Property

THE sale of two significant suburban shopping centres in Perth will test investor enthusiasm for the state government’s new retail property planning policy.

PINDAN Construction and PACT Constructions have been awarded contracts to build two new high schools in Perth, at a combined cost of $97 million.

LANDCORP has opened the call for builders and developers to lodge expressions of interest to develop the first release of lots at the Springs Estate in Rivervale.

PROPERTY developers are pressing ahead with their projects in Midland despite the withdrawal by Singapore-based Raffles Education Corporation from plans to establish a university at Midland’s heritage-listed Railway Workshops.

DULUX’S manufacturing facility in O'Connor has just hit the market and is expected to attract interest from developers and owner-occupiers, according to its vendors.

INCREASED confidence in the local economy has led to a spike in tenant demand for office space, new research says.

A NEW library and public plaza at Cathedral Square and an injection of funding to complete the Forrest Square redevelopment have highlighted the City of Perth’s $80 million capital works budget, which was passed by the council last week.

After just three months in the top job, Metropolitan Cemeteries Board chief executive Peter Deague is quietly confident the board will secure land from the state government to develop at least three new cemeteries in the metropolitan area to meet demand f

A BID by the Barnett government to redress the age-old power imbalance between retail tenants and their landlords may force shopping centre owners to reveal the intricate details of their lease agreements.

INVESTORS have been on a spending spree in Perth’s city office market in 2011, buying more than $180 million worth of properties in the first few months of the year.

Demand for large-scale industrial sites is driving the construction of purpose-built developments in the otherwise flat industrial property market.

PERTH property developers are building their exposure to the Melbourne market in a bid to offset an anaemic local market and capitalise on the strong population forecasts for the Victorian capital.

HOTEL heavyweight Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group, Coles and Sandalford Wines owner Peter Prendiville are among the big names understood to be circling the assets of Compass Hotel Group.

THE local property market may be in the doldrums, but boutique property developers and builders are targeting niche markets to take advantage of Perth’s changing property landscape.

The heritage listed Newspaper House, being redeveloped as part of City Square, will feature a rooftop bar, a top-flight restaurant and a range of bars across four floors under a long-term deal Brookfield Office Properties has announced with Colonial Leisu

Perth property developer Peet has expanded its presence in Queensland, paying MTAA Super $45 million for a half interest in a 1,244 hectare site in the state’s south east.

Another set of figures has underscored the doldrums facing Perth property, with RP Data's monthly look at the housing market showing Perth has overtaken Brisbane as the nation's worst performing capital city.

West Perth-based property developer Cedar Woods has announced a major leasing agreement with supermarkets giant Woolworths to underpin its $1.5 billion master-planned residential community, Williams Landing, in Melbourne.

AUSTRALIA’S listed property sector was savaged by the global financial crisis but Perth-based Aspen Group has battled more than punitive market conditions in the past year.

Construction and land development in Western Australia were granted a few green lights in the state budget handed down by the Barnett government last week, as plans to expand the city create a likely list of tenders up for grabs.

Construction and development group Pindan has won its third major contract in two months, after being awarded a $22 million mine camp deal by Fortescue Metals Group.

Rental growth in Perth's CBD office market is set to outperform the national average over the next five years, thanks to ongoing expansion in the resources sector, with forecasts tipping the vacancy rate to drop under five per cent by 2014.

FALLING house prices and the potential for a rise in interest rate are causing the state’s home building market to stall, with the state government’s housing forecast group saying there will be no recovery in the next financial year.

WESTFIELD Group’s ambitious bid to transform the Whitford City shopping centre into a bustling town centre will test the state government’s commitment to its new shopping centre planning policy.

Today's scheduled auction for Ric Stowe's sprawling Bullsbrook property, Devereaux Farm, has been pushed back by two weeks.

There will be no recovery this financial year or next for Western Australia's sputtering housing construction sector, with dwelling starts tipped to drop 21 per cent on last year's figures, according to the state government's top forecaster.

The number of home loans approved in March rose by 2.1 per cent on February in Western Australia, in contrast to a 10-year low in housing finance approvals nationally.

THE Swan River Trust and the City of Subiaco have effectively skittled a redevelopment proposal for the Matilda Bay Tea Rooms, forcing the proponent to abandon plans for a licensed cafe on the iconic site.

CONSOLIDATION within the property valuation sector has continued with the announcement by CB Richard Ellis that it will acquire national property valuation firm Megaw & Hogg National Valuers.

James Packers Crown Ltd has increased its commitment to Burswood Casino, announcing the purchase of the Holiday Inn for $79 million and the creation of three new bars and a cafe under a new $91 million redevelopment plan.

IN its latest move to meet growing demand for housing in the Pilbara, the state government has called for expressions of interest to develop medium-density housing at Baynton West in Karratha.

Perth’s house prices have continued to weaken in the March quarter, latest figures show, tempting more homebuyers to consider entering the market.