Buchan’s Former Studio Site Reimagined as Residential Apartments

Melbourne, Australia, April 02, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Planning approval was recently granted for a major residential apartment scheme on The Buchan Group’s former studio site at 133 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne. The new development paves the way for an exemplary, highly-considered architectural form within the industrial fabric of the area.

The 9 storey complex, for Starland Pacific Group, delivered in conjunction with Development and Project Managers, PDS Group, will comprise 165 apartments and 150 basement carpark spaces.

The Buchan Group continues to play a major role in the evolving story of our former office site, proudly providing Architectural and Interior Design services for the development.

“Our aim is to create an exciting and cohesive new residential development that brings a positive addition to the emerging architecture of West Melbourne,” said Principal – Head of Delivery, Nick Nigro. “We are thrilled that the project has received Planning Approval and look forward to its progress.”

The proposed scheme sensitively responds to the surrounding urban grain and context of the area. A robust selection of materials has been carefully considered to provide a sense of depth and grain, capturing the essence of the site’s industrial context and imbuing its historical DNA in the design.

The façade provides a sense of movement through the glimmering reflection of sunlight filtered through the prominent Rosslyn Street tree scape. It is envisaged the building will transfigure and modulate, reflecting the colour, textures and hues of the changing seasons, expressed through a detailed collage of colour tones and reflective glazing.

The sale of apartments is set to commence in April 2016, with construction expected to begin later this year.

Resource: http://www.pr.com

KAEC set to showcase residential plots in Al Talah Gardens Phase 3

KAEC – King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has announced exhibition of its residential land plots in Al Talah Gardens district. The events will be held at the Hilton Hotel on March 18-20 in Jeddah, and Le Meridien Hotel on April 1-3 in Madinah.

“Located at the heart of KAEC’s Coastal Communities, Al Talah Gardens is one of the most popular of the city’s residential areas. Based on the success of previous Al Talah exhibitions, we anticipate high demand of the available land plots,” said Fahd Al-Rasheed, GCEO and Managing Director of KAEC. “This is prime residential land that offers an excellent opportunity for families and individuals to build their own homes.”

“Al-Talah Gardens is spread over 1.1 million sqm, and is serviced with infrastructure and amenities, including water networks, sewage systems, telecommunication network, safety, security, drainage network, electricity and lighting. The district overlooks two main roads; it offers a crescent Park stretching nearly 1 km in length in the heart of Al Talah Gardens district. The park also features walking and bicycle paths, which meander through a naturally shaded garden landscape, and connects people directly to the neighborhood center.” said Charles Biele, CEO of Residential Development at KAEC. “Al Talah Gardens is an example of KAEC’s commitment to developing residential areas with high quality infrastructure and world-class public services.”

As part of prestigious Coastal Communities, residents of Al Talah Gardens will also have access to a wide range of amenities and social facilities, including safety and security, health care services, green parks, mosques, and top standard schools, along with retail and restaurants located along the beautiful seafront and marina. This year Coastal Communities will also see opening of a number of landmark lifestyle projects, including the Royal Greens Golf Course and Country Club, Esmeralda Sports Complex & Health Center, and Juman Park.

Those interested in attending the event are recommended to register by calling 800 11 800 10 or visiting altalahgardens.kaec.net for further details. — SG

Resource: http://saudigazette.com.sa

Auction of residential plots by JMC finds no takers

Jaipur: The Jaipur Municipal Corporation's (JMC) attempt to earn revenue after selling its residential properties completely failed as it did not find any buyers, on Monday.

The JMC had organized an auction to sell its 36 residential plots in Tathar scheme. The civic body had fixed a rate of Rs 15,000 per square metre, however, no buyer participated in the auction process. Similarly, the auction organized to sell the commercial units in Gandhi Enclave did not find any buyers and officials had to return empty-handed.
A JMC official said, "As real estate market is facing a slump, there are no investors for residential properties. The JMC has fixed a reasonable rate to start the bidding. The auction will be organized again."

Official sources informed that JMC has fixed higher base price and this is the reason it failed to find any takers. "The prices fixed were too high and this discouraged the buyers," added source. Meanwhile, the JMC filled its coffers after selling four commercial units situated at Rajasthan Police Academy road. An official said, "We have earned a revenue of Rs 82.27 lakh after selling four shops. The size of the shops was 14 square metre and JMC fixed Rs 1.43 lakh as the base price for bidding."

