Tag Archives: Swanbourne Village Trust

Launch of Ilios Gardens Swanbourne

PRESS RELEASE.

LAUNCH OF ILIOS GARDENS, SWANBOURNE. Corner Congdon and Railway Streets. A small scale development in the heart of Swanbourne, PERFECT FOR SENIORS.

When retired jewellery designer, Katherine Kalaf and her friend of many years, Eco Architect, Garry Bavertstock met, they would often speculate about downsizing opportunities in their hood. Nothing on the market met their needs.

When a site became available on the corner of Congdon and Railway Streets, opposite the Swanbourne railway station and shopping precinct, they purchased it with a view to fulfilling their dream of a well-designed retirement concept for life loving, active retirees. Four years of obstacles and careful planning has borne fruit.

Named ILIOS after the Greek word for sun, Ilios Gardens offers a lifestyle based on the benefits of transport oriented precinct living, stunning architecture with extensive gardens, smart integrated technologies for energy minimisation and recycling, and importantly close to rail, shopping, restaurants and the multiple amenities seaside Swanbourne and Cottesloe has to offer.

“Most of the seniors we know are very sports active and travel, age is not a barrier. The more you do, the more you can do. They want easy ways to socialize and to have stimulating opportunities around them. They have a lot more living to do into their seventies and eighties which is why Ilios will have a lot to offer them” said designer, Katherine Kalaf.

“We have been through an exhaustive design phase and now have all our approvals in place and will be starting to build. Expressions of interest are open now. It is so exciting to have been able to fulfill what we believe is a really fresh approach to retirement living.”

“Bespoke, hand crafted limestone walls, rooftop gardens and sustainable living and internal finishes expected of a project of this quality make Ilios a unique place to live.” said designer and project investor, Katherine Kalaf.

“Buyers will have the assurance of architects’ full insurance, compliance guarantees and architect oversight of the built form to ensure that the quality designed is the quality built and delivered”, noted energy efficient architect Garry Baverstock. A.M.

Media enquiries: Katherine Kalaf. katherinekalaf@gmail.com 0478 222 112. AGENT: Jon Bahen, Abel Property. 0419 816 776 FOR INFORMATION TEXT: ILIOS TO 0416 906 827

Non-Progressive View in Development of Cottesloe

Recent debate on the Swanbourne Village Trust (SVT) development in Congdon St, Cottesloe has heated up with a small, very vocal minority spreading leaflets in letterboxes in the area. These leaflets were laced with incorrect information and assumptions and making statements disguised as facts that are little more than the opinions of a few people that seem to be opposed to change in Cottesloe.

The Misnamed Group : Cottesloe Residents & Ratepayers Association

The name adopted by this group is mis-leading. They are NOT representing the majority of the residents and ratepayers of Cottesloe. Even their own website admits this.

At the 2016 AGM of the Association slurs on the Town of Cottesloe Council were voiced by committee members accusing the Council of not following ‘due process’ and not being transparent with ‘ad hoc re-zoning’ decisions.

This small group, which in itself acts in secrecy and is by no means transparent, claims to represent the 8,000 ratepayers of Cottesloe. They will not declare how many members they have or whether their members are all related by business, payment of rates or rental to Cottesloe. Their members could come from anywhere. There is no requirement to state they belong to Cottesloe when applying for membership. There is no process to delete members when they leave Cottesloe.

The Committee of the Association passed a vote of no confidence in the Town of Cottesloe Council and implied incorrectly that they spoke on behalf of Cottesloe ratepayers in that they were against the Swanbourne Village Trust Rezoning Application which had been passed for advertising by a majority vote through the Council in April 2016.

Architect, Garry Baverstock pointed out that the SVT project went through a very rigorous and meticulous planning process over a period of two years with an appointed planner for the project. Almost on a weekly basis, Manager, Development Services, Andrew Jackson was briefed to ensure SVT met the Council’s planning scheme and State Government requirements.

