Month: November 2021

Residential apartment developer Third.i has submitted a DA to City of Newcastle to transform the iconic Dairy Farmers Corner site while paying tribute to its history.

The proposed Dairy Farmers Towers project will boast 184 apartments spaced in two towers – one 30 storeys (99m) and the other 27 storeys (90m).

A separate five-storey building will house 1,500 sq m of commercial and retail space.

The 30-storey tower will be Newcastle’s equal tallest residential building.

Director Luke Berry said the apartments would range from one to four bedrooms to increase the diversity of housing options for local people.

“The project will offer residents a spectacular view across the city and beaches,” he explained.

“To create a true sense of community for locals, we’ve focussed on incorporating communal and green spaces and facilities such as a gym, a cabana pool area with lap pool, wine bar and cellar, and function rooms.

“In what we believe is a first for the city, we want to use some of the commercial space as a residents’ shared work hub, so they can work from home without being in their apartment.”  

The site, on the corner of Tudor and Hunter streets in Newcastle West, was once home to Dairy Farmers – one of Australia’s largest dairy producers.

In a nod to the history of the site, Third.i will re-imagine the heritage-listed, iconic glass milk bottle and clock towers as part of a pedestrianised, broader public art installation.

“Locals affectionately know the site as Dairy Farmers Corner,” Mr Berry said.

“And, that history will live on.”

Dairy Farmers Towers is the fourth West End apartment project for the Sydney-based developer.

It has already completed the West, Eaton on Union, and Stella on Hannell apartments in Wickham, creating 381 inner city homes for people.

Third.i’s retirement living division, ThirdAge, is also partnering with Merewether Golf Club on the recently-approved luxury resort retirement living project, The Merewether.

Mr Berry said Newcastle was an exciting market to work in with great potential.

“We feel like the West End is our second home and we are excited to be part of its revitalisation,” he stated.

“A landmark will be reborn to create a new chapter in the West End’s growth as a great place in which to live, work and play.

“We want Dairy Farmers Towers to be a West End icon.” 

The project has been designed by leading local architectural firm CKDS.

https://newcastleweekly.com.au/housing-da-submitted-on-iconic-dairy-farmers-corner/

The joint venture between ThirdAge and the club will be known as The Merewether. It will be home to 148 luxury one, two, and three bedroom apartments in four, six-storey complexes, and includes 16 penthouses with rooftop spa terraces overlooking the golf course.

ThirdAge director, Luke Berry welcomed the decision which will benefit the club and community, and explained that the project will bring a new style of much needed retirement living to inner Newcastle. The resort style community will feature a lap pool, cinema, gym, workshop, communal kitchen, and craft rooms. The golf club and community members will benefit from a new clubhouse, restaurant facilities, sports bar, and a wellness centre for its members and apartment residents.

“The project will create more than 1,000 construction jobs and close to 100 ongoing jobs, which is great news for the local economy as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Merewether is all about enjoying the best of Newcastle’s great lifestyle and community, with a concierge, resident events such as gala dinners, and classes in cooking, yoga and pilates, and, of course, the beautiful championship Merewether Golf Club is on residents’ doorsteps,” Berry said.

ThirdAge will soon call for construction tenders and hopes to have residents in their new homes by mid-2024. Merewether Golf Club is providing a 99-year lease of the development land, with President, Phil Merrigan explaining that the project will help secure the club’s long-term financial future, and allows Merewether Golf Club to remain accessible for members, community golfers, and visitors to the region to enjoy.

“This project delivers funding to support significant investment in the golf course and the Club’s infrastructure and facilities. We have been able to realise our vision of a world class golfing facility and retirement living precinct without having to reduce the size of the course,” Merrigan said.

The panel approved concept plans and issued a site compatibility certificate for the project in May, 2020. This allowed ThirdAge to submit a development application (DA) to the City of Newcastle, where council reviewed the DA and recommended the project be approved by the panel. Club members endorsed the project back in 2018.

