Sustainability

To achieve this, LWP has always placed sustainability at the heart of its projects - sustainable communities, sustainable environments, and a sustainable economy.

Some sustainability initiatives are common to all LWP developments. These include:

• constructing community infrastructure such as learning centres, crèches, playgroups and drop-in centres early in the development phase as a means of creating focus and sense of place for the first residents who move in.
• basing a permanent information and sales centre in each development to create a sense of activity and focus for the project.
• encouraging people to get to know their neighbours, to walk or cycle rather than drive, and to enjoy the parks and open spaces by applying the latest urban planning principles.
• reflecting the natural contours of the land and integrating native bushland into the new landscape, respecting the uniqueness of the natural environment in which the development is located.
• identifying local flora and fauna before development begins and retaining or relocating it where necessary.
• harvesting and cultivating seeds of local flora so that they can be used in landscaping public open spaces.
• including LWP’s unique ‘eco-logical’ front garden design packages in all land sales to help purchasers create sustainable gardens.
• Implementing Public Art programs which create a sense of identity.

Ellenbrook was the incubator for many sustainability ideas - some of which are still considered innovative today - and others which have become industry-wide practice.

These include:

• Schools in Houses and Schools in Offices. In the first stage of Ellenbrook’s development, houses and offices were constructed and adapted to function as schools for the children of the first residents until numbers were sufficient to support the construction of a primary school.
• Rear laneway houses with reduced front setbacks to houses and vehicle access to garages at the rear of the lots. This encourages greater community interaction in the streets and parks.
• A mix of housing densities to cater for a wide range of purchasers and create a diverse and sustainable community.
• Energy efficiency requirements. Since 1999, these have been incorporated into our Design Guidelines.
• Development of cottage lots. Small (<400 sqm) lots with, at first, a range of frontages 10 to 15m and now with 8m frontages to cater for smaller households.
• Extensive Bike and Hike trails connecting all residents to all parts of the town and villages.
• Promoting street life and community interaction by using passive solar design principles, varied building setbacks, laneways, front verandahs and street tree planting.
• Establishing a Community Trust Fund to finance the appointment of a Community Development Officer and provide seed funding for community groups and infrastructure from an early stage.