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Chinese developer Holder East has set its sights on Melbourne suburb Box Hill, filing plans for a 13-storey office tower.The developer has proposed the building for the 662sq m site at 701 Station Street in Box Hill.Fender Katsalidis designed the plans, which includes office space on the first to 12th floors, and retail spaces on the ground floor.Also planned are two basement levels with end-of-trip facilities, bicycle storage and car parking.The first basement level would have 13 car parking spaces while the second basement level would have bicycle storage for 40 bicycles, six car parking spaces including one accessible space, and the end-of-trip facilities.A bus stop is opposite the site with a tram stop and the Box Hill Train Station further down Station Street at the crossing with Whitehorse Road.Gross floor area for the building is 8204sq m with 4659sq m of net lettable area for office space and 178sq m for the two retail tenancies on the ground floor.The development cost for the project is estimated at $30 million, according to the City of Whitehorse’s records. <div id="2gibz17WwANJmLXVBFR9Rr"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1BoloOj8Vhrk3vtvwvy8Je/56c26e08d46665074fcd1cb12927559d/box_hill_holder_east_story_mid.jpg" alt="The project will have twelve floors of office space with two retail tenancies on the ground floor." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1BoloOj8Vhrk3vtvwvy8Je/56c26e08d46665074fcd1cb12927559d/box_hill_holder_east_story_mid.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of the tower proposed for the Box Hill site. </div><div> </div></div>Holder East BH Pty Ltd is listed as the client on application documents submitted to the council.ASIC records list Tu Lu, Debin Lu and Rui Grace Guan as the directors of Holder East BH.All three are also the directors of Holder East Pty Ltd, which is listed as the sole shareholder of Holder East BH. A British Virgin Islands-based company Holder East Capital Ltd is listed in ASIC records as the sole shareholder for Holder East Pty Ltd.The company has other projects in Melbourne <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/501-king-street-melbourne-development-construction-approval-mixed-use-project" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/501-king-street-melbourne-development-construction-approval-mixed-use-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including a mixed-use project that was appoved for</a> King Street, West Melbourne in November, 2022.Recent projects planned for Box Hill, 14km east of the Melbourne CBD, include <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/wembley-hill-box-hill-south-golden-age-melbourne" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/wembley-hill-box-hill-south-golden-age-melbourne" target="_blank">Golden Age Group’s residential project</a> in Box Hill South for 147 hourse on a 50,116sq m site at 15-31 Hay Street, filed in February.Golden Age is a prolific developer in the Box Hill area.

With more developers keen in the growing suburb of Box Hill, developer Holder East has filed plans for a 13-storey mixed-use tower…


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A developer headed by the founder of AirTrunk data centres has submitted plans for a four-storey mixed-use block with the City of Port Phillip council.FSST is the developer behind the proposal, which is headed by Robina Khuda, the founder and chief of the hyperscale data centre operator.He has an estimated wealth of $600 million while AirTrunk is valued at more than $5 billion.The project is planned for a 1603sq m site at 3-5, 7, 9 and 15 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda.Four separate lots make up the site, which has an art-deco heritage-listed building on it.It is on the beach end of Fitzroy Street where it curves to head south along the coast and becomes The Esplanade.There is a frontage of 21.73m along Fitzroy Street next to a tramline.Warren and Mahoney Architects designed the plans, which include retail space on the ground floor and apartments above.The plans comprise 16 residential apartments above the ground floor’s 327sq m of retail space and 244sq m of communal space.Two basement levels would provide 40 carparking spaces, five of which would be reserved for retail workers and customers along with 22 bike storage spaces.<div id="7HZOrbdISiTuROrOAmpbyx"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6eoY7MTjgkfGdX86Mdweol/aa55673a44ff28a70f96370c10480430/map_20230101__1_.png" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6eoY7MTjgkfGdX86Mdweol/aa55673a44ff28a70f96370c10480430/map_20230101__1_.png"></picture><div>▲ The site has more than 21.m of frontage to Fitzroy Street. Image: NearMap </div></div>Council records show an estimated construction cost of $22.3 million and CoreLogic’s property records show that 3-5, 7 and 9 Fitzroy Street exchanging hands in June, 2021.&nbsp;The 3-5 Fitzroy Street parcel sold for $3.5 million, 7 Fitzroy Street made $1.6 million and 9 Fitzroy Street $2.7 million. Buildings on the site date back to circa 1885 (3-9 Fitzroy Street) and 1935 (11-15 Fitzroy Street) as examples of Victorian and interwar Moderne architectural styles respectively.Although the site sits within a heritage overlay, there are no controls that apply to the internal structures.The buildings at 3-9 Fitzroy Street are graded as significant with many alterations having occurred over the years, the buildings at 11-15 Fitzroy Street are listed as contributory.The plans by FSST include retaining all the facades of the buildings, reinstating the original roofs to a depth of 10m and rebuilding some of the ground floor retail space to follow the original storefront layouts.Demolition of the internal structures behind the facade are deemed necessary in order to excavate the basement levels for car parking.A new lobby entrance for the apartments will be created out of the storefront for 9 Fitzroy Street.Also in St Kilda, <a data-mce-href="Proposed%20plans%20for%20the%20building%20include%20both%20communal%20and%20retail%20spaces%20on%20the%20ground%20floor." href="Proposed%20plans%20for%20the%20building%20include%20both%20communal%20and%20retail%20spaces%20on%20the%20ground%20floor." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Gurner recently listed his own residence</a> in his Saint Moritz project.

 Fitzroy Street’s beachside end could be due for a makeover as one of the strip’s art deco buildings is earmarked for a mixed-use project…



