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South Melbourne will soon be the first Australian location for world-renowned designer Philippe Starck’s Nu By YOO lifestyle-led hotel brand after recently receiving planning approval. Jerry Xu’s hotel management company La Vie Hotels and Resorts has secured the rights to bring the hotel brand to the Pacific. The 88-key hotel will be located at 28 Albert Road in South Melbourne next to the new Anzac train station and the Royal Botanic Gardens.&nbsp;The 23-storey hotel will be part of a development project between Zhiwei Huang’s DCF Property Group and M Property, part of Chua Hock Hoo’s and Lloyd Clark’s M Group. The 1007sq m site is part of a larger parcel first put up for sale in 2016 by Melbourne businessman John Shalit and then purchased by DCF Property Group in May 2018 for $20.68 million.The hotel will have 88 rooms, a restaurant, bar, gym and pool and is scheduled to open in 2025. Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023. &nbsp;La Vie Hotels and Resorts’ managing director Craig Bond said the company is betting on people wanting to travel and experience new things after extended lockdown periods during the pandemic.“If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that people are wanting to feel connected and when travelling, be transported to a place that inspires and excites while factoring in the local idiosyncrasies of the community,” Bond said.International property entrepreneur John Hitchcox and Starck founded YOO in 1999. It has two brands: YOO2 and By YOO with the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade Jagger, Elle MacPherson and Kate Moss having designed interiors for properties under the latter. &nbsp;Hitchcox said Melbourne felt like the right fit for the hotel location and the Australian launch of the YOO hotels.&nbsp;<div id="3nV9K5AIqESeHJ83loHMsQ"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5rBRmaq11XnE5vZLba4uht/cf7be29698e4417dc7507fd6fce2be3e/NubyYoomid.jpeg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5rBRmaq11XnE5vZLba4uht/cf7be29698e4417dc7507fd6fce2be3e/NubyYoomid.jpeg"></picture><div>▲ French designer Philippe Starck’s YOO Hotels will make its Australian debut in South Melbourne. </div></div>“We know how much Australians appreciate good design and we could not think of a more compelling city to launch YOO Hotels into the Australian market, than Melbourne, and look forward to seeing guests respond to the surrounds when the hotel opens,” Hitchcox said.As the world’s largest residential lifestyle brand, the company has a portfolio of residential developments, hotels, bespoke homes and mixed-use projects. La Vie Hotels and Resorts has been working to grow its hotel portfolio, announcing in March that it will operate three Radisson hotels in Galle, Colombo and Kandy in Sri Lanka on behalf of Bob Kundunmal’s SinoLanka Group.Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has taken a hit due to the pandemic and is currently operating in a climate of uncertainty due to ongoing political protests against its current government amid an economic debt crisis. La Vie Hotels and Resorts also recently opened the 88-key Quality Resort and Spa Patong Beach in Phuket.

South Melbourne will soon be the first Australian location for world-renowned designer Philippe Starck’s Nu By YOO lifestyle-led hotel brand after recently receiving planning approval.Jerry Xu’s hotel management company La Vie Hotels and Resorts has secured the rights to bring the hotel brand to the Pacific. The 88-key hotel will be located at 28 Albert Road in South Melbourne next to the new Anzac train station and the Royal Botanic Gardens.The 23-storey hotel will be part of a development project between Zhiwei Huang’s DCF Property Group and M Property, part of Chua Hock Hoo’s and Lloyd Clark’s M Group. The 1007sq m site is part of a larger parcel first put up for sale in 2016 by Melbourne businessman John Shalit and then purchased by DCF Property Group in May 2018 for $20.68 million.The hotel will have 88 rooms, a restaurant, bar, gym and pool and is scheduled to open in 2025. Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023. &nbsp;La Vie Hotels and Resorts’ managing director Craig Bond said the company is betting on people wanting to travel and experience new things after extended lockdown periods during the pandemic.“If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is that people are wanting to feel connected and when travelling, be transported to a place that inspires and excites while factoring in the local idiosyncrasies of the community,” Bond said.International property entrepreneur John Hitchcox and Starck founded YOO in 1999. It has two brands: YOO2 and By YOO with the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade Jagger, Elle MacPherson and Kate Moss having designed interiors for properties under the latter.Hitchcox said Melbourne felt like the right fit for the hotel location and the Australian launch of the YOO hotels.&nbsp;<div id="3nV9K5AIqESeHJ83loHMsQ"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5rBRmaq11XnE5vZLba4uht/cf7be29698e4417dc7507fd6fce2be3e/NubyYoomid.jpeg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5rBRmaq11XnE5vZLba4uht/cf7be29698e4417dc7507fd6fce2be3e/NubyYoomid.jpeg"></picture><div>▲ French designer Philippe Starck’s YOO Hotels will make its Australian debut in South Melbourne. </div></div> “We know how much Australians appreciate good design and we could not think of a more compelling city to launch YOO Hotels into the Australian market, than Melbourne, and look forward to seeing guests respond to the surrounds when the hotel opens,” Hitchcox said.As the world’s largest residential lifestyle brand, the company has a portfolio of residential developments, hotels, bespoke homes and mixed-use projects. La Vie Hotels and Resorts has been working to grow its hotel portfolio, announcing in March that it will operate three Radisson hotels in Galle, Colombo and Kandy in Sri Lanka on behalf of Bob Kundunmal’s SinoLanka Group.Sri Lanka’s tourism sector has taken a hit due to the pandemic and is currently operating in a climate of uncertainty due to ongoing political protests against its current government amid an economic debt crisis. La Vie Hotels and Resorts also recently opened the 88-key Quality Resort and Spa Patong Beach in Phuket.

