One of North Sydney's best-known commercial buildings could become hundreds of new homes, with insurance giant Zurich Australia lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to transform 5 Blue Street into a mixed-use residential development above North Sydney Station.

Rather than demolishing the existing building and starting again, Zurich is proposing an adaptive reuse project that would convert the landmark office building into a 15-level residential development delivering 62 apartments, 86 affordable co-living dwellings, activated retail and significant upgrades to the Blue Street Plaza.

The proposal reflects a growing trend of commercial property owners repositioning ageing office assets into residential housing as Sydney grapples with housing supply shortages and changing workplace demand.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0bba7d12-06dc-4375-aad7-238c94b21ac5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.42.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=NJl5oLAEBDGuPmY3RnyliKODjMc8lvRh" />

Located directly above North Sydney Metro and train station, the 3,051 sqm site occupies one of the most strategically positioned parcels of land on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

Designed by fjcstudio, the proposal seeks to retain and adapt much of the existing structure while creating a contemporary residential address that better connects with the public domain surrounding North Sydney Station.

The application proposes two basement levels, ground floor retail, affordable co-living accommodation across the podium levels, and apartments above, while preserving and enhancing the publicly accessible Blue Street Plaza.

Rather than pursuing maximum apartment numbers, Zurich has opted for a housing mix heavily weighted towards larger owner-occupier residences.

The proposal includes 62 build-to-sell apartments comprising 12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom apartments and two premium penthouses. It also incorporates 86 affordable co-living dwellings, which would be managed in perpetuity by a Community Housing Provider.

That balance between traditional apartments and affordable housing reflects the NSW Government's push to increase housing diversity around major transport infrastructure.

The proposal has been lodged concurrently with a rezoning application, with Zurich arguing the site is ideally positioned to support additional housing given its immediate proximity to public transport, employment and services.

"The proposal aims to respond to the housing challenges facing Sydney through the delivery of diverse housing types in a highly accessible location," the design report by fjcstudio states. It also seeks to improve pedestrian amenity through upgrades to Blue Street Plaza while creating a high-performing residential building that responds to the surrounding context.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36082e15-c636-4481-bb68-5a5f6443fe39" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.41.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=5P6VD.fvmqjQfIG3TWWMRXxQWiQBjeFB" />

Rather than replacing the commercial building, fjcstudio has developed a design that works with the existing structural framework above the rail corridor, an approach that significantly reduces demolition while allowing the site to be repositioned as a mixed-use residential precinct.

The existing structural constraints have informed much of the building's design, including its relationship with Blue Street and surrounding public spaces.

The building has been designed as a slender tower rising above a clearly defined podium, with vertically expressed façades intended to reduce the perceived bulk while reinforcing North Sydney's emerging skyline.

According to fjcstudio, the architectural language responds directly to the surrounding commercial towers while maintaining a finer grain expression more closely aligned with the neighbouring Lavender Bay streetscape.

The tower incorporates articulated façade elements, landscaped podium edges and recessed upper levels to soften its appearance and improve pedestrian amenity below.

A significant component of the proposal is the revitalisation of Blue Street Plaza.

The existing public space has long served as one of the primary pedestrian connections between North Sydney Station, Greenwood Plaza and Blue Street, yet its role is expected to become even more important following the opening of Sydney Metro.

Zurich's proposal seeks to strengthen that role by improving landscaping, introducing new retail frontages, enhancing pedestrian permeability and creating more active edges throughout the day and evening.

Ground floor retail would wrap the plaza, while separate residential and co-living entries have been designed to improve wayfinding without reducing street activation.

Landscape design has been integrated throughout the podium and public realm, softening what is currently one of the most heavily urbanised parts of North Sydney.

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fjcstudio has carefully oriented apartments towards Sydney Harbour and the CBD while using privacy blades and articulated façades to minimise overlooking between neighbouring buildings.

Large framed openings along the western elevation maximise harbour outlooks, while the eastern apartments have been angled towards the south-east to improve privacy from neighbouring development.

The project forms part of the continuing transformation of North Sydney from a predominantly commercial CBD into a genuine mixed-use city centre.

