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Development

November

Stockland’s joint venture partner, Bangkok-based Supalai, waited since last December for the green light from federal regulators to control 12 Lendlease estates.

How a year-long wait worsens the housing crisis

A near 12-month wait for a Thai property developer for approvals to buy housing estates could deter other foreign developers, warns adviser Joseph Gersh.

  • John Kehoe
Business Council round table discussion members, left to right. Lendlease chief executive Tony Lombardo, Stockland chief executive Tarun Gupta, BCA chief executive Bran Black and CBA Matt Comyn.

Construction workers should be 10pc of migration, big developers urge

That was one of the key messages from a housing roundtable that focused on how to remove roadblocks to increasing the supply of affordable houses

  • James Eyers and Campbell Kwan

October

Pedestrians walk along the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan

Welcome to New York’s next hot neighbourhood

Google and Disney have moved in to Hudson Square. Now developers luring residents with green spaces and a pedestrian-friendly plan for the once gritty industrial area.

  • Arielle Paul
King Charles and Queen Camilla meet with locals at the Sydney Opera House.

King and Queen greet royal fans at Sydney Opera House

King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed a barbeque in Parramatta before heading towards the CBD; Hero Bondi stabbing police officer to meet visiting royals. How the day unfolded.

  • Updated
  • Lucy Slade
AFR Building designer Ben Wardle  says Merribek council’s guaranteed 6-week approval process for qualifying developments will speed up housing delivery. He got his first permit in just 3 1/2 weeks
Type of photo:    Ben outside the under-construction project of two townhouses in Melbourne’s Coburg. WEdnesday 16th October 2024 Melbourne Photo Eamon Gallagher

Six weeks for a housing approval? This council guarantees it

There are many reasons housing projects can be delayed, but one Melbourne municipality is doing what it can to prevent them.

  • Michael Bleby
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A fine line: builders need to be able to propose rezoning to state governments to overcome local council objections, the BCA says.

Put rezoning in hands of home builders, BCA says

Unlocking more land for development is one way to lower hurdles to new housing at a time when high costs render many new projects unviable.

  • Michael Bleby
John Gillam, the new chairman of Lendlease.

Lendlease investors backed Vik Bansal for chairman’s role

The property giant’s share registry remains polarised, and the appointment of chairman John Gillam has become a new flashpoint.

  • James Thomson
The 62-hectare farming property rezoned for residential development at 147 McAllister Road, Bilambil Heights in northern NSW is being offered for sale with a price guide of $182 million. 

A 62ha development site in Tweed Shire hits market with $182m hopes

The family-owned former fruit farm in part of northern NSW that has been rezoned for development is just a 13-minute drive from the Gold Coast.

  • Michael Bleby

September

The median strip in the middle of Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

Does anyone want a park in the middle of Park Avenue?

More green space is generally welcomed in New York – but not everyone is convinced a park in the middle of a busy street is a good idea.

  • Dodai Stewart

August

Strata title reform is on the agenda for WA.

Build-to-rent plan risks ‘repelling investors’

Labor has been warned to redesign key elements of its plan to boost affordable rental stock around Australia.

  • Tom McIlroy and Campbell Kwan

July

The proposed redevelopment of 8 Canada Square in London’s canary Wharf

Tourism gimmicks won’t save the office wastelands of Canary Wharf

The landlords who own the old business districts need to be far bolder, and come up with some genuinely radical solutions as major firms head for the exits.

  • Matthew Lynn

June

Sarah Kay takes over as Woods Bagot CEO from 1 July 2024.

‘Huge demand’: Australia’s largest design firm expands worldwide

Architecture practice Woods Bagot is focusing on growing demands for luxury and non-traditional consultancy services for design firms.

  • Michael Bleby and Patrick Duffy
Developers have snapped up a new fund to increase density in Queensland.

Developers rush to snap up $350m Qld fund to boost housing density

The industry has called for new tax incentives to increase housing supply following the mad rush to snap-up a development fund.

  • James Hall

New York-style High Line is coming to Tokyo

The planned Tokyo walkway is also part of a global trend of major cities taking a leaf out of the High Line’s playbook to build similar structures of their own.

  • Mia Glass
Mick Owens, the general manager of Greenfields Developments, estimates construction of about 1600 homes has been delayed due to industrial action by Endeavour Energy workers.

Pay dispute delays construction of 1600 homes

Industrial action by workers at poles and wires company Endeavour Energy is stalling the delivery of 1600 homes and $1.2 billion worth of warehouses in Sydney.

  • Campbell Kwan and David Marin-Guzman
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April

Why Melbourne’s housing crisis will get worse before its gets better

Victoria’s population is growing faster than any other state but as housing demand outpaces supply and wage growth, its economic prosperity is at risk.

  • Gus McCubbing
Sydney YIMBY co-founder Melissa Neighbour has accused Ku-ring-gai Council of misusing heritage zoning, as she stands in front of Roseville homes that arguably did not reflect the area’s heritage.

Heritage lovers or NIMBYs? Meet the council saying no to new homes

Sydney councils in wealthy areas are using heritage protection orders to skirt new home targets. The planning minister is now putting them on notice.

  • Campbell Kwan and Samantha Hutchinson
Jennifer Keesmaat, who visited Melbourne in 2019, said replicating Canada’s approach to the housing crisis could end the NIMBY wars in Australia.

How do you fix a massive lack of housing? Canada knows a few things

Toronto’s former chief planner says it took “cold hard cash” to get some cities to accept they would have to clear away restrictions to more development.

  • Campbell Kwan

How living in an office could solve the housing crisis

Converting offices into homes can be an effective way of using underutilised space and creating more places to live. Not every building is suitable, though.

  • Rosa Silverman
Phil Burfurd outside the Ragalan Street house which is proposed to be knocked down and replaced with a three-apartment complex.

Six Sydney suburbs haven’t built a major project in years

Some of the suburbs earmarked for aggressive development haven’t had a single major unit project in five years. The NSW government wants to change that.

  • Campbell Kwan

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/urban-development-63l