Brisbane development veteran Kevin Seymour's Seymour Group is set to deepen its presence on one of Brisbane's most tightly held riverfront addresses, lodging revised plans for a luxury apartment development on Oxlade, just a few doors down from The Oxlade, which it completed in 2024.

The <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/70-72-oxlade-drive-new-farm-qld-4005">new project at 70-72 Oxlade Drive</a>, directly north of The Oxlade, will have 27 apartments across a seven-storey building&nbsp;overlooking the Brisbane River and Merthyr Park. It's a revision from a 2021-approved design.

Designed by bureau^proberts, the project has evolved from the previously approved 26-apartment scheme, introducing an additional penthouse level while maintaining a low-density, boutique character. The development will comprise 26 three-bedroom apartments and a single four-bedroom penthouse, supported by two basement levels with 86 car spaces and 34 bicycle spaces.

The architectural response is centred around two distinct building forms separated by a landscaped open-air atrium.&nbsp;"This dual composition captures and embraces Brisbane’s subtropical environment whilst breaking down built form and scale," the submission to the Brisbane City Council noted.

<img alt="First look: Seymour Group returns to Oxlade Drive with revised riverfront apartment plans in New Farm" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c12d84d0-bc11-4067-b46f-5bd2d786a34d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/new%20farm%20landscape.png?VersionId=YEPc2k5CAdh6aAPlu4uVpgZadh4MEfRd" />

A defining feature of the design is a deep landscaped void running through the centre of the building, creating what bureau^proberts describes as a "natural ravine" that enhances airflow, daylight penetration and resident amenity. The design report notes that the separation of the two building volumes is intended to maximise natural light, cross-ventilation and outlook while strengthening connections to the surrounding riverfront setting.

Curved balcony edges, integrated planting and extensive landscaping throughout the façade reinforce the subtropical design approach. The building's façade is softened by elevated gardens and planter beds, creating a green edge that complements the established landscape character of Oxlade Drive and neighbouring Merthyr Park.

New Farm has become one of Brisbane's most sought-after suburbs for developers delivering premium downsizer-focused apartments.

GRAYA has been particularly active in the precinct, completing both Chalk and York in recent years, while construction of Moray House, being delivered for Spyre, is now nearing completion. Architect-turned-developer Joe Adsett recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/arcilla-new-farm-by-joe-adsett-28-maxwell-street-new-farm-qld-4005">Arcilla on Maxwell Street</a>, an exclusive collection of just nine apartments.

Joel Robinson

First look: Seymour Group returns to New Farm's Oxlade Drive with riverfront apartment plans

A new residential tower will be the first piece of a broader mixed-use precinct set to reshape a prominent Newcastle West site, with local developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> bringing its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/cambridge-quarter-newcastle-west-12-denison-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Cambridge Quarter</a> vision to market.

The first release, Tempo, will introduce 87 apartments across a 24-storey tower, marking Stage 1 of the residential component of a larger urban regeneration project planned for the western end of Newcastle's city centre, encompassing the former Cambridge Hotel site.

Positioned on Denison Street, Tempo has been designed as the inaugural building within Cambridge Quarter, a precinct that will ultimately combine apartments, retail activation and revitalised public spaces including the revamping of the Cambridge Hotel.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135876 project_image_fid=368856]

The tower will comprise a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including layouts with multipurpose rooms, catering to a broad cross-section of owner-occupiers. Apartment sizes range from around 60 sqm to 192 sqm, with a number of residences oriented to capture views across Newcastle Harbour, the city skyline and coastline.

GWH has emphasised liveability in the design, with open-plan layouts extending to generous balconies and terraces. Residents will have a choice of two interior palettes, while specifications include engineered stone benchtops, SMEG appliances, full-height bathroom tiling and secure building access. Premium upgrade packages will also be available

Multiple rooftop resident retreats will provide communal outdoor space overlooking the harbour and city, offering an elevated amenity layer above the activity of the precinct below.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135876 project_image_fid=368851]

The broader Cambridge Quarter vision extends beyond the residential tower itself. Ground-level retail activation and landscaped public areas are planned throughout the precinct, creating a walkable neighbourhood environment connected to the surrounding renewal of Newcastle West. The Cambridge Hotel is also earmarked for future redevelopment into a family-friendly hospitality venue integrated with the new precinct.

