This unique project is a redevelopment of the former
Mont Park Psychiatric and Macleod Repatriation hospital
sites located in Macleod, which is 15km north east
of the CBD. The site comprises 75 hectares of land
that was formerly owned by the Victorian and Commonwealth
Governments. It is surrounded by LaTrobe University,
the Strathallan golf course, Gresswell Forest and
native grasslands. The Gresswell Hill Reserve is
wholly contained within the site. It is anticipated
to yield 800 dwellings sites, including a retirement
village and numerous medium density developments.
The natural beauty of the site
is readily apparent from the historic buildings,
retention of tree lined roads that were first setout
90 years ago, and the native vegetation around Gresswell
Hill. One of our initial tasks was to facilitate
a photogrammetric survey of the site, which was
then supplemented by a ground survey to locate the
trunks of more than 5,000 trees. The trees were
then assessed and ranked in categories of importance
and rules governing the retention of nearly all
the significant trees were determined. The layout
of the proposed subdivision was then designed, and
Darebin City Council approved a Development Plan
in 2001.
Urban Pacific’s vision for
Springthorpe was to create a vibrant living environment
that offered a diverse range of lifestyle opportunities
for residents and engendered a real sense of community.
One part of achieving this vision has been the construction
of the Springthorpe Country Club, which includes
a swimming pool and tennis courts. A town architect
oversees the approval of housing designs from a
team of quality builders, and in most instances
only a small number of site specific designs are
available for any given lot.
PGA has been responsible all the
surveying works at Springthorpe, including the subdivision
of the site. This has involved an ongoing process
of creating stage lots to facilitate the handover
of the site from both Governments to Urban Pacific
Ltd., as well as the eventual creation of the residential
lots. Whilst all the Roads and provision of services
are in the traditional public domain, we have created
a body corporate structure that will ultimately
include all Springthorpe’s residents. This
approach was necessitated by the need to construct
the Country Club on common property so as to restrict
access to residents only. The body corporate also
exercises controls on the standard of housing, and
has negotiated an agreement whereby residents can
have access to some of the facilities at LaTrobe
University.
PGA has also undertaken the engineering
design and supervision for 76 lots in the later
stages of the development. This has involved seeking
innovative solutions to the problems associated
with draining and sewering the lots around the Gresswell
Hill.
For more information on this project
go to:
www.springthorpe.com.au
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