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Ginninderry

Since work first began in 2009, Ginninderry has been planned as a sustainable community. Together with new residents of Ginninderry we will work to create a community that showcases the world’s best practice in nature conservation, urban design, construction and long-term liveability. Our aim is for Ginninderry to be an exemplar project, both nationally and internationally, with its community proud of its place in the capital region.

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What does sustainability mean at Ginninderry?

Sustainability is not a single idea. It can mean many different things to different people. At Ginninderry, sustainability is conidered through the planning, design and construction phases of the development to help create a community and ecosystem that thrives. Ginninderry prides itself on a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability – where social, economic, and environmental impacts are considered within the decision making process. The size and scale of Ginninderry allows us to trial, test and research various best practice technologies and initiatives over time.

At Ginninderry we aim to:

  • be sustainable over time – socially, economically and ecologically
  • respond to and be part of the local environment
  • provide a testing ground for innovative industries, products and people
  • be cost effective, replicable and measurable
  • act as a new model that others can follow.

A 6 Star Green Star Community

Ginninderry has achieved a 6 Star Green Star – Communities rating, the highest rating available under the Green Building Council of Australia’s  national Green Star – Communities rating tool.

An internationally recognised certification, this demonstrates world excellence in sustainability and will be a testament to the liveable, environmental and people-centric development of Ginninderry.

The Green Star – Communities rating tool is an independent, transparent and holistic rating that assesses the planning, design and construction of a community across six key categories. These categories include governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment, design and innovation.

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Liveability

Liveability

A better lifestyle

Connected

We’ve designed Ginninderry to promote healthy and active living.

Streets have been designed to ensure that pedestrians are the priority – providing connectivity through the street network so that barriers such as fences and big roads are reduced. A dedicated commuter cycle path has been provided along Pro Hart Avenue. This high-speed cycle way, adjacent to the usual pedestrian shared path, allows cyclists to have priority access across intersections and includes raised crossing so that cyclists don’t have to navigate pram ramps. These also help to slow down vehicles, making the streets safer for children.

A free bus service has also been introduced to link residents from Strathnairn to the Kippax bus interchange.

You can also hire electric bikes from The Link. Bikes are free for the first two hours of riding and come with a helmet and lock.

Community-minded

At Ginninderry, we want to help you meet the people in your neighbourhood. We have a Community and Cultural Planning Manager on board to help our existing community engage with our new community.

Culturally important

The Ginninderry development is located on land that has a rich Aboriginal and European heritage, which the master planning process has respected. The Belconnen Farm precinct has been set aside as a future community/heritage precinct (7.4 ha) and Aboriginal archeological and cultural history has been recorded in consultation with Aboriginal groups. Education and information programs will be developed with Aboriginal knowledge-holders to enable this knowledge to be shared with the new community and visitors, in a culturally appropriate manner.

Productive

At Ginninderry we will provide innovative ways to create more opportunities for urban food production within the development.

There will be several community gardens planned at a Ginninderry, which will be traditional plot-style community gardens where you become a member of the garden, are allocated a plot and can create your own organic garden.

The GX Display Village includes a number of communal garden beds where you can pick your own herbs and vegetables. The Link also offers a number of wicking garden beds which our new residents can apply for. For more info visit our Residents Resources.

Economic prosperity

Economic prosperity

Creating an affordable lifestyle

Affordability isn’t just about land prices.

Residents within Ginninderry will be able to access a range of incentives and rebates unlike any provided in any other development in the capital region. By providing incentives for higher efficiency appliances and high performance housing, and encouraging public transport, we’ll help you:

  • reduce your ongoing energy bills
  • create comfortable houses that don’t rely on large heaters or air conditioners
  • have less reliance on your car – with public transport options from the day you move in.

We will also be increasing options to grow your own food. We’ll be providing job opportunities within the development  which could mean you don’t have to travel for work. There will also be Wifi in community centres and spaces that encourage work hub environments.

A diverse range of housing options will also make Ginninderry attractive for people with different budgets and lifestyles.

Governance

Governance

We’re in it for the long haul

Ginninderry is the only development in Australia where suburbs on both sides of a border are being planned together. Having a vision and long-term plan for the whole development means that our new residents in Ginninderry understand what the future holds.

We’ve consulted the community every step of the way and the opportunity to plan and design for both NSW and ACT means we’ve achieved more consistency in design. The Conservation Corridor along the waterways will be managed as one unit (after all, animals don’t see a border).  Our long term planning is also designed to respond to long term impacts of a warming climate.

