Revamped 40-storey Wickham apartments to tower over city

The Advertiser

26-05-2025

The former Bowline apartment project in Wickham will grow to 40 storeys and become the tallest building in Newcastle, under an ambitious plan revealed by the site's new owners.
The proposed building, renamed 'Wickham', would dwarf the 17-storey design, which was originally intended to be built on the site.
The revised project would include 300 apartments, up from 118, as part of a mixed-use development.
It will include ground floor retail activation, a podium-level hotel, specialist NDIS apartments and a three-level basement carpark.
Significantly, 15 per cent of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.
The sites immediately surrounding Wickham are zoned for buildings up to 90 metres (about 30 storeys) and are eligible for an additional 30 per cent height with the inclusion of 15 per cent affordable housing based on state government planning incentives. This permits buildings up to 40 storeys, which the Wickham proposal seeks to align with.
The state government's recently formed Housing Delivery Authority has recommended that the project be classified as a state-significant development.
Once the Minister for Planning officially declares the project a state significant development, Urban will prepare and submit a formal SSDA later this year.
At an estimated 130 metres tall, Wickham will be easily Newcastle's tallest building.
The 76-metre southern tower of the One Apartments on National Park Street is presently the city's tallest building.
The tallest building that's approved or under construction is the east tower of the Store development at 106 meters.
The tallest of two towers (31-storeys) that a consortium has just applied to build on the Spotlight site in Hunter Street would be about the same height as the Store building.
KPMG took control of the former Bowline site in November 2024 after Multipart Property's development vehicle, Dangar St Wickham Pty Ltd, filed for receivership.
Sydney-based Urban Property Group acquired the project in March for an undisclosed sum through a competitive sale process managed by the receivers and managers.
"This (Wickham) proposal signals our long-term commitment to Newcastle's growth," Urban Property Group head of planning Chris Ferreira said.
"It's about more than just delivering housing, it's about shaping a vibrant, inclusive community that reflects the city's future. This development will become a defining feature of Wickham's transformation and a catalyst for broader renewal across the region."
Mr Ferreira said community engagement would be a key element of preparing the SSDA.
"There is an opportunity for us to deliver more homes, more places for businesses to thrive, more jobs, and more spaces for the community to come together - and having local input into how that happens is essential," he said.
Urban has completed a range of large residential projects across Sydney and the Central Coast in recent years, including the Central Coast Quarter in Gosford.
Architecture firm SJB, led by Adam Haddow, president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects, has been appointed to reimagine the Wickham project.
Twenty-two Hunter projects have been submitted to the HDA in the first six months of operation.
Of those, 12 have been assessed and four have been declared a State Significant Development, which, if approved, would create more than 400 dwellings in total.
In addition to the Bowline, a 12-storey, 140-apartment complex has been proposed for the old Channel 10 building on Darby Street, while the Ibis Hotel at 700 Hunter Street could be demolished to make way for 165 units.
Once declared state significant, projects must begin the planning process within nine months. Once approved, construction must start within two years.
The Bowline project faced ongoing delays since the development application was approved in 2019. They included a water leak in the excavated basement that took six months to fix and three changes in builders in three years.
In June 2024, Multipart claimed to be owed $8.5 million by the project's previous builder, Eastern Pacific, after it lost its building licence and went into administration in March.
Construction on the project ceased in March 2024.
The former Bowline apartment project in Wickham will grow to 40 storeys and become the tallest building in Newcastle, under an ambitious plan revealed by the site's new owners.
The proposed building, renamed 'Wickham', would dwarf the 17-storey design, which was originally intended to be built on the site.
The revised project would include 300 apartments, up from 118, as part of a mixed-use development.
It will include ground floor retail activation, a podium-level hotel, specialist NDIS apartments and a three-level basement carpark.
Significantly, 15 per cent of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.
The sites immediately surrounding Wickham are zoned for buildings up to 90 metres (about 30 storeys) and are eligible for an additional 30 per cent height with the inclusion of 15 per cent affordable housing based on state government planning incentives. This permits buildings up to 40 storeys, which the Wickham proposal seeks to align with.
The state government's recently formed Housing Delivery Authority has recommended that the project be classified as a state-significant development.
Once the Minister for Planning officially declares the project a state significant development, Urban will prepare and submit a formal SSDA later this year.
At an estimated 130 metres tall, Wickham will be easily Newcastle's tallest building.
