Lend Lease

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<div>Lend Lease actually reported its FY2017 results, which confirmed a solid+9 percent lift in post-tax profit to $758.6 million. </div>
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<div>The market wasn't greatly moved, of course, since the group inadvertently dumped a stack of market sensitive information out to to the public at the beginning of the month, including the unaudited EBITDA (oops).</div>
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<div>As accounting stuff-ups go, it was a rather impressive one (disclosure: I made similar goofs in my listed company career) though in the end relatively little harm was done, save a little embarrassment.</div>
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<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Defaults under 1pc</span></strong></div>
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<div>Reading through the investor presentation it was interesting to note a +20 per cent uplift in residential unit completions in the 2017 financial year.</div>
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<div>Approximately 90 per cent of apartment completions have already settled, with a default rate of under 1 per cent.</div>
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<div>This follows on from similarly low default rates reported by other developers during earnings season.</div>
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<div>This is very important, for there had been fears of a wave of Chinese investor defaults following on from local lenders pulling up the ladder.</div>
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<div>To date, this does not appear to have transpired.  </div>
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<div>In other news, S&amp;P reported a drop in loan delinquencies from 1.21 per cent in May to just 1.15 per cent in June. </div>
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<div>Declines were recorded "across the board" for 30,60 and 90 day mortgage arrears, with a corresponding fall in outstanding loan balances, with Queensland showing the biggest drop in arrears. </div>
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<div>This broadly mirrors what you'd expect to see given extremely low mortgage rates for homeowners, and a national unemployment rate that has been trending down for several years now.</div>
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<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">No stress?</span></strong></div>
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<div>Countless media articles have claimed that mortgage stress is rising - often referred to as a "perfect storm" no less! - perhaps based upon household cash flow surveys.</div>
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<div>But in reality so many households have been repaying ahead of schedule into offset accounts that it wouldn't be a surprise if some net monthly cashflows showed an outflow. </div>
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<div>With the aggregate value of the housing stock exploding to $7.1 trillion against mortgage debt of around $1.6 trillion, it also wouldn't be a surprise to me if some of the benefiting households have taken a breather on their earnings either. </div>
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<div>In any event, with the possible exception of Western Australia mortgage arrears remain low to date, which is about the only indicator that matters, when all's said and done. </div>
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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank"><span class="s2">AllenWargent</span></a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span class="s2">blogger</span></a>.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3"><em>His latest book is </em><a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank"><span class="s2"><em>Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</em></span></a><em>.</em></span></p>
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Lend Lease report low apartment default rate

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<p>Lend Lease will begin its largest commercial tower in its $6 billion Sydney's Barangaroo South project with a pre-commitment from two cornerstone tenants -  PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia and HSBC Bank Australia. </p>
<p>In a statement to the ASX, Lend Lease said it should be as an anchor tenant of Tower 1, PwC has entered into an agreement to take 26,500 square metres or  12 floors in the 49-storey building. HSBC has signed heads of term for the bank to take 8,000 square metres of space or 3.5 floors in the building.</p>
<p>Lend Lease will commence the development and funding of 100% of the building, known as Tower 1 of International Towers Sydney, via existing capital sources. It intends to introduce co-investors into Tower 1 at an appropriate time in the future.</p>
<p>Lend Lease Group chief executive, Steve McCann, said "prior to today’s announcement, we were already ahead of where we expected to be at this stage of the evolution of the Barangaroo South precinct, with two towers 77% leased and under construction, and the first two apartment buildings sold".</p>
<p>As part of its announcement, the listed property group said it had entered into an agreement to reduce its co- investment in Lend Lease International Towers Sydney Trust (LLITST) from 25% to 15% via a sale to international pension fund APG. </p>
<p>Following completion of the sale of the 10 per cent interest, Lend Lease’s equity commitment to LLITST will reduce from $500 million to $300 million.</p>
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Lend Lease secure two cornerstone tenants for $6 billion Barangaroo South tower

