Blackburne’s new Essence development in Claremont was officially launched at the weekend.

At the time of writing, managing director Paul Blackburne said there was such strong interest in the project that people secured appointments for early viewings on Friday to avoid the crush of the opening and ensure they had prime pick of the apartments.

“We had 15 couples book to come through early and I expect 10-12 of these to purchase an apartment,” he said.

“We are also expecting $50 million in sales over the opening weekend.”

There were more than 1000 inquiries for the project in the lead up to the launch and Mr Blackburne said 60 per cent of those were from people who intended to live in the apartment themselves.

Over half of the inquiries were from people who lived in a 10km radius of Claremont.

“We have had strong interest from locals looking to downsize from their family home (who are) after the lock-and-leave lifestyle of apartment living,” he said.

“Essence is the perfect balance, providing convenient apartment-style living with house-sized benefits, such as the rooftop private dining area which can be booked by residents to entertain their visitors.

“Adding to this convenience, Essence will include a quality gourmet grocer and vibrant alfresco cafe, onsite building managers, as well as a broad suite of concierge services available, such as house cleaning, dog walking, ironing and babysitting.”

Essence will include 143 apartments over three buildings.