Buyers looking for convenience, community and value for money are flocking to North Strathfield’s George Street where construction is underway on The Halston: a contemporary collection of 145 apartments from Urban Property Group.

More than 40 per cent of the project has already sold, with buyers drawn by the handy location, reputable developer and affordability, with prices starting at $614,000.

“It’s a beautiful place to live, including high-quality, end-of-trip facilities and market-leading modern design, as well as the immense convenience of its close proximity to premium retail spaces and public transport,” says Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias.

The Halston is positioned within a ten-minute walk of both Concord West and North Strathfield train stations and residents can also look forward to accessing the metro network, with planning approval recently announced for a North Strathfield metro station.

“That’s been a huge drawcard for people because the metro will get you straight into the city and all the areas you need to go quite quickly, and people are very excited about that,” says project director for Laver Residential Projects Sam Elbanna.

It’s a level walk along George Street to the Bakehouse Quarter, where the Arnott’s biscuit factory has been transformed into a shopping and leisure precinct, and DFO Homebush, Majors Bay Road eateries and Burwood Westfield are all close by.

The Halston is a five-minute walk from Bressington Park which connects to Olympic Park and its myriad sporting and entertainment options, and just two kilometres from Concord Golf Club.

With one, two and three-bedroom units on offer across three buildings arranged around a central courtyard, the project is attracting a broad demographic, including families looking to send children to nearby schools such as Victoria Avenue Public School and top private schools in surrounding suburbs.

Elbanna says buyers are coming from the immediate area and also from the greater inner west area, and most are looking for larger apartments.

“What we have found is the majority of the demand has been for the two and three-bedroom apartments to the extent where we actually converted some of the one and two-bedroom apartments that were adjacent to each other into three-bedders and they’ve continued to sell really well,” he says. “So what it says to us is the vast majority of buyers are owner-occupiers.”

With other apartment stock in the neighbourhood dating back to before 2008, The Halston offers buyers the opportunity to purchase in a new complex from an iCIRT-rated developer.

Created by data analytics house Equifax and backed by the NSW Government, iCIRT, or independent construction industry ratings tool, is a star rating outcome on a firm’s capability and willingness to deliver reliable and trustworthy built assets.

Builders and developers must undergo an independent and rigorous review process to obtain a rating and Urban Property Group were among the first to adopt the ratings tool, providing consumers with more confidence when buying off the plan.

“As a family owned and run firm our business model is grounded in our relationships and reputation,” says Elias.

“That’s why we are so committed to investing in initiatives like Latent Defect Insurance and our iCIRT classification scheme rating, because they show our commitment to lifting industry standards and rebuilding confidence in the residential apartment sector, as well as providing a compelling market proposition to prospective buyers.”

Elias describes The Halston as a milestone acquisition for the company as it took Urban Property Group’s development pipeline to over $2.5 billion.

“This reflects the scale of project growth we are driving and delivering, and as a family property company, that is very exciting!” he says.

“I’m also proud of the product – it’s important to us that all of our developments are of such a high standard of design and quality that we would be happy to call them home.”