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Simplify, streamline, escalate, expand, ensure, improve ... and modernise.Those eight words are liberally sprinkled throughout a 144-page discussion paper reviewing Victoria’s planning and building process. The inquiry was headed by economist Anna Cronin, who carries the dubious title of Red Tape Commissioner.The report—released at the end of 2019— made 27 recommendations as to what short and medium-term improvements could be made to the state’s building approvals process, which the commission described as “complex and time-consuming.”But nearly three years after Cronin and her three-person advisory board began their work, frustrated developers and builders are still walking away from deals and going interstate to invest and build.The shortage of qualified planners, the varying levels of expertise within local government, the pace of the rezoning process, and questions over which authorities have what powers are all to blame, according to the industry.Wel.Co is a Melbourne-based developer specialising in building communities.&nbsp;“Look, the planning system in Victoria was probably what made me look to diversify into other states, including Queensland, which has been a really good growth market for us over the last couple of years,” says Wel.Co founder and managing director Andrew Welsh.Wel.Co’s bread and butter has been Melbourne’s Growth Corridor Plans—the Victorian capital’s integrated land use and transport schemes which will decide the region’s growth in the coming decades.But Welsh says they’ve struggled to find value in Melbourne’s growth corridors during the past couple of years.<div id="445XKEC0CBAsPV4P014ya8"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/14KfKCadkDLtXjxxpHd2lv/4cce2578483d955bad9a2b869f531eef/2.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/14KfKCadkDLtXjxxpHd2lv/4cce2578483d955bad9a2b869f531eef/2.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Wel.Co founder and managing director Andrew Welsh: struggle to find value in growth corridors. </div></div>“It’s not because I think they’re overvalued as a piece of dirt,” he said.“I just think your time to get that lot out of the ground—because of the planning regulations—would have smashed the IRR (internal rate of return) because you only need 12 months to blow out a project that you’re paying good value for, and your IRR is hit.”Welsh says a common hold-up on zoned land is tapping into trunk infrastructure, such as water.&nbsp;“To develop your paddock, you need to show that you can demonstrate an outpour to the ultimate basin or creek, wherever that may be,” he says.&nbsp;&nbsp;“To do that in the growth corridors you’ve got to negotiate with up to 30 landowners, at times, for that access to be granted,” he says.“So, you can imagine the time that takes, and if you have one of those key people in that chain that doesn’t agree, even though on the rezone plan it might say that is where that watercourse needs to go as a natural point.&nbsp;“Current planning controls don’t allow Melbourne water to enact on opening up those properties.”Welsh estimated there are currently as many as 10,000 lots held up across Melbourne growth corridors because of lack of co-ordination between different planning authorities.Boutique residential developer Samuel Property has had its own frustrations with what its managing director described as “the hit and miss” of Victoria’s planning process.Illan Samuel said he had walked away from a property in Ballarat—where he planned a hotel in time for the Commonwealth Games— because he “couldn’t get answers quick enough.”<div id="5CSiLdcKoFckgghTdpMJXa"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6b86X2fOlGhIueP4C4GxA/c60668c1dcfe1e283e0ea072291300d1/5.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6b86X2fOlGhIueP4C4GxA/c60668c1dcfe1e283e0ea072291300d1/5.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Illan Samuel walked away from a Ballarat hotel project because “the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing”. </div></div>“This was prime property in the middle of the Ballarat CBD, we had a short-stay operator lined up who would take the space, so we had the ability to add 50 to 60 rooms to the CBD near the train line near Ballarat hub,” Samuel says.&nbsp;“But the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing, and we just couldn’t get competence to move forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;It took two months to get meetings organised, and ultimately, you can only keep deals together for so long.”Samuel says he is jealous of the system that exists in Queensland.“The code is accessible, where you can get a permit without advertising in four to five months, as long as you tick off the boxes,” he says.“If we ever saw that sort of reform in Victoria, I think we’d see supply come to market much quicker.”In response to questions from The Urban Developer, Ballarat City Council’s director of development and growth Natalie Robertson says comparing its planning scheme with any projects in Brisbane was difficult, because the two states have contrasting planning procedures.“The City of Ballarat had prepared for a pre-application meeting with the applicant (Samuel Property), however, the applicant cancelled before discussions could progress,” Robertson says.Robertson acknowledges the shorting of planning staff was a challenge.“The city shares the state-wide challenge for Victorian councils, particularly in the regions, in terms of attracting and retaining planning staff,” she says.<div id="5bpJqRQPAI7jkiBWUuQDdv"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1suVkBvIlbaxQOhWoiacmM/92890044d8dc2f9334989d6f723e5b84/1.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1suVkBvIlbaxQOhWoiacmM/92890044d8dc2f9334989d6f723e5b84/1.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A shortage of planners is causing huge problems for the industry in Victoria. </div></div>“We&nbsp;continue to&nbsp;look&nbsp;for&nbsp;diverse ways to attract and&nbsp;retain&nbsp;staff&nbsp;and improve our position within the recruitment market.”That view is echoed by the property industry’s national lobby group.“Some local governments have well resourced, talented, and enthusiastic planning departments, whereas others see massive delays primarily due to understaffing,” Property Council of Australia Victorian executive director Cath Evans says.“If you’re a developer choosing where to invest your money, these issues are often a determining factor in the decision-making process.”Evans wants to see planning studies made more of a priority within tertiary education.“Planning is a highly technical and complicated field of study,” she says, “and while governments have prioritised and incentivised many STEM courses at our universities, planning has not seen the same take-up.”Evans is urging the state government to offer incentives to students to stay in Victoria after finishing their planning studies, using their qualifications to relieve the burden on the planning system.Cronin’s 2020 review of the planning and building approvals process estimated the cost of avoidable delays in what was then a $33 billion construction sector, was probably between&nbsp; $400 million to $600 million a year—or up to 2 per cent of the total value of the sector.The review made 27 recommendations on how to overcome the delays, including “expand the workforce of building surveyors, inspectors and fire safety engineers.”<div id="17QRdLOwaEHRmAQ10v52DD"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3TVFe46BhykeWJ52DfhHEh/1c66e3aea32a91da8ed0fd09fdf56601/4.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3TVFe46BhykeWJ52DfhHEh/1c66e3aea32a91da8ed0fd09fdf56601/4.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Avoidable delays are costing the Victorian economy literally hundreds of millions of dollars. </div></div>Others included streamlining the process for Melbourne’s 119 Precinct Structure Plans (PSPs), reduce response times for referrals, escalate planning for sites of strategic importance ... and improve planning resources for councils.“The differences in capabilities and capacity across local government in Victoria is considerable,” says the PCA’s Evans.&nbsp;But she has some sympathy for the municipalities, saying local government authorities were at the coal face of the Victorian economy, with decisions in council planning departments being some of the most consequential economic decisions impacting prosperity and the built environment.The PCA continues to advocate for the adoption of all 27 recommendations in Cronin’s 2020 inquiry, and to some degree there has been progress since the report’s release.The recommendations were turned into five programs. About $38 million was allocated in the 2020-21 state budget to implement the reform package.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Department of Transport and Planning has created a new online portal for State applications and established regional planning hubs.However, one of the most significant changes—the Development Facilitation Fast Track process—was not identified in the reform recommendations but born out of Covid-19. That process has had some success in kickstarting approvals for major project development.For its part, the Victorian government points to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing Victoria leads the nation in the supply of new homes.The ABS data shows in the 12 months to January 2023, nearly 62,000 new homes were approved for construction in Victoria. About 37,000 of these approvals were for detached houses, about 11,000 for medium-density units and townhouses, and about 14,000 for higher-density apartments.During the same period NSW had about 52,000 approvals and Queensland about 37,000.“During the past two years to December 2022, the Victorian Planning Authority—the Victorian government agency that plans for Melbourne’s greenfields—delivered 50,000 lots, double the pace of South-East Queensland at 25,000 lots and more than three times the pace of metropolitan Sydney at 15,000 lots,” a spokesman says.“We continue to support growth and development while building on Melbourne's legacy of distinctiveness, liveability and sustainability.” <hr> You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans">Click here to learn more.</a><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

Developers in Victoria are looking outside the state as convoluted processes trip up development. The Urban Developer finds out what the problems are—and what can be done to get things moving…