The 76-metre southern tower of the One Apartments on National Park Street is presently the city's tallest building.
The tallest building that's approved or under construction is the east tower of the Store development at 106 meters.
The tallest of two towers (31-storeys) that a consortium has just applied to build on the Spotlight site in Hunter Street would be about the same height as the Store building.
KPMG took control of the former Bowline site in November 2024 after Multipart Property's development vehicle, Dangar St Wickham Pty Ltd, filed for receivership.
Sydney-based Urban Property Group acquired the project in March for an undisclosed sum through a competitive sale process managed by the receivers and managers.
"This (Wickham) proposal signals our long-term commitment to Newcastle's growth," Urban Property Group head of planning Chris Ferreira said.
"It's about more than just delivering housing, it's about shaping a vibrant, inclusive community that reflects the city's future. This development will become a defining feature of Wickham's transformation and a catalyst for broader renewal across the region."
Mr Ferreira said community engagement would be a key element of preparing the SSDA.
"There is an opportunity for us to deliver more homes, more places for businesses to thrive, more jobs, and more spaces for the community to come together - and having local input into how that happens is essential," he said.
Urban has completed a range of large residential projects across Sydney and the Central Coast in recent years, including the Central Coast Quarter in Gosford.
Architecture firm SJB, led by Adam Haddow, president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects, has been appointed to reimagine the Wickham project.
Twenty-two Hunter projects have been submitted to the HDA in the first six months of operation.
Of those, 12 have been assessed and four have been declared a State Significant Development, which, if approved, would create more than 400 dwellings in total.
In addition to the Bowline, a 12-storey, 140-apartment complex has been proposed for the old Channel 10 building on Darby Street, while the Ibis Hotel at 700 Hunter Street could be demolished to make way for 165 units.
Once declared state significant, projects must begin the planning process within nine months. Once approved, construction must start within two years.
The Bowline project faced ongoing delays since the development application was approved in 2019. They included a water leak in the excavated basement that took six months to fix and three changes in builders in three years.
In June 2024, Multipart claimed to be owed $8.5 million by the project's previous builder, Eastern Pacific, after it lost its building licence and went into administration in March.
Construction on the project ceased in March 2024.
The former Bowline apartment project in Wickham will grow to 40 storeys and become the tallest building in Newcastle, under an ambitious plan revealed by the site's new owners.
The proposed building, renamed 'Wickham', would dwarf the 17-storey design, which was originally intended to be built on the site.
The revised project would include 300 apartments, up from 118, as part of a mixed-use development.
It will include ground floor retail activation, a podium-level hotel, specialist NDIS apartments and a three-level basement carpark.
Significantly, 15 per cent of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.
The sites immediately surrounding Wickham are zoned for buildings up to 90 metres (about 30 storeys) and are eligible for an additional 30 per cent height with the inclusion of 15 per cent affordable housing based on state government planning incentives. This permits buildings up to 40 storeys, which the Wickham proposal seeks to align with.
The state government's recently formed Housing Delivery Authority has recommended that the project be classified as a state-significant development.
Once the Minister for Planning officially declares the project a state significant development, Urban will prepare and submit a formal SSDA later this year.
At an estimated 130 metres tall, Wickham will be easily Newcastle's tallest building.
The 76-metre southern tower of the One Apartments on National Park Street is presently the city's tallest building.
The tallest building that's approved or under construction is the east tower of the Store development at 106 meters.
The tallest of two towers (31-storeys) that a consortium has just applied to build on the Spotlight site in Hunter Street would be about the same height as the Store building.
KPMG took control of the former Bowline site in November 2024 after Multipart Property's development vehicle, Dangar St Wickham Pty Ltd, filed for receivership.
Sydney-based Urban Property Group acquired the project in March for an undisclosed sum through a competitive sale process managed by the receivers and managers.
"This (Wickham) proposal signals our long-term commitment to Newcastle's growth," Urban Property Group head of planning Chris Ferreira said.
"It's about more than just delivering housing, it's about shaping a vibrant, inclusive community that reflects the city's future. This development will become a defining feature of Wickham's transformation and a catalyst for broader renewal across the region."
Mr Ferreira said community engagement would be a key element of preparing the SSDA.
"There is an opportunity for us to deliver more homes, more places for businesses to thrive, more jobs, and more spaces for the community to come together - and having local input into how that happens is essential," he said.
