Herald & Weekly Times May Follow Fairfax to Docklands

Following in the footsteps of rival newspaper The Age which recently leased a new building at Docklands, speculation is mounting this week that the Herald & Weekly Times, publisher of The Herald Sun, is looking to move across the road from its main rival.

Property sources say HWT, which announced in July it wants out from its tired City Road Southbank offices, has been reviewing the site formerly known as 664 Collins Street, across the road from Fairfax Media’s new Media House.

The 664 Collins Street development site has a small frontage to Collins Street, and runs parallel to the Southern Cross Station. It was recently purchased by Mirvac for around $30 million after its previous owner struggled for three years to find a tenant.

Fairfax Media is believed to have considered and dismissed the awkward, skinny site as a potential location for Media House last year.

One well placed leasing agent told The Age HWT will not be able to relocate to Docklands even if it wanted to.

“HWT has to be out of Southbank by 2010,” said the source who did not wish to be named, “Developers, including Mirvac, would not be able to get a permit, and build an 18,000 square metre building by the time HWT would want to move in.”

“On our numbers, unless the HWT makes its decision to move by early next year, it risks being forced to stay in its existing premises.

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