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Developers will receive a 50 per cent land tax discount for build-to-rent projects in Western Australia’s budget released on Thursday.&nbsp;WA’s state budget earmarked a total of $408 million for housing and homelessness policies with $350 million spent on building housing in remote Aboriginal communities.Several other policies to allieviate financial stress for builders and homeowners and address housing supply issues were also announced.&nbsp;Western Australia’s housing and homelessness minister John Carey said there was a need to increase the supply of rental housing and that build-to-rent projects were not that common in the state."We’re continuing our significant reforms to housing delivery in Western Australia, with a 50 per cent cut to land tax to promote build-to-rent developments, a housing option that is well-established in other parts of Australia but less used in WA,” Carey said.The budget also includes a new Keystart program to help low and middle income earners buy units in developments close to key transport hubs and links in inner-city Perth and Metronet precincts.&nbsp;The state government has also permanently increased the income eligibility limits for the Keystart program to $105,000 for singles and $155,000 for couples and families.&nbsp;The state budget also included a $30-million scheme to help builders struggling with the effects of the pandemic and the <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/construction-sector-feeling-shockwaves-from-war-in-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/construction-sector-feeling-shockwaves-from-war-in-ukraine">Ukrainian conflict as supplies decrease </a>and their costs increase.&nbsp;The financial relief scheme will apply to head contractors on Department of Finance and Department of Communities projects.<div id="5PZwYRswUWFYGt7rRDh7Aa"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2b5ixgOHqU92UDqnICuRfM/f316aee6039477d069b695e27bfa724a/Wa_budget_story_mid_article.jpg" alt="WA&quot;s Premier and Treasurer Mark McGowan has announced a 50 per cent land tax discount for developers working on build-to-rent apartment projects in a bid to address demand for rental accommodation. Source: WA Government" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2b5ixgOHqU92UDqnICuRfM/f316aee6039477d069b695e27bfa724a/Wa_budget_story_mid_article.jpg"></picture><div>▲ WA"s Premier and Treasurer Mark McGowan has announced a 50 per cent land tax discount for developers working on build-to-rent apartment projects in a bid to address demand for rental accommodation. Source: WA Government </div></div> WA’s premier and treasurer Mark McGowan said all construction projects were affected by supply chain disruptions."Both private and public construction projects are being impacted by global supply pressures putting upward pressure on input costs and tight labour market conditions, with the unemployment rate at the lowest level in years,” McGowan said.There will also be $1.5 million spent on attracting building and construction workers from the United Kingdom and Ireland and the state government will request that the federal government place building and construction workers on the priority skilled occupations migration list.The state government will also ask major banks to be flexible with financing and will, where possible, implement rise and fall clauses in future government contracts.The Keystart program will also include a fifth payment phase to get payment to builders faster and a Department of Communities prequalification panel to assess contractors.WA homeowners will also get a 30-month extension on Building Bonus grants to help with construction delays.&nbsp;WA’s finance minister Tony Buti said both builders and owners were facing financial stress.“Customers and industry in the building and construction sector have faced uncertainty over these global issues, and we're doing what we can to alleviate some pressure,” Buti said.“For home builders, we're enabling a further 12 months for construction to start on new builds for the $20,000 payment.“This will assist up to around 2,500 outstanding applicants who may be impacted by building delays.”

