Amalgamated Property Group releases plans for Turner Place development site on Northbourne Avenue

Amalgamated Property Group has revealed its plans for a large residential development at block 4, section 57, Turner.

The group, through a company called Turner G Pty Ltd, purchased the block from the Suburban Land Agency in 2022 alongside another company which lists Canberra builder Dennis Milin as its director.

They paid $59.3 million for the land at auction.

The 16,303-square-metre block is located on Northbourne Avenue and is bordered by Forbes and Greenway streets.

It was formerly part of the government-owned Northbourne Flats, which spanned two sites on either side of Northbourne Avenue.

Amalgamated Property Group has launched community consultation for the proposal, ahead of submitting a development application.

The developer has proposed five buildings, rising up nine storeys on the eastern boundary, facing Northbourne Avenue, and seven storeys on the west.

To be called Turner Place, the precinct would include 418 apartments, with one-, two- and three-bedroom options.

The community consultation page states the apartments would have a focus on "generous floorplans".

Main bedrooms are planned to have minimum dimensions of three metres by three metres, while kitchens are to be "spacious and functional with generous bench space".

A large central courtyard has also been proposed, alongside a gym, indoor pool, steam and sauna rooms and rooftop gardens.

Residents would also have access to three levels of basement car parking and concierge services.

The number of proposed car parks was not included in the consultation website, however it stated the parking requirements for the block would be met.

The parking provision rates for the Northbourne Avenue corridor are one car space for every one-bedroom home, 1.3 spaces for two bedrooms, 1.5 spaces for three bedrooms and one visitor space for every eight homes.

The developer intends to use bricks and terracotta-coloured cement for the facade details, while early architectural drawings show arched walkways on the ground level.

The consultation website also states existing mature trees on the site will be retained.

Canberra Town Planning is running the community consultation and has an information session scheduled for July 31.

The community is invited to submit feedback on the development proposal by August 4.

Prior to Amalgamated Property Group purchasing the land, the block sat vacant for several years after a previous attempt to sell it fell over in 2019.

It was formerly part of a larger block, which included the land to the north that borders Condamine Street and is now known as block 3, section 57 Turner.

The original block was for sale together with the former Northbourne Flats site in Braddon on the other side of Northbourne Avenue.

Canberra developers John Russell and Wayne Gregory were in negotiations to buy the land and build a development across the two blocks that included 200 apartments, social housing and a city farm.

However the sale fell through in 2019 and the blocks were split. Developer JWLand purchased the 15,607-square-metre Braddon site in 2020 for $28 million.

The group have proposed 128 build-to-rent apartments and 602 residential apartments for the site, to be known as Braddon Place.

Meanwhile the Suburban Land Agency released the remaining Turner land, block 3, section 57, for sale via a tender process in October 2022.

The 7068-square-metre block must be developed as a build-to-rent project with a minimum 270 homes and at least 15 per cent affordable rentals.

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