On October 20 this year, ThirdAge hosted a ‘Future of Retirement in the Hunter’ webinar. Targeted to over 55s, the webinar was a first of its kind and was attended by 600 participants. The session covered topical themes such as the costs involved in moving into an over-55s development, DMF, pension, investment, the comparison of upgrading an existing home, non-invasive technology and how it’s evolved, everything you need to know regarding the process of buying and selling, how to harness brand trust in community, and the connection to community.

“The perception of the over-55s category is no longer a nursing home environment. People expect more, they want more and they’re searching for better lifestyle options, resort-style living, non-invasive technology, and a sense of community,” explains Berry.

Whilst local downsizers, particularly members of Merewether Golf Club are leading the charge on enquiries, ThirdAge is also receiving a large number of enquiries from Sydneysiders looking to retire in a picturesque setting away from the city. With so much choice on offer for over-55s, ThirdAge recognises that property located in premium locations – particularly those that are still accessible to Sydney should a visit be required – yet seem truly a world away in terms of proximity to nature and to the coast, will drive demand.

ThirdAge, a division of Sydney-based developer Third.i, will manage the apartments. Third.i has successfully delivered large-scale residential projects in Sydney and Newcastle. The latter includes projects in the West, Eaton on Union, and Stella on Hannell apartments in Wickham. The group currently has a development pipeline worth more than $2.5 billion.

https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/news/construction-to-start-on-merewether-golf-club-retirement-living-project-571827

A MIXED use Coles supermarket project in Sydney has entered the market and is expected to bring in more than $50 million, or one of the largest supermarket transactions recorded.

The mixed-use Coles Linfield redevelopment by Thirdi Group and Pheonix Property Investors, located on the corner of the Pacific Highway and 1 Balfour Street, will see the supermarket demolished updated and 60 residential units built.

Carl Molony and Justin Dowers, directors at Stonebridge Property Group have been appointed to manage the sale of the property, on behalf of the developers.

“As far as supermarket investments go, this is one of the most outstanding assets in Sydney, and indeed, Australia,” said Molony.

The DA approved site was sold by Coles Group to the developers in 2020, after over 50 years of trading on the site. With by Thirdi Group and Pheonix Property Investors looking to cash in on the current demand for convenience assets, with supermarket yields compressing over 100 basis points in the past 12 months.

Supermarket yields have been underpinned by strong retail transaction volumes, with data showing a  230% year-on-year increase and $854.2 million in shopping centre deals recorded over the three months the end of July.

Selling subject to completion, the property will include a new 15-year lease with Coles in a new store that will be roughly twice the size of the current 4,500sqm supermarket, with parking for 237 cars over two and high exposure to the Pacific Highway.

“The demand for quality convenience assets is at unprecedented levels and rarely do assets of this scale and quality become available,” said Dowers.

The development will also see a new Balfour Lane constructed, for added access, with a heritage building and electrical substation preserved. While the retail offering will also include a Liquorland and a new café.

“Coles Lindfield is a fortress investment – it occupies a dominant trading position, has strong income growth and depreciation potential,” added Dowers.

The expressions of interest campaign for Coles Lindfield is scheduled to close on November 9, 2021.

http://www.australianpropertyjournal.com.au/2021/10/10/lindfield-supermarket-set-to-smash-records/

Planning authorities have approved a 148-unit residential development at Merewether golf course.

Developer ThirdAge says it plans to start work in mid-2022 after the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel gave the green light to the seniors living project late last week.

The redevelopment includes demolishing and rebuilding the Merewether clubhouse and erecting a six-storey residential complex across four buildings.

The project, to be known as The Merewether, will include changes to the course to accommodate the new buildings.

Merewether Golf Club members voted to approve the development three years ago.

The club will enter into a 99-year lease with ThirdAge, which is a collaboration between Sydney-based Thirdi Group and former Lendlease and Stockland retirement living executive Michael Eggington.

The “luxury” one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will include 16 penthouses with roof-top spa terraces.

The complex will include a lap pool, cinema, gym, workshop, communal kitchen, craft rooms and a “wellness centre”. 

Thirdi hopes to complete construction by mid-2024.

