, and architectural grain of the precinct.”

The proposal would deliver 75 apartments within the retained southern heritage building, 59 apartments within the central addition, and a further 38 apartments within the new northern building fronting Lansdowne Street.

Planning documents show the scheme would comprise a mix of heritage apartments, new-build apartments, townhouses and penthouses.

<img alt="Marlborough" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="57758518-40a3-4b83-958c-d06e96a2cffa" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.42%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=VerlX9ST5xgBi8.1_YRsqdWTJeT6ygjs" />Interior View of the Heritage Building Apartment

The development would also include a ground-floor retail tenancy on the corner of Marlborough and Lansdowne streets, rooftop communal open space, a landscaped pedestrian link along the western edge of the site, and basement parking accessed from Lansdowne Street via a car stacker system.

&nbsp;

The scheme emerged from a competitive design process run by Urbis, with Wardle ultimately selected as the winning architect ahead of FJC Studio, TZG, Architectus and Wilkinson Eyre.

The Design Integrity Panel later described several aspects of the Wardle scheme as fundamental to the project, including “the stepped character of the new addition to the north of the site”, the landscaped western pedestrian link, and the “garden arrival” experience separating the original Marlborough House from the heritage addition.

Wardle’s design heavily references the site’s industrial and heritage history, while also responding to the surrounding Surry Hills streetscape.

The Architectural Design Report describes Surry Hills as “a finely grained neighbourhood with beautiful and expressive brickworks throughout the suburb,” with the proposal introducing a material palette intended to sit comfortably alongside the existing warehouse fabric and neighbouring terraces.

The report also outlines the project’s relationship with Eddie Ward Park and the broader landscape context of the area.

“Marlborough House occupies a site of deep cultural memory and the neighbouring Eddie Ward Park is of local ecological significance, where natural systems, topography, and stories have long shaped human experience,” Wardle noted in the report.

The architects said the proposal sought to “rebind built form to Country” through landscape, materiality and the adaptive reuse of the heritage structure.

<img alt="Marlborough House" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9ae3f2f9-c85f-477a-a6f8-b43f6cb97c41" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.29.53%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=B.qUCLqRvJOR.n9CvYcTpaknIX9LuqKZ" />

The project is also being progressed under the NSW Government’s in-fill affordable housing provisions, allowing developments that include affordable housing to access additional height and floor space incentives.

Under the plans, 2,593 sqm of the project’s floor space would be dedicated to affordable housing, slightly exceeding the required 15 per cent threshold.

In its Design Excellence Strategy, Urbis said the project aimed to “sensitively adapt and enhance the heritage-listed building on site through alterations and additions that preserve its historical significance” while delivering “high-quality market and infill affordable housing development in Surry Hills.”

Time &amp; Place has been one of the most active developers nationally in the last 12 to 24 months. Late last year they completed&nbsp;The Queensbridge in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a>, a mixed-use tower with 353 apartments and a hotel. They are currently selling Park Modern, 246 apartments near the famous Botanic Gardens in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/south-melbourne-vic-3205">South Melbourne</a>, and have future projects, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-wilmot-173-burke-road-28-hope-street-glen-iris-vic-3146">The Wilmot</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/glen-iris-vic-3146">Glen Iris</a>, the redevelopment of the Northcote Plaza, and another tower in South Melbourne.

The developer broke into Sydney just a few years ago with Two Tides in Manly. They have another project nearby, which is at the ultra-luxury end of the market on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/shoreline-manly-beach-89-90-north-steyne-manly">North Steyne</a>, fronting the beach.

It is also continuing to work through the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-time-place-settles-on-design-for-the-chimes-potts-point-redevelopment">redevelopment of The Chimes building</a> on Macleay Street in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/potts-point-nsw-2011">Potts Point</a>, as well as a project on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/time-place-to-take-on-mosman-apartment-market">Mosman's Redan Street</a>.
</section>

First look: Time & Place unveils Marlborough House redevelopment designs for former David Jones warehouse in Surry Hills

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.