Developers will receive a 50 per cent discount on land taxes for building build-to-rent projects in Western Australia, in a new policy announced in the state’s budget earlier this week. 
Western Australia’s state budget earmarked $408 million for policies on housing and homelessness. 


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Confidence in Australia’s hotel market is soaring on the back of a record-breaking deal—Baring Private Equity Asia's $530-million acquisition of Hilton Sydney.Chinese-backed investment group <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sydney-hilton-sells-442-million" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sydney-hilton-sells-442-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bright Ruby bought the Hilton Sydney on George Street for $442 million</a> in 2015 before giving it a $25-million upgrade.&nbsp;This is the highest price paid for a hotel in operation in Australia, both overall and on a per room basis at $900,000 per room.It tops <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/offshore-insurance-group-buys-sheraton-hotel-463m" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/offshore-insurance-group-buys-sheraton-hotel-463m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese insurer Sunshine Insurance Group’s $463-million purchase of Sydney’s Sheraton on the Park</a> in 2014.In Melbourne, other records are being eyed with <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sp-setia-sets-500m-shangri-la-sale-price" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sp-setia-sets-500m-shangri-la-sale-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SP Setia’s Shangri-La hotel listed pre-opening for $500 million—</a>around $1 million per room.&nbsp;The expressions of interest campaign for Shangri-La ended on April 28.&nbsp;Also in Melbourne, a $200-million listing for three hotels by Kuwait’s Sheikh Mubarak AM Al-Sabah’s Action Hotel Group is yet to garner interest.The Accor Group, one of the world’s largest hotel operators, posted an average occupancy rate of 60 per cent across its 66 Victorian hotels (10,200 rooms) from January to the end of April.Accor, in a deal with Salter Brothers, will manage the 275-key Mercure Melbourne Southbank.The hotel operator has a pipeline of new hotels in Richmond, Hawthorn, Malvern and Latrobe, with Novotel and ibis Styles hotels in the works at Melbourne Airport. There are Melbourne hotels also planned by hoteliers 25hours and SO.Accor Pacific’s chief executive Sarah Derry said the company was keen to invest in Victoria.“Between 2021 and 2025, we will open 14 hotels in the state, which is an investment of more than $700 million by a variety of owners,” Derry said.&nbsp;“This will create around 600 jobs, while boosting the appeal of the city and the quality of accommodation available.” <div id="1MOnCEix14QKNhGkHIRFEX"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6zhXaDJYNilKeVWDwAGaB4/a620334e18b2659224186cca74f9089b/hotel_market_stroy_mid_article_one.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6zhXaDJYNilKeVWDwAGaB4/a620334e18b2659224186cca74f9089b/hotel_market_stroy_mid_article_one.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The Palumbo Group's 251-room Sofitel Adelaide, one of many hotels across Australia currently for sale.&nbsp; Source: Sofitel Adelaide </div></div>Accor is also the operator for Palumbo Group’s 251-key Sofitel Adelaide which has been listed in what many see as a test of the market. It is Adelaide’s first five-star hotel offered for sale in 30 years.Marriott, with more than 8000 properties and 150 million rooms globally, is also betting on Melbourne’s occupancy rates increasing, launching its new AC by Marriott Southbank.It is predicting a 40 per cent occupancy rate over the next few months.&nbsp;The launch is on the heels of its Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands with two further planned hotels to be revealed within the next few months.&nbsp;Capital Alliance partnered with Marriott to build the Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands and the DKO-designed 205-key AC by Marriott Southbank, which it owns.&nbsp;The 114th International Rotary Convention in the city next year is expected to attract more than 20,000 visitors and will be staged close to the AC by Marriott Southbank.<div id="39k6AqWrfrLru5MatPAuSm"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/ILxswAshtD7AP9lcxoVJM/b7f018163cc8480a3f4f1ee7e4553d02/hotel_market_story_mid_article_image_two.jpg" alt="Capital Alliance's Marriott-operated AC by Marriott Southbank hotel, its second hotel with the largest global hotel group. Source: Marriott Hotel Group" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/ILxswAshtD7AP9lcxoVJM/b7f018163cc8480a3f4f1ee7e4553d02/hotel_market_story_mid_article_image_two.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Capital Alliance's Marriott-operated AC by Marriott Southbank hotel, its second hotel with the largest global hotel group. Source: Marriott Hotel Group </div></div>In Queensland, IHG Hotels and Resorts and Walker Corporation along with Pro-invest Hotels will launch the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Sunshine Coast<a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/suncentral" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/suncentral" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> in the $2.5-billion Maroochydore City Centre, Australia’s largest greenfield CBD project</a> on the former Horton Park Golf Course site.&nbsp;The nine-storey, 181-key hotel, complete with a rooftop pool, bar, restaurant, retail, parking, and conference and function facilities, will open in May and is the first Australian Suites product for the Holiday Inn Express brand.&nbsp;IHG has also recently signed a deal with Pelligra to open a Holiday Inn and Suites hotel in Adelaide as well as a Crown Plaza hotel with Oscars Group on the NSW South Coast.Office occupancy rates continue to effect hotel occupancy rates with the Property Council of Australia reporting that Melbourne CBD office occupancy had doubled in the last quarter but tracked at 32 per cent, with Sydney at 41 per cent, Brisbane at 48 per cent and Adelaide at 61 per cent.&nbsp;<div id="2XBXlyTAU0A5YI3qbv16A0"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/76PCKU7nfj4DQqLZnBZ432/b6acc1bb79dcd9713dc06b8122de69b8/SP_Setia_midarticle_image.jpg" alt="Malaysian owned SP Setia's twin tower project, Sapphire by the Gardens and Shangri-La, overlooking the Carlton Gardens at 308 Exhibition Street in Melbourne. Source: SP Setia" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/76PCKU7nfj4DQqLZnBZ432/b6acc1bb79dcd9713dc06b8122de69b8/SP_Setia_midarticle_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Malaysian-owned SP Setia's twin tower project, Sapphire by the Gardens and Shangri-La, overlooking the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne. Source: SP Setia </div></div>Accor’s Derry said it was key there be more investment in initiatives that supported the sector.&nbsp;“It is critical that investment in sports, arts and cultural events continues, as it creates jobs and supports local businesses,” she said.“When cities host major events such as F1 Grands Prix, we experience a significant surge in bookings.&nbsp;“The return of full crowds at AFL has also been encouraging, and festivals and events are attracting leisure travellers to city hotels.”Australia’s tourism industry’s domestic and international spend was $122 billion in the financial year prior to Covid with $60.8 billion generated in direct tourism GPD in the same year.