Businesswoman and Cottesloe ratepayer, Julia Hayes, a new member of this Ratepayers Association, took the Committee of the Association to task at the AGM of the Association, asked a series of questions including:

the number of members on the membership register
how resolutions of the Association were approved by members
by what means members were involved in any decision making process before edicts were issued
how the greater environment of residents and ratepayers of Cottesloe are consulted

Julia was also aware that she and other members of the Association she knew personally had never been invited to meetings and minutes of the meetings were not made available upon request. The Chairman agreed that resolutions were NOT based on any consultation with members, were NOT based on any consultation with the community at large, but that all decisions were made by their committee of ten people.

Later Julia, a retired Chartered Secretary, pointed out the minutes of the AGM were incorrectly reported, leaving out what she thought was relevant information regarding the incorrect claims of the vocal minority.

She was further surprised that the large amount of support the SVT had received from public information sessions was not reflected in any edicts issued by this Association.

Julia noted afterwards that the majority of active discussion at the AGM related to the cleanliness of the toilets at Indianas and whether people should be forced to have lawn verges rather that native plants.

This incorrect claim by a small self-interest group inferring that they represent community views, appears to be happening in other Perth suburbs. In Bayswater, a group of its concerned ratepayers have set up their own progressive association ‘Future Bayswater‘ to add a balanced voice to the small minority that seemed to be opposed to just about any change.

Photo Credits: Nick Melidonis, www.nickmelidonis.com

World Experts Endorse Swanbourne Village Trust’s Vision

Professor Peter Newman AO and Josh Byrne from Josh Byrne and Associates; leaders in sustainable policy, have endorsed the vision and planning principles of the Swanbourne Village Trust (SVT).

Peter Newman is a Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the Curtin University Sustainable Policy Institute (CUSP). CUSP was established in January 2008 and headed by Professor Newman.

Sustainability Policy

The idea of sustainability is a relatively new concept, but is rapidly becoming a key issue in public policy theory and practice. Sustainability Policy is also developing as a recognised profession and a multidisciplinary research field in its own right. CUSP is a key player in the Australian Sustainable Development Institute (ASDI) encompassing a broad range of Curtin research centres and teams involved in sustainability scholarship. CUSP has created a PhD and Masters by Research students and is offering a Masters in Sustainability and Climate Policy. Organisations such as Solar E are contributing ideas and projects for these students.

CUSP is now a world leader in increasing sustainability through policy, theory and practice. Its projects integrate different priorities leading to practical outcomes through collaboration.

Sustainability experts; Professor Peter Newman AO and environmental Scientist, Josh Byrne endorse Swanbourne Village Trust’s vision and planning

Professor Newman

Professor Newman, who recently contributed a small video on the SVT website, grew up in the Swanbourne area and his father taught at Scotch College. In 2011 Peter was awarded the Sidney Luker medal by the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW) for his contribution to the science and practice of town planning in Australia. In 2014 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport, particularly related to the saving and rebuilding of Perth’s rail system. He can relate to the vision that SVT has in improving the lifestyles and amenities of the local residents and he feels that vision can take the area into the 21^st century.

Prof Newman is quoted as saying “It’s time for a reinvention of the Swanbourne Village. No place can stay exactly as it was and there will always be discussion about how to regenerate a place. We have a team of people who want to make the Swanbourne Village into something very special. We will need everyone with an interest in the place to help. I look forward to meeting anyone who wants to give the Village a new life for its next hundred years”.

Josh Byrne

Josh Byrne is well known for his media work with ABC television as the WA presenter on Gardening Australia and is the author of two books on sustainable gardening and landscape design. Josh also endorses SVT’s vision for sustainability and innovative planning and will advise SVT on its landscape design and rooftop gardens. His expertise will complement the award winning energy efficiency and sustainability credentials from architects Garry Baverstock and James Shaw to ensure SVT will be a leader in community living in the Cottesloe/Swanbourne areas. In 2013, Josh was appointed as a Research Fellow at CUSP to undertake research into high performance housing as part of the CRC for Low Carbon Living.