The project is strategically positioned within walking distance of Newcastle Interchange, providing access to light rail, regional rail services and direct connections to Sydney. Residents will also be close to Honeysuckle, Newcastle Harbour and the city's beaches and coastal walkways.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135876 project_image_fid=368852]

For GWH, Cambridge Quarter represents one of its most significant Newcastle developments to date. The locally based developer, which has operated in the Hunter region since 1995, describes the project as a new chapter in the ongoing transformation of Newcastle West.

GWH Executive Director Jonathan Craig said the project had been shaped by a focus on creating lasting community connections.

"We take pride in creating places that last. Spaces where people feel connected, comfortable and a genuine sense of belonging," Craig said.

"Cambridge Quarter is something we are truly proud of, a place shaped by local knowledge, built with care and designed to be part of Newcastle's next chapter."

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135876]

GWH unveils first release at landmark Cambridge Quarter precinct in Newcastle West

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/ss-projects">S&amp;S Projects</a>,&nbsp;Rainbow Bay's busiest developer,&nbsp;has officially lodged plans for the largest development in its booming local portfolio, seeking approval for a further 88 apartments on Boundary Street.

The proposal&nbsp;at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/209-213-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">209–213 Boundary Street, Coolangatta</a>,&nbsp;marks the next chapter in the developer's transformation of the southern Gold Coast beachside precinct. It will be its fifth in the area, having already delivered Flow, Awaken and Esprit, while construction continues on the 38-apartment Radia. The new project would rise 57 metres above a consolidated 1,518 sqm site, on the same street as Radia and Esprit.

&nbsp;

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cottee-parker-architects">Cottee Parker</a>, the proposed development comprises 88 two and three-bedroom apartments across a contemporary podium-and-tower form that integrates extensive landscaping from street level through to the rooftop.

The tower would be delivered above a basement and multi-level podium accommodating resident and visitor parking, with the residential component commencing from level three. The design incorporates cascading planting throughout the façade, landscaped podium edges, and deep planting zones along the Boundary Street frontage.

<img alt="First look: S&amp;S Projects lodges plans for 88-apartment wellness tower at Coolangatta's Boundary Street" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="677e6615-b5c0-4b6c-b4f9-efb14fcde1a6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ss%20da%20pers.png?VersionId=YOnPKQm7IFXv0M5H326djEpxk80500Hi" />

A key feature of the development is its expansive rooftop wellness and recreation precinct. Plans reveal a resort-style pool deck, gymnasium, sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, rooftop terraces, barbecue areas and landscaped relaxation spaces positioned to capture views across the southern Gold Coast coastline.

The rooftop wellness focus builds on the vision S&amp;S Projects first outlined when it acquired the site for $20.25 million last year.

"We are taking every advantage to create a truly unique rooftop wellness experience with a natural feel for residents, offering stone features throughout and an underlying theme that emulates a botanical garden," S&amp;S Projects founder and director Paul Gedoun said at the time.

The proposal seeks a 57-metre building height, representing a 50 per cent uplift on the site's mapped 38-metre height limit. Planning documents argue the additional height is consistent with recently approved and emerging towers in the immediate Boundary Street and Rainbow Bay precinct.

Urbis, acting as planning consultant, said the development would provide "88 dwellings, comprising a mix of two and three-bedroom apartments, contributing to housing choice and supply within an established medium to high-rise coastal urban neighbourhood."

The scheme has undergone extensive pre-lodgement consultation with the City of Gold Coast, with the design refined following feedback relating to architectural expression, landscaping, traffic access and podium treatment.

<img alt="S&amp;S" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a2d70fd-62ac-4b83-97c6-b798fc1243dd" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-05%20at%209.16.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=yHmghUwKM3IVGpBktQU1mE.0Lpf3WimG" />

The architectural team is led by Brisbane-based Cottee Parker, one of Australia's most active residential design studios, with landscape architecture by Dunn + Moran. The consultant team also includes ADG Engineers, Windtech and Acoustic Works.

S&amp;S Projects has become one of the most influential private developers operating on the southern Gold Coast. Since entering Rainbow Bay in 2022, the company has assembled a portfolio exceeding $1 billion in end value, establishing itself as a key player in the area's evolution into a premium apartment destination. Pezet Matheson will again handle the sales for S&amp;S.

Coolangatta is entering another wave of apartment development, following the delivery of several prominent residential projects in recent years.

John Kearney's Immerse Projects will launch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kaiya-kirra-beach-5-haig-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Kaiya on Haig Street</a>&nbsp;soon, meanwhile, Palm Beach-based Sherpa Property Group is preparing to bring its debut Coolangatta development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-viver-87-griffith-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Flourish Viveré</a>, to market later this year, subject to approvals.