Confidence in Australia’s hotel market is soaring with record-breaking hotel sale prices as Baring Private Equity Asia buys Bright Ruby’s Hilton Sydney for $530 million. 
Chinese-backed investment group Bright Ruby bought the Hilton Sydney on George Street for $442 million in 2015 giving it a $25-million upgrade. 


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Developer Mirvac has picked up a rare vacant site on South Melbourne's Queens Road, opposite Albert Park.The 2323sq m site is between the Art Deco Newburn and Brookwood flats, and was cleared in 2010.The site was part of the Slade family’s property portfolio. The family made its name in knitwear over the past 40-plus years.It is one of the few development sites on the main road and holds a planning permit for a 15-storey, 142-unit residential tower.Another Mirvac project, The Melburnian, is nearby on the same road.Mirvac plans to develop a boutique residential building to take advantage of the location—close to the Albert Park Lake and Golf Course, Fawkner Park, Melbourne’s Theatre and Art Precincts and St Kilda—as well as its views of Port Philip Bay.&nbsp;Mirvac’s head of residential Stuart Penklis said the site’s CBD fringe location made it a logical choice.&nbsp;“Since 1994, Mirvac has made a significant contribution towards Melbourne’s urban landscape, delivering a number of high-quality residential projects on the city fringe and throughout the suburban middle ring,” Penklis said.“Our purchase of this site also comes at a time when we are seeing increased demand from owner-occupiers and right-sizers for city-fringe apartments, with the high-quality amenity and associated lifestyle providing an attractive value proposition.“Forecast supply constraints in the east coast apartment market are also expected to support demand in the near-to-medium term.”<div id="eUWMK3mMmoQ0ifOD9TCeI"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/50olGhJwTSgoSMmIakddBM/677633b45aa5479ade0cb6343ea0e84f/the_melburnian.jpeg" alt="Mirvac's The Melburnian is on the same street as its latest South Melbourne acquisition." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/50olGhJwTSgoSMmIakddBM/677633b45aa5479ade0cb6343ea0e84f/the_melburnian.jpeg"></picture><div>▲ Mirvac’s The Melburnian is on the same street as its latest South Melbourne acquisition. </div></div>Mirvac’s plans for the tower reduce the permit-approved 142 units to 110 apartments and include a pool, gym and residents’ lounge.The tower would be fully electric and designed to a 7-star average Nathers rating.&nbsp;Construction is expected to start in mid-2023 with settlements scheduled for the 2026 financial year.Vinci Carbone agents Joseph Carbone, Frank Vinci and Gross Waddell, and ICR’s Michael Gross and Danny Clark managed the sale via an expressions of interest campaign held in March this year. At the time, a price in the mid to high $20-million range was predicted. The price paid has not been disclosed.Last year, 50-52 Queens Road was sold for $70 million.Samuel Property bought a nearby three-storey block of 1950s apartments on 8 Louise street for $21 million.Mirvac’s Melbourne project pipeline includes <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-yarras-edge-plans-docklands" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-yarras-edge-plans-docklands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Voyager apartment tower at Yarra's Edge in Docklands</a>, the Smith Lane house and land community in Clyde North, <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-picks-up-rejected-brunswick-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-picks-up-rejected-brunswick-site">the Park Street apartment community in Brunswick</a>, and the Tullamore community in Doncaster.The project list also includes <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-strikes-1700-housing-deal-with-boral" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-strikes-1700-housing-deal-with-boral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Olivine community in Donnybrook</a>, the Folia and the Forme Apartments in Doncaster, the Woodlea community in Rockbank North, theFabric community in Altona North and <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-strikes-1700-housing-deal-with-boral" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mirvac-strikes-1700-housing-deal-with-boral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Wantirna South community project</a>.