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Australian logistics platform LOGOS has filed plans for seven warehouses with a total 43,500sq m of lettable space in Melbourne’s north—all of it under a single giant roof.LOGOS is understood to have paid about $40 million 12 months ago for the 7.8ha site at 21-35 Radford Road in Reservoir, about 12km north of Melbourne’s centre.The proposal before Darebin Shire Council seeks seven warehouses, accompanying offices, car parking for 265 vehicles, loading docks and signage zones, a café and the removal of an easement and reserve.The warehouses will range in size from 3050sq m to nearly 11,000 square metres.LOGOS head of development in Australia and New Zealand Troy Bryant said the current market meant the sheds would be mostly built speculatively.“Our DNA was always to pre-commit to around 60 or 70 per cent of our pipeline, that is built to suit for our customer, and speculative was probably the other 30 per cent,” Bryant said, “and that 30 per cent was just to just to finish off the master plan nicely.“That has now completely flipped. So we are now probably 80 per cent speculative build and only about 20 per cent build-to-suit.”Bryant said that was mainly due to strong demand in the market.“We know we can speculatively build and better control our destiny.“Number two, we're reducing our exposure risk to construction costs by just building generic product and speculative product. And number three we know that we're seeing still strong rental growth through the construction phase.”<div id="3hIyXrEpwXjLUYwF1fIpni"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3OrI8QKpKFgbcic9wt0FXg/4d1e11c9c76b76ce199d9829bd2188bf/Logos_Reservoir_1__Mid.jpg" alt="At the suggestion of Darwin Council, landscaping along the north-west boundary has been increased to 3m to allow for canopy tree planting. " data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3OrI8QKpKFgbcic9wt0FXg/4d1e11c9c76b76ce199d9829bd2188bf/Logos_Reservoir_1__Mid.jpg"></picture><div>▲ At the suggestion of Darebin council, landscaping along the north-west boundary has been increased to 3m to allow for canopy tree planting. </div></div><div id="3hIyXrEpwXjLUYwF1fIpni"> </div>The industrial sector has been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/melbourne-industrial-land-undersupply-warning-pca" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/melbourne-industrial-land-undersupply-warning-pca">warning for more than a year&nbsp;</a>that a chronic undersupply of zoned industrial land across greater Melbourne risked serious consequences for the state’s logistics and supply chain.Last month the Property Council of Australia released research—commissioned from town planners Urbis—which shows there is only four years supply of industrial-zoned land remaining in metropolitan Melbourne.As online shopping grabs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/industrial-development-must-double-sector-told" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/industrial-development-must-double-sector-told">an increasing share of total retail&nbsp;</a>across the country, the growing need for last mile logistics has seen industrial rents balloon, particularly in Greater Melbourne.At the time of the Urbis data release, LOGOS Group’s head of Australia and New Zealand Darren Searle warned rents could not keep increasing.“At some point the chief financial officers around this country are going to say, pause.&nbsp;&nbsp;They’ll say what are we going to do about evolving and making our businesses more efficient,” he said last month.“I don’t think we’re quite there yet.<div id="30vhKh84TEz8aourJJ5hdb"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2B99YBAC3mhhtZZ93E0yqv/8dd6dcc146caba82901bbb7418d0b7a3/Logos_Reservoir_2__Mid.jpg" alt="Seven offices and a cafe are part of plans before Darwin City Council" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2B99YBAC3mhhtZZ93E0yqv/8dd6dcc146caba82901bbb7418d0b7a3/Logos_Reservoir_2__Mid.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Seven offices and a cafe are part of plans before Darebin City Council.</div><div> </div></div>“But rent growth will continue in Victoria until such time as we undo some of that supply side,” Searle said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“And the challenge for government is to start unlocking that land, unlocking the services so as to enable more products coming into the market.”But Bryant said the New South Wales situation was just as bad.“The vacancy factor in Sydney is nearly zero.&nbsp;“Which means if you wanted to rent a shed in Western Sydney now for medium-sized business of say 10,000sq m, you don’t have an option. There’s nowhere to go,” he said.The Reservoir acquisition was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/logos-transactions-huntingwood-reservoir-logistics-estate" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/logos-transactions-huntingwood-reservoir-logistics-estate">one of two big industrial purchases </a>LOGOS made at the time, also snapping up a 21.5ha greenfield site in Huntingwood in Sydney’s central west.That site was also in the planning stages, but Bryant said they would not be on site for at least another six months.And that, he said, was a direct result of Sydney’s “archaic” planning system.“In NSW, the consent authority is actually the state government,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“And they still have to go back to local government for referral agency consent, or referral agency support with agencies like Sydney Water, Transport New South Wales, all those things.“We always knew the Sydney site has more planning risk.”

Australian logistics platform LOGOS has filed plans for seven warehouses with a total 43,500sq m of lettable space in Melbourne’s north—all of it under a single giant roof...

