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CASE STUDY
Selandra Rise – Evolving community creation
Selandra Rise, Vic
Selandra Rise is a 115 hectare residential
development located in Cranbourne East,
south-east of Melbourne, Victoria. The
project will comprise around 1,200 lots
when completed in 2016. Formally known
as East Village, this project was established
in 2008 when the Victorian State
Government and the Planning Institute of
Australia recognised the need to establish
a new design standard to guide the
development of suburbs of the future.
The result is an innovative and
collaborative partnership between
industry, government and the private
sector to realise affordable, healthy
and liveable communities.
Our key project partners include the Growth
Areas Authority (GAA), The Planning
Institute of Australia (PIA), and The City
of Casey.
In the past year we have completed a
formal stakeholder engagement plan for the
project and we regard Selandra Rise as a
key opportunity to evolve our community
development approach nationally. This
project has put wellbeing at the centre
of planning by committing to:
• Having a healthy and engaged
community,
• Providing local employment
opportunities,
• Serving diverse housing needs.
A healthy and engaged community
Research shows that the economic and
social cost of preventable chronic disease
in the community continues to grow at
an alarming rate. In response to this, a
key objective of Selandra Rise is to better
understand the role the built environment
can play in responding to the community
health and wellbeing challenges that face
new communities. Initiatives to help build a
healthy and engaged community include:
• A program is being developed to allow
communities to provide input into the
design of key project elements such
as parks and community services,
• Well-located walking and bike paths,
playgrounds, parks, sports facilities,
wide footpaths and pedestrian-friendly
local streets encourage recreation
and non-motorised travel,
• The local Casey residents helped
decide, via a competition, the name of
their new community – ‘Selandra Rise’.
VicHealth joined the project team in 2009
to measure the health and wellbeing of
the community through a longitudinal
study. This study will be important in
understanding the role of communities
in shaping the place in which they will live.
Building on the opportunity, VicHealth
is currently commissioning tenders for
a Research Practice Fellow to investigate
how urban design can shape health
outcomes in the community. It is critical
that we understand and measure the
success factors of Selandra Rise as
we seek to improve how we create
communities nationally.
Local employment opportunities
By providing a supportive environment
for local business opportunities to flourish,
Selandra Rise has been planned to minimise
the need for residents to spend extensive
time away from their families while travelling
to work. Connecting to the broader City
of Casey business incubator network will
allow the Selandra Rise community to have
access to relevant employment, training
and network information.
Key local employment initiatives include:
• Local employment opportunities promoted
through online business networks,
• Delivering facilities to support
businesses in the local village centre,
including meeting spaces, administrative
services and technology access,
• Flexibility to work locally or from home
through creating dedicated business
precinct as well as housing product
that caters for home-based businesses.
Diverse and affordable housing
Selandra Rise offers a diverse range of
housing options. As many of the first
residents will be young couples or families,
we have therefore worked collaboratively
with house builders to design a house and
land package that meets the needs of the
home owner at a relatively moderate price.
The planning of Selandra Rise has included
the following initiatives:
• A broad mix of quality, affordable
housing options making this
community accessible to more people,
• A range of lot sizes within the
community that meet the needs
of a variety of home buyers,
• Housing for all ages including retirement
living and aged care facilities adjacent
to the local village centre.
Good governance
Our project partners have been heavily
involved in all stages to ensure there has
been continued focus on achieving the
key objectives of a ‘healthy and engaged
community, diverse and affordable housing
and local employment opportunities’.
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Stockland Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Report June 2010