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<p class="selectionShareable">Lendlease has appointed high-profile former public servant and finance executive Elizabeth Proust to its board.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">The announcement of her becoming an independent non-executive director from next February came ahead of its annual general meeting on Friday.</p>
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<p class="selectionShareable">Ms Proust, one of the country’s top business figures and networkers, will join the David Crawford-led board which includes Nicola Wakefield Evans and Jane Hemstritch.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">She was recently listed on the list of <span>15 of Australia’s super networkers by the Institute of Managers and Leaders.</span></p>
<p class="selectionShareable">The new Lendlease director spent eight years at ANZ Group, including four years as managing director of Esanda.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">Before joining ANZ, Ms Proust ran Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet and had been chief executive of the City of Melbourne.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">Ms Proust is also chairman of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and of Nestle’s Australian arm, as well as heading the Bank of Melbourne’s advisory board.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">Ms Proust is also deputy chairman of the Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">Mr Crawford said that Ms Proust was highly regarded in both the public and private sectors and her appointment would enhance the board’s mix of skills, diversity and experience.</p>
<p class="selectionShareable">A<span>n Australian Council of Superannuation Investors report in 2015 showed that women accounted for almost 40 per cent of the directors who were appointed by S&amp;P/ASX 100 companies in the previous 12 months, adding about 50 per cent them already held directorships at other companies. </span></p>
<p class="selectionShareable"><span>After the report's release Australian Institute of Company Directors chair Elizabeth Proust rejected suggestions of a "girls club" at ASX 100 companies.</span></p>
<p class="selectionShareable"><span>She also advised women against stepping down from executive roles in order to become non-executive directors.</span></p>
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Elizabeth Proust joins Lend Lease board 

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<p><span>Lendlease have received planning approval to build its third and final commercial tower at Melbourne Quarter. </span></p>
<p>Two Melbourne Quarter, a 25-storey office tower at 697 Collins Street, will feature 49,000sqm of total office space,<span> sufficient to accommodate around 4,500 new workers and 800sqm of retail space on the ground floor. </span></p>
<p><span>Mark Menhinnitt, <span>Lendlease managing director of urban regeneration and infrastructure development, </span>said planning approval for the Woods Bagot-designed tower coincided with a period of strong demand for high-qua</span><span>lity office space in Melbourne’s </span><span>CBD. </span></p>
<p><span>“Lendlease has seen strong leasing activity push the national CBD vacancy rate to its </span><span>lowest level in four years, and with a predicted shortage of prime grade contiguous office space in the near future, this has helped spur on pre-</span><span>commitment activity,” he said. </span></p>
<p><span>“</span><span>This project will cater for the continued growth and strong tenant demand for new office space in Melbourne as both national and global businesses target the new supply of buildings coming to market in the </span><span>city’s CBD</span><span>.</span> </p>
<p><span>"Two Melbourne Quarter will open out on to a new public plaza on Collins Street, a centerpiece of the Melbourne Quarter precinct, and will also feature a four-storey public staircase connecting to Aurora Lane. </span></p>
<p><span>“Next year </span><span>will see the completion of the precinct</span><span>’s </span><span>first office tower, One Melbourne Quarter, which will be home to our new Lendlease Victorian headquarters in September</span><span>.” </span></p>
<p><span>In addition to 130,000sqm of agile office space for more than 12,000 employees, more than 50 percent of the Melbourne Quarter precinct will be open space. </span></p>
<p><span>Two Melbourne Quarter will target leading sustainability outcomes in water consumption, waste management and indoor environment quality, including a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 5 star NABERS energy rating. </span></p>
<p><span>Two Melbourne Quarter is one of seven commercial and residential buildings planned for the development. Activity continues to forge ahead on site, with </span><span>the precinct’s first </span><span>residential tower East Tower under construction. </span></p>
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Melbourne Quarter’s final commercial tower approved: planning for growing demand