Developer Mirvac has acquired the Slade family’s investment site at 31 Queens Road in South Melbourne. 
The 2323sq m site sits between the Art Deco Newburn flats to the north and Brookwood flats to the south and was cleared in 2010.


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The second stage of Built’s $600-million Civic Place masterplan in Liverpool has been approved.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/built-begins-400m-liverpool-civic-place-construction" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/built-begins-400m-liverpool-civic-place-construction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The masterplan for the mixed-use precinct was approved in 2020</a> with the first stage including new council offices, council chambers, a childcare centre, a state-of-the-art city library, the Civic Plaza and an underground public car park.The Fjmt-designed masterplan for the site at 44 Scott Street was put forward in a joint venture between Built and the Liverpool City Council.The second stage, or plans B and C of the masterplan, will include a net-zero, fully electrified, 24-storey office tower and a nine-storey 84-key hotel.It will also include four basement levels with 151 car park spaces.Built plans to build the project with 50 per cent less embodied carbon and 50 per cent less energy consumption.&nbsp;Construction is scheduled to start in 2023.<div id="7cmsa972TsnwLpnaJ1Trud"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5NNABM8WhNQKo5Ug5dqd99/fdba07a17a26730eaa4aa5c515f86ce6/built_liverpool_civic_place_story_mid_article_image.jpg" alt="Built's proposed plans for the 24-storey office tower in the second stage of Liverpool's Civic Place masterplan. Source: Built" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5NNABM8WhNQKo5Ug5dqd99/fdba07a17a26730eaa4aa5c515f86ce6/built_liverpool_civic_place_story_mid_article_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of Built's planned 24-storey office tower, part of the second stage of Liverpool’s Civic Place masterplan. Source: Built </div></div>Built chief executive Brett Mason said the planning approval would encourage tenant interest.&nbsp;“This will be a truly transformative project for Liverpool which, along with Liverpool Civic Place and the development of new Western Sydney Airport and Aerotropolis, will attract a new level of economic investment, businesses and residents to Sydney’s third CBD,” Mason said.Liverpool City Council rezoned 25ha of land in 2018 and in 2020 had approved $1.34-billion worth of development projects in the city area, $96 million of which was for affordable rental housing.It was the fourth year that the city set a record for approvals.<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aerotropolis-final-precinct-plan-unveiled" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aerotropolis-final-precinct-plan-unveiled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liverpool is just east of the multi-billion-dollar, 11,200ha Aerotropolis project</a>, a city of five initial precincts surrounding the Western Sydney Airport.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aerotropolis-final-precinct-plan-unveiled" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aerotropolis-final-precinct-plan-unveiled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aerotropolis is planned to be Sydney’s third CBD by 2036</a> with initial stages generating more than 100,000 jobs and 11,400 homes.The plan was under the purview of then NSW planning minister Anthony Roberts before it was removed from his portfolio to be run from “the centre of government”.The plan set out Sydney’s CBD as one city, with Parramata the second city and Aerotropolis the third, which follows a similar concept of the Indigenous peoples of the Eora and Darug nations that classified the land around Sydney, Parramatta and Western Sydney into saltwater country, muddy river country and running water country.&nbsp;Built recently stepped in to <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/probuild-collapse-the-projects-left-behind" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/probuild-collapse-the-projects-left-behind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take over from Probuild </a>as the builder on Atlassian and Dexus’ 25 Martin Place project, a similar net-zero, low-carbon tower in Sydney’s CBD.