Since the completion of Victoria Cross Metro Station, developers have increasingly shifted their attention towards residential projects capable of leveraging the area's unparalleled transport connectivity.

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FiveX recently lodged plans for a 61-storey, 490-apartment tower that would become one of the tallest residential buildings in North Sydney if approved.

Aqualand continues to expand its Lower North Shore presence following the completion of AURA on Walker Street and its recent St Leonards and Roseville proposals.

Developers are also progressing projects throughout Walker Street, Miller Street and the Victoria Cross precinct as demand for well-located owner-occupier apartments continues to strengthen.

Joel Robinson

First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station

Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.

The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.

The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.

<img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" />

The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;

PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.

The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.

Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.

"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.

Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.

A major focus of the design has been the public domain.

The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.

The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.

Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.

Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.

Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.

Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a>

Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]

It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.

Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]

The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.

Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a> 
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First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.

At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.

The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]

Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.

The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]

The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.

The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]

Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.

Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]

The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.

The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.

The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.

"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.

"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."

Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]

Otello launches wellness-focused Flowe Bowden with Adelaide-first mass timber apartment design

Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.

Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.

Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.

Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.

For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.

Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.

Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.

The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.

That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.

Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.

It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.

For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.

Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

Inca Property Group has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Dawn, a 53-apartment oceanfront development overlooking Mona Vale Beach.

The proposal, at 35-39 Darley Street East, would replace an existing 18-apartment strata building with a new owner-occupier-focused development comprising 53 two and three-bedroom apartments, including nine affordable built-to-rent residences delivered under the State's infill affordable housing scheme.

Positioned on a 2,679 sqm elevated site around 280 metres from Mona Vale Beach, the development has been designed to maximise panoramic ocean views while responding to the site's sloping topography.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/inca-property-group">Inca Property Group</a> Managing Director Josh Thompson said the State Significant pathway provided greater certainty for projects of this scale.

"This State Significant pathway gives the team real certainty to progress <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dawn-35-39-darley-street-east-mona-vale-nsw-2103">Dawn</a> through to completion," Thompson said.

"It allows us to acquire a one-off site, design it carefully and deliver the right offering for the suburb, assessed by the NSW Government's planning department."

The project is one of the first developments in the area to be assessed under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, with the site sitting on the edge of the policy's designated inner area.

The proposal includes three basement levels providing 124 car spaces, alongside a range of resident amenities including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, wellness facilities and private plunge pools for selected ground-floor and penthouse apartments.

<img alt="Dawn" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc1a1daf-0ce4-4f12-9076-b1fa553c7a91" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-21%20at%208.42.11%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4GZ9h.gpNkTljbxyAET8Jfhv51XUamDm" />

Thompson said Dawn had been designed specifically for owner-occupiers and downsizers, a buyer profile that has driven demand across Inca's recent Upper North Shore developments.

"The majority of buyers in our recent North Shore projects have been downsizers, and we are learning exactly what this market is looking for. Beyond the location itself, we have included resort-style amenities to deliver a genuine lifestyle offering," Thompson said.

Located within walking distance of Mona Vale Beach, the town centre, Mona Vale Golf Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Dawn represents Inca's first Northern Beaches project following the sell-out of Tara on Park in Waitara and Ellis Residences, currently under construction in St Ives.

Construction will be undertaken by Inca's in-house construction arm, GOP Constructions.

Dawn is the latest major apartment proposal for Mona Vale, with the suburb emerging as one of the key beneficiaries of the NSW Government's new Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy.

New developer One Living, led by industry veteran Joseph Scuderi, recently secured a site on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, where it is planning around 140 apartments.

