Sustainable design and planning a priority for Peet
27/09/2006Peet Limited's Lakelands Private Estate has set a new benchmark in sustainability – for the company and the industry.
The company has a well-established track record of creating developments that are environmentally sensitive, energy efficient and socially engaging and has now added another UDIA Award for Excellence for its Lakelands Private Estate in Mandurah.
This 2600 lot master-planning estate showcases the very latest innovations in sustainable urban design and is further evidence of the priority Peet Limited gives to meeting the triple bottom-line principles of sustainability (environmental, social and economic).
Lakelands was awarded the UDIA Award for Excellence 2006 – Sustainable Urban Development.
The entire estate surrounds the significant Black Swan and Paganoni Lakes and has been meticulously planned to ensure the natural environment and its community are integrated and sustainable in the long term.
Most homesites on the estate have been positioned so they can make the most of passive solar design. In addition, all buyers have access to a free architectural advice service so they can maximise energy efficiency when designing their new home.
Existing native tuart trees have been protected and retained throughout the estate and where replanting has been necessary, Peet has used native flora and avoided reticulation where possible to discourage the plant's reliance on it as a water source.
As part of Peet's commitment to the estate's natural environment, it employed local wildlife carer Alison Dixon to search for, and relocate, any fauna which might be affected during earthworks and construction phases – including native birds, various species of snakes and animals such as small native hopping mice and possums.
Ms Dixon has also been engaged to undertaken extensive feral trapping to ensure the protection of native fauna around the estate's wetlands.
A long-term plan for sustainability
While sustainability principles have successfully been incorporated into land estates like Lakelands for some time, Peet Limited is now seeking to raise the bar and develop a corporate sustainability plan for its entire business.
Still in the development stage, the Peet Corporate Sustainability Plan is currently being trialled by the company at its Quattro – The New Queens Park development.
The plan outlines a significant range of sustainability "goals" which Peet aims to incorporate – wherever possible – into each stage of the project.
This master framework keeps the principles of sustainability at the forefront and allows them to be applied – where feasible – to the master planning, planning approval, the construction, marketing and sales stages of the project.
Everything from environmental impacts, protection and rehabilitation of wetlands and bushland, passive solar design, water wise initiatives, energy efficiency, community engagement, public transport access and walkable neighbourhoods is included.
Each sustainability goal will be evaluated at each stage of the project against the three key sustainability principles – delivering environmental, social and economic benefits.
Peet Managing Director, Warwick Hemsley, said sustainable planning and design was increasingly being recognised as the way of the future for developers.
"As developers we have a corporate responsibility to make sure we are creating residential and commercial developments that are environmentally and socially sound and not just geared to deliver economic benefits," Mr Hemsley said.
"The aim of the corporate sustainability plan is to formalise a lot of what Peet does already and provide a framework that can be practically applied across the business, now and in the long term," he said.
Once successfully trialled, Peet aims to roll out the plan to all its projects and develop similar sustainability frameworks for other company divisions such as Peet Living and Peet Retirement.