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In December 2020, the Monash Commission began a new inquiry.In a world battered by Covid, the second and most recent inquiry by the highly regarded commission examined the “potential of intermediary cities in reframing post-pandemic liveability and explore what makes a ‘liveable metropolis’.”.The commission brings together Australian and international experts to consider a specific question of priority facing our communities, business and government, and to deliver practical recommendations for urban planners, governments and communities for transformational cities of the future.It made those recommendations in July last year and at the heart of them is a change in the way we view cities and approach their planning—the intermediary, or second, city.Traditionally, the CBD with skyscrapers sits in a model of monocentric development: a hub or centre and a periphery of suburbs around it. People move towards the city and away from it for work, leisure and other uses. But the pandemic changed all that, as Monash University’s vice-chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner explains.“As the pandemic progressed, we witnessed a series of behaviors that seemed to show people that, frankly, you could have come in here and fired a gun down Collins Street and been lucky to hit anybody,” Gardner says.“And you could be sure that every single coffee shop within a radius of many, many hundreds of metres ... had no one in it.&nbsp;“Nobody believed that would happen—and all of a sudden the context was different.” What the commission’s report found was that people’s behavioural changes seem to follow moving away from a single CBD model towards something more polycentric. “Before the pandemic, countries such as Australia and Canada were already experiencing net internal migration of people into outlying cities and regional areas as the result of the rising cost of living and real estate in desirable areas close to the CBD,” the report says. “This challenges assumptions about what was thought to be an irreversible trend of urban centralisation.” It also says that the CBD model has not failed, rather, it is not suitable for all. “What the pandemic has shown is that the concentration of infrastructure and systems do not necessarily translate into positive outcomes for all citizens,” the report says. “It raises the question: what can be done differently?” According to the report, that answer is&nbsp;planning and development.<div id="6w0655MDKmRI4jOe3oMmhQ"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7f9X3kl4gW7zdJwscUJtS/d35f2f90592a71406db1a3ea110c48dd/dandenong_story_hero.jpg" alt="A possible design by DKO Architects for what the towers in Dandenong's City Centre could look like after Capital Alliance's RCD project is complete." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7f9X3kl4gW7zdJwscUJtS/d35f2f90592a71406db1a3ea110c48dd/dandenong_story_hero.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A renders by DKO Architects for possible towers in Dandenong's City Centre after Capital Alliance's RCD project is complete. </div></div><h2>Creating a new way</h2> Polycentric development is a set of several hubs or centres developed and connected at the same time. Intermediary cities are distinctly not a CBD, have less than a million people and are part of a network, but are different from local government areas in that they may have specific identities or functions. They also do not compete with the CBD or each other. The commission’s report had two recommendations: to use policies and communication between different levels of government to create intermediary cities, and to create a new representative living index to better measure resident wellbeing. “It lays bare some of our challenges including the rising cost of living, social housing inequity, environmental quality, traffic congestion, and calls for a different way of planning,” City of Monash chief executive Andi Diamond says. The concept of second cities has been around for a while and has practical examples, most notably <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dandenong-little-india-foster-street-rcd-capital-alliance-redevelopment-salta-inland-rail" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dandenong-little-india-foster-street-rcd-capital-alliance-redevelopment-salta-inland-rail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dandenong’s bid for revitalisation, </a>which has been in planning and development since 2005. Geelong has long called itself a second city, <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/new-planning-controls-central-geelong" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/new-planning-controls-central-geelong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently setting up the Central Geelong Framework Plan</a> to help guide future development. And in New South Wales there are plans well advanced to create and further develop two additional CBDs—<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/western-sydney-aerotropolis-planning-framework-finalised" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/western-sydney-aerotropolis-planning-framework-finalised">Parramatta and Aerotropolis—</a>partially driven by the need to provide affordable housing and then the transport networks, services and other infrastructure needed to support such large hubs of people. <div id="1vaP2XpXadF0uFgaSVcosU"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12aXK2OAvRomVezQy7RvzR/c630705ecf4305cb48888407b6d1fcf9/Mid_article_resizes.jpg" alt="A render of a street in the western Sydney Aerotropolis." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12aXK2OAvRomVezQy7RvzR/c630705ecf4305cb48888407b6d1fcf9/Mid_article_resizes.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of a street in the western Sydney Aerotropolis. </div></div>The report also lists six features of intermediary cities within the larger urban landscape or metropolis to help planners, developers and government create or further develop such cities. These are balancing autonomy and integration into the larger metropolitan network; citizen and community wellbeing; equitable and sustainable design; experimentation and innovation; diverse economic bases and jobs; and vision, leadership and governance. Canberra was highlighted as an example of an intermediary city that has worked on citizen and community wellbeing.The ACT government’s Wellbeing Framework uses data to drive its policy, investment and infrastructure decisions, and measure the impact. The framework is also crucially embedded in government decision-making and budget processes. Other examples include the autonomy created when setting up The Randstand in The Netherlands and Vienna’s Aspern to illustrate how sustainable and equitable design has been incorporated with mobility needs for all&nbsp; driving large scale planning of urban spaces.<h2>Designing the intermediary city </h2> One of the commissioner on the Monash body, urban designer and founder of KCAP Architects and Planners Professor Kees Christiaanse, says designing such a second city requires a network of nodes and that there are certain things that must be done. “If you want to make the metropolis into a more polycentric landscape which is eventually more sustainable, then you have to do a number of&nbsp; things,” Christiaanse says. “You have to limit greenfield development as much as possible and stimulate brownfield redevelopment as much as you can. “If you start the process of implementing such a design, you should not work on one scale at the same time.” Some places are also more ideal than others for becoming intermediary cities, such as transport corridor crossroads where there are services and infrastructure to support a larger amount of people. It is also important to look at where the project sits in the network and ensure there is sufficient space for dense housing but also for public open space and corridors to move through. Christiaanse says a growth model for infrastructure is important.&nbsp; “Make a growth model in which your transport model grows incrementally in accordance with the critical mass,” he says. <div id="36Gh18fNuRWn3pWMc4NtYP"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1c90sIgmguitB095RM2BNO/ba85e255d2fa8a2ba7c962a135e7a4e7/Mid_article_resizes__1_.jpg" alt="A render of the Monash station, part of the Melbourne Rail Loop project." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1c90sIgmguitB095RM2BNO/ba85e255d2fa8a2ba7c962a135e7a4e7/Mid_article_resizes__1_.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of the planned Monash station, part of the Suburban Rail Loop project. </div></div><h2>Monash as an intermediary city </h2>Monash, the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne with an area of 81.5sq km, has been chosen for the Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster. The idea of it being treated as an intermediary city has been raised. Another of the commissioners, Massachusetts Institute of Technology city and transport planning associate professor and mobility initiative director Jinhua Zhao, says while governments and corporations were naturally more risk averse, it was an ideal situation for Monash University to experiment with becoming&nbsp; an intermediary city focused on innovation. “We’re professors—we’re paid to fail, so the others do not need to,” Zhao says.&nbsp;“What’s unique about the City of Monash is that we have all three— government, corporations and the university—combined in a unique way in this locality.” Fellow Monash Commissioner and Global Institute on Innovation Districts head Professor Julie Wagner agrees. “With innovation districts, if you look at it within an intermediary city concept and across the region it is an opportunity to drive your economy to new heights and bring your talent along with it if you have the right systems in place,” Wagner says. But there is work needed to make it happen, Diamond says, with better transport links, more services, infrastructure and housing for the more than 200,000 residents who live and work in it. “Outside the [Melbourne] CBD, it’s Monash where most people come to work each day,” Diamond says. “What we have learned on the ground is that during a crisis it is not unusual for people to return to their place of origin, the place they grew up in. “And we don’t have services to offer them and Covid has added a layer of complexity.” Some of that will be resolved <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/vision-for-new-suburban-rail-loop-station-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/vision-for-new-suburban-rail-loop-station-revealed">when the new Suburban Rail Loop stations are built, two bordering Monash University’s Clayton campus and another at Glen Waverley</a> but there is still discussion about what else needs to be done to make it an innovation district. <div id="5VsGaVnkgEVky7MfGpq7yA"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7zLAm4EWm0c5TkU2UXAuD2/1737cdf98b973659872f6fe9e7a5b9bb/Geelong_pain_and_gain.jpg" alt="An aerial image of Geelong Victoria." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7zLAm4EWm0c5TkU2UXAuD2/1737cdf98b973659872f6fe9e7a5b9bb/Geelong_pain_and_gain.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Geelong has long considered itself a second city to the Melbourne CBD. </div></div><h2>Changes to planning, development mindsets </h2> It will require a change in mindset about how a metropolis is planned though some parts are already aligned, according to Victorian Planning Authority chair Jude Munro. “Planning in Victoria, in relation to the whole of Victoria, supports the polycentric model,” Munro says. “The Victorian government has a policy that 70 per cent of future growth should be happening in established Melbourne and 30 per cent in greenfields. “Within metropolitan Melbourne, it has named three national employment innovation clusters. The Monash one is broader than the City of Monash and involves three municipalities.“Our governance model of local government doesn’t entirely match what may emerge as the new policy in Melbourne.” Wagner frames it another way and believes the second city concept is what lays ahead. “The intermediary city concept is actually speaking to the gap of an intermediary form of governance and leadership—so what is your future going to mean?” Wagner says. “If we were to act in an intermediary function, what does that mean for our councils? What does that mean for how the government realigns itself and thinks differently, and how we govern differently? “I don’t believe you really have a choice.”&nbsp; <hr> You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans">Click here to learn more</a><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

The Monash Commission’s report on what a liveable city looks like post-pandemic challenges the usual ideas of what a city is…


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Global real estate investment firm Hines has filed amendments for their second build-to-rent project in North Melbourne.&nbsp;The 3068 sq m site at 36-58 Macaulay Road at North Melbourne was earmarked for 220 build-to-rent units when the acquisition was first announced in February 2022.It came with a prior planning permit for build-to-sell apartments. But Hines is now remixing the project with fresh amendments for a build-to-rent project on the site.&nbsp;The project would comprise 207 units, which would include 55 studios, 86 one-bedroom apartments, 64 two-bedroom apartments and two three-bedroom apartments.Hines’ living head and managing director Sam Bisla said the infrastructure located nearby was part of what made the site an attractive prospect.“We are truly excited to bring a new standard of renting to this highly sought after attractive pocket of inner Melbourne,” Bisla said.&nbsp;“The infrastructure upgrades will only go to further enhance its attractiveness as a key location for our target demographic.” <div id="5F6VtbbPeEHGC0552jU4fs"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6L6cLQUrd5xYObSZsTChTu/95035d2d5431f73b3d0b4b16c485c7b6/HINESUntitled-1.jpg" alt="Hines Adds Third Site to Build-to-Rent Pipeline" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6L6cLQUrd5xYObSZsTChTu/95035d2d5431f73b3d0b4b16c485c7b6/HINESUntitled-1.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Hines' third build-to-rent site is at Bank Street in South Melbourne. </div></div><a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-5bn-hospital-precinct-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-5bn-hospital-precinct-plan"></a>A green action plan is also part of the development with bike storage, bike repair facilities, electric scooters, electric vehicle share cars and charging stations in all parking spots.It would also target a 5 Green-Star rating, gold WELL standard, and 7.5 star NATHERS ratings.Tenants would have access to co-working offices, residential lounges, dining rooms, gaming rooms, yoga rooms, a gym, wellness facilities, a spa, sauna, and steam rooms as part of the amenities on offer.Hines also plans to restore the heritage building on the site, a former factory in the industrial pocket that is being gentrified.<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-5bn-hospital-precinct-plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-5bn-hospital-precinct-plan">The site sits in the middle of the Arden precinct</a>, which the Victorian government has designated an urban regeneration zone with a new metro station being built nearby.Corelogic’s property records list the site as last exchanging hands in October 2022 for $29 million.The firm has estimated an end value of $200 million for the project. Hines plans to grow its Living Build-to-Rent platform in both Australia and New Zealand.&nbsp;It currently has three build-to-rent sites in Melbourne including Macaulay Road and <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/hines-lodges-plans-for-third-built-to-rent-project" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/hines-lodges-plans-for-third-built-to-rent-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has recently filed plans for its Bank Street site in South Melbourne with the City of Port Phillip Council</a> where it will have another build-to-rent project with 355 apartments.