First look: S&S Projects proposes 88-apartment wellness tower at Coolangatta's Boundary Street

A landmark former orphanage site in Surrey Hills could be transformed into a new residential community under plans lodged by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/antipodean-land-developments">Antipodean Land Developments</a> that would deliver 76 apartments and townhouses while restoring some of the suburb's most significant heritage buildings.

The burgeoninng Melbourne-based developer has submitted plans for the 9,158 sqm site at 1 Kent Road and 24 Durham Road, home to the former St Joseph's Home for Destitute Children, a historic institutional complex dating back to the late 19th century. The proposal seeks to adaptively reuse several heritage buildings while introducing two new four-storey residential buildings set within extensive landscaped grounds.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a> and Kerstin Thompson Architects, the project has been conceived as a contemporary residential village embedded within a restored heritage precinct. The development team describes the design approach as "The Village in the Garden," with new buildings positioned among mature landscaping by OCULUS and significant heritage structures.

<img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="44ec8c1b-c0b6-44ae-859e-5811b3e6a023" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29.png?VersionId=p.p1_KFh4iQoV4nisdnPfQBAsWNi7m79" />

The proposal would deliver 76 dwellings comprising a mix of apartments and duplex-style residences, significantly increasing housing supply on one of the largest privately held residential landholdings in Surrey Hills. The development includes 127 car spaces, 24 bicycle spaces and more than 1,000 sqm of communal amenity, with the existing chapel building earmarked for conversion into resident facilities.

According to the planning submission, the project centres on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the site's most significant heritage assets, including the original c.1889 St Joseph's building, the chapel designed by architect Augustus Andrew Fritsch, and the historic brick perimeter walls and entry gates. The proposal also incorporates the retention of other contributory buildings including the former infirmary and school building.

Tract Consultants, in the planning report accompanying the application, said the scheme had been shaped through extensive heritage analysis and design development.

"The shared vision for the Site by the project team has culminated in a scheme which successfully breathes life back into a historic site while delivering upon the objectives of Victoria's Housing Statement in a carefully curated and contextually responsive manner."

<img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7263b7d8-95ea-400f-9531-6ca7d22c3c33" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%282%29.png?VersionId=4cR1tiWOsDpgxEOwZi5vVFcyvvOsYkIE" />

The proposal is being assessed under Victoria's Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing pathway. As part of the application, three per cent of the project's residential development cost would be contributed to the Social Housing Growth Fund. The development would also provide a diverse mix of one, two and three-bedroom residences targeting a broader range of buyers than typically found in Surrey Hills' detached housing market.

Sustainability initiatives include an anticipated 66 per cent BESS score, natural cross-ventilation to 80 per cent of apartments, 28 per cent deep soil landscaping and a canopy cover outcome exceeding local planning requirements. The proposal also sets aside more than 1,083 sqm for communal indoor and outdoor resident amenity spaces.

<img alt="First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="33fad46f-fe26-4d0a-acfd-6b776e1c6a3d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Untitled%20design.png?VersionId=D9F6WVSyYCtGvSUmith35LRp6R7PQkw_" />

Planning documents describe the property as one of the largest underutilised residential sites in Surrey Hills, arguing it presents a rare opportunity to introduce "missing middle" housing in an established inner-eastern suburb while preserving and revitalising a significant heritage precinct.

Antipodean Land Developments has built a reputation for design-focused residential projects across Melbourne, particularly in the medium-density sector. Previous developments include Neighbourhood in Brunswick East, delivered with Breathe Architecture, and Balfe Park Lane, designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects.

They've been very active in site acquisition as they build out their future development pipeline. They recently launched Thornubury House, 45 apartments above a mix of commercial, retail, and food and beverage tenancies, and have plans for a boutique project in Fitzroy and another <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/vic/antipodean-plan-apartments-for-deepdenes-missing-middle-on-whitehorse-road">"missing middle" project</a> on Deepdene's Whitehorse Road.

First look: Antipodean Land Developments plans heritage-led apartment community in Surrey Hills

Developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/auyin-property-development">Auyin</a> is the latest to turn to the Victorian Government's Development Facilitation Program in an effort to secure approval for its long-planned, mixed-use project in Elsternwick.

In 2018, Auyin lodged plans with Glen Eira City Council for a 14-storey building, however Council approved a reduced eight-storey scheme. A subsequent VCAT appeal in 2019 upheld the eight-storey height limit.