Education, jobs and opportunity

A sustainable community is one where business diversity, innovation and economic development is encouraged and facilitated. In Ginninderry, we have a commitment to providing training and employment opportunities to the local community. Read more on training and employment opportunities here

Investing in the community

We understand that a community can’t prosper and thrive without capital investment. For this reason, we’ve committed to over $120million worth of community infrastructure over the life of the development. This includes funding for:

  • river corridor capital works
  • Belconnen Farmhouse heritage restoration
  • landfill capital costs
  • community garden
  • bus services
  • community centres
  • public art
  • sustainability education
  • schools (land only).
Environment

Environment

A special place

The surrounding environment at Ginninderry is magical and unlike any other in the Capital Region. It’s an environment we need to respect and understand.

Water use

Ginninderry has been designed using best practice Water Sensitive Urban Design philosophies.

The community is bounded by the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderry Creek. It has been an important part of our planning to ensure that the future development does not adversely impact those existing waterways. Some of the features of our Water Sensitive Urban Design include:

  • a network of bioretention swales, wetlands and basins provided throughout the development to capture, cleanse, recycle and infiltrate water on site as well as discharging environmental flows in to the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderry Creek
  • reaching or exceeding the regional water quality targets by reducing the amount of sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen and litter in the water system
  • maximising the use of stormwater for irrigation
  • creating additional storage of water on site through increasing water tank requirements for some blocks. This allows more water to be available on block for toilet flushing, laundry and irrigation purposes.

Re-imagining energy

At Ginninderry, we are taking our energy use to the next level. We want every resident to get the most from the energy that they use by providing incentives for those who use less energy and creating easy pathways to help install renewable energy and create a smarter electricity grid.

Reducing the amount of energy you use

The first (and most cost effective) way to reducing the amount that you spend on energy is to reduce the amount you use.

At Ginninderry, residents are rewarded for installing high efficiency appliances – applicances that use less energy so you save more. Demand Management Systems are required on all homes within Ginninderry. These systems help to monitor and manage your energy usage – allowing you to make the most from your home energy system.

Renewable energy

Solar panels are required on all homes, commercial and community buildings within Ginninderry. We want to provide an easy, simple way for all residents and businesses to generate their own power free from the sun.

Making a smarter grid

At Ginninderry, we want to make electricity work in the most efficient way for our residents. The team are exploring innovative ways of networking households to maximise the generation from solar panels and providing battery storage options that are cost effective, and maximise use.

Protecting the environment

More than a third of the land at Ginninderry is being set aside as a Conservation Corridor. The Corridor will total 577 hectares and will include the land adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderry Creek. The size and boundaries of the Corridor were determined scientifically to protect the endangered Pink-Tailed Worm Lizard habitat, conserve Yellow Box Red Gum Grassy woodland and to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape.

Sustainable transport options

Ginninderry has its very own bus service taking residents and visitors from the first suburb of Strathnairn to Kippax Bus Interchange. The bus also picks up and drops off at Kingsford Smith School and MacGregor Primary School on school days. The timetable has been designs to link seamlessly with the R2 Rapid Bus Service in Belconnen, Civic and beyond. Every household in Ginninderry will be in easy walking distance to a bus stop. Pedestrian and cycling ways have been well designed and focused on providing a connected network of paths and access ways throughout Ginninderry and into broader West Belconnen – providing linkages to Kippax Shopping Centre and to Community Cycling Routes throughout the region.

Reinventing waste

All homes within Strathnairn have access to the ACT Government’s Green Bin Program. New residents have their garden organics collected. These are processed, mulched and composted for use throughout the Capital Region. All public areas will have recycling bins alongside any general waste bins.

Design

Design

Context Analysis

Designing a new development doesn’t start with a blank piece of paper. The design of Ginninderry has evolved through a long and detailed process of looking at the unique features of the development area. This has included years of planning – identifying the key features of the site, analysing the topography, surrounding suburbs and the broader context of the site within the capital region. The design of street and pathway systems has evolved through a Master planning process involving a multi-disciplinary team of specialists and extensive public consultation.

Design Review

As each new stage of Gininderry is designed, it will be reviewed by a fully independent Design Review Panel. This process of bringing in an external panel of experts from around Australia ensures that the design of Ginninderry is the best it can be.

Innovation

Innovation

At Ginninderry we strive to keep on top of best practice ideas, concepts and technologies. We aim to provide a place where innovative technologies and processes can be tested. We want to help to transform the broader market and industry towards a more sustainability community.

Our commitment to innovation means that you will be at the cutting edge of technology.

All Electric Suburb Trial

In a first for the ACT, Ginninderry’s first suburb, Strathnairn, will be all-electric (without the need for natural gas).

The Ginninderry team have been working with Evoenergy over several years to explore a range of energy options for the development. The Ginninderry Energy Pilot Project will allow Evoenergy, the ACT Government, and the Ginninderry Joint Venture the ability to not only analyse the environmental and economic impact of a fully electric residential area, but also the impact on the electricity grid when a large proportion of solar panels are installed within a suburb.

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