Developer Built’s second half of Liverpool’s $600-million Civic Place masterplan has received planning approval. 
The masterplan for the mixed-use precinct was approved in 2020 with the first stage including new council offices, council chambers, a childcare centre, a state-of-the-art city library, the Civic Plaza and an underground public car park. 


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The City of Melbourne council has approved what is Victoria’s largest heritage review to date.&nbsp;The review covering the CBD area within the Hoddle Grid was unanimously approved at last month’s council meeting.&nbsp;The review updated heritage information for a large number of properties and smaller precincts within the CBD that were already part of the Melbourne planning scheme’s heritage overlay.Another 126 properties were also added to the overlay during the review.Inclusion in the heritage overlay ensures that properties with local heritage significance cannot be automatically demolished as developers then require planning permits.&nbsp;Councillor Rohan Leppert, who commissioned the review in 2015, said attributing heritage significance to properties was not enough to protect them if they were not included in planning schemes.“A heritage overlay means you need a permit to demolish a building, a permit to alter a building, a permit to add to a building,” Leppert said.&nbsp;“So if a building is not in the heritage overlay, you don't need a permit to demolish that heritage building.“That's why the heritage overlay is the key test.”The Melbourne Heritage Action lobby group initially helped the council push for a desktop review with the addition of 90 buildings that had been graded but not yet added to the scheme.Leppert said it then became obvious that a review covering the entire Hoddle Grid was needed.“Because we hadn't done a street-by-street thorough review of the Hoddle Grid since the ‘80s, we needed to do that comprehensive review because over the course of 40 years, community expectations and values about what is heritage and what we shouldn't protect, change,” Leppert said.“But we also didn't have that post-war wave of buildings protected and we hadn't really done that community grounded consultation to ask people what they wanted.” <div id="5qbAvju99VGLNCoPeTpS2N"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2DKnkBHxvmA8FeSMKeZA32/a6efa4c7a26bbc8f63667e48b062046a/melbourne_heritage_review_mid_article_image.jpg" alt="The John Curtin Hotel property is expected to have its local heritage significance upgraded as part of the Carlton Heritage Review which is out on exhibition." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2DKnkBHxvmA8FeSMKeZA32/a6efa4c7a26bbc8f63667e48b062046a/melbourne_heritage_review_mid_article_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The John Curtin Hotel property is expected to have its local heritage significance upgraded as part of the Carlton Heritage Review, currently on exhibition. </div></div>The review began in 2017.The Flinders Lane East precinct, from Russell Street to halfway between Exhibition and Spring streets was added to the overlay.&nbsp;“There’s a whole lot of buildings in there, close together,” Leppert said.“But none of these buildings would have heritage protection if they weren’t in the heritage overlay.”Properties such as the Lyceum Club (main image), built in 1959, also were included.“It was one of those buildings that was part of that post-war, post-modernist wave that was not going to be protected until we went through this process,” Leppert said.“The importance of that club to the social and political history of women in Victoria is really key.”The review picked up several post-war buildings that had not been considered before.“We've got pre-war buildings and inter-war buildings, we've got Victorian and Edwardian buildings protected across the city,” Leppert said.“It's the post-war wave that we're now seeking to protect and then that helps someone moving about the city see these layers of architectural history.“And then hopefully, if you look back on the city in 50 years, those layers keep shining through and it makes the city interesting and that makes the history of the city more readily visible.”Other heritage reviews for East Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne, Parkville, Carlton and Fisherman’s Bend are under way with <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/john-curtin-hotel-green-ban-construction-workers" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/john-curtin-hotel-green-ban-construction-workers">the John Curtin Hotel expected to be upgraded from contributory to significant local heritage status</a> in the Carlton Heritage Review.

The City of Melbourne council has approved what is Victoria’s largest heritage review to date. 
The review covering the entire CBD area within the Hoddle Grid was unanimously approved at last month’s council meeting. 


