The $21 million development is earmarked for 990 Hunter Street and would contain 76 residential apartments. It is the last block of land before the rail overpass near Wickham Park. 

“You’ll see it and you’ll know you’ve arrived in the city,” said Benjamin Young, KDC managing director.

The Junction-based town planner was engaged by the Brancourt family, who have privately owned the land for decades, to develop the site at the end of 2014. 

If the plans are approved by the Joint Regional Planning Panel, existing buildings would be demolished to make way for the units, ranging from 35-square-metre studios to 157-square-metre four-bedroom apartments. 

Mr Young said the aim was to attract owner-occupiers and young families, with prices set to be lower than the apartments in the East End.

“There's a demand from young families who want to be in the city,” he said. 

The building would also contain ground floor commercial space, a gymnasium and 100 parking spaces. 

The unconventional apartment designs are the creation of Melbourne-based architect Michael Carr, who had to work around the “peculiar” triangle-shaped block, wedged between the railway corridor and Hunter Street.

The plans also include vertical gardens and double glazing to shield from the noise of passing trains.

Mr Young said the spot offered “terrific access”, being walking distance to the new Wickham interchange, the Honeysuckle precinct and Beaumont Street.

​ “It’s not CBD living but it’s edge-of-city living,” he said. 

He said there would be minimal impact on the road network, despite the close proximity to the Selma Street intersection. 

The western end of Hunter Street is the target of a series of new developments, including projects on the former Newcastle Museum and S&W Miller sites. 

“People are starting to look at the city in a different light,” Mr Young said. 

“We are creating an identity that people are really positive about.” ​