IPM is also planning its third project in Mona Vale, significantly increasing the scale of its previous developments with an 82-apartment proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/159-167-darley-street-west-mona-vale-nsw-2103">159-167 Darley Street West</a>, opposite Bayview Golf Course and less than 800 metres from Mona Vale town centre.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/one-living-enters-sydneys-new-apartment-market-with-northern-beaches-site-acquisition">One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-ipm-plans-third-mona-vale-project">First look: IPM plans third Mona Vale project</a>

First look: Inca eyes Mona Vale with State Significant DA for Dawn apartments

Restaurant

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A Hastings Street Noosa Heads investment has been sold for $1.375 million to a local diner investor.
The 194 square metre tenancy has had Montezumas restaurant as a long time tenant.
It was sold to a local investor by Ray White Commercial Noosa and Sunshine Coast North’s Paul Butler and John Petralia.
Set in Bay Village at <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-qld-noosa+heads-501607717" target="_blank">27/18 Hastings Street</a> the sale price of the first floor space represented a yield of 7.9%.
“The buyer has been a regular diner in the restaurant so was familiar with the property and the tenant, who has traded from this site for 14 years,” Paul Butler said.
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$1.375 million paid for Noosa Heads restaurant premises

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The 24-year partnership between Sydney celebrity chef Matt Moran and manager-restaurateur Peter Sullivan has concluded.
John Lethlean, who reviews restaurants for The Australian but prides himself as a professional restaurant industry gossip, revealed the news.
The business duo's entity, known as MorSul, is best known for Aria, but has since expanded into several restaurants along with a catering arm and several bars in Sydney and Brisbane.
Moran and his new business partners, Solotel will open a significant venue at the Barangaroo development next year.
Sullivan told John Lethlean that "the time is right for me to leave MorSul and pursue my own projects. It has been a fantastic partnership with Matt over 24 years and I wish him and Solotel all the very best for all their future projects.”
Moran advised “Pete and I have maintained a great friendship while we built a successful business together over the past 24 years, and we are both incredibly proud of that. Pete has decided to move on and we wish him the best in his future endeavours. I am certain they will be a huge success.”
Lethlean was a tad doubtful that it was all that simple.
Moran made a name for himself at the Paddington Inn, becoming the youngest chef to win a Good Food Guide chef's hat, when teaming with Peter Sullivan.
Their next venture, Moran's at Potts Point, won the guide's best new restaurant award in 1996.
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Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan go separate culinary ways

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Australian restaurant Granger &amp; Co has secured its third London site.
It is in King's Cross, a 2,500 square foot restaurant site in restored industrial dwellings known as the Stanley Building, at 7 St Pancras Square.
The new site adds to their existing London sites in Clerkenwell and Notting Hill. The third outlet, not far from Google, will be opening in late spring. The 86-cover restaurant will offer all-day dining and take-out coffee.
Bill Granger also operates restaurants worldwide in Tokyo, Honolulu and Seoul.
Bill Granger, the Darlinghurst chef, restaurateur and food writer, and his wife Natalie Elliott recently sold their Bronte house.
Bills Bondi at 79 Hall Street, Bondi was the recent new addition to his stable of restaurants around the world.
Bill Granger got his training at the iconic La Passion du Fruit on Paddington's Oxford Street after hailing from Melbourne. 
The La Passion proprietors Chrissie Juillet and Jean-Claude Wane had that communal sense of a family kitchen table interaction at the cafe, which Granger replicated when he opened the original Bills in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst in 1993, when he was 22.
His Queens Court, Woollahra restaurant recently closed, replaced by the vibrant Luxe.
Photograph courtesy of kingscross.co.uk. 
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Bill Granger secures third London restaurant premises

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Restaurants in Potts Point have been caught in the fallout of liquor laws aimed at late night Kings Cross night spots.
The restaurants failed to tally the amount, in millilitres, sold each hour and submitted quarterly.
The special licence conditions were introduced last year for venues serving alcohol in the Kings Cross entertainment precinct, following community concerns about alcohol-fuelled violence.
They are now being reviewed a year into its operation.
Of the strikes incurred under the special conditions, 11 have been for restaurants, cafes and small bars that failed to provide alcohol sales data, the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing's report shows. 10 were in Potts Point.
Under the tough licensing conditions, all venues in the precinct licensed to trade after 8pm are required to report their alcohol sales every night between 8pm and 5am across eight categories, including light and full-strength beer, spirits and energy drinks. 
Kings Cross Liquor Accord chief Doug Grand, noting many small restaurants lacked the technology to automatically record their sales data, has asked the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to exempt small venues with no history of violence from the requirements.
Mai Train, whose popular Potts Point Vietnamese restaurant Bay Bua has received one strike, said the reporting requirements were confusing and time-consuming. 
"Nobody gets drunk in a Vietnamese restaurant," she told Fairfax Media.
Another venue pinged under the new rules was Panhandlebar, a 52-seat cafe and wine bar established by Stephen Marks who said ordinarily his annual licence fee would be $400, but having incurred a strike, it could potentially rise to $5400. 
The NSW Small Business Commissioner Robyn Hobbs said she would meet with affected business owners next week, following a request from independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich.
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Restaurants caught in Kings Cross liquor laws fallout

