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Development outrage

This Month

Developers are willing to pay big bucks for underutilised land in blue-chip areas.

4 clues an apartment has superior growth potential

It’s counterintuitive, but older apartments often deliver greater capital growth than modern units with high-end facilities.

October

A concept photo of the six-storey apartment building proposed in Awaba Street, Mosman

Fight for $44m apartment project in Mosman heads to court

The dispute in the affluent suburb is shaping as the first big test of the state government’s effort to overcome NIMBY opposition to more housing.

September

Paddington skyscrapers loom as Sydney’s next NIMBY battle

Victoria Barracks in the city’s east is the size of Hyde Park. Its future is under consideration and shaping up to be a new fight in the development wars.

Adrian Pozzo, CEO, Cbus Property.

This major developer says Woollahra plans are too risky, pricey

Cbus Property chief executive Adrian Pozzo said it was easier to build in Brisbane and Melbourne, as he waded into a major debate over Sydney’s development.

August

How Mosman became ground zero in the NIMBY debate

A proposed six-storey boutique apartment building has the residents of Sydney harbourside suburb Mosman up in arms.

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July

Render of Deicorp’s planned Kings Bay Village in Western Sydney.

Fast track then green light for 1200-home project in inner-west Sydney

A $1.8 billion residential and retail precinct in Sydney’s Five Dock has been given the green light, despite past objections from local councils.

January

Prominent investor Alex Waislitz and property developer Tim Gurner. Mr Waislitz has accused Mr Gurner’s Gurner Group of delays and defects at its Saint Moritz development.

Alex Waislitz and Tim Gurner feud over luxury St Kilda tower

The wealthy businessmen are at loggerheads over problems at the Saint Moritz development. Mr Waislitz says Mr Gurner is trying to silence residents.

December 2024

Buyers of apartments on sites such as this 22-storey, 111 Castlereagh by Cbus project in Sydney have an easier path to make claims in case of defects.

How it just became even better to buy an apartment in NSW

A High Court ruling has made it easier for off-the-plan buyers to sue developers and builders for defects – but only if they live in the largest state.

July 2024

The Lacrosse tower on fire in Docklands in 2014.

Architects, fire engineers, building surveyors fingered over cladding

Victoria’s combustible cladding crisis shows the permit system failed to ensure compliance with building rules, a new government agency report shows.

April 2024

A more practical application of the act would save money, says Owners Corporation Network executive director Karen Stiles.

Strata reforms send bills soaring from just $5000 to $60,000

The NSW government made sweeping changes to prevent horrific development failures. Did it go too far?

January 2024

Bronwyn Weir: “On current estimates, 50 per cent of what will be built will have serious defects.”

Has the apartment development industry reformed enough?

To prevent a repeat of disasters such as the Opal and Mascot towers, states need to better regulate their building industries – and they need to move faster.

June 2023

Woolworth’s proposed apartment building in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane.

Woolworths wants to sell you an apartment

From Perth to Brisbane, the food and vegetables giant is working a strategy that might, one day, help Australia solve its housing problem.

The real reason you can’t afford to buy or rent

Everyone acknowledges the extent of Australia’s housing crisis but governments and councils are a long way from doing much about it.

February 2023

Lendlease Global CEO Tony Lombardo.

Lendlease earnings torpedoed by $200m UK provision

The ASX-listed developer says earnings are likely to improve in the current six-month, but inflation and interest rates will influence the pace of recovery.

November 2022

Hold up: David Proctor is trying to sell an apartment in a building with combustible cladding that experts say is safe, but the regulator still officially regards as non-compliant with the building code.

Why this apartment with cladding is safe but not sellable

The combustible cladding crisis is hitting owners with buildings widely regarded as safe because the regulator is slow to give them the stamp of approval.

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October 2022

Come a long way: Building regulation and consumer protection has improved in NSW since the crisis caused by structural defects in Sydney’s 36-storey Opal Tower erupted in December 2018.

Insurers come back to NSW apartment construction

The new policy, an alternative to the current 2 per cent bond developers pay upon completion, offers 10-year protection for completed apartments.

Clear deck: The owners’ acceptance of its rectification plan means AYMCI can push on with the next stage of its $5bn Ovation Quarter development in Sydney Olympic Park.

Developer to pay $3 million to guarantee apartment rectification

The industry has welcomed the agreement under which a developer will work with apartment owners to fix defects. And get its money back if it complies with the plan.

The first stage of AYMCI’s Ovation Quarter development at Sydney Olympic Park.

Developer pledges to fix defects under new NSW rules

The new regime of building enforcement in NSW is creating incentives for developers and owners to co-operate, but it requires trust.

July 2022

Not affected by the liquidation: Merhis Group’s Imperial development in Parramatta’s CBD is under separate control of the receiver and is not affected by the liquidation of other Merhis entities.

Merhis Corp put into liquidation as tax bills mount

The western Sydney developer has defaulted on an earlier repayment arrangement and its founder has fled to the Middle East, his liquidator says.

Austrata Finance CEO Andrew Boss.

Multibillion building rectification bills draw new lenders, loans

Friction over the new loans reflects the pressures on strata management, a cottage industry that has undergone huge growth and has to deal with increasingly complex issues.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/development-outrage-1mj9