Two new communities, dubbed Haynes and Hilbert, will spring up in the green southern locale of Brookdale early next year, when developers begin subdividing up to 1,580 hectares of land around the Wungong Brook.
Two new communities, dubbed Haynes and Hilbert, will spring up in the green southern locale of Brookdale early next year, when developers begin subdividing up to 1,580 hectares of land around the Wungong Brook.
An innovative planning scheme for the area, the ‘Wungong Urban Water Redevelopment Scheme’ is expected to be gazetted by the Western Australian Planning Commission next month. The Armadale Redevelopment Authority will then implement its long-awaited master plan, which will see the staged release of about 15,000 housing lots over the next 15 to 20 years.
The ARA is currently working with developers including Stockland, Peet Ltd and Satterley Property Group on 14 individual development structure plans.
The first is expected to be rolled out at Haynes, between Armadale and Forrest roads, by Stockland and the Department of Housing and Works' joint venture early next year, followed by Satterley.
Peet Ltd is understood to be developing more land in the suburb of Hilbert, between Forrest and Rowley roads, where it has an existing residential estate called Brookwood.
ARA executive director John Ellis said creating an integrated master plan for the Wungong Urban Water project area was a challenging task for the authority, given there were 204 individual land owners to consult with.
Mr Ellis said the entire project would set a number of precedents in residential development in WA, in particular the introduction of a new planning framework using place-specific development codes such as ‘Suburban’, ‘Urban’ and ‘Activity Centre’, rather than traditional ‘R Code’ density markers.
“The place codes really are the way of the future. We are working to a maximum average lot size of 575 square metres which will encourage more strata lots and greater diversity,” he said.
The government is also aiming for a 75 per cent reduction in scheme water use in the area, he said, by requiring all homes have rainwater tanks as part of their planning approval.
The Wungong Urban Water project is one of only two urban developments participating in the CSIRO initiative - Water for a Healthy Country - which aims to increase the social, economic and environmental benefits of water.
Unique to the project is its water management program, which will control drainage and storm water flow in the area through green avenue swales, rather than traditional piping.
Mr Ellis said the area would eventually be home to some 40,000 people, and it was currently looking at incorporating a district shopping centre, two high schools, eight primary schools, and possibly private schools to cater to projected demand.
The ARA is also planning to develop a sporting facility to rival Kingsway in Perth’s northern suburbs, including football, hockey and cricket grounds between Twelfth Road and Tonkin Highway.
According to preliminary June quarter housing figures released by the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia last week, Brookdale has experienced a 42.7 per cent surge in property prices in the year to June 2007, to post a modest median of $300,000.
The highest price paid for a Brookdale property during the period was $645,000.
Real Estate Institute of Western Australia policy and research director Stewart Darby said the first home buyer market was particularly strong in the Armadale, Seville Grove and Byford areas and this would flow through to Brookdale when land was released next year.
“Brookdale is a huge target for broadacre developers and land is being snapped up quickly,” he said.
“The future extension of the train line, the Tonkin Highway extension, and the introduction of deep sewerage infrastructure makes the area attractive for buyers.”
Mr Ellis said he recalled land being sold in the area three to four years ago for between $30,000 and $40,000 per hectare that was now selling at $700,000/ha.