The project was later amended to nine storeys, but Auyin is now seeking to revive something closer to its original vision. The developer argues that the planning context has evolved significantly over the past decade, particularly within the Elsternwick Activity Centre, where higher-density development has increasingly been encouraged along Glen Huntly Road.

The proposal would transform the 1,239 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/7-12-horne-street-elsternwick-vic-3185">7-15 Horne Street</a>, opposite Elsternwick Railway Station, into a 13-storey residential and retail development designed by CBG Architects, with 40 apartments

The site currently comprises three commercial properties.

<img alt="First look: 13-storey mixed-use tower planned for Elsternwick activity centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5f465dd4-509b-4082-a669-0253b313914b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/elsternwick%20podium.png?VersionId=72frWi0SmQ5AVJ3ARRhX5ILUYObhTm7x" />

The proposed apartment mix comprises 25 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom residences above 200 sqm of retail space at ground level. Residents would have access to a 90 sqm wellness facility, a 351 sqm communal indoor and outdoor terrace on the third level, and extensive landscaped areas throughout the development. A publicly accessible 135 sqm plaza would be created on the north-east corner of the site, providing seating, landscaping, and a new gathering space adjoining Horne Street.

The design adopts a four-storey podium that references the finer-grain character of the surrounding streetscape, with the upper tower recessed behind generous setbacks on all boundaries.

<img alt="First look: 13-storey mixed-use tower planned for Elsternwick activity centre" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e637e763-2abc-4c34-a0aa-5c7ad36fae18" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/elsternwick%20open.png?VersionId=J1AoOpZgTyaF.KeeFSX6lMjEScX8KKRi" />

A key element of the proposal is the reconfiguration and widening of the surrounding laneways. Vehicle access would be retained from Lois Lane, with upgraded pedestrian connections linking Ross Street and Horne Street. The development would provide 58 residential car spaces, two retail car spaces, and 52 bicycle spaces across two basement levels and ground-floor facilities.

Architecturally, the building draws inspiration from the established character of Elsternwick Village. The façade combines dark charcoal brickwork, textured concrete, bronze-toned metal detailing, and extensive planting integrated into podium and tower levels. The design also incorporates a chamfered corner treatment and publicly accessible plaza intended to strengthen pedestrian activity around the station precinct.

Elsternwick's last new development completion was&nbsp;EVA Elsternwick by Pitard late last year. <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/milieu-property">Milieu</a> is working away on its nature-led neighbourhood, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/elsternwick-gardens-by-milieu-8-gordon-street-elsternwick-vic-3185">Elsternwick Gardens</a>, on Gordon Street, with its first stage expected to complete next year.

First look: Auyin seeks mixed-use apartment project in growing Elsternwick Activity Centre

