Commercial Confidential: Brisbane laneway in line for international award

One of Brisbane’s most innovative and ambitious laneway projects has gained fans overseas and is on the shortlist for an international award.

ARIA Property Group’s visionary Fish Lane development is on the shortlist for the Urban Land Institute’s Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence.

Just over the river in South Brisbane, and tucked away behind Melbourne St, Fish Lane stretches all the way from Grey St to Manning St and offers an array of dining, art and entertainment options.

Rebecca Swift and Jasmine Robertson in Fish Lane. Picture: AAP/Steve Pohlner

Owned by the Brisbane City Council, Fish Lane has been designed by Archepelego, RPS, Urbis and Firefly Lighting.

The awards recognise the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design.

Other criteria includes the extent to which the finalists achieve marketplace acceptance/financial success and relevance to the contemporary and future needs of the community.

Fish lane will compete against 14 other entrants, including Barrack Place in Sydney, for the prize which will be announced in June.

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Poly Australia makes key appointments

THE Australian arm of a giant Chinese development group has chosen APP to project manage its first Queensland development.

Poly acquired the 6ha industrial property at 104 Lamington St, Ascot where it plans to deliver a high quality residential community of more than 200 dwellings.

Urbis have been appointed town planners and Arkhefield will design the development.

The developers aim to submit the DA in May and want to start construction no later than early 2020, subject to approvals.

Poly Australia is part of Poly Global, a Chinese Fortune 500 company with over 91,000 employees globally and total real estate assets in excess of $141 billion and real estate annual revenue of more than $62 billion.

They paid $35.25 million for the Ascot site from Ellison Properties.

The property once housed WWII hangers and then became a an industrial site with hardstand. Ellison Properties purchased it in 2002 for $4.2 million.

An aerial of Poly Australia’s 6ha development site at 104 Lamington Ave, Ascot.

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Sentinel gets political

SENTINEL Property Group staff were out and about last week with “START ADANI” plastered over their T-shirts.

Sentinel boss Warren Ebert’s reckons the people of Townsville — after suffering through a one-in-500-year flood earlier this year — could do with a bit more support, especially from the Queensland Government over Adani’s Carmichael rail and coal mine project.

“This would lift the spirits of people in Townsville and throughout North Queensland,” says Mr Ebert.

“It’s time the silent majority stopped being silent..”

Sentinel Property Group's boss Warren Ebert (fourth from left) and staff out and about in the Brisbane CBD.

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A big thank you very much

YONG Property chief executive Peter Huang has always thought big.

So much that he has kicked off the distribution of 1 million VIP cards for his Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley.

Mr Huang says it’s part of saying a “big thank you to our local community for supporting our resort through the renovation process.”

He bought the resort — that was a popular destination in the ‘70s for the rich and famous — from receivers in 2013 and despite a series of setbacks including storm damage and key staff leaving, it was opened in 2016.

It was closed for the previous eight years after receivers were appointed when it became a distressed asset of funder the MFS/Octaviar Premium Income Fund.

Currently ranked the 24th best golf course in Australia by the Golf Course Guide, Mr Huang says his goal was to ensure the resort was the No. 1 destination for southeast Queenslanders looking for a country getaway and for golfers looking for a unique and challenging course.

The golf course at Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley.

The VIP cards are offering three for two deals and other offers at the resort.

The 328ha resort was started by Sydney businessmen Peter Abeles and Arthur George on land bought in the 1970s.

The resort was once a playground for polo-playing billionaire — the late Kerry Packer — and had Greg Norman as its tour professional.

In 2017 Mr Huang listed the resort on the market for $68 million but failed to find a buyer.

Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley hotel. Picture: supplied.