The Nimbys of Sydney’s upmarket Mosman must be sharpening their quills ready to oppose a new 41-apartment development in the quiet suburb.

Developers have lodged plans for an eight-storey apartment at 89-101 Cowles Rd, in  the heart of the blue-chip burb.

The $53m tiered, square block will take up the space occupied by seven houses and 33 of the proposed 41 two-bed or three-bed units will be sold at market rates, while eight will be reserved as “affordable” units.

Planned amenities in the Giles Tribe Architects design include a spa, sauna and steam room plus a gym and dog washroom. A heritage survey says there is no impact as the houses it will replace have little or no heritage value. You can read the full story here.

Meanwhile new homes for old diggers, and fears for auctions was war clouds property market. All that and more in this week’s feed from Leftfield Communications.

Free Reads

Realestate.com.au  

Ageing Victorian Vietnam veterans get $320m housing lifeline
Victoria’s ageing and financially struggling Vietnam veterans are set for a housing lifeline after the approval of hundreds of new retirement homes prioritised for their use.

Boutique city development launches public preview of absolute riverfront units
Future residents of one of the Brisbane River’s most prestige apartment buildings are now able to walk through a preview of their new boutique homes. A fully built preview of a unit in ARC Residences Toowong has been finished by developer Spyre Group, revealed over the weekend after a special early preview for purchasers.

Real Commercial  

Queen’s Bridge Hotel’s $1.5bn revival as 71-storey skyscraper begins
The former Queen’s Bridge Hotel opposite Crown Casino is set to begin its transformation into a $1.5bn, 71-storey skyscraper after 15 years being passed from developer to developer.

Urban Developer (Partly Free)

Midrise Proposal for Hamilton Racecourse Road Precinct
Midrise tower plans have been filed for a site tucked behind the evolving Racecourse Road precinct at Hamilton in Brisbane’s inner-north.

Ten Conversations Shaping Residential Development
Australia’s residential development market is being reshaped in real time. Costs remain high, planning pathways are constrained and feasibility is under pressure—while the gap between supply and demand continues to widen.

Byron Bay’s Molti Moves Ahead with Melbourne Debut
Byron Bay-based boutique residential developer Molti is moving ahead with its Melbourne debut—six luxury townhouses at bluechip Armadale. In February of last year, the developer acquired three sites in the Victorian capital, at Toorak and Armadale.

Developer Responsibility Redefined at Skye by Pikos
Brisbane developer Pikos Property Group has welcomed its first residents at Skye by Pikos at Kangaroo Point, completing one of Queensland’s most material-driven residential projects.

Tiberius Approved for $1.2bn Precinct at Parramatta
A $1.2-billion precinct proposed for Parramatta has been waved ahead. WA-based developer Tiberius’ contentious seven-tower plan for 1 Crescent Street, Holroyd has now been approved by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

Campelltown Townhouse Site Tipped into Midrise Play
A 12-townhouse development in south-west Sydney would be demolished to make way for a seven-storey apartment project under the state’s low and midrise housing reforms.

Midrise Plans Revealed for Brisbane’s Paddington
Plans for an apartment project that would reshape a popular Brisbane suburb’s skyline are now before the city council.

View.com.au  

Luxury sub-penthouse with heritage facade listed in Newcastle’s East End development
A sub-penthouse with uninterrupted views of Newcastle Harbour has hit the market in Iris Capital’s East End development in Newcastle.

Apartments.com.au  

Inside the loft-style residences at Candela Ivanhoe
At Candela Ivanhoe, a limited collection of loft-style residences introduces a housing typology rarely seen in Melbourne’s established north-east. Designed as double-level homes within a broader apartment development, these residences respond to buyers seeking the spatial separation and flexibility of a townhouse, while retaining the efficiency, connectivity and greater security from apartment living.

Local downsizers set sights on Carrington Place, Castle Hill penthouses
After inspecting the a mixture of new apartment developments in Sydney’s thriving north west corridor, Rouse Hill downsizers Lynne and Dale Kennedy were set to buy a two-bedroom apartment in Ellipse Property’s Carrington Place development, until they saw the penthouse floorplans.

The Alfred Residences brings village-style living to the heart of Mermaid Beach
While the Gold Coast continues to densify around key transport and lifestyle nodes, Mermaid Beach has retained its village-like charm even as demand intensifies for walkable beachside living. It’s a suburb that holds firm to its community feel, while sitting within one of Australia’s fastest-growing urban corridors.

Pay-walled

The Australian Financial Review

Auctions could slump to pandemic-level lows as war worries buyers
Preliminary auction clearance rates fell sharply over the Easter long weekend and the final tally could be revised down to its lowest rate since the first COVID-19 lockdown, as buyers worry about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and sellers rush to offload their homes, according to property analysts.

