RLB CRANE INDEX®

Total construction work done in CY 2024 saw a minor decline of 1.1%, or $1.0 billion, compared to CY 2023. Despite this overall decrease, the engineering sector experienced a 0.8% increase, with $37.4 billion worth of work completed in CY 2024.

Overall work activity in the residential sector in CY 2024 was down by 1.3%. The non-residential sector also showed a negative trend, with activities down by 4.6% in CY 2024.

The projects with the largest number of cranes in Sydney include:

• Vicinti & Destination (Macquarie Park, five cranes)
• Western Sydney Airport (Badgerys Creek, six cranes)
• Powerhouse Parramatta (Parramatta, four cranes)
• 143 South Street (Marsden Park, four cranes)

The residential sector saw 67 cranes removed, and 56 new cranes erected, resulting in a net decrease of 11 cranes. This brings the overall number of cranes in the sector to 221. The highest number of residential cranes recorded was 289 in Q3 2017.

Across Sydney’s five main regions, the east and west experienced minor growth in crane numbers, while the other three regions saw a decline. The west saw an increase in crane activity, with a total of 109 cranes, accounting for 29.2% of all cranes in Sydney. The north, which previously had the highest concentration of cranes, remained relatively stable. Over the past six months, the CBD and surrounds saw a 14% reduction (eleven cranes), the south a 12% reduction (six cranes), and the east a 7% increase (three cranes).

With 109 cranes, the west currently has 40 more cranes than inner Sydney (69 cranes). The only other edition in which the west had more cranes than inner Sydney was in Q3 2018, when the west had one more crane. This continues the trend of cranes shifting from the inner suburbs to the mid and outer suburbs as identified in the Q1 2023 index.

Inner Sydney (CBD and surrounds) saw the addition of 15 cranes, against the removal of 26 cranes. This brings the total number of cranes to 69 cranes.

Crane numbers in Sydney’s east increased to 47 cranes. This change includes the addition of twenty-one cranes (fourteen in residential, six in mixed use, and one in commercial) and the removal of 18 cranes (one each in civic, health and mixed use, 3 in commercial and 12 in residential). Residential sites now account for nearly 32% of the cranes in the east.

Sydney’s northern suburbs have remained relatively stable, maintaining a total of 105 cranes.

A total of 31 cranes were added, and 32 cranes were removed.

Twenty-two new residential cranes were erected in the past six months together with one educational, one aged care, one civil, three data centres/industrial, two civic and one mixed use cranes.

Cranes remain concentrated along the primary arterial routes and are prevalent in 159 suburbs. However, cranes were removed from 81 suburbs.

Sydney’s southern region saw a reduction of six cranes. Over the past six months, 11 cranes were added and 17 were removed from projects. A total of 43 cranes are now spread across the region.

The south’s largest projects by crane counts are part of the following:

• Caringbah Greens (Caringbah, three cranes)
• 161 Princes Highway (Arncliffe, two cranes)
• Coles Caringbah mixed use development (Caringbah, two cranes)
• 32 Matthew Flinders Place (Burraneer, two cranes)
• Vue (Cronulla, two cranes)

Sydney’s west saw a total of 32 new cranes added, and 31 removed, bringing the region’s total number of cranes to 109 across 45 suburbs, up from 108 in 35 suburbs in the last edition.

Of the 32 new cranes, 13 were erected for residential construction, five for data centres/industrial projects, six for mixed-use projects, six for civic projects, one for a health project, and one for an aged care project.