The Cape Paterson Ecovillage will be Australia’s first zero carbon housing project, and aims to set a national benchmark for sustainability in the housing industry.
Ecovillage panel report, our response and the Victorian Costal Strategy
A recent panel report has recommended against the Cape Paterson Ecovillage proceeding. The panel has recommended that in preference to the Ecovillage with a relatively small 200 house blocks, that large tracts of land should be opened up to the north and north west of the existing township of Cape Paterson and directly across the road from the Ecovillage site.
The panel report recommends that enough land be set aside for the development of over 800 houses in the short term and for an additional 600 houses in the long term. This total of 1400 new house blocks is around seven times the number of house blocks proposed by the Cape Paterson Ecovillage and our team believes this would be to the great detriment of the village atmosphere of Cape Paterson.
We encourage all interested parties to fully inform yourself of the facts by downloading and reading the panel report below (Bass Coast C53, C93 C98 Panel report), as well as the detailed response to the panel report from our team (Ecovillage Panel Report response 0610) and the Victorian Coastal Strategy (VCC Strategy Final) so you can form your own judgements as to whether the Ecovillage is consistent with the Victorian Coastal Strategy and on other issues raised by the panel.
Reasons to support the Ecovillage
The project champion the values that all Victorians want on their coast, including protection and enhancement of biodiversity, leadership in planning for climate change, good sustainable design in a coastal setting, light footprint living and building a healthy and resilient community.
The Cape Paterson Ecovillage will establish several new national benchmarks for sustainable living including
- Building Australia’s first operationally zero carbon housing project including 200 houses built to an 8.5 star energy rating, coupled with a large investment in photovoltaics (solar power) so that the whole precinct exports clean power back to the grid on an annual basis.
- delivering a significant net ecological gain on the site through restoring a cleared site with the largest Heathland restoration project ever undertaken in Victoria. This project will restore the Ecovillage site with the replanting of over 1.4 million locally indigenous plants .
The Ecovillage project is an exemplar project meeting the principles of the Victorian Coastal Strategy, which are:
- Provide for the protection of significant environmental and cultural values.
- Undertake integrated planning and provide clear direction for the future.
- Ensure the sustainable use of natural coastal resources.
- Ensure development on the coast is located within existing modified and resilient environments where the demand for development is evident and the impact can be managed.
The project has a range of other unique features that will add to the sustainability and community development of Cape Paterson, including
- Several kilometres of walking and cycling tracks connecting all houses and facilities and the Ecovillage to Cape Paterson
- Large community gardens for community food growing
- A community environmental education centre which has an art gallery, conferencing space, fitness facilities and cafe and 20 ecolodges for people to come and learn about sustainable living
- Stormwater treatment/habitat wetlands and swales and best practice water conservation
- Large community parks
- A barefoot bowls club
Other reasons to support the project
Suitable site
- The site is immediately adjacent to Cape Paterson township, and is a logical addition to the town.
- The project cannot be seen from the beaches of Cape Paterson, with the closest houses close to half a kilometre back from the coast
- It is large enough to fit housing and generous areas of revegetation and public open space.
- The site is cleared and has been grazed for generations. The revegetation proposed will establish valuable habitat on the site, providing a significant ‘net gain’ to the environment.
- There is an opportunity to further enhance the environmental gains by implementing pest animal, weed and erosion control works on the adjacent coastal reserve. These works are proposed as part of the Ecovillage project.
- Development is set well away from the coastal reserve. The Ecovillage has been designed to provide substantial vegetated buffers which will extend the coastal reserve northward into the site. The integrity of this new habitat will be protected by limiting pedestrian and cycle access to a defined path network (that will link to the beach, Wilson Road and the town).
- The land can be readily serviced with all infrastructure (sewer, water, stormwater drainage, power, etc).
- No building is below 20 meters above sea level, futureproofing the project against future sea level rise
- The landform is suitable for development.
Sustainable project
- Project is to set a benchmark for energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation and zero carbon housing, and with the addition of solar power this will reduce Cape Patersons dependency on desalinated water and brown coal generated electricity into the future
- The Ecovillage will transform an environmentally degraded grazing property.
- Sixty percent of the site will be revegetated as open space, reinstating the coastal heathland. Over 1.4 million locally indigenous trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and aquatic plants will be used in the restoration works.
- Planned revegetation works will extend the size and quality of the coastal reserve and will generate an ecological net gain for Cape Paterson.
- The project will encourage native wildlife including echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies and native birds including Hooded Plovers, through huge habitat restoration and exclusion of dogs and cats, and by providing alternative walking and cycling routes that are set back from the coast for Cape Paterson residents, and ongoing resources to protect wildlife into the future
- Stormwater will be managed to encourage re use on site, and ensure that there are no unacceptable impacts off site.
- Wetlands will be integrated into the extensive open space.
- All houses will be built to strict environmental sustainability criteria. These criteria will be set out in development guidelines for all lots in the Ecovillage.
- This development will provide an opportunity for designers and local builders to showcase their skills in sustainable development.
- The facilities and services that will be provided in the Ecovillage are complementary to those already in Cape Paterson , and the wider district.
Benefits to Cape Paterson community
- There will be a high standard of development, with generous open space ensuring that there is a low density overall.
- The Community Hub will provide opportunities for social interaction, good food, art, education, health and fitness. It will provide a space for relaxation, meetings, socialising, networking and celebrations for existing and future residents, and visitors.
- The facilities will be available to all residents and visitors and will be complementary to those already available in the township.
Community clubs and organisations will be encouraged to make use of the Hub.
- Local employment opportunities will include site rehabilitation; construction; operation of the Community Hub, health and wellbeing facility and Ecolodges; and ongoing management of the site.
- The Ecovillage will also foster small home based enterprises, by providing support services in the Community Hub.
- The extensive network of pedestrian/cycle paths will allow easy public access through the site, and will link the town to Wilson Road.
- Significant areas of public open space including four new local parks (occupying about 5% of the site) will be accessible to the wider community.
- The design respects neighbouring residential properties.
- Landscaped buffers are planned between existing and future houses. The Community Hub has been located so that it is directly accessible from Wilson Road.
- The environmental restoration works include weed and pest animal control, revegetation, repair of eroded areas, reinstatement of fencing and improvements to public access paths.
Benefits to the Shire and the wider community
- The Ecovillage shows how additional housing can be accommodated in a sustainable way.
- It offers a model for sustainable coastal living, accessible to a wide cross section of the community.
- The Ecovillage will be responsible for site development, rehabilitation and ongoing management of the site. This will be backed up by legally enforceable controls.
- The conservation and recreation values of the site will be enhanced and appropriately managed at no cost to the Shire or the existing residents of Cape Paterson.
- There is also the opportunity for coordinated management of the coastal reserve to control weeds and improve environmental values.
- It will provide local employment and the opportunity for people to develop and apply expertise and skills in environment restoration, sustainable building design and construction.
- The 20 ecolodges will provide some much needed visitor accommodation.
- The project will be unique in Bass Coast and in Australia, and this will generate significant ecotourism for Bass Coast, with flow on benefits to the existing commercial centre of Cape Paterson
- The Ecovillage will be a centre for education about sustainable building, water conservation, renewable energy, ecological restoration, healthy lifestyle, and will be a great place for young people to learn about sustainable living
- The site is well connected to the existing township of Cape Paterson by multiple bike and walking tracks which will make exercise a daily part of life at the Ecovillage, and will improve the health of residents of Cape Paterson
- There are no houses built above 8 star standard in Bass Coast at present. The Ecovillage will give buyers who are looking for sustainable housing additional choice in the market.
