Zero emissions estate outside Geelong

www.news.com.au
July 15, 2009

A BUS stop on your doorstep, a school around the corner and power generated by underground hot rocks. These are all features of new suburb Armstrong Creek, which is taking shape on the outskirts of Geelong and has the aim of becoming Australia's first zero-emission neighbourhood. The suburb will be home to 60,000 people on 27,500ha and initiatives to make it carbon neutral include:

• PUBLIC transport within walking distance of every household.
• AT least 23,000 jobs, or one job per household, within the neighbourhood.
• HIGH and medium density housing.
• SCHOOLS and kindergarten within walking distance.
• CONSTRUCTION of community pavilions as true multi-use facilities, not just for one particular sporting group.
• STORMWATER harvesting using Armstrong Creek.

City of Geelong manager of planning strategy and economic development Terry Demeo said the aim was to break away from the trend of building new suburbs on the periphery of a town centre without any infrastructure. "We are not interested in building a suburb where every household needs two cars to commute in," Mr Demeo said.

"The beauty of having a brand new suburb is that there are no heritage areas or existing expectations so we can build it exactly the way it should be built." Mr Demeo said geothermal power company Greenearth Energy had already done preliminary drills to 5km with promising results. Environment, Climate Change and Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings last month earmarked $6 million to develop zero-emission neighbourhoods. Armstrong Creek is one of six planned over the next four years.