Golf club president Phil Merrigan said the project would help secure the club’s long-term financial future and fund “significant investment” in the course.

The course would “remain for members, community golfers and visitors to the region to enjoy”, he said.

“We have been able to realise our vision of a world-class golfing facility and retirement living precinct without having to reduce the size of the course,” he said.

Merewether is one of many Hunter golf clubs to contemplate joint ventures with residential property developers to help their bottom line.

The club has started preparing temporary changes to the course layout to allow demolition and building work to start.

It will operate from a temporary clubhouse until the new building is finished.

Mr Merrigan said Merewether would remain as an 18-hole course during the construction.

Thirdi is the company behind the West, Eaton on Union and Stella on Hannell apartments in Wickham.

The planning panel said the redevelopment was of appropriate scale and character for the site and would add to housing diversity and choice in the area.

It said community concerns about parking, traffic and noise had been adequately addressed in assessment reports on the project’s development application.

http://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7484276/green-light-for-golf-course-redevelopment/?

A proposal for a $120 million retirement resort at the Merewether Golf Club, in Newcastle, NSW, is drawing heavy interest despite not being approved for development yet. 

The $120 million retirement resort, from developer Thirdi, would be attached to the golf club which would enter into a 99-year partnership, with the club retaining ownership of the land.

Upon completion the resort would house 100 senior living units, with more than 200 people already registering their interest.

The resort was designed Marchese Partners and the proposal is being supported by former LendLease CEO and current ThirdAge Villages partner Michael Egginton.

ThirdAge Villages is a collaboration with Thirdi that aims to introduce developments, products and services yet to be seen in Australia.

The DA is still with the City of Newcastle Council and if approved is expected to be completed by late 2023 or early 2024.

Director and Co-Founder of Thirdi Group Luke Berry told The Daily Telegraph they expect the DA to be approved within six months.

http://www.theweeklysource.com.au/merewether-golf-clubs-120-million-redevelopment-sparks-massive-interest-from-retirees-with-more-expressions-of-interest-than-proposed-units-and-it-hasnt-been-approved-yet/

Change is on the horizon for Newcastle’s skyline with the release of plans for more 100-metre tall skyscrapers in Wickham. 

A fortnight after developer Doma Group unveiled its plans for The Store Residences, twin 30-storey complexes comprising 356 units, Thirdi Group has submitted its development application for Dairy Farmers Towers.

The two projects would be the tallest buildings in Newcastle. 

Set on the corner of Tudor and Hunter Streets, the proposed Dairy Farmers development consists of one 99-metre, 30-storey building and a 90-metre, 27-storey building.

The two towers will house 184 apartments, ranging from one to four bedrooms, while an adjoining five-storey building will cater for retail and commercial. ADVERTISING

The heritage-listed glass milk bottle and clock towers that form the sole remnants of the former Dairy Farmers building will be “re-imagined” as part of the development. 

Thirdi director Luke Berry said the complex would offer spectacular city and beach views. 

“Residents will have some of the best views in town, as well as the harbour, great dining and entertainment options, and the transport interchange at their doorstep,” Mr Berry said.

“To create a true sense of community for residents we’ve focused on incorporating communal and green spaces and facilities such as a gym, a cabana pool area with lap pool, wine bar and cellar, and function rooms.

“In what we believe is a first for the city, we want to use some of the commercial space as a residents’ shared work hub, so they can work from home without being in their apartment.”

Dairy Farmers Towers would be Thirdi’s fourth apartment complex in Newcastle’s West End, with West and Eaton on Union being joined by Stella on Hannell this year.

“We feel like the West End is our second home,” Mr Berry said. 

“A landmark will be reborn to create a new chapter in the West End’s growth as a great place in which to live, work and play.

“We want Dairy Farmers Towers to be a West End icon.”

The Sydney-based group purchased the site at 924 Hunter Street, which has also served as a car showroom, from developer Jeff McCloy in late 2020.

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7497923/first-look-100m-skyscraper-for-dairy-farmers-towers-in-west-end/?cs=12#slide=0