Community
Fostering a sense of community and place is one of the greatest challengers developers face when building a new town. LWP will consult regularly with local stakeholders to identify the needs of the existing and new residents.
We will then create a community plan for Huntlee that looks at the development for up to twenty years. In doing so we ensure that resident’s requirements in terms of community facilities are captured and included.
The community plan is revisited regularly over this period and updated as required to ensure that facilities and services become available in a timely manner in line with the needs of the growing population. Some of the initiatives that LWP is currently planning are:
- Local playing field and a recreational lake – A large oval sits to the north of the 8 acre recreational lake which hosts a full size rugby field and can be used for other Town functions such as, school sports days, fresh food markets, festivals and as a destination for people from outside Huntlee.
- The lake offers locals and others from the locality the chance to enjoy such things as canoeing, fishing and model boat and yacht activities.
- Significant cycling and walking trails. There will be more than 40 kms of shared biking and walking paths throughout Huntlee, providing a safe and quick way of moving though the neighbourhoods. Huntlee will be the first development in the region to integrate cycling and walking into a neighbourhood and town in such a comprehensive manner.
- Retail facilities, neighbourhood shops, religious and community centres,
- Health and medical centres, schools, childcare facilities, aged care facilities,
- Emergency services
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Employment
Huntlee offers a wealth of opportunity for local employment with an extensive retail and commercial precinct, providing over 3,000 permanent jobs. In addition to 200 ha of employment lands, Huntlee will also bring significant investment into the region during the construction phase. From 2012 it is projected to generate around $1.5B in economic benefits into the Hunter region and create almost 23,000 jobs during the development period.
Education & Employment at Huntlee |
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Education
Establishment of the Huntlee Academy – a not for profit company designed to coordinate the training and employment of local people to be job-ready for any employment opportunities generated by Huntlee. This will enable the Huntlee New Town development to roll-out sustainably, placing local people in local jobs. Both public and private high schools will be in Huntlee, enabling existing Branxton, Greta and North Rothbury residents to avoid travelling to other towns to access high schools. |
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Environment
Huntlee will be a sustainable community in every sense of the word. An overall environmentally sustainable development strategy that incorporates environmental and social considerations has been prepared. The strategy includes:
- Reducing energy demand
- Passive solar design
- Reducing CO² emissions
- Exploring renewable energy technology
- Reducing water demand
- Integration of recycled water into the home and public domain
- Water efficient taps, showerheads and dual flush toilets
- Automatic sub-surface irrigation
- Indigenous landscaping
- Reducing reliance on private cars – alternate modes via foot, cycle or bus services
- Small neighbourhood centres with convenience stores located within walking or cycling distance of each residential village
- Facilitating ‘work from home’ opportunities
- Protecting and enhancing biodiversity, protection of significant habitat and dedication of conservation land
- Creation of Persoonia Park
- Habitat preservation and creation, wildlife corridors and potential sanctuary within the Huntlee Conservation lands.
- Emergency services
In total, 5,785ha of conservation land is being dedicated by Huntlee for conservation. The plan will also see a 17-hectare Persoonia Park created for the propagation and protection of the endangered species Persoonia Pauciflora.
Refer to our media release about Huntlee’s environmental initiatives here |
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Housing - Affordable, sustainable living
Broadly, ‘sustainability’ can be defined as ‘Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ With all its master-planned developments, LWP aims to develop sustainably through the way the villages are designed so that the majority of homesites are on an east west/north south axis enabling them to take advantage of passive solar design; encouraging sustainable design using design guidelines, through to managing the installation of front yard landscapes, enabling these to be waterwise, and where appropriate, planted with plant species from the area. We ensure that there is an extensive dual use (walking/cycling) network throughout each village and dedicated cycle paths linking villages within the town or linking areas within villages.
Huntlee will provide the most comprehensive range of housing in the Hunter – ranging from large country homes through to retirement housing. First home buyers to retirees will be accommodated. Sustainable design also means designing for ‘whole of life’ which we do through offering a broad range of homesite sizes from affordable, compact affordable cottage through a range of larger family sized homesites and working with aged care companies to build retirement villages.
LWP itself is not a house builder; however we work in close partnership with builders to promote sustainable house design. We do this in a continuous improvement cycle, pushing the bar a little higher with each new development to keep up to date with developments in technology, solar, etc. We do this through the design guidelines, which encourage a minimum standard of sustainable initiatives and give a selection of additional options and initiatives. Reducing this environmental footprint has been a key driver of some of the elements of LWP’s Design Guidelines including:
- Designing homes for people with varying abilities and at different stages in their lives by placing the main living areas and at least one bedroom and bathroom on the same level with access from the garage, carport or the front of the house.
- Allowing for access to the internet by connecting homes to the high speed fibre optic cable system integrated into the civil design by LWP. This supports economic development by providing the infrastructure required for home businesses.
- Ensuring homes have eaves of a minimum of 450mm to all areas to limit the amount of direct sunlight on walls and windows in summer.
- Ensuring a minimum of 50% of all light fixtures are fitted with fluorescent lighting to reduce energy consumption.
- Creating one internal living area with a major opening facing north to allow penetration of sunlight during winter.
- Shade glazing that faces east or west by incorporating awnings, louvres or similar.
- Where an air conditioner is installed, make sure it has a minimum energy rating of 4 stars and permits separate thermostat controls for living and sleeping areas.
In terms of landscaping the front yard, we offer this as a sales incentive, and we install the garden at home construction completion. This way we can promote the use of suitable, waterwise plants and limit the use of turf. In addition to this, we offer incentives that encourage a healthy sustainable lifestyle, such as a voucher for a bike or a rainwater tank, plumbed into the toilet, thus saving potable water. |
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Culture
Plans for Huntlee acknowledge its place in the Hunter Valley with respect to both European and indigenous history and cultures. It will be a brand new town, which will develop its own identity; its history and foundations will be built on the involvement of its new residents as well as those in surrounding communities.
LWP has always worked with a holistic interpretation of ‘sustainable development’, looking beyond the environment to the all the elements involved in the creation of healthy communities. Part of forming the identity of a new town is history made by its residents.
LWP has three main goals in this area – to initiate new cultural programs; to encourage and fund new and existing groups; and to develop the important cultural facilities needed for growth.
Programs embrace everything from puppetry, theatre, concerts, music, painting, drawing and photography to writing,
Kite making, dancing, jewellery, and community arts forums, regular Artist in Residency projects to name a few.
Many of the programs are designed to ‘kick start’ local groups, which become self-sustaining and independent over time. LWP would also seek to form innovative partnerships with arts organisations, which will enable it to offer a wider range of cultural and educational opportunities to the local community.
Arts & Culture |
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