The JMC is now eyeing the Sanjay Nagar shops to earn some revenue after its failed attempt on Monday. On Tuesday, the JMC would organize an auction to sell four shops and 45 commercial plots in Sanjay Nagar. An official informed that JMC has fixed Rs 45 lakh for the commercial plots.

"We have recently removed encroachment from the area and a road. As these plots are in the middle of the city, we are expecting a large number of purchasers to participate in the bidding process."

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

No building plans needed for small plots in Delhi thanks to new bylaws

Do you own a small plot of land in Delhi and have been running from pillar to post for municipal approvals to build on it? Good news is on the way.

Residential plots of up to 1,130 sq. ft. will no longer require building plan approvals, and landowners will only have to furnish an undertaking from an architect that the construction is safe.

The new rules, part of a set of model building bylaws issued by the Union urban development ministry on Friday, will kick in in two weeks.

Model bylaws are not binding on a state but this should matter little in Delhi where land is controlled by the Delhi Development Authority that reports to the union urban development ministry. Many states had adopted the last set of model bylaws for buildings issued by the central government in 2004.

The government’s proposals are aimed at cutting red tape as well as corruption in the building approval process, which now involves more than a dozen clearances.

Building bylaws define how land can be used, permissible construction area (FAR) and height of structures, among other things.

The new rules also make it mandatory for civic bodies to issue building plan approvals within a month irrespective of the size of a plot. Also, no objection certificates for construction on big plots will be provided online so as to reduce contact between applicants and officials.

The new rules also waive off mandatory green clearances from the central government for individual projects on plots measuring up to 1.6 million sq. ft.

States municipalities can grant construction permits to such projects.

“The model bylaws will give a big boost to ease of doing business by creating an online single window integrated building plan approval process,” said Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

“It will eliminate man to man interaction and thereby reduce corruption. I urge the state governments to quickly take steps to adopt this progressive, environment friendly and citizen centric by-laws in their own laws and implement them.”

In a push for the Swachh Bharat Mission, the bylaws make it mandatory for public buildings to provide toilets for visitors.

A risk-based matrix for buildings has also been introduced.

“The objective of this analysis is that small buildings with low-risk criteria should be approved on a fast-track and high-risk buildings like malls, multi-story or big complexes should be examined in required detail,” a ministry official said.

Resource: http://www.hindustantimes.com

Tax penalty for families who have a granny flat: Homeowners could be forced to knock down self-contained annexes if they want to sell their houses

Families who own homes with ‘granny flats’ could be forced to knock them down if they want to sell their houses after being hit by a new tax.

As many as 33,000 homeowners live in properties with a self-contained flat for an elderly relative.

Under tax rules introduced yesterday, they will be classed as owning two properties if they try to sell up.

That means the person who tries to buy their home will have to pay an extra 3 per cent on the value of properties as stamp duty.

It would increase the cost of buying a £300,000 house with a granny flat by £9,000.

The levy was supposed to hit buy-to-let landlords who snap up multiple properties.

When announcing the measures, the Government said it wanted to discourage landlords from outbidding first-time buyers who were struggling to climb the housing ladder.

But it has emerged that families who are trying to look after vulnerable relatives will also be caught in the new tax net, making their homes less attractive to buyers.

It left the Government open to accusations of double-standards after spending years encouraging people to look after elderly family members at home – rather than overburdening the NHS or care homes – only to pummel them with this unexpected blow.

Simon Bottery, of charity Independent Age, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Granny flats are a really good solution for families who want to keep their relations close by and if anything the Government should be doing more to encourage this.’

While families will not be hit by a tax increase immediately, they could face difficulties if they need to sell as buyers could be put off by the effective price increase.

As a result, experts say many may decide to knock down their annexes or self-contained flats rather than cutting prices by thousands of pounds in order to attract buyers.

Johnny Morris, of estate agent Countrywide, said: ‘This appears to be an unintended consequence of the new tax and possibly not what the Government wants.

‘It will definitely reduce the value of affected homes – possibly by up to 3 per cent. To avoid this, annexe owners are likely to make physical adjustments to their homes, such as knocking down walls.’