Hines is maintaining the momentum on its expanding build-to-rent portfolio in Australia, filing plans to reshape a former build-to-sell site at North Melbourne...


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Her name is on the door at one of Australia’s biggest architectural firms. But it’s in another pocket of property that Zahava Elenberg has really made her mark.&nbsp;Elenberg is turning 50 this year and the highly successful business that she “kind of fell into” turns 21. But the architect-turned designer pulls no punches. She says it is a privilege to age and she intends on celebrating the milestone.She founded Elenberg Fraser in 1998 with Callum Fraser at the tender age of 24, but says moving into the furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&amp;E) space was where she found her niche.&nbsp;In 2002 she and a friend were asked to do a furniture fitout of a project in Docklands back when it was “emerging out of the scum of the Yarra”.“The budget they gave us was ridiculous, there was no way we could do a fitout with that. But I like a challenge,” she says.&nbsp;From that experience the seed of an idea germinated and Move-in was born. Elenberg says it is impossible to count how many spaces they have fitted out over the years but says it’s “tens of thousands” of apartments, about 5000 student accommodation rooms, ski resorts in New Zealand and hotels all around the world.&nbsp;<div id="5rKJpxH94QUbkMXlUo9c73"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1WBHzl8fjMTO5GvtmWja6f/3d328363d0eec816d3a9a40814ef9acf/Yugo_MID.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1WBHzl8fjMTO5GvtmWja6f/3d328363d0eec816d3a9a40814ef9acf/Yugo_MID.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The purpose-built student accommodation sector has invested heavily in furniture fitouts and art in communal spaces to level up the lived experience for students.&nbsp; PHOTO: Lisa Cohen</div></div> The FF&amp;E business was the first of its kind, with a focus on Australian-made products, good design, and a vision for shaping the world we live in.&nbsp;“If you tip a building upside down and shake out all the things we put inside them, they’re what makes the lived experience. Nobody notices if you use a cheaper paint or a lesser tap fitting. But if you put an uncomfortable bed in a hotel that will be remembered.“When I started the business, nobody knew what FF&amp;E was. It’s a specialist area like any consultancy but it dictates the way a place feels. It’s not just about putting products in a room and ordering 20 TVs. It’s that emotional connection you have with a space or a place. We straddle that place between design and commercial reality.“It’s a comprehensive end-to-end solution for design, manufacturing, procurement and logistics, and we don’t want it to be an afterthought that is value-managed out of a project. It is critical.”Elenberg says in the beginning they would design and make furniture and fittings and provide furniture packages but they have moved away from that now.&nbsp;“In our early days we were working with developers managing their risk to fit out fully furnished apartments. They would get better yields having fully furnished properties.&nbsp;“Over time we just moved with the market.”Moving with the times included major hotel fitouts across Asia, including Vietnam and Malaysia, and the establishment of an office in the Middle East, which closed in 2008 as Elenberg juggled motherhood and a multi-national business.<div id="3ohGG9VEp5qdednvd1MDvx"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3bwSP0JoD8Brt4SCKykzmB/b302b502464e3d64af158413d629814c/Sebel_MID.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3bwSP0JoD8Brt4SCKykzmB/b302b502464e3d64af158413d629814c/Sebel_MID.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Move-in has been very active in the hotel space internationally and recently completed the FF&amp;E for Sebel Silverwoods. PHOTO: Cox Architecture</div></div> While Australian projects across the eastern seaboard are the major focus for Move-in now, Elenberg says it’s “extraordinary” what she and her small team based in Melbourne’s Fitzroy are achieving.&nbsp;Elenberg’s team includes designers and logistics experts, which she believes sets them apart from others in the burgeoning industry.&nbsp;Circular economy is something that is on Elenberg’s radar as she looks to the future of the industry. Move-in recently inked a deal with You Matter, a support service, which helps to fit out properties for women fleeing domestic violence.&nbsp;Elenberg says they strategically over-order for projects and the surplus sits in a warehouse until warranty is done. She says this program enables them to divert products from landfill.&nbsp;“There’s lots of people out there in need and then there’s lots of land fill,” she says.&nbsp;“Circular economy is something that we are constantly thinking about in our space. We just donated nearly 400 products at the beginning of this year.”They also look to adopt products that can have a second life when they cycle out of hotels and other spaces.&nbsp;“We try to choose high-quality products so we know where they have come from and how they can have a second life, whether that’s through recycling or repurposing,” she says.“We like to give our clients the option to buy locally and there has been a shift towards it because the prices of products have increased and the shipping costs have blown out significantly.“Even if it’s not everything, but a few pieces, it is supporting local manufacturers and businesses.”<div id="6MQXfq5t2JN5WgMd9vTOrL"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/10sDIGjfTGNMPaKvXeVgQE/1d25ebe8c030c3e4ce1d7e22e56ee3bd/Home_BtR_MID.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/10sDIGjfTGNMPaKvXeVgQE/1d25ebe8c030c3e4ce1d7e22e56ee3bd/Home_BtR_MID.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The build-to-rent sector is emerging as a growth area for the FF&amp;E industry according to Elenberg. Move-in completed the fit out of Home Richmond (pictured). PHOTO: RotheLowman</div></div> Elenberg says the purpose-built student accommodation developers were the most proactive in supporting local designers and sustainability initiatives.&nbsp;“It’s a really interesting market, they’re game-changing leaders in that space. They have a big focus on design and fit out of big communal spaces in their developments and are commissioning artists to create pieces for their developments.&nbsp;“The common spaces and areas are where life happens and there’s a lot of thought that goes into that. No longer are they cheaply priced prison cells.”Elenberg says the blossoming build-to-rent market was a growth area for Move-in and also had a vested interest in quality fit outs.&nbsp;Reflecting on 21 years of business Elenberg says while the colour schemes and fashions have shifted significantly, the drive to create beautiful, liveable spaces and help developers to bring their vision to life was what continued to drive her.&nbsp;“I want Move-in to be synonymous with great FF&amp;E and amazing spaces.” <hr> You are currently experiencing&nbsp;The Urban Developer&nbsp;Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans">Click here to learn more.</a><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture><div> </div></div>

We go behind the scenes with property icon Zahava Elenberg as she reflects on architecture, development, turning 50, and 21 years in the furniture, fixtures and equipment industry…

