Three of the five exclusive over-55s apartments at Watersedge have already sold – including the 260 square metre penthouse, which traded for $3.5 million after initial expectations of about $3.7 million.

Watersedge has been designed by Lesiuk Architects, a firm known for its Balinese design bent and eco-friendly approach. The internal look and feel was crafted by SJB Interiors.

The building will employ the power of nature, with plants cascading over the exterior to give residents greater privacy and help cool the interiors in summer.

CABE development manager Joe Bevacqua expects the two remaining apartments to sell before Christmas. He says the business is interested in developing more small, premium projects “should the opportunities and zonings present themselves”.

WestEnd, 3-13 Charles Street, Wickham

One-beds 51-60 square metres $327,500+
Two-beds 68-75 square metres $481,500+
Three-beds 92 square metres $757,500+
Strata levies From $715 a quarter
Due for completion 2017
Agent 02 9409 7200; westendnewcastle.com.au

The gentrification of Newcastle’s former industrial areas is stepping up with several new apartments on the drawing board at Wickham, to the west of the CBD.

One of those is WestEnd, a 126-apartment offering that will be housed in two buildings ranging from nine to 10 storeys high.

Wickham will be given a boost by a proposed $75 million state-government transport interchange to be built in the suburb. It will allow commuters to switch between trains, light rail, buses, taxis and private cars.

WestEnd will have the Newcastle CBD on one side and the harbour foreshore and the Hunter River mouth on the other. The apartments will be close to a walking trail that stretches along the foreshore to Nobbys Beach and lighthouse past a series of restaurants and cafes.

The Paper Mill, 20 Shepherd Street, Liverpool

One-beds 57-59 square metres $420,000+
Two-beds 77-96 square metres $542,500+
Three-beds 95-130 square metres $700,000+
Strata levies From $600 a quarter
Due for completion 2017
Agent CPC Sales, 1800 78 33 22; www.liveatthepapermill.com.au

AFTER selling out of apartments on the lower floors of The Paper Mill earlier this year, developer Coronation Property has recently released 88 apartments in its river-front Liverpool offering.

The Woods Bagot-designed apartments are being built where one of Australia’s oldest and largest paper mills once operated. The design will blend re-purposed 19th-century heritage-protected industrial buildings with modern apartment towers.

The Paper Mill is 650 metres from Liverpool station and has buses nearby. Construction of the 29-storey development began this month.

The project has proved popular with buyers.  More than 500 apartments and two-level town homes have already been sold at the site, which incorporates The Paper Mill and The Bindery.

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