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

The Block

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The Block judge Neale Whitaker and his partner David Novak-Piper have bought on the NSW South Coast.
It is in the Shoalhaven hamlet Bundewallah, set 4 kilometres from Berry on the South Coast.
They have bought a four-bedroom 1930s homestead for $1,837,500 which was on the market for just three weeks.
It had a $1.9 million asking price.
It last sold at $815,000 in 2014.
It is a renovated four bedroom, two bathroom country home marketed as where original features are combined with all modern conveniences.
There is a double garage with studio and workshop space.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-berry-128075818" target="_blank">The property</a> comes with farm shed, stock yard, 2.5 acres plus horse paddock, with room for a pool.
There is a wide north facing verandah with district views on the cul-de-sac holding.
The couple are yet to sell their Alexandria apartment that passed in at auction on a vendor bid three weeks ago, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
It is for sale at $1.6 million.
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firstname1-iYD4UYzvBa

The Block judge Neale Whitaker buys South Coast retreat

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The Block is set for a 2019 makeover at the Oslo Hotel hostel in St Kilda, not far from their upcoming series at Gatwick hostel on Fitzroy Street.
The Herald Sun suggests it is to be recreated as five mansions.
The gold rush-era terraces are on Grey Street.
The newspaper describes the street as "seedy".
The Oslo Hotel backpacker rooms start from <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/au/oslo.en-gb?aid=356980;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-au-oslo-unspec-au-com-L%3Aen-O%3AosSx-B%3Asafari-N%3AXX-S%3Abo-U%3AXX-H%3As;sid=0efb53c7c564864355ba9fb276fccb67;dist=0&amp;sb_price_type=total&amp;type=total&amp;" target="_blank">just $44 per night</a> and dorm rooms from $18 a night.
<img src="https://static.domain.com.au/domainblog/uploads/2018/06/07162817/2_h113sj.jpg" alt="The Oslo Hotel circa 1861, before renovations to the facade in the 1900s." width="1496" height="844">The Oslo Hotel circa 1861, before renovations to the facade . Photo: St Kilda Historical Society
The Grey Street property is estimated to have cost between $7.5 million to $10 million.
Title records show the owner recently died, leaving the estate to three beneficiaries.
The mooted purchase foreshadows a 15th season of the long-running show that began in 2003 at Bondi Beach – with the 14th series set at the Gatwick to air later this year.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

The Block is coming back to St Kilda with Grey Street hostel makeover

<html><body>
Neisha and John Pitt, winners of the 2013 Channel 9 series, The Block, sold their Bexley investment property which was listed for weekend auction.
The couple paid $1.1 million in 2016 for the home on 600 sqm which was listed for weekend auction.
They accepted $1.06 million <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-nsw-bexley-128337686" target="_blank">for the 1920s home</a>.
They'd envisaged <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house/nsw/st-george-area/bexley/380099" target="_blank">the home</a> at 28 Highworth Avenue as a child care centre, but the couple had the opportunity to recently secure other premises.
McGrath Brighton Le Sands agent Matthew King, who secured the weekend result, had helped them sell their winning The Block apartment.
It was when they competed against contestants who included Mark and Duncan, the fat tradies who finished second.  
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Block couple Neisha and John sell in Bexley

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Neisha and John Pitt, perhaps the most low key winners ever of top rating Channel 9 series, The Block, are selling their Bexley investment property.
They haven't touched <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.mcgrath.com.au/buy/house/nsw/st-george-area/bexley/380099" target="_blank">the 1920s home</a>, which they once envisaged as running as a child care centre.
McGrath Brighton Le Sands agents Matthew King and Marc Gable have set a June 2 auction for the couple who paid $1.1 million for the home in 2016.
It comes with $1.1 million hopes.
The school sweethearts recently had the opportunity to secure other premises, triggering the listing of the $550 a week rental investment.
They have secured the Stepping Stones Early Leaning Centre in Kirrawee, where Neisha has been a director of for several years.
King helped them sell their winning The Block apartment when they competed against contestants who included Mark and Duncan, the fat tradies who finished second and returned for the All Stars series at Bondi in 2013.  
The couple profited handsomely when their three bedroom Old South Head, Vaculuse apartment fetched a then record Block price of $1,105,000.
The ground floor unit sold $205,000 above reserve so the couple pocketed $305,000 in prize money.
Just before the show aired the couple had sold their two bedroom Carlton home for $628,500, buying back into the market a year later.
They upsized paying $751,000 for a 1980s, five bedroom home with pool at Illawong where they live with their two children.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
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Former winners of The Block list Bexley investment

