Urban Moves Ahead on Newcastle’s Tallest Tower Plan

Plans for what could become Newcastle’s tallest tower are moving ahead.

Developer Urban Property Group is planning a 39-storey project comprising 200 apartments, of which 42 would be allocated as affordable and 100 as co-living. 

Concept plans for the 2904sq m site detail a mix of homes types to respond to “demographic shifts, changing household structures and housing needs across income levels”.

A hotel is also planned for the scheme along with ground-floor retail.

The scoping report outlined a rezoning proposal to double the permitted maximum building height on the site from 60m to 133 metres.

Urban also said it would prepare a State Significant Development application for the site after it was fast-tracked by the Housing Delivery Authority in June. 

▲ Urban’s rezoning proposal would ask to more than double the maximum height limits.

Urban acquired the site at 10 Dangar Street on the Newcastle waterfront in April from the receivers of Multipart Property Group after it collapsed.

Multipart was approved for a 97-unit, 14-storey development with 5500sq m of commercial space in 2019, which it dubbed Bowline.

However, Dangar St Wickham Pty Ltd, the company belonging to Multipart director Matt Zappia and that submitted the plans to the City of Newcastle for the site, appointed KPMG receivers in November of 2024. 

Media reported at the time that the developer claimed it was owed $8.5 million by previous builder Eastern Pacific, which lost its builder’s licence in early 2024.

▲ Rendering of Multipart’s approved 14-storey project.

Under the National Housing Accord targets, 11,100 new homes are required to be delivered in the Newcastle local government area by 2029. 

Urban’s plans aligned with the Hunter Regional Plan 2041, the scoping report said, delivering high-density housing within walking distance of retail, employment and transport links.

The Dangar Street development is close to formerly “underutilised” sites in development, including Doma Group’s 854 Hunter Street development, which was greenlit in 2022, and Thirdi’s Dairy Farmers Tower at 924 Hunter Street at Newcastle West.

Urban is filling its pipeline, also launching plans for nearly 2000 homes at Edmondson Park this week and starting work on its Chapter Place development in the same suburb this month.  

It also scooped up a site belonging to collapsed developer St Hilliers last year on the Central Coast, restarting work on the $115-million first stage.