SUSTAINABILITY REPORT - Landcom

Landcom encourages community
participation through open days, project
newsletters and “meet the developers”
type sessions for residents and
interested parties. The aim is to keep
the community informed as early and
as fully as possible. At Greenway
Views, Landcom and its partner,
Australand, organised two information
days and distributed a newsletter to
more than 2,200 residents. Landcom
included almost 30 different
stakeholder groups in the planning
process for its Prince Henry project.
CHALLENGES
The participation rate of stakeholders
is not necessarily an indicator of the
quality of our consultation plans and
strategies. People are often
overwhelmed by the amount of
information competing for their
attention. While we will always attempt
to engage our stakeholders, we cannot
guarantee their participation.
ACTIONS FOR 2004/2005
Landcom will examine the participation
rate of stakeholders to determine
if it is appropriate for gauging the
effectiveness of stakeholder
consultation.
NEWBURY
INDICATOR 4 – COMMUNITY
FACILITIES
PURPOSE
This indicator provides information
on the extent of community facilities
included in Landcom projects, such as
sporting fields, playgrounds and parks.
Landcom wants to provide facilities
that are appropriate for the
communities it creates.
TARGET
At present we report on the number
of community facilities we provide in
our projects, such as schools,
community halls, sporting fields,
children’s playgrounds and public parks.
However, we are developing targets to
measure how effectively such facilities
meet the needs and expectations of
the communities using them.
RESULTS
Landcom delivered the following
community facilities in 2003/2004:
– 3 school sites.
– 18.75 hectares of passive open space.
– 7.4 hectares of active open space
– 6 courts for playing sport (tennis,
basketball, multi-purpose, etc).
– 2 community halls or community
hall sites.
– 4 playgrounds.
Landcom continues to develop
appropriate targets for measuring the
effectiveness of community facilities
through post-occupancy surveys.
In 2003/2004 Landcom conducted a
post-occupancy survey of residents in
Victoria Park. The results of the survey
indicate that residents in Victoria Park
have a strong sense of pride about
living in the development.
Much of this pride is derived from
the quality of the development and
its facilities. Residents believe the
development is well designed and
constructed, and they particularly like
the open spaces and parks. These are
seen to foster a sense of community
ownership and provide a more relaxed
and peaceful environment.
It was noted that the green spaces
help to create a more suburban feel for
city living. 35% of survey respondents
indicated that the existence of parks
and the quality of landscaping
influenced their decision to live at
Victoria Park.
The biggest drawback noted by
residents is the lack of shops and
amenities within the development
and surroundings areas. One in three
residents listed this as a “dislike”. While
this can be partially attributed to the
stage of development, with planned
retail facilities yet to be constructed,
it clearly shows the importance of
providing such facilities in the early
stages of development.
CHALLENGES
The challenge for Landcom is to provide
appropriate community facilities that
adequately meet the needs of residents
in the early stages of its developments.
ACTIONS FOR 2004/2005
Landcom will:
– Aim to provide community facilities
as early as possible by partnering with
various providers such as the NSW
Department of Education and Training
to establish schools in the early stages
of developments.
– Investigate suitable sites and install –
at least at one site – “Equal Access
Playground” equipment that enables
children with disabilities to play
alongside able-bodied children.
VICTORIA PARK
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