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Pellicano’s third and final stage of its $250-million mixed-use hub The Links in Oakleigh South has been approved.The development at the site 17km south-east of the Melbourne CBD will include a shoptop build-to-rent project, named Fieldworks House.The Links final stage will also add 3000sq m of ground-floor retail and hospitality as well as provision for a second supermarket to join the existing network of retailers, which includes Woolworths, BWS, Bunnings Warehouse, Snap Fitness, Chemist Warehouse and a medical hub, created during the first two stage of the project.&nbsp;To be built above the retail component, Fieldworks House will come under the Pellicano Living banner and comprise 166 apartments in one, two and three bedrooms plus a “signature mix of hotel-style amenities with community-focused living”.The i2c Architects-designed Fieldworks House, would “embody Pellicano Living’s goal of offering premium lifestyle amenities in sought-after locations” according to the developer.<div id="TxuTUyytszx55PNlEXhOj"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1DmPOKNexj88blFLwQi7eR/7c7ea995e3a119cc0ae10d7b7ebe1dc0/Mid_article_resizes__3_.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1DmPOKNexj88blFLwQi7eR/7c7ea995e3a119cc0ae10d7b7ebe1dc0/Mid_article_resizes__3_.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The Links final stage will also add 3000sq m of ground-floor retail and hospitality to the existing network of retailers created during the first two stage of the project. </div></div>The first floor will include a communal landscaped park and lawn, while the rooftop will incorporate shared spaces and alfresco dining areas.“We set out to create a new retail hub for Oakleigh South with The Links – our tenant mix, including a number of blue chip operators and our location have made it a popular choice among leading retailer brands,” managing director Nando Pellicano said.“With plans now approved, we expect to break ground on the Fieldworks House site later this year.”<div id="carousel-root" data-reactroot=""><image-carousel-remove-button><div class="rm-carousel-wrapper"><button id="rm-carousel" class="rm-carousel-btn">Delete</button></div></image-carousel-remove-button><div class="slider-wrap"><image-carousel><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="230308-VIEW-03.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6ota2gXpL39bL7hm2Cq9j6/56c1642d0fe90c6edc47e16b8d90cc22/230308-VIEW-03.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6ota2gXpL39bL7hm2Cq9j6/56c1642d0fe90c6edc47e16b8d90cc22/230308-VIEW-03.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="230308-VIEW-05.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2bRNDrC9QxqaCsgNhF0evb/116f9a1616a1ab6254ad2e51cabcb27f/230308-VIEW-05.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2bRNDrC9QxqaCsgNhF0evb/116f9a1616a1ab6254ad2e51cabcb27f/230308-VIEW-05.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="230308-VIEW-01.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/JEMOQ6Icttk6fO1ZhwyJI/bd781854ca32babb974e4ea7ba10bd6a/230308-VIEW-01.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/JEMOQ6Icttk6fO1ZhwyJI/bd781854ca32babb974e4ea7ba10bd6a/230308-VIEW-01.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="230308-VIEW-09.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5au6crQPIIDVnxwMvQcDpB/2889222f5271009b59210070588ac531/230308-VIEW-09.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5au6crQPIIDVnxwMvQcDpB/2889222f5271009b59210070588ac531/230308-VIEW-09.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="230308-VIEW-08.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4ibLXJAeEERsQ206SmHQ4Q/abe639d52580787cc0b4a1e733cc9480/230308-VIEW-08.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4ibLXJAeEERsQ206SmHQ4Q/abe639d52580787cc0b4a1e733cc9480/230308-VIEW-08.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div></image-carousel></div></div> Elsewhere across <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-build-to-rent-piepline-brisbane-melbourne" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-build-to-rent-piepline-brisbane-melbourne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pellicano’s portfolio</a>, works have recently completed on Solarino House at Brunswick, also in Victoria, and Perry House at Bowen Hills, Queensland. Pellicano now has more than 350 operational build-to-rent apartments in its portfolio.&nbsp;A further 400 are currently under construction in Queensland, including the 110-apartment Berwick House in Fortitude Valley, the 150-apartment <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-gabba-build-to-rent-under-way-tax-scrapped" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-gabba-build-to-rent-under-way-tax-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hillyard House</a>, at Woolloongabba and the <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-21-duke-street-kangaroo-point-development-application-approval" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/pellicano-21-duke-street-kangaroo-point-development-application-approval" target="_blank" rel="noopener">86-apartment Story House</a>, Kangaroo Point. &nbsp;

The developer is now poised to break ground on the third and final stage of its $250-million mixed-use hub in Melbourne’s south-west…