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The Crazy Lobster Restaurant and Cafe has secured a five-year lease at 191 Darling Street, Balmain, Sydney.
It was at a gross annual rent of $105,600 through Ray White’s Tim Morrison.
The property is a 94-square-metre restaurant in a sandstone building on Darling Street that sits 60 plus people. 
Morrison said Crazy Lobster head chef and restaurateur Sasha Alexander currently operated a number of other restaurants in the area.
“Mr Alexander felt there was a gap in Balmain’s restaurant market for a unique menu offering a fusion of cuisines,” he said.
“Crazy Lobster’s menu will comprise a mixture of rustic Italian and French inspired breakfasts as well as handmade pasta and seafood for lunch and dinner.”
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Crazy Lobster leases in Balmain

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The British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver seems set to open Jamie's Trattoria in Parramatta.
Oliver's first Italian Australian restaurant <a href="/expert-insights/investing/jamie-oliver-needs-to-sell-28-000-bowls-of-spaghetti-to-cover-his-350-000-sydney-rent">opened in Sydney's CBD in 2011</a>, with others following in Perth, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.
The Pacific Restaurant Group, which holds the franchise for the Oliver restaurant brand in Australia and New Zealand, plans to spend up to $1.4 million fitting out the former bridal store site as a 200 seat restaurant.
Parramatta Council is revamping the mall, renaming the area Bicentennial Square.
It was the premises of the Park Avenue bridal boutique that left hundreds of brides-to-be stranded when it collapsed in August 2013.
<a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-nsw-parramatta-500892087" target="_blank">The 83 Macquarie Street premises</a>, identified by the foodie syndicate in late 2013, were recently indicated as leased.
The space is on the south-west corner of Church Street and Macquarie Street.
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Jamie Oliver set for new Parramatta restaurant

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The chef Matt Moran has announced he will open a three-storey restaurant in the harbour-front Barangaroo precinct.
Lend Lease unveiled plans for the restaurant, which will be Moran's seventh Sydney restaurant.
Moran will work with his business partner Peter Sullivan from MorSul and Bruce Solomon and Anna Solomon from Solotel.
“I am not going to do anything I have done before at Barangaroo,” Moran said.
The restaurant, due to open in March 2016 at the southern end near King Street Wharf, will be in a striking building designed by architects Collins and Turner. 
The charcoal building will resemble several stacked shallow bowls, one of about 50 food and beverage outlets at Barangaroo South. 
The restaurant will have a casual lower floor, a more premium restaurant on the middle floor along with a rooftop garden bar.
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“When we were first approached by Lend Lease about joining the precinct, it was the location of the site which was key in our decision making," Matt Moran said.
"We intend to deliver a truly Australian experience at this world-class waterfront venue. Whether you are looking for a casual bar and restaurant, a more premium restaurant or a rooftop garden bar, we will have it all with our offering at Barangaroo and use only the best locally sourced produce to create a showpiece of Sydney dining,” said Matt. 
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Matt Moran bowls up Barangaroo South eat street restaurant 