Urban has completed a range of large residential projects across Sydney and the Central Coast in recent years, including the Central Coast Quarter in Gosford.
Architecture firm SJB, led by Adam Haddow, president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects, has been appointed to reimagine the Wickham project.
Twenty-two Hunter projects have been submitted to the HDA in the first six months of operation.
Of those, 12 have been assessed and four have been declared a State Significant Development, which, if approved, would create more than 400 dwellings in total.
In addition to the Bowline, a 12-storey, 140-apartment complex has been proposed for the old Channel 10 building on Darby Street, while the Ibis Hotel at 700 Hunter Street could be demolished to make way for 165 units.
Once declared state significant, projects must begin the planning process within nine months. Once approved, construction must start within two years.
The Bowline project faced ongoing delays since the development application was approved in 2019. They included a water leak in the excavated basement that took six months to fix and three changes in builders in three years.
In June 2024, Multipart claimed to be owed $8.5 million by the project's previous builder, Eastern Pacific, after it lost its building licence and went into administration in March.
Construction on the project ceased in March 2024.
The former Bowline apartment project in Wickham will grow to 40 storeys and become the tallest building in Newcastle, under an ambitious plan revealed by the site's new owners.
The proposed building, renamed 'Wickham', would dwarf the 17-storey design, which was originally intended to be built on the site.
The revised project would include 300 apartments, up from 118, as part of a mixed-use development.
It will include ground floor retail activation, a podium-level hotel, specialist NDIS apartments and a three-level basement carpark.
Significantly, 15 per cent of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.
The sites immediately surrounding Wickham are zoned for buildings up to 90 metres (about 30 storeys) and are eligible for an additional 30 per cent height with the inclusion of 15 per cent affordable housing based on state government planning incentives. This permits buildings up to 40 storeys, which the Wickham proposal seeks to align with.
The state government's recently formed Housing Delivery Authority has recommended that the project be classified as a state-significant development.
Once the Minister for Planning officially declares the project a state significant development, Urban will prepare and submit a formal SSDA later this year.
At an estimated 130 metres tall, Wickham will be easily Newcastle's tallest building.
The 76-metre southern tower of the One Apartments on National Park Street is presently the city's tallest building.
The tallest building that's approved or under construction is the east tower of the Store development at 106 meters.
The tallest of two towers (31-storeys) that a consortium has just applied to build on the Spotlight site in Hunter Street would be about the same height as the Store building.
KPMG took control of the former Bowline site in November 2024 after Multipart Property's development vehicle, Dangar St Wickham Pty Ltd, filed for receivership.
Sydney-based Urban Property Group acquired the project in March for an undisclosed sum through a competitive sale process managed by the receivers and managers.
"This (Wickham) proposal signals our long-term commitment to Newcastle's growth," Urban Property Group head of planning Chris Ferreira said.
"It's about more than just delivering housing, it's about shaping a vibrant, inclusive community that reflects the city's future. This development will become a defining feature of Wickham's transformation and a catalyst for broader renewal across the region."
Mr Ferreira said community engagement would be a key element of preparing the SSDA.
"There is an opportunity for us to deliver more homes, more places for businesses to thrive, more jobs, and more spaces for the community to come together - and having local input into how that happens is essential," he said.
Urban has completed a range of large residential projects across Sydney and the Central Coast in recent years, including the Central Coast Quarter in Gosford.
Architecture firm SJB, led by Adam Haddow, president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects, has been appointed to reimagine the Wickham project.
Twenty-two Hunter projects have been submitted to the HDA in the first six months of operation.
Of those, 12 have been assessed and four have been declared a State Significant Development, which, if approved, would create more than 400 dwellings in total.
In addition to the Bowline, a 12-storey, 140-apartment complex has been proposed for the old Channel 10 building on Darby Street, while the Ibis Hotel at 700 Hunter Street could be demolished to make way for 165 units.
Once declared state significant, projects must begin the planning process within nine months. Once approved, construction must start within two years.
The Bowline project faced ongoing delays since the development application was approved in 2019. They included a water leak in the excavated basement that took six months to fix and three changes in builders in three years.
In June 2024, Multipart claimed to be owed $8.5 million by the project's previous builder, Eastern Pacific, after it lost its building licence and went into administration in March.
Construction on the project ceased in March 2024.