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The inner Sydney apartment of The Block judge Neale Whitaker’s failed to sell at weekend auction.
It was passed in on a vendor bid and now comes with a $1.65 million asking price.
The apartment was bought for $1,705,000 in 2016 when the inner city apartment market conditions were stronger.
The three-bedroom warehouse style unit at Birmingham St, Alexandria has 135 sqm space in a SJB-designed block. 
Whitaker and his partner, David Novak-Piper are looking to buy near Berry on the NSW South Coast and secure a smaller inner city apartment.
They put the apartment up for auction through BresicWhitney with a buyer’s guide of $1.6 million.
 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Block judge Neale Whitaker's Alexandria apartment fails to sell in weekend auctions

<html><body><div class="domain-article-share-panel is-top" data-sticky-id="0">
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">
<a class="domain-article-share" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.domain.com.au%2Fnews%2Fthe-block-judge-neale-whitaker-puts-his-alexandria-apartment-on-the-market-20180417-h0yw15%2F" target="_blank" title="Facebook" data-social-network="facebook">The inner Sydney, Alexandria apartment of The Block judge Neale Whitaker</a> and partner David Novak-Piper is set to make a loss.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">The couple paid $1,705,000 in August 2016 when it had $1.65 million hopes.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">Now the <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-alexandria-128156722" target="_blank">135 square metre Birmingham Street</a> warehouse-style apartment by SJB Architects &amp; Interiors has been re-listed with a BresicWhitney price guide of $1.6 million.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/4/19/whittaker1.jpg" alt=""></div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">The two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with two parking spaces, has been listed with reported plans to buy a smaller Sydney base.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">They intend to relocate to the South Coast, possibly the Berry area.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">
 The apartment is scheduled for May 19 auction.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">It was the winner of the NSW Institute of Architects award for multi-unit housing.
</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">They previously had a Surry Hills terrace.
</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">The buildings last resale was when an apartment sold for $1.3 million, having sold off the plan at $920,000 in 2003.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">There was another sale late last year at $1,732,500 which had sold in 2016 at $1.6 million.</div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb"> </div>
<div class="domain-article-share-link domain-article-share-fb">It became a $1,200 a week rental.</div>
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Loss looms for The Block judge Neale Whitaker on Alexandria apartment listing

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Model Elyse Knowles and her partner Josh Barker have snapped up their new home.
The Melbourne-based couple took to Instagram to share a snap of their new property. It doesn't say where it is.
The picture of the two in the doorway (above) came with the caption "When we get the keys to our new home and Joshy paints EVERYTHING white!!!
"Feels fresh and ready for our butts to move in YAY."
Fellow The Block Elsternwick contestants Hannah and Clint Amos commented on the post: “Woo hoo you’re in!! Visits soon.” 
Late last year the couple sold their former Coburg home for $1,631,000 at auction.
The couple won the Block a few months earlier when their Elsternwick renovation sold for a Block record $3,067,000.
It was bought by comedian Dave Hughes, who recently secured his first tenant.
 
 
 
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The Block winners Josh and Elyse buy new project

