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Victorian Regional Masterplan

An innovative and genuinely sustainable 50-hectare master planned residential and community development in Horsham, Victoria.

Client :

Private

Location:

Horsham VIC, Australia

Date start:

2018

Date end:

Current

Scale:

Large

Sector:

Land, Residential, Commercial

Services:

Master Planning, Infrastructure Planning, Development Advice & Agreements, Engagement, 3D Modelling, Infographic Presentations, Aerial Photography & Videography, Design, Plan, Land Identification, Build, Interactive Environments

The Brief

Act as the lead consultant and project manager for a regional development known as Avonnefields in Horsham, a thriving regional city set for significant population growth and development. Oversee the strategic planning and advancement of the 50-hectare site to create real prospects for residents to live and work within the area. Contributing to the region's socio-economic growth by establishing new community facilities, a distribution centre, and a community hub.


The Challenges
  • Engaging with local government, state government, infrastructure providers and stakeholders.

  • Co-ordinating the large team of consultants.

  • Rezoning of the land.

  • Providing a detailed master plan of the site which includes and delivers the following key attributes:


    A residential precinct:

    • Over three hundred (300) dwellings planned to cater for population growth over the next five years.

    • Housing types to include compact dwellings, multi-units and larger traditional blocks.

    • Accommodation for the anticipated influx of key workers in major regional construction projects, mining, and renewable energy.

    • Increase housing diversity and affordability for people of all ages, wages, and lifestyles.


    Independent living units & an aged care precinct:

    • A 1.5-hectare superlot to be set apart to deliver a variety of retirement living options.

    • Dwelling types to include independent living units and an aged care facility within walking distance from open spaces and local amenities.


    Connectivity & open space:

    • Strengthen the north-south connection within the township of Horsham.

    • Deliver urban renewal north of the town’s railway in line with the Horsham North Urban Design Framework.

    • Ensure the development links seamlessly into public networks including roads, pedestrian walkways, and cycling tracks.

    • Designed with centrality and security in mind.

    • Provide wide footpaths, generous nature strips, and a smooth flow between green spaces to enhance the character of the neighbourhood and encourage active recreation.

    • Rectify sense of disconnection in surrounding neighbourhood by linking key nodes into development and adding a pedestrian walkway to Horsham Primary School.


    A green link:

    • Connect the Old Foundry Park to the Police Paddock Reserve.

    • Define boundary between the residential precinct and community infrastructure.

    • Wetlands nested between to encourage connection to the Wimmera River and attract local fauna.


    Solar energy and sustainability initiatives:

    • Sustainability initiatives to be in line with Horsham’s Environmental Strategy and Zero Emissions Neighbourhood strategy.

    • Aim to set a precedent for sustainable living in regional Victoria by generating 25% of electricity from renewable sources.

    • Provide community battery and microgrid to service over 300 dwellings and an EV charging station (anticipated to be the largest microgrid in Australia!).

    • Potential for a hydrogen production asset to attach to the solar infrastructure and water supply.

    • Investigate methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, application of low carbon technologies, and propose new measures and improvements to the existing urban environment.


    An education trail:

    • Recharacterize the area away from industrial and railway infrastructure and attract tourism.

    • Align with the natural sandbank formation on site.

    • Celebrate the site’s cultural heritage by integrating stories of the traditional owner’s connection to the region.

    • Fulfill the requirement for open space and foster opportunities for training and employment.


    A distinctive gateway:

    • Entryway feature to define Avonnefields as a unique community.


    A community hub:

    • Centrepiece hub for people to meet, access services, facilities and programs, and foster a sense of community.

    • Provide a multi-functional public asset with an option to jointly operate with the Active Recreation Precinct.

    • Services to include childcare, outreach youth services, and a café supplied with local ‘paddock to plate’ food.

    • An employment hub consisting of vocational training facilities, a commercial kitchen, offices, and meeting rooms to cater for young and mature workforce members.

    • Employment opportunities in hospitality and retail.


    Active recreation:

    • High-end sporting venues to best meet community needs.

    • Hockey court, tennis court/multi-use area, gymnasium, pavilions, and a large playground.


    A flower production and a distribution precinct:

    • Grow, package, and distribute native food and botanicals such as honey and wildflowers.

    • Provide on-site employment opportunities in floriculture, landscape management, hospitality, tourism-based retail, sports, and recreation.

    • Engage local youth and First Nation peoples in training and skills development.

    • Partnered with Outback Academy Australia to form a business strategy in line with Follow the Flowers initiative that connects farms into a national supply chain.

    • A holistic approach to regenerative farming (Rural Industry) and outcomes to return the country and people to health and wellbeing.


    Drone surveying & project visualisation:

    • On-site drone operations conducted in under five hours.

    • High level 3D geospatial dataset produced.

    • Fly-throughs and walk-throughs produced.

    • Opportunity to identify planning risks and opportunities from a unique ‘on the ground’ perspective.

    • Highly accurate results within 2.5cm horizontally and 5cm vertically, when compared with data points from a conventional title re-establishment survey.

    • Inform reporting in areas such as biodiversity, cultural heritage, flooding and drainage, and traffic.

    • Remote access provided to key consultants.

    • Partnered with Aivia Group to coordinate drone operations remotely during Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

    • Featured in article published by Australian Institute of Project Management. Read more at: https://issuu.com/aipmmagazine/docs/aipm_a4_digital_magazine_spring_2021_singles_fin/44  


    Solar & glare reporting:

    • 3D interactive environment to visually assess any glint and glare radiating from the solar panels.

    • Assess different times of day and year.

    • Assess potential glint and glare from various locations such as neighbouring roads, railway lines, and adjacent sports fields.

    • Test various solutions to mitigate and potential glint and glare, such as fences, trees and shrubs.

    • Use of technology to contribute to the wider economic, technological and environmental outcomes of Avonnefields.




The Outcomes

Current project timelines:

Sep 2024-Mar 2025

Undertake rezoning process.

Jan-Mar 2025 

Commence Solar Energy Project and Grid Connection construction

Sep 2025-Mar 2026

Commence Independent Living Units & Aged Care construction.

Jan-Mar 2026 

Commence Community Hub construction.

Jan-Mar 2026  

Commences Active Recreation Assets construction.

Mar 2026

Commence Flower Production & Distribution Precinct construction.






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