A Treasury spokesman said: ‘Supporting home ownership and first-time buyers is a key priority for the Government. That is why we’ve introduced a range of policies to improve the people’s chances to get on to the property ladder.

‘The higher rates of stamp duty are intended to reduce the competition for first-time buyers and other owner-occupiers who want to get on the housing ladder.’

The spokesman said only self-contained granny flats that are worth more than £40,000 or could be sold as separate properties in their own right would be hit – fewer than 1,000 of the properties sold every year.

Resource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Flats due in 2011, over 300 buyers still wait

urgaon: Flat buyers in BPTP's Park Serene in Sector 37D were relieved after the department of town and country planning (DTCP) heeded their long-drawn protests and sent an inspection team to the site of the project, launched in 2008 and scheduled for delivery in 2011.

The inspectors, led by assistant town planner (ATP) R S Batth, came down heavily on BPTP, instructing it to complete facilities such as safety barrier, community centre, landscaping, clubhouse, etc, within 45 days and begin delivering flats at the earliest.

Deputy commissioner T L Satyaprakash had earlier directed DTCP to resolve the issues and ensure early possession. Following this, district town planner Sanjay Kumar formed a team and sent it to inspect the site on Wednesday.

"Our team inspected the site and gave necessary directions to the developer. We'll see that issue is resolved early," said Kumar after the inspection. Batth added, "Small issues, like a buyer's name in allottee letter, transfer of possession, etc, were

More than 300 defence personnel, including retired and serving officers, had booked flats in the Sector 37D project in 2008, but have since been waiting to get possession. "Most of us bought flats against bank loans, and have incurred heavy financial loss due to delay in possession, because of the interest we've been paying on the loan along with houses rent," said Group Captain Rajiv Mittal, who has been leading the protests against the builder, adding that most buyers have paid up 95% of the price, including charges for car park, clubhouse, etc, by June 2011.

Lt Col Subhash Chander Bhola (retired) said the delay has caused untold stress to him and his ailing wife. "We might not live to set foot in our dream flat," said Bhola. "As per the buyer's agreement, the developer was to hand over the fully habitable flat by end-2011. But, after a delay of over 4 years, they are far from ready," said Virendra Grover, another buyer.

After Wednesday's inspection, the ATP said he has directed BPTP to submit status reports on all seven towers in the project, along with a timeline for completion of pending works, by next week. He added the developer has now sought occupation certificates for 4 of 7 towers in the society.

BPTP spokesperson Rohit Mohan said they are ready to give possession in four of seven towers, work on which is almost done. "We had offered possession in July 2015 without occupation certificate, which buyers rejected," he said, adding they will follow all directions given by DTCP. He said there are over 400 flats in seven towers, of which 250 are ready. Work on remaining units is at an advanced stage of completion, he further added.

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Red beacons, land for flats to MLAs recommended

The committee constituted by the Vidhan Sabha to suggest a hike in salaries and allowances of the MLAs has recommended red beacons atop the vehicles used by the legislators and allotment of land for flats under group housing in Gurgaon or Panchkula.

Besides, the committee recommended that former Speakers be provided with all facilities equivalent to the former Chief Ministers . A resolution to hike the pay and perks of the legislators from April 1 was unanimously passed by the Vidhan Sabha yesterday paving the way for a Bill in this regard in the next session.

Sources said the committee was of the opinion that as per protocol the MLAs were above the Chief Secretary, they be provided with red beacon atop one vehicle. Currently, they are entitled to amber beacon atop their vehicles.

In fact, INLD legislator Zakir Hussain, who was a member of the committee, yesterday pointed out that purchasing a small flat these days cost anywhere between Rs 1and Rs 1.5 crore. This had apparently prompted the committee to bat for the allotment of land for apartments for the legislators under the group housing scheme either in Panchkula or Gurgaon.

Meanwhile, the committee also recommended several incentives for the former MLAs, including an increase in pension, family pension, travel in Volvo buses, cash treatment for ex-MLAs and their dependents and reservation of rooms in state guest and circuit houses @Rs 200 per day. Exemption from income tax on the pattern of the sitting MLAs, exemption from toll and nomination as the ex-officio members of the respective district grievances committee were other recommendation for the former MLAs.

Resource: http://www.tribuneindia.com