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The Hampshire Property Group has added the 30ha Collendina Caravan Park on Victoria’s Surf Coast to its portfolio for an undisclosed sum.&nbsp;The caravan park has been owned and operated by the Steains family for the past 40 years.&nbsp;The park is 1.5 hours from Melbourne and 30 minutes from Geelong. It has 328 caravan sites, two tennis courts, two swimming pools, a football oval, a basketball court, a track to the surf beach and an informal nine-hole golf course.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-double-down-on-caravan-parks" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-double-down-on-caravan-parks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Developers and investors have been eyeing caravan parks as an alternative asset class</a> as border closures forced Australians to take more domestic holidays and developers look to <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-ready-land-lease-projects-for-ageing-population" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-ready-land-lease-projects-for-ageing-population">grow their land lease portfolios</a>.The boom in property prices and landlocked city markets have also made alternative asset classes more attractive.&nbsp;While revenue for many parks decreased by as much as 30 per cent during the pandemic, <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/tasman-holiday-parks-caravan-sites-transactions-acquisitions" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/tasman-holiday-parks-caravan-sites-transactions-acquisitions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investors are betting on more Australians continuing to travel domestically</a> as the cost of living increases after <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/reserve-bank-increases-cash-rate-more-on-way" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/reserve-bank-increases-cash-rate-more-on-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the RBA rate rise last week.</a>The surge of interest and capital allowed owners to cash in at a time when funds may be scarce, with around <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-double-down-on-caravan-parks" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/developers-double-down-on-caravan-parks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">104 parks for sale in December.&nbsp;</a>Hampshire Property Group chief executive Frank Sharkey did not put forward any plans for developing the site.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div id="7ASr2hvg05Yy3OBXDFSVga"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2I6NMyQQqJb9PYIEAlcs2t/d98fb800986d0458ed6dd72b556a3dbd/Collendina_Caravan_Park.jpeg" alt="Collendina Caravan Park." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2I6NMyQQqJb9PYIEAlcs2t/d98fb800986d0458ed6dd72b556a3dbd/Collendina_Caravan_Park.jpeg"></picture><div>▲ Collendina Caravan Park on Victoria’s Surf Coast. </div></div>“We are very pleased to be able to acquire this exceptional holiday park,” Sharkey said.&nbsp;“We look forward to building on the magnificent work of the Steains family, continuing to serve existing annual holiday makers and introducing more Victorians to this wonderful holiday location.”Hampshire Property Group is a family-owned business with a track record of acquiring caravan parks across Australia.It currently operates 20 holiday parks in NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria.It also has several retirement living communities in Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT, New South Wales and Victoria.Some developers have bought up caravan parks to <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/caravan-parks-manufactured-homes-development" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/caravan-parks-manufactured-homes-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">redevelop as resorts or to create more permanent communities </a>with affordable and manufactured or prefabricated housing.&nbsp;Such plans have met with local protest, such as Coogee Beach in Western Australia where the G’Day Group is proposing a $10-million beachfront development.

Hampshire Property Group has picked up the 30-hectare Collendina Caravan Park on Victoria’s Surf Coast for an undisclosed sum. 
The caravan park has been owned and operated by the Steains family for the past 40 years and is a local landmark. 


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The developer behind plans for the former Balmain Leagues Club, gutted by a suspicious fire on the weekend, say they had asked the state government to secure the site two months ago.Heworth Holdings Group said they had asked Transport for NSW the site made safe and public access stopped in March, and were yet to receive a response.&nbsp;The 28,000sq m site fronting Victoria Road, Darling Street and Waterloo Street, was the home of the Balmain Tigers Rugby League team. The premises were partially demolished in 2010.&nbsp;Malaysian firm Mulpha <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/plans-for-balmain-leagues-club-new-home-revealed" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/plans-for-balmain-leagues-club-new-home-revealed">backed Hepworth's acquisition of the site</a> for $75 million in 2018 and its <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-">$135-million</a><a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> mixed-use development plans,</a> which included a new Balmain Tigers club, was approved by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel in September, 2020.<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/approval-for-balmain-leagues-club-redevelopment-in-rozelle-">The project also includes a new public town square</a>, laneways, a community arts studio, three car park levels, communal open spaces, green walls, 167 apartments, retails areas and commercial space.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is estimated to have an end value of $400 millon.In May 2021, <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/call-for-nsw-government-to-come-clean-on-leagues-club-site" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/call-for-nsw-government-to-come-clean-on-leagues-club-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Transport for NSW imposed a compulsory leasehold</a> on the site for seven years to use it during construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel Project.The NSW Valuer General has assessed that Heworth requires compensation, which has not yet been paid.&nbsp;Heworth’s head of property Christopher Walsh said the entire situation was frustrating.“Heworth wrote to Transport for NSW in March advising that the site should be secured by Transport in order to prevent the public from entering,” Walsh said. “Heworth is yet to receive a response.”<div id="feuLhih78QfjRqTd0xMTR"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/26MvhWSJ6tqpcDa2O6g7Ip/e3be12262894fdf37028c6c3ca4c04ad/arson_story_mid_article_image.jpg" alt="Heworth's proposed plans for the Balmain Tigers Club site in Rozelle, currently paused while the NSW government has a compulsory leasehold during the Western Harbour Tunnel construction. Source: Heworth" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/26MvhWSJ6tqpcDa2O6g7Ip/e3be12262894fdf37028c6c3ca4c04ad/arson_story_mid_article_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of Heworth’s proposed plans for the Balmain Tigers Club site. Source: Heworth </div></div>“Heworth, the club and the community have been frustrated and extremely disappointed that we cannot deliver the DA-approved development until 2028, due to the leasehold acquisition of the site by Transport for NSW and the NSW government.“The development has stalled, hundreds of future jobs are at risk and the Balmain Tigers are still without a home.”&nbsp;The club caught fire at 4.30pm on Saturday, causing traffic chaos on Victoria Road as the smoke reduced visibility in Sydney’s CBD.&nbsp;The Leichardt Police Area Command are investigating the cause of the fire and are currently treating the incident as suspicious.Transport for NSW did not respond by the time of writing when approached by The Urban Developer for comment.