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<p>​Lendlease has officially reported a slowdown in its Australian residential sales.</p>
<p>Slowing sales in projects were highlighted by its Collins Wharf 1 project which sits at 89% sold.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/project/no-1-collins-wharf-docklands-600012046" target="_blank">The Melbourne project</a> was at 87% sold a year earlier.</p>
<p>It is marketed as one of the city’s most esteemed addresses, designed by architects Bates Smart.</p>
<p>Located within the Victoria Harbour Precinct on Melbourne’s Bourke and Collins Streets, No.1 Collins Wharf is being marketed as poised to set a new benchmark in waterfront living.</p>
<p>It offers apartments on just a 5% deposits. </p>
<p>Group chief executive Steve McCann conceded "most markets are past their peak" when he presented the latest annual report which triggered a 2% drop in its share price yesterday.  </p>
<p>Mr McCann said there was a tightening of credit due to higher debt costs, and regulatory impacts, partly from the banking royal commission, which had seen inquiries drop off recently.</p>
<p>“We are not calling a massive correction, but we do see a bit of a slowdown,” he told The Australian.</p>
<p>Luxury unit markets offshore had also been soft a for a while, he added.</p>
<p>Lendlease's local apartment completions nearly halved. Completions in the year to June fell to 1314 from 2533 a year earlier.</p>
<p>Apartment projects were completed in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and London.</p>
<p>Presold lots in its big residential communities slowed to 3,231 lots in financial 2018 from 3,896 in the previous period.</p>
<p>Land lot completions across the Australian master planned communities portfolio sat at 3,912.</p>
<p>Key projects included Springfield Lakes in Queensland and Jordan Springs in New South Wales.</p>
<p>And its settlement failures increased. Earlier this year it advised Brisbane was the most challenging inner-city apartment market in the country.</p>
<p>"Inevitably there will be a rise in defaults in this market over the short term," the developer pointed out. </p>
<p>"We are working through our relatively small exposure at our RNA projects in Brisbane, including identifying potential alternate buyers, or holding the residual units for a period and renting them out."</p>
<p>It has just 15 active projects, with its focus overseas. </p>
<p>Major property developer Lend Lease is hedging against an Australian slowdown by expanding developments offshore.</p>
<p>In announcing a 4.5% rise in full-year profit to $793 million, Lendlease pointed to its full pipeline of projects in Europe, the US and Asia as driving medium term growth.</p>
<p>About 60% of Lendlease's $72 billion development pipeline is offshore.</p>
<p>The communities pipeline consists of an estimated 52,333 lots across four continents.</p>
<p>The backlog of apartments for sale has grown from 22,000 last year to 26,000.</p>
<p>The listed developer advised it was bracing for rising defaults in Brisbane's oversupplied apartment market.</p>
<p>Its chairman of the board, David Crawford departs following the 2018 Annual General Meeting, having served as chairman since 2003.</p>
<p>Michael Ullmer is his successor.</p>
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Lendlease confirms most Australian residential markets are past their peak

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<p><span>The residential recovery will unfold over years, rather than the 2019 spring quarter, according to Lendlease's chief executive for property in Australia, Kylie Rampa.</span></p>
<p><span> "We feel we are in the trough of the residential market. It is bottoming out," Rampa said.</span></p>
<p>She cited "a dislocation in the credit markets" following the Hayne Royal Commission as a significant factor that had dragged on the market.</p>
<p>She also told Nine Entertainment that the market was hurting from Chinese capital controls, along with increased stamp duty and taxes for foreign purchasers.</p>
<p>Low interest rates and improving affordability were helping the recovery, she said.</p>
<p>"We think it will flow through over a period of time. We're not expecting a full recovery in a quarter.</p>
<p>"You start to get some price growth then you get some more activity, it all starts building. It will take time. Over the next two to three years we think the market will continue to strengthen.</p>
<p>"We always say 'you go up by the stairs and down by the elevator'," she said.</p>
<p>"It takes time for the credit market to come back. It is coming back but it is not back to where it was at the peak of the cycle."</p>
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Property price recovery to take years not months: Lend Lease's Kylie Rampa