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“It’s not spending $5 million to make $5 million—it’s if you don’t spend $5 million, it will be worth $20 million less.”Paloma Property director Hamish de Crespigny isn’t pulling any punches.The developer was answering a question from the floor at the City of Melbourne’s panel discussion on zero carbon retrofitting.It was the question on many developers’ minds: why should I retrofit and what will be the return on my investment? De Crespigny’s answer was echoed by the rest of the panel—if you don’t do it, you will devalue your asset.<h2>The market for zero carbon buildings </h2> Melbourne’s CBD is full of buildings, many old, many heritage-listed and much like Sydney, little open space for new developments unless you get permission to demolish.In fact, it has 1200 buildings that need retrofitting.And the makeup of the city is changing too. Post-Covid, many more people are returning to the city to live but only very gradually to work. It’s left many investors wondering what to do with properties that are not necessarily attracting their usual market of tenants or how to futureproof themselves especially when construction and material costs have increased dramatically. And with the changing times has come a change in attitudes around what it means to live, work and play in the built environment, and how that built environment and your life affects the world around you. JLL capital markets ESG head Caitlin Uren says those attitude shifts around sustainability and climate change haven’t occurred in just the general public, it’s across investors, landlords, tenants, governments and companies.The company surveyed 450 clients with 72 per cent of investors keen on sustainability in their assets.&nbsp;“The investors, particularly in the institutional space, have really been driving the focus on sustainable real estate for some time,” Uren says.“This ties back to their own corporate commitments but also that they see this type of property as being high performing and low risk.” <div id="12r2kIchg4DdgGkZgK6uoG"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1vdBCdhYiPsq9ca78Uk0DL/73e6d3ce79f5bd2279f4aed51dd753ac/7066_ExhibitionSt_0232_0.jpg" alt="The GPT Group announced in 2018 that it would aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its entire office portfolio including the 8 Exhibition Street property in Melbourne." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1vdBCdhYiPsq9ca78Uk0DL/73e6d3ce79f5bd2279f4aed51dd753ac/7066_ExhibitionSt_0232_0.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The GPT Group announced in 2018 that it would aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its entire office portfolio including the 8 Exhibition Street property in Melbourne. </div></div>Occupiers are also keen on zero carbon buildings with 40 per cent of occupiers surveyed already committed to net zero carbon and 80 per cent aiming to incorporate it in their corporate strategies by 2025.&nbsp;Around 70 per cent would pay a premium to occupy such a building with data showing a clear divergence in rental prices from March 2021, post-Covid and post-COP21 with a massive increase for sustainable buildings. “So firstly, there's obviously this war for talent and wanting to attract the best people to work for your business and the suitability commitments of your organisation where employers are factoring in where they decide to work,” Uren says.“But equally in a post-Covid environment, we see that you have to provide that social value at your headquarters, your offices, and really compete with the commuters.“And all of these things can be achieved by having ESG-leading buildings, not just the environmental but that social value wellness experience.” The energy crisis also means occupiers want to lease out more sustainable buildings because of the lower costs during occupancy.Around two-thirds of ASX-listed companies have emissions targets and, as Uren points out, providing real estate that is fully electrified, energy efficient and renewable energy powered opens up the market.“[The energy crisis] is already here, it will only continue to become a higher cost problem over the next sort of transition periods,” Uren says.“And as a result, if you're a tenant looking to occupy a building, you’re wanting to get your operational costs down.&nbsp;“What better way to do that than to be in a highly energy efficient, high NaBERS building?” <div id="6f6zyqsZxHacsrAQzygZ60"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4c0LNq7AivabaVcD4WjWXZ/db3d55629def186c06eb5a40a08c9097/ch21.jpg" alt="Melbourne's Council House was the first building in Australia to achieve a six star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4c0LNq7AivabaVcD4WjWXZ/db3d55629def186c06eb5a40a08c9097/ch21.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Melbourne's Council House was the first building in Australia to achieve a 6 star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. </div></div><h2>Carbon neutral versus zero carbon</h2> Many buildings are currently being built to be carbon neutral with some confusion around the two different terms, JLL net zero carbon lead, Asia-Pacific, Stephen Brammer says.&nbsp;“Carbon neutral is essentially your short-term fix for your carbon emissions,” Brammer says.“And you’re just trying to make it go away for a short period of time, and then you pay some more money, make it go away again.“Net zero carbon, on the other hand, is about making a long term conservative investment in your assets and eliminating carbon emissions.” It also can help prevent greenwashing.“In a world where zero carbon is the gold standard, we’ve seen our clients migrate away from their carbon neutral commitments—there are a few reasons for this,” Brammer says.“There is the veracity of the carbon offsets that people are purchasing and the associated greenwash we have then seen for investors and consumers.“We’re seeing that the biggest reason with a building is ‘why are we buying offsets when we can just eliminate those emissions in the first place?’.” <div id="1eufbFZT4zWkYetJQoZXkg"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4l6IC9uKUrmSfyxPgjTf4X/8fd4b2e412d603657b5f8a58d97bd6ac/LendleaseGreenMID.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4l6IC9uKUrmSfyxPgjTf4X/8fd4b2e412d603657b5f8a58d97bd6ac/LendleaseGreenMID.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Lendlease’s 25 King Street in Brisbane achieved a 6 Star Green Star rating. </div></div><h2>The move towards zero carbon</h2>Market appetite alone is not the sole reason those who don’t retrofit will be left behind.&nbsp;NABERS ratings are also changing—replacing tickets with Renewable Energy Indicators with certification starting from the second quarter of 2023.&nbsp;From 2030, ratings for all buildings will be impacted with many not in the premium category of five stars and above.&nbsp;The equation is simple: inaction will put asset owners in the brown discount category but action will deliver ESG premiums and also open up financial opportunities and lower insurance costs.<h2>Changes in planning and financing</h2> Regulations are to change—the City of Melbourne is making an amendment to its Sustainable Building Planning Scheme to apply a NaTHERS minimum rating of 7.5 and best standards to all residential planning schemes and for them to target 5 star Green Star rated buildings.&nbsp; <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/future-melbourne-committee-zero-carbon-commercial-buildings" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/future-melbourne-committee-zero-carbon-commercial-buildings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The City of Melbourne raised the concern last year</a> that it would not be able to meet its zero carbon emissions goals as a city by 2040 if changes were not made to new and existing buildings.&nbsp; Construction and operation of commercial buildings accounts for 60 per cent of the City of Melbourne’s emissions while residential buildings account for just 6 per cent.“To tackle the huge issue of decarbonizing our city's built environment and seize the opportunities that are in front of us, we need to throw everything at this challenge,” says City of Melbourne strategy, planning and climate change general manager Evan Counsel. While the planning amendment will target new buildings through the planning process, the city still needs at least 80 existing buildings to be retrofitted for zero carbon emissions each year to hit its 2040 target.&nbsp; Consultation is currently open for Amendment C376 while the federal government is working on required climate change reporting for all businesses with turnover of more than $100 million with SMEs feeding in their data to big businesses that they work with. The banks have entered the discussion with all major banks in a net zero alliance and reconsidering financing for property as they try to align it with their own ESG goals.&nbsp;“From an investment perspective, the banks or the major Australian banks having joined the net zero banking alliance is going to kind of move this from being an option to being non-negotiable,” Uren says. There are already sustainability linked loans or green loans on the market with the Commonwealth Bank offering a property sustainability upgrade loan as a margin-free loan on capital expenditure with extended LVR on existing loans. Sustainable Australia Fund has a Sustainable Australia Fund Offering which is a green loan to help upgrade existing commercial buildings.Green loans offer lower rates and other incentives for developers looking for finance who want to build or upgrade buildings to be zero carbon.Indi, Investa’s build-to-rent platform, secured a $130-million green loan from the Commonwealth Bank to build it’s Indi Sydney City build-to-rent project in the Sydney CBD in October 2021.&nbsp; <div id="AYsArJ8DJ6loOhE8LSsrf"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3Y6PyesdjDAIBpGI5tA6I2/24d1cfef79c2c2cc96e4a97caafe6152/Green_building_story_hero_.jpg" alt="Fraser's Burwood Brickworks, one of the Green Building Council of Australia's examples in its guide on electrifying new developments. Source: Green Building Council of Australia. " data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3Y6PyesdjDAIBpGI5tA6I2/24d1cfef79c2c2cc96e4a97caafe6152/Green_building_story_hero_.jpg"></picture><div>▲ Fraser’s Burwood Brickworks, one of the Green Building Council of Australia'’ examples in its guide on electrifying new developments. Source: Green Building Council of Australia. </div></div><h2>What’s involved</h2>Upgrades to existing buildings can include removing gas completely from the building, solar panel installation, lighting changes, removing boilers, adding induction cooktops, air conditioning and insulation upgrades but also adding in bicycle storage, electric vehicle chargers and solar power storage via batteries.&nbsp; There is also the option to improve building management systems, install better metering and to set up contracts and purchasing power agreements with certified renewable energy providers.&nbsp; “Once our building is all electric, we need to look at how do we prevent these emissions,” Brammer says.“So it’s onsite renewables and this is an investment in an asset.&nbsp; “Once you have maximised your on site renewables, you can start using battery storage.”<h2>A sustainable future</h2> In five years, zero carbon will be more the norm, according to de Crespigny.&nbsp; “One bank has told me that they don’t want a lot of loans on their books in five years with less than five stars,” de Crespigny says.“They’re basically saying where we’re going to try and differentiate between the two types of assets from now.”Uren agrees: “Banks are the absolute movers of real estate change.”Brammer says incentives and regulations have a role to play.“I think we’re starting to move into that territory where we need both a big carrot and a big stick,” Brammer says.Retrofitting also makes a lot of sense for developers who may struggle to get planning permission to demolish and rebuild but who also face higher construction and material costs.It also limits construction and demolition waste heading to landfill.Counsel says developers are a key part of the process.&nbsp; “We know that to reach net zero, we need strong partnerships with industry,” says Counsel.“We need everybody in the room to act together in partnership and in collaboration.“We certainly can’t do this alone.” <hr> You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. <a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans">Click here to learn more.</a><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

Banks, regulatory bodies, tenants and occupiers are now all asking for the same thing: more sustainable buildings and the City of Melbourne says retrofitting old buildings is the answer…