Oversupply

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A story that caught my eye this week proclaimed a building boom in the City of Blacktown in Sydney’s west.
My first reaction was gratification, because for years I’ve promoted Blacktown as one of Sydney’s underrated growth markets – and in recent times it has delivered on its promise, with state-leading population growth and capital growth right up with the best in Sydney. A lift in development approvals makes sense.
My second reaction was concern, because the level of building approvals in the past two financial years raises the prospect of the greatest risk hovering above property markets around Australia – oversupply.
While building and developer groups continue to peddle their political catchcry of shortage, unsupported by any evidence, the reality is that the opposite problem is the greatest threat to residential markets.
There is no bubble in Australian real estate and the chances of prices collapsing for this reason are zero.
But there is a risk of serious decline in major markets because of oversupply.
We have some stark recent examples of what can happen to markets when developers build too many dwellings.
One is provided by Gladstone, which has the most compelling demand factors ever visited on a regional city in Australia. Sixty billion dollars in major construction projects and tens of thousands of new jobs and yet the market has crashed. Oversupply can override the most powerful of growth drivers.
Another example is the Gold Coast. This wacky theme park for overseas tourists and property speculators has just emerged from five years of declining values for a single reason: oversupply created by developers who let their egos do the decision-making. In most locations values are still below those of five years ago (although that is set to change as the Gold Coast moves into a growth phase).
The next big surplus scenario is now being enacted in downtown Melbourne, with a looming market disaster being facilitated by Australia’s worst ever planning minister, Matthew Guy. I can envisage a time when property owners in inner-city Melbourne mount a class action to sue Guy for destroying their property values by not only approving but encouraging the greatest apartment glut since federation.
But Melbourne is likely to have plenty of company. Every CBD and near-city market in capital city Australia has an existing oversupply or is heading towards one. The Gold Coast has finally absorbed a five-year surplus of highrise units but developers are already working feverishly on the next one, in the apparent belief that the Commonwealth Games and Chinese investors will cover their butts.
This spotlights an issue many investors overlook when considering a location. They’ll examine many factors but fail to check out the vacancy rate. Even those that do are at risk, because few think about future supply.
Investors must check current vacancies but also examine building approval figures. A major uplift in residential approvals in the most recent financial year can provide a clue to future over-supply.
A case in point is Rockhampton in Queensland. I’m a fan of this place because it has economic diversity, less reliance on resources than neighbouring Mackay and Gladstone, lots of affordable dwellings and strong rental yields. There’s plenty of infrastructure and development happening.
Rockhampton has a strong future. But my one nagging concern has been the level of recent building approvals. Recently those high levels of new dwellings have started to push up residential vacancies.
Back to the City of Blacktown, where close to $1 billion in new developments was approved by the council in 2013-14. In each of the 2011 and 2012 financial years, dwelling approvals numbered around 1,400. In both the 2013 and 2104 financial years, approvals have been around 2,100 – with a particularly big increase in approvals for apartments.
In the past couple of years, development approvals for the Blacktown LGA have been the highest in Sydney metropolitan area, except for Sydney City. Blacktown has been well ahead of Parramatta and Penrith.
This reflects Blacktown’s status as the population growth leader in NSW, as well as a centre for good infrastructure, transport links, new development and jobs growth. It will probably attract plenty of benefits from the Badgerys Creek airport development.
But investors would be wise to keep on eye on dwelling supply. Currently the vacancy rate for the Blacktown postcode is just 1.2%, according to SQM Research. But that could change – and quickly.
You can contact Terry via  <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email</a> or on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.
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terryryder-YECXbqmri2

Greatest risk hovering above the market isn't a bubble, it's oversupply

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Perth’s construction of apartments and its surrounds has recently increased significantly, says RE/MAX WA managing director Geoff Baldwin.
However, he says that beliefs there is an oversupply coming are overstating the problem and are unlikely to come true.
“The property development industry is now much more regulated and sophisticated than it has been in past cycles and this has come about through hard lessons learned, not only by the developers themselves, but by the lenders that finance these projects,” said Baldwin.
“Prior to the global financial crisis lenders were much more liberal in their financing of prospective developments however today it is almost impossible to achieve financing without the developer having substantial equity in the project and certainly not before a majority of the apartments are sold off the plan on unconditional contracts.”
He notes that without 60% or 80% unconditional presales, the developments will not begin construction, and so, unlike in the past, developments that do not have the associated demand will not come to fruition.
He also noted that with most developments, they are sold out completely prior to construction leaving no flood of new stock to the market.
“It also must be taken into account the massive shift towards high density, low maintenance, secure living that is seeing an increasing number of people move away from the suburbs and into an apartment closer to the city.”
{module Do you believe an apartment oversupply is coming to Perth?}
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jduke-EHk3XBmHkn

Is Perth’s oversupply of apartments “overstated”?