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<p>On Friday April 6th, Minister for Planning Richard Wynne approved an amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme, allowing construction to commence on Carlton Connect - a major University of Melbourne project being developed in partnership with Lendlease at the site of the old Royal Women’s Hospital in Carlton. </p>

<p>The recent approval follows on from the University of Melbourne announcing a partnership with a consortium led by Lendlease in November 2017, to develop a new innovation precinct on the former site of the Royal Women’s Hospital, located at the corner of Swanston and Grattan streets in Carlton.</p>

<p>The precinct will be located adjacent to the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, which hosts some of the world’s top researchers and forms part of the Parkville National Employment and Innovation Cluster that will be serviced by the future Parkville Station as part of the Metro Tunnel Project.   </p>

<p>National Employment and Innovation Clusters are a key feature of Plan Melbourne with the clusters located across Melbourne, in an effort to drive down congestion and ensure people spend less time commuting.</p>

<p>Carlton Connect will create more than 3,000 direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect jobs within close proximity to the Melbourne CBD, providing the tools, platforms and services to create an ecosystem where start-ups emerge and cutting-edge products and services are developed.</p>

<p>The 74,000 sqm precinct will feature a series of connecting buildings arranged around a central and publicly-accessible open space. In addition to co-working and commercial office space, the precinct will feature a Fab Lab, student accommodation and a ‘Superfloor’ dedicated to collaboration and fostering the exchange of ideas.</p>

<p>It will also provide shops, cafes, public spaces, accommodation for more than 500 students and visiting academics, a childcare centre and Science Gallery Melbourne, which will deliver cutting-edge exhibitions, events and experiences.</p>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/artist-impression_science-gallery-melbourne_grattan-swanston-street-corner-1024x884.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The new Science Gallery Melbourne will be located on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Street. Image : University of Melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="501" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/artist-impression_science-gallery-melbourne_grattan-swanston-street-corner-1024x884.jpg?itok=8oGHcn_T" title="The new Science Gallery Melbourne will be located on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Street. Image : University of Melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The new Science Gallery Melbourne will be located on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Street. Image : University of Melbourne</figcaption></figure><p>Project partner Lendlease's ambitions for the development are to regenerate the former Royal Women’s Hospital site into an open, light and modern precinct, delivering a bold new architectural statement.</p>

<p>The consortium delivering the innovation precinct in partnership with the University of Melbourne comprises Lendlease as developer, builder, co-investor and investment manager of the commercial space; GIC as major co-investor of the commercial space; Spotless as the facilities manager; and Urbanest as investor and manager of the student accommodation.</p>

<p>Early works on site commenced on November 21, 2017 with hoardings installed around the perimeter of the building site. With planning approval in hand, construction is expected to commence in mid-2018 with a 2020 completion anticipated.</p>

<h2><strong>WHAT THEY SAY</strong></h2>

<blockquote>
<p> This project ticks all the boxes. It’s making good use of a flagship site, it’s driving our reputation as a world leader for education and innovation, it’s creating thousands of jobs and will contribute billions to our economy.</p>

<p><em>- Richard Wynne, Minister for Planning</em></p>
</blockquote>

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<p>This development will set a new benchmark in education and industry collaboration in a purpose-built facility that meets the highest standards of design and sustainability, while also honouring the site’s heritage and history.”</p>

<p><em>- Mark Menhinnitt, Managing Director for Lendlease Urban Regeneration</em></p>
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<blockquote>
<p>Innovation emerges from vibrant and collaborative environments where people are encouraged to share skills and ideas as they work and socialise together, and we hope the mix of people and ideas will spark new knowledge and new ways of doing things.</p>

<p><em>- Dr Julie Wells, University of Melbourne Vice Principal of Policy and Projects </em></p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
<p>Innovation emerges from vibrant and collaborative environments where people are encouraged to share skills and ideas as they work and socialise together.</p>

<p><em>-  (Research) Professor Jim McCluskey, University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor</em></p>
</blockquote>

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<p><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C_B0TuoYkwc" width="560"></iframe></p>
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