Heworth Holdings Group, the developer for the Balmain Leagues Club in Rozelle that caught fire on the weekend said they had asked Transport for NSW to secure the site from public access in March with no response. 
The 28,000sq m site fronting Victoria Road, Darling Street and Waterloo Street was the former home of the Balmain Tigers until the club was partially demolished in 2010. 


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Sydney’s tallest commercial tower, Lendlease’s 55-storey Salesforce Tower, has topped out.The Foster and Partners-designed Sydney Place project at 180 George Street, Circular Quay has taken four years to reach the milestone.The $1.9 billion, 263m tower is Sydney’s first steel-framed high-rise in 25 years.Lendlease China’s Ping An Real Estate and Japan’s Mitsubishi Estate Asia are developing the tower in a joint venture.Lendlease managing director of development Tom Mackellar said anchor tenants had already committed to leases.“The calibre of tenants, including anchor tenant Salesforce, signals strength in Sydney’s commercial market as demand for city-defining and sustainable workplaces increases post-pandemic,” Mackellar said.Salesforce will occupy levels 34 to 53 while JLL will relocate its Sydney headquarters to levels 25 to 27.&nbsp;<div id="P1gzvEM2VkMJKKwK9O1sU"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1uYKCpxTYGMnS5qh2nk94S/9906486648d42539bdcf17c74d6a849a/salesforce_tower_mid_article.jpg" alt="Render of Sydney Place at 180 Georges Street where Salesforce will be an anchor tenant. Source: Lendlease" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1uYKCpxTYGMnS5qh2nk94S/9906486648d42539bdcf17c74d6a849a/salesforce_tower_mid_article.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Render of Sydney Place at 180 Georges Street where Salesforce will be an anchor tenant. Source: Lendlease </div></div>Venture capital company Investible’s climate technology and innovation hub Greenhouse will occupy levels one to three and The Executive Centre will occupy around 2200sq m on levels 22 and 23.Wellington Management has also confirmed that it will relocate to the tower from its current home at 126 Phillip Street.Lendlease will offer commercial suites for lease on levels 31 to 33.The tower has been awarded a Platinum WELL Shell and Core rating and the Green Building Council’s Design and As Built 6 Star Green Star.&nbsp;It will also target a 5.5 Star NABERS energy rating.&nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/office-occupancy-doubles-as-appetite-grows" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/office-occupancy-doubles-as-appetite-grows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Office occupancy rates in Sydney doubled in March</a> as a number of projects came online. Sydney's city fringe has also seen growth in investment with <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/foreign-investors-double-down-on-australian-assets" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/foreign-investors-double-down-on-australian-assets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overseas buyers investing in office property</a> and key development occuring around Sydney's harbourside precincts.&nbsp;

Sydney’s tallest commercial tower at 55 storeys, Lendlease’s Salesforce tower, has topped out... 
The Foster and Partners-designed Sydney Place project at 180 George Street on Circular Quay has taken four years to construct and is Sydney’s first steel-framed high-rise in the last 25 years.