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ABC News 24 seems determined to overtake the Sydney Morning Herald as the nation’s leading source of real estate misinformation.
Following recent instances of badly misinformed comments on property issues by presenters Michael Rowland and Virginia Trioli, News 24 did a dangerously inept report on Melbourne's inner city apartment market on Thursday last week.
The report characterised the situation as an exciting boom. Not a word about inflated prices, two-tiered marketing practices, high vacancy rates and potential for market decline - and only the slightest reference to the possibility of oversupply.
The report allowed spruikers and marketers to eulogise the building boom as an endless summer of possibilities, without asking those with vested interests a single hard question.
In essence, developers are throwing up towers and peddling apartments to distant investors at inflated prices.  You might think: well, who cares? If Asians with too many dollars and not enough sense pay silly prices for bad real estate, that's their problem.
<blockquote>
There’s a shakeout of major proportions in the offing and you really don’t want to be part of it.
</blockquote>
But it's everyone's problem. Australians own property in these markets. I regularly meet people who have bought apartments in inner-city Melbourne - and can't get tenants, because the market is oversupplied.
I recently met an investor who owns three investment properties, all of them off the plan apartments in Docklands and only now realising there might be a problem.
These people will have to settle contracts at prices much higher than their property's market value. It's a disaster in the making. It has the ability to drag down the wider Melbourne market, to the detriment of families and the nation.
The inner Melbourne “boom” is toxic growth if ever I’ve seen it. Vacancies in the Melbourne CBD, Southbank and Docklands have been fluctuating between 5% and 10% recently - and will get worse, given the weight of new construction.
State Planning Minister Matthew Guy appears determined to aid and abet any developer who wants to build another tower, to the point where you have to wonder about his motives.
There was no sense of any of that in the shallow piece put together by the ABC News 24 team. 
At the end of the item, Jim Middleton weighed in with misplaced comments on foreign investors in Melbourne high-rise forcing up general Melbourne real estate prices and forcing Aussie battlers outs of the market.
Middleton also prattled on about price bubbles, putting the finishing touches to a consummate piece of misinformation. He made a goose of himself but will probably never know.
I urge all investors to stay away from the inner Melbourne apartment market. There’s a shakeout of major proportions in the offing and you really don’t want to be part of it.
Paying $700,000 for a two-bedroom generic apartment, in a market with tens of thousands of identical products, is the essence of bad investing.
You can contact Terry via <a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank">email</a> or on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">Twitter</a>
Photo courtesy of Vincent Q/Flickr.
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The inner Melbourne “boom” is toxic growth

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The Brisbane office market is facing a perfect storm.
A sobering report by forecaster BIS Shrapnel is predicting the sunshine state to be hit with an oversupply of stock for the next decade, along with a vacancy rate set to reach 18% plus in 2016.
The city's looming oversupply woes was just one of the topics examined in the Brisbane office market report. It looked at the strength of leasing and investor demand, all of which pointed to a challenging few years for the market.
Not mincing it's words, BIS Shrapnel said: "there’s a perception that further oversupply in the Brisbane CBD office market may be averted by withdrawing secondary buildings for conversion to residential or short term accommodation uses".
"While there are perhaps a handful of suitable candidates, it will be a case of too little too late."
The report warned that because of that oversupply pressure, rents and property values will take a hit. 
<img src="/images/2014/04/29/chart-of-the-week-april-29.-breakout.jpg" alt="">
Author of the report, Christian Schilling, said there were three towers currently under way in the CBD that would add another 186,000 square metres of new space before the end of 2016, equal to 9% of current stock. 
In contrast, withdrawals for conversion or re- development expected over the same time horizon, he noted,  sum to just 72,000 square metres, or 120,000 square metres to the end of 2017.
"On balance, that is still one tower too many", he said. "And this is on top of weak demand and a vacancy rate of 14.2% at January this year".
Among some of the buildings slated as withdrawals in the report were 80 Albert Street,plus a number of buildings to be vacated by the state government over the next three and a half years, which include Health House, 80 George Street, the Executive Building, the Executive Annex, Neville Bonner Building and Forestry House. The Primary Industries Building was also flagged as a potential withdrawal for redevelopment, along with some odd small buildings for conversion to residential or short term accommodation. 
Against this backdrop, BIS Shrapnel is also forecasting demand to be weak in the near, with the CBD expected to suffer "a triple hit in the form of the Government’s release of surplus space, tenants leaving for the fringe, and falling mining investment".
The forecaster estimates that since 2012, cuts to the public service and it's accommodation have resulted in 120,000 square metres of surplus space in the CBD, plus a further 20 square metres in the fringe, all of which the government intends to release as lease expire.
It is forecasting another 70,000 square metres of space to be released in the CBD over the next 3 years.
Compounding the situation, it notes is the space vacated by BOQ, Ventyx, Flight Centre and Robert Bird Group, all of which are leaving the CBD for the fringe, resulting in more than 40,000 square metres of vacated space.
Also constraining demand, it added, was the downturn in mining investment.
“I don’t want to talk the market down, but it’s simple maths”, said Schilling. “Unless mining investment takes off again, which is highly unlikely to happen over the next three years, vacancy rates will blow out to over 18% in 2016.”
As such, he believes, the Brisbane office market would represent a very challenging environment for building owners, developers and investors.
"Anyone contemplating investing in Brisbane in the short term should think carefully about the potential consequences, as the market weakness is likely to persist for the rest of this decade”, Mr Schilling warned. 
Photo courtesy of <a class="owner-name truncate" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/burningimage/" target="_blank" title="Go to Nam Nguyen's photostream" data-track="attributionNameClick" data-rapid_p="21">Nam Nguyen</a>/Flickr.
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