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Dan Hunter’s new three hats restaurant,<a href="https://braerestaurant.com/"> </a>Brae, at <a href="/news">Birregurra</a>, some 90 minutes south-west of Melbourne, has been named The Age Good Food Guide restaurant of the year.
It is only the third time the award has gone to a restaurant outside of Melbourne.
Brae was also named best new and best regional restaurant in the Gourmet Traveller awards last week.
<img src="/images/2014/08/29/brae_0004_BraeRestaurant%205.jpg.jpg" alt="">
Chef Dan Hunter and his wife, Julianne established the $180 set price multi-course menu less than a year ago.
Drawing many of its ingredients from the surrounding gardens and local farms, The Age Good Food Guide co-editor Janne Apelgren said Brae was “a benchmark in contemporary fine dining”.
As for "the Brae Effect" what is very obvious is the surge in new B&amp;B's as without doubt the restaurant has created huge demand for short-stay accommodation. 
That means the 15 or so staff at the restaurant have found local accommodation challenging - some renting in nearby towns like Winchelsea and Colac.
<img src="/images/2014/08/29/brae_0002_BraeRestaurant%203.jpg.jpg" alt="">
There have been around 40 property sales since early 2013 at Brae, with prices ranging from $90,000 on Main Street to $1.8 million for an 80 hectare farm on Cape Otway Road. Sales are a bit too erratic to make out an obvious price growth trend.
The restaurant is on a seven hectare holding that sold in May 2013 for $1.05 million to the McCorkell Brown Group, directed by Howard McCorkell and Damien Newton-Brown, who have been building and developing iconic properties together for 15 years.
The property came with the original 1868 cottage, with Corkell and Newton-Brown commissioning James Legge, principal of Six Degrees Architects, to work on the design of the new operation.
Accommodation is currently on the drawing board with Damien Newton-Brown telling Property Observer that he is close to lodging the planning permit application for the accommodation, and if all things go well construction might get underway in early 2015.  
<img src="/images/2014/08/29/brae_0001_BraeRestaurant%202.jpg.jpg" alt="">
Brae was formerly Sunnybrae, the pioneering paddock-to-plate restaurant owned and run by chef George Biron who farmed organically with his partner, Di Garrett, who sold the property.
Tulip in nearby Geelong was named the new regional restaurant of the year.
<div class="display-media image secondary pull-right"><img class="size_secondary filetype-jpg" src="https://edge.alluremedia.com.au/uploads/businessinsider/2014/08/age-cover-an-300x0.jpg" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></div>
2015 marks the 35 edition of The Age Good Food Guide which is on sale for $24.99.
Photos: <a href="https://www.colinpage.com.au/#See" target="_blank">Chris Page</a>. Source: Supplied. 
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Brae restaurant awards puts Birregurra on the foodies B&B map

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A three storey Victorian-era building at 105 Little Bourke Street fetched $3.5 million, at a record 2.6% yield for Melbourne's Chinatown.
It was a Chinatown record of $16,338 a square metre through CBRE.
A mainland Chinese investor purchased <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-vic-melbourne-501210659" target="_blank">the property</a> which has been occupied by a Japanese restaurant.
There were 18 contracts issued to potential buyers in the tender for the 118 square metre offering.
<img src="/images/2014/08/27/melbourne-aug-27-two.jpg" alt="">
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Record Melbourne Chinatown sale to mainland Chinese buyer

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The 100 diner East Brunswick premises of Hellenic Republic has been sold for $2,375,000.
The initial price guidance was around $1.9 million for the recent auction.
There were five interested parties for the 340 square metre property at 434 Lygon Street.
It has been listed by Made Establishment through the Killen Thomas agent John Camilleri in conjunction with <a href="https://www.fitzroys.com.au/property/8757/sale/434-lygon-street/brunswick-east-vic-3057/investment-(retail)" target="_blank">Chris Kombi at Fitzroys</a>. 
It is just the premises that sold as the popular 273 square metre eatery will continue to trade after a newly signed 10-year lease.
Hellenic Republic, with its new 10 year plus five and five year lease, was offered returning $120,000 per annum plus outgoings and GST.
Made Establishment is jointly owned by celebrity chef George Calombaris, restaurant entrepreneur George Sykiotis, and steel industry barons Joe Calleja and Tony Lachimea.
The property traded at $824,000 in late 2007 when bought by George C Pty Ltd and Cerberos Pty Ltd.
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