When the Jobe family subdivided their 48ha farm between Ventnor Road and Settlement Road in 2002, they wanted to set an environmental benchmark.
The latest installment of Planning: our future, looks at how Phillip Island can build to help – not harm – the environment.
According to the Gippsland Climate Projections report, coastline levels rose at an average rate of 2.1mm/yr between 1966 and 2009, and are expected to continue rising through the 21st century.
By the 2030s, increases in daily maximum temperature of 0.9C to 1.8C (since the 1990s) are expected, rainfall in the long-term is expected to decline, while dramatic bushfire events are likely to occur more frequently and with greater severity.
So how should we plan for these outcomes, while reducing carbon emissions? Here are just a few examples of how individuals, groups and the shire are leading the way.
HOUSING ESTATES
When the Jobe family subdivided their 48ha farm between Ventnor Road and Settlement Road in 2002, they wanted to set an environmental benchmark.
The result was Seagrove estate, a 469-lot subdivision in 16-stages, which was built with a range of environmental requirements.
Every home built in Seagrove had to be approved by independent architects, and meet a swag of design guidelines, including mandatory 4500 litre water tanks plumbed to all toilets and one garden tap (saving more than 10 million litres of water each year).
Every home has solar passive design standards, requiring a minimum area of north-facing glass in living areas in order to capture winter sun, as well as eaves to exclude unwanted sun in summer.
Around the estate, a wetland works with smaller “rain gardens” in every street making stormwater up to 20 times cleaner before it reaches Western Port; existing overhead powerlines were replaced with underground power to allow trees to grow; and energy-efficient street lights reduced energy consumption.
Other environmental standards included:
- A high standard of insulation to ceilings and external walls;
- The location of windows to allow for natural cross ventilation;
- All homes had to have a 5-star gas water heater or a 5-star gas-boosted solar water heater, although the Jobes say 15 years ago gas was preferred to brown coal and now, with the availability of 100 per cent renewable energy, “Seagrove would not include an LPG network” and instead would encourage solar panels, the use of green energy and would require provision for electric vehicle charging; and
- Plant species which appear on the Bass Coast Shire’s weed list may not be planted or allowed to grow with indigenous plants encouraged.
Read more:
