THE first tranche of Australand’s Cockburn Central apartment release has been sold, with 32 of a total of 40 apartments sold last week. The apartments, which are part of Australand’s Nexus development at Cockburn Central, were priced between $340,000 and $440,000 and all bought by local first home owners. Australand executive general manager Peter Burke said the response to the weekend’s release indicated solid demand for apartment living in WA. “Young professional couples are particularly keen to invest in apartment living. Cockburn Central has been designed to reduce car dependency, travel time and bring the residential and business communities together to create vibrant hubs which make our developments even more attractive,” he said. Nexus comprises five apartment complexes – Linx, Axis, Vertex, Axon and Luxe – and forms part of Cockburn Central’s transit oriented development, which promotes mixed-use development around public transport nodes. Cockburn Central will be the first such development along the southern rail line, following the integration of the concept with the City of Joondalup on the northern rail line. The remaining 12 apartments at Axis are a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, while Australand’s next tranche of 56 apartments will be launched in the next few months. Meanwhile, LandCorp is seeking expressions of interest for the commercial development of Cockburn Central Lot 13. The lot will most likely contain a mix of office and retail, with the potential for some residential development above. LandCorp general manager operations, Mike Moloney, said Cockburn Central would develop into a connected community, which would be linked to public transport to reduce reliance on cars. “Residents and businesses ultimately locating to Cockburn Central will be only 16 minutes from Perth CBD by train,” Mr Moloney said. Expressions of interest close in mid-April.