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Altis Property Partners and Aware Real Estate has lodged plans for an 18-storey build-to-rent tower in Melbourne’s Preston.Aware Real Estate is the property investment platform of Aware Super’s directly owned Australian property portfolio.The 3029sq m site at 6-34 High Street had prior planning approval for a 17-storey building with 174 apartments and 198 basement level car parking spaces, which was granted in 2012.Previous owner-occupier Paint Mobile sold the site to Altis and Aware Super in 2022 for $14 million.At the time of the sale, the partners indicated their intent to develop a build-to-rent project on the site, which has 63.5m of frontage onto Preston’s High Street.An application has now been filed with the City of Darebin council to amend the previous planning permit to include a new design of 18 storeys plus two basement levels comprising 157 units and six shops.BCI records show an estimated end value of $50 million.A landscaped courtyard, residents’ lounge and rooftop terrace are also included in the amended design as well as 72 bicycle storage spaces and 203 car parking spaces.The building on the site currently is used as a warehouse and retail outlet. Preston is 9km north-east of the Melbourne CBD.<div id="3UvK2ijbCzZRtqKKpJ5Lbq"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/25UoCwrhWVi0nKJ6dnY0dn/068a525b022164079142caad17cb84d6/altis_aware_super_story_mid_article_image.jpg" alt="A render of the project as seen on Aware Real Estate's website." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/25UoCwrhWVi0nKJ6dnY0dn/068a525b022164079142caad17cb84d6/altis_aware_super_story_mid_article_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ A render of the proposed High Street build-to-rent.</div><div> </div></div><a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aware-super-real-estate-michelle-mcnally" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aware-super-real-estate-michelle-mcnally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aware Real Estate has 11 existing assets</a>, eight assets in development and a $1.9-billion portfolio with a 99 per cent occupancy rate.The companies have also recently bought a half-stake in the Sunshine Marketplace for a speculated $65 million.Challenger, who has a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, sold the stake after initially buying it from Vicinity Centres in 2013 for $45.5 million.Vicinity owns the rest of the asset and manages it <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/vicinity-salta-victoria-gardens-richmond-melbourne-redevelopment" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/vicinity-salta-victoria-gardens-richmond-melbourne-redevelopment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as part of its massive retail portfolio</a>.The 34,153sq m shopping centre is on a 12.2ha site, leaving plenty of room for development with a masterplan for 17 buildings across 11 blocks.Last year, Aware Super and Altis also bought a site on Queens Road in South Melbourne opposite Albert Park and has plans for a housing project aimed at key workers.&nbsp;

A partnership between a developer and a super fund has led to amended plans being lodged for a site on a popular strip…


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Development interest remains high in Collingwood with two major projects filed and on exhibition in the suburb.&nbsp;Salta Properties has filed amendments for its project at 60-72 Landridge Street, changing tack from a residential hotel to a mixed-use office and retail building.The 1058sq m site will still have an eight-storey building and require a liquor license with a development cost of $28 million.According to the planning report submitted as part of the application, it was deemed that with the City of Yarra’s objectives for increasing economic activity in the area, there was a better outcome for an office project than for a residential hotel.There were 180 guest rooms planned for the residential hotel.Gray Puksand designed the plans for the office development, which include 36 carparking spaces across two basement levels, and 46 bike storage spaces, end-of-trip facilities, a food and beverage tenancy and two restricted retail tenancies on the ground floor.There will be a total of 4939sq m of office space across the first to seventh floor.&nbsp; Also filed with the City of Yarra council recently is a nine-storey medical centre with four basement levels for carparking at 151-159 Victoria Parade.Plans by ArcZero Architects include 178 carparking spaces, end-of-trip facilities, 18,442 sq m of gross floor space and 8613sq m of net lettable area for medical offices.Council documents report an estimated cost of $14.9 million for the project on the 1680sq m site.&nbsp;The site was previously home to a Liberty petrol station, which was damaged by fire in August ,2021.Authorities recommended that the station be demolished.CoreLogic reported the site last changing hands in August, 1980 for $227,000.&nbsp;The company Duong-Hoang Pty Ltd is listed as the owner of the site on the application form.

As development activity increases in Melbourne’s suburbs, Salta Properties files changes to its Collingwood project…


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The Future Melbourne Committee has voted unanimously to support the minister granting planning permission for rich-lister and Walker Corporation owner Lang Walker’s controversial Docklands twin tower project.Walker's plans for the site included two 46-storey towers to be built over the No 2 Goods Shed, a heritage-listed building, at 731-735 Bourke Street and 44 Village Street in Docklands’ Batman Hill, with a construction cost of $750 million.It is expected to create office space in the towers along with uses such as an events space, education centre and retail in the Goods Shed.&nbsp; A dining precinct is also planned as is the revitalisation of Village Street. The developer spoke at the meeting and estimated that about $3 billion will be added to Melbourne economy per year and that the premium grade office spaces would cater for 12,750 workers.“The Goods Shed is one of Australia’s most remarkable heritage buildings - as one of the longest buildings in the southern hemisphere,” deputy lord mayor Nicholas Reece said.“In many ways it is the building that Melbourne forgot about for decades and even though it had a renaissance in the early 2000s, I don't think it has ever reached anywhere near the full potential of what it could be.”&nbsp;Heritage Victoria rejected the application in January this year after the Royal Historical Society and the National Trust opposed the plans.&nbsp;An estimated 41 per cent of the building would be demolished if the plans went ahead. It was confirmed during the meeting that Walker Corporation is appealing the Heritage Victoria decision. “We have appealed the heritage decision and we haven’t requested the minister to call it in,”&nbsp; Urbis director Sarah Horsfield said.&nbsp;Under the ministerial referral process, while the planning minister makes the final decision, the City of Melbourne can only consider the planning aspects of the application against the planning scheme and cannot make any decisions based on heritage matters.&nbsp; Heritage Victoria instead acts as the relevant authority on heritage considerations during a ministerial referral process.The No 2 Goods Shed was built in 1889 and is the largest example of a 19th century railway goods building in the country.Walker Corporation bought the northern half of the site from an Abacus-controlled entity for $56 million consolidating its ownership of the entire site.Sky lobbies, concierges, end-of-trip facilities and basement level storage for 551 bicycles are all part of the plans.&nbsp;<div id="4I8qQGCvHXFdaiC9yaK2r9"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6gQLNqOdiuGfucYvxDYl2G/751f6e9c9dc78e9d3d7bab63765e5e6d/goods_shed_story_mid_article_image.jpg" alt="One of the skyscrapers in the design at one end of the site at Docklands' Batman Hill precinct. " data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6gQLNqOdiuGfucYvxDYl2G/751f6e9c9dc78e9d3d7bab63765e5e6d/goods_shed_story_mid_article_image.jpg"></picture><div>▲ One of the skyscrapers in the design at one end of the site at Docklands' Batman Hill precinct. </div></div>The site sits next to Melbourne Quarter and the Bureau of Meteorology building.About 20 per cent of the heritage building was lost when Collins Street was allowed to bisect the long, narrow site.Development Victoria is a co-applicant and development partner on the project with plans drawn up by Bates Smart Architects.&nbsp;<div id="3KfvmxFTnlmNiAO2aXRsmS"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/puZ8rOqbaznrjCtgFozfM/2d6cfdb7f466c946e56b9e413dc5e725/goods_shed_story_mid_article_image_2.jpg" alt="The plans include enclosing part of the heritage-listed building and structure in glass on the lower levels of the towers." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/puZ8rOqbaznrjCtgFozfM/2d6cfdb7f466c946e56b9e413dc5e725/goods_shed_story_mid_article_image_2.jpg"></picture><div>▲ The plans include enclosing part of the heritage-listed building and structure in glass on the lower levels of the towers. </div></div>Determination on the matter will now fall under the state minister Sonya Kilkenny’s purview.That process will also consider the reports on heritage aspects of the plan from Heritage Victoria and other parties.&nbsp;Development Victoria is responsible for managing all development occurring in the Docklands area with several towers built by Lang Walker’s Walker Corporation in the Collins Square project.&nbsp;The project is one of several major projects contributing to <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/city-of-melbourne-development-applications-da-record" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/city-of-melbourne-development-applications-da-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a $2.5-billion development application bonanza for the City of Melbourne</a> last year.

City of Melbourne’s planning committee has thrown its support behind Lang Walker’s controversial twin tower plan for the Goods Shed…


MELBOURNE