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The recent investment experience of the popular comedian Dave Hughes should serve as serious lesson for all property investors.
Hughes revealed the reality of what happened following his top priced purchase at the over-hyped auction of the five Elsternwick homes in The Block last October.
He revealed his home loan bankers had valued the five-bedroom home at “much less” than his $3.067 million purchase price.
He also revealed it had not been easy finding tenants, for what will be an investment until the family move in down the track.
<div>
“I went to get a bank loan and they haven’t valued it the same as I paid for it, which is fine, but annoying because there were five bidders,” he told Stellar magazine.
He said it was sizeably less which it made him annoyed. Colorfully so!
“For f*ck’s sake ... I just think it’s good value and in a few years’ time people are going to be going, ‘Well, f*ck, didn’t he do well with it!’ I am playing the long game, all right? That is what I say to my wife, anyway.”
The comedian had gone public with his purchase saying soon after the auction: "It’s a bargain!"
But increasingly cautious lending eyes cast over the home renovated by contestants Josh and Elyse couldn't agree.
It had, after all, sold at $447,000 over its reserve, which notwithstanding the reserve's arbitrary nature, would have raised obvious concerns for any lender. 
Thankfully Hughes had deep enough pockets to fund the lending shortfall to secure his dream home.
But ofcourse not everyone can do so in this scenario.
These buyers instead face the risk of being unable to settle, forfeiting their deposit, and potentially copping the liability of any shortfall when the vendor sells again.
For several years, low bank valuations have been a risk for off the plan buyers as they moved towards settlements of their apartments.
Forfeited apartments have however been surprisingly few, perhaps because buyers have had years to plan their finances.
But low valuations could emerge as an issue for hot headed auction buyers.
Be sure to keep your bidding at a level that fits both your budget and your knowledge of the local market pricing.
Also stay in touch with your bank, keeping them advised on your financial income and expenses, as their lending approvals are fluid.
Banks have tightened what they will lend under pressure from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority given their anxiety about borrowers' genuine capacity to repay debt.
They want to stop liar loan applications.
Buyers who find themselves in the tricky situation of a low bank valuation should approach a mortgage broker who can go to other lenders to hopefully break the deadlock.
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Dave Hughes struggled to find finance for the Block Elsternwick purchase

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The popular comedian Dave Hughes has revealed his home loan bankers had valued his five-bedroom home on The Block Elsternwick at “much less” than his purchase price.
<div>
“I went to get a bank loan the other day and they haven’t valued it the same as I paid for it, which is fine, but annoying because there were five bidders,” he told Stellar magazine in the Sunday News Ltd weekend papers.
He said it was “enough less that it made me annoyed”.
“For f*ck’s sake ... I just think it’s good value and in a few years’ time people are going to be going, ‘Well, f*ck, didn’t he do well with it!’ I am playing the long game, all right? That is what I say to my wife, anyway.”
<div>
‘It’s a bargain!’ ... Hughesy suggested after he bought the renovation that had been undertaken by Josh and Elyse.
</div>
The final price for the property at 46A Regent Street was $3.067 million.
Property Observer gathers his bank was the NAB.
When Hughes told his wife Holly that he wanted to buy the Regent Street house, she had one rule: keep it private.
She advised in the article that she wasn’t impressed when she saw her husband on the TV screen during the show’s Sunday night finale when the show’s host Scott Cam announced the popular comedian was the proud buyer.
Last week Hughes advised it hadn't been easy to rent.
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NAB valued Dave Hughes Elsternwick Block purchase at less than $3.067 million sale price

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The comedian Dave Hughes has secured a tenant for his The Block, Elsternwick investment property.
But he said it was harder than he thought it would be following its October purchase at auction.
"The Block house has been rented. We found someone to move in," he told the MMM Hot Breakfast this morning, saying he was keen to get the month's rental.
"I emailed my real estate agent about 11pm last night saying when's this month's rent coming into my bank.
"I had trouble renting it ...it took a while," he acknowledged.
"At one point the real estate agent rang me and said someone wants to move in but they have a dog.
 "I felt like saying I don't care if they have a meth lab," he jested under questioning from <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://player.triplem.com.au/melbourne/#/shows/The%20Hot%20Breakfast/20224" target="_blank">MMM property enthusiast Luke Darcy (at 40.35 mins)</a> while plugging his new Channel 10 show, Hughesy We Have a Problem.
He advised those prospective tenants had since put in a doggie door for their little dog.
The October 2017 finale of The Block Elsternwick saw the comedian buy the renovated home of celebrity couple and winners on the night, model Elyse Knowles and her boyfriend Josh Barker.
He paid $3.07 million for the best home on offer which was marketed as Regent House.
Hughes could stand to claim a maximum of nearly $2.4 million in depreciation deductions (below) as a property investor in his tax returns over the next decade or so.
Property Observer noted pre-auction that the forecast rentals were $2000 plus a week. Hughes gave no indication to the MMM team what rental price was secured.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/10/30/Hughesmaximum.jpg" alt="">
The minimum estimation of available depreciation by BMT suggest he will be able to claim around $1.95 million over the property's timeline.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/10/30/HughesMinimum.jpg" alt="">
Win a free depreciation report by <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZBR2KW" target="_blank">signing up to Property Observer</a>. 
Download a free e-book on the relocating of entire homes.
 
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