The Australian

Builders demand Covid-style relief as Mideast conflict sends construction costs soaring
Property developers and builders are calling for relief such as extending site working hours and deferring government charges as they fight to keep projects on track amid the supply chain shock prompted by the Middle East conflict. Sydney property developer Deicorp, which is undertaking close to 5000 apartments across the city, said the conflict was hitting the industry hard, with the pain similar to the pandemic.

Australians buying property abroad face a tax trap on family home
Wealthy Australians can face a massive tax sting on their family homes if they buy that overseas villa. For many wealthy Australians, the question of whether to buy overseas property has extra lustre – returns look promising, as does the potential for tax minimisation.

The Sydney Morning Herald

‘Financially cautious’: The Gen Zs determined to be home owners
Claire Ho and her partner, both 23, were determined to buy a property. Instead of taking holidays, shopping and dining out, they decided to save most of their earnings.

Developers want to build 280 luxury units in Sydney. They’ll take the government’s help
Construction of more than 300 Sydney apartments will be brought forward under the state government’s $1 billion scheme to help developers finance approved projects that have stalled. A $900 million complex of 280 luxury apartments in Pyrmont and a 30-unit block in Westmead are the latest projects to benefit from the Minns government’s policy to act as guarantor for up to 50 per cent of off-the-plan dwellings in some eligible proposals, to help developers meet pre-sale hurdles.

The Age

Daniel Andrews was warned of a looming housing headache. It took Labor almost a decade to act
Melbourne’s sprawling fringe housing estates are growing faster now than in 2014 when a just-elected Andrews government was urged to do major planning reform to house a burgeoning population in established suburbs.

The Daily Telegraph

Developers plot $53m eight-storey apartment complex at 89-101 Cowles Rd in Mosman, Sydney
The face of Sydney’s up-market Mosman could soon change radically, with developers plotting a massive eight-storey, $53m apartment build smack bang in the centre of the richlister suburb.

Five-storey, $35.4m shop-top-housing project approved for old Ettalong Motel site
A five-storey, $35.4m shop-top-housing project, that will effectively “bookend” mid-rise development at Ettalong Beach, has been approved. Read the details here.

‘The San’ reveals $690m redevelopment push with 19-storey unit blocks and expanded healthcare
The popular Sydney Adventist Hospital – operating since 1903 – has unveiled a bold $690m proposal which could see two 19-storey apartment towers built on its leafy north shore campus, if approved.

Sydney builder Impero Construction liquidated amid $21m debt
Creditors owed up to $21m have forced a cash-strapped builder with just $42 left in the bank into liquidation after the directors abandoned a deal amid mounting building defect claims.

Edmondson Park: Library, civic plaza units for Chapter Place development as plans go public
A public library, civic plaza, shops and more than 1800 homes are proposed for a sprawling residential and commercial development in Sydney’s southwest.

$53.4m black hole: Construction firm Novati under investigation for potential insolvent trading
The full meltdown engulfing family-run construction firm Novati has been revealed, with shock accusations and multimillion-dollar defect claims hitting the 50-year-old company.

The Gold Coast Bulletin

Controversial Palm Beach tower gets green light after developer cuts height
Gold Coast councillors have approved a 13-storey Palm Beach tower despite fierce opposition from nearly 300 residents who fear it will destroy their suburb’s character.

The West Australian

Perth gearing up for student influx with thousands of new rooms nearly complete
There are now officially more student beds in Perth than there are shops, as the capital finally transitions into a city for students. The opening of the Edith Cowan University city campus this year coincides with the opening of the nearby 736-bed UniLodge tower, which adds to the 573-bed Yugo tower and the 916-bed Campus Perth.

WA housing crisis: Labor set to ban no-grounds rental terminations at May 7 state Budget
WA Landlords will no longer be able to kick renters out without a valid reason, under new laws proposed by the Cook Government.

The Newcastle Herald

Regulators crack down on Hunter development linked to dodgy Daniel Roberts
REGULATORS have turned up the heat on a Mount Hutton development linked to serial building industry shonk Daniel Roberts and his business partner, Shashanth Shankar TellakulaGowrishankar, issuing $60,000 in pollution fines and a rectification notice for defects.

The Illawarra Mercury

Wollongong’s new look: taller hotels, rejected tenders, and a pickleball debut
It’s all about going up in Illawarra development in March. From IRT’s Towradgi Park development drama continuing, to apartment blocks being flagged as simply “too tall” for our CBD, here is the latest in the region’s building development – from business to sport.

Tall storeys: The bonus that is going to change the Wollongong CBD skyline
In a few years the Wollongong skyline will look very different, thanks to MP Paul Scully. As Planning Minister, the Wollongong MP brought in changes to encourage developers building apartment towers to provide affordable housing in them.