CUSP wants to see practical outcomes and the SVT project represents an example of a practical solution in reducing cars on the road while providing a good balance between the financial needs and community amenities of the SVT shareholders. These shareholders are using their superannuation to achieve their living and lifestyle requirements without being a burden to the taxpayer.

Photo Credits: Nick Melidonis, www.nickmelidonis.com

Swanbourne Village Trust (SVT) Project gets Green Light

On Tuesday 26^th of May, the Town of Cottesloe’s Council agreed to go to advertising for the Swanbourne Village Trust scheme amendment by a majority vote of 5 to 3. Arguments for and against were debated; with Cottesloe Mayor, Jo Dawkins, voting for the project. Ms Dawkins gave an enthusiastic endorsement of the SVT design merits as well as having an architect of Garry Baverstock’s reputation behind the submission.

Prior to the vote on Tuesday, unit holder Katherine Kalaf studied the Town of Cottesloe’s Strategic Plan (2013) in detail to see how the SVT project fulfilled the long term objectives of the plan. The SVT project was found to comply very well in all aspects to the desired direction the council wished to take, especially as this project was situated very near a major railway transport hub.

SVT unit holder, Katherine Kalaf

SVT and Town of Cottesloe’s Strategic Plan

Specifically; in regard to ‘THE COMMUNITIES VISION AND ASPIRATIONS’, the Council’s mission is articulated as:

“In future, some development and redevelopment is likely to occur with smaller lot sizes and additional medium density housing occurring in areas with appropriate density coding. Redevelopment of older townhouse complexes and multi-level flats should result in more choices in housing style and size. “

Certainly, the SVT project will provide more housing choice with state of the art sustainability credentials.

Secondly, with regard to “UNDERPINNING SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES”, the Council states:

“Under legislation, Council is required to meet the needs of current and future generations in a sustainable way. In carrying out its functions, the Council is committed to four interconnected principles of sustainability:

Sustainable development: To embrace and integrate sustainable development principles including social, economic, environmental and cultural aspects when planning for the district.”

Wise Earth is a leader in sustainable development and the SVT project fulfils the legislative requirement of addressing the changing needs of the community. The trend for living today is to move from large suburban blocks and be part of denser living close to all the amenities such as rail, shopping nodes and the lifestyle amenities which residents have enjoyed all their lives. With younger people, many are also opting for smaller lot sizes and grouped living.

The Strategic Plan further states:

“The priorities and objectives contained in this plan reflect areas Council will concentrate on in the short to medium term that have the potential to impact on how the district develops. Within each objective there are sustainability implications. This means that in moving forward, the Council will be faced with the question “what is sustainable for the long term?”

The SVT project addresses the trend to increase medium housing density at rail and commercial hubs. In other Australian cities such as Melbourne, this has been effectively addressed for some time and has been expressed as a goal by the State Government. Planner Peter Newman has been instrumental in encouraging this option as a sustainable solution to housing pressure in towns such as Cottesloe.

“Care must be taken that the pressure for denser development does not destroy the casual relaxed lifestyle, the character of the beachfront and the green leafy neighbourhood and unduly affect the amenity and ambience enjoyed by residents.”

On this aspect, Katherine goes on to say

“Our project sensitively addresses these concerns by reducing the bulk of the building and referring to an adjacent building form for scale while not overshadowing or unduly causing problems with height for neighbours.

I feel our project anticipates and addresses a number strategic goals in the council’s strategic plan.

Development at railway and commercial nodes.
Sustainability.
Energy efficiency.
Green spaces.
Anticipating and responding to the needs of the community.”

The proponents of the SVT project; some who will live in the development when finished; wholeheartedly support the Cottesloe Council’s Strategic Plan ethos and look forward to providing an innovative, sustainable development that all will be proud to see when completed in Cottesloe.

Photo Credits; Nick Melidonis, www.nickmelidonis.com