PLACE Planning and Design and PLACE Environmental recently completed the facilitation of planning approval for the second stage of Sunnybank Grove on Brisbane's Southside, Devine's new eco-friendly residential development.

The development boasts a community orchard set amid natural surrounds, preserving a sensitive wildlife habitat. The development also hosts a high voltage transmission line but good planning, environmental and landscape design and a partnership with Powerlink Queensland has turned this potential problem site into Devine's highest return estate and an award winning development.

Devine Limited Senior Development Manager, Peter Dunkley said the easement was a potential dead spot in the project that could have affected the estate's presentation. Landscaping the easement enabled Devine to maximize the estate's open space, something that has become a major draw card for home buyers.

The site has recently been in the news with the Minister for Local Government and Planning Desley Boyle choosing the site to announce changes to building regulations ensuring all new homes in Queensland will use less water and energy from next year, saving homeowners money and reducing their impact on the environment.

Ms Boyle, who is also Environment Minister, said the Beattie Government was mandating the most effective measures to make homes more water and energy efficient. Under changes to building regulations, all new home plans approved from March 1, 2006 must include:

• Greenhouse efficient hot water systems (i.e. solar, gas or electric heat pump water heaters)
• Energy-efficient lighting (i.e. fluorescent or compact fluorescent lights to be used to illuminate at least 40% of internal floor space);
• AAA-rated shower roses in reticulated town water areas (AAA shower roses use a maximum of 9 litres of water per minute compared to 15 to 25 litres for standard shower roses)
• Dual-flush toilets (6 litre full flush/3 litre half flush); and
• Water pressure-limiting devices to restrict maximum water pressure to no more than 500 kilopascals) (only required in areas with high water pressure)

"This is all about sustainable housing setting standards to preserve water and energy for the future," Ms Boyle stated. She also said more and more developers such as Devine were already recognising the consumer demand for more environmentally-sustainable homes.

The release of The Sustainable Home Checklist for New Homes in Queensland was released in March 2005, and provides an easy method to give your house a rating based on three key elements of Environmental, Social and Economic sustainability.
Smart Housing, which focuses on economic, social, and environmental sustainability, is proving to be the way forward into the 21st century, however the task remains complex with the triple bottom line of development companies proving the major stepping stone. Building covenants that are too complex, difficult and expensive to comply with are still are still a concern to potential buyers. Education will play a major role in the further development of smart housing techniques with the upfront costs of implementation shown to be eclipsed by future savings and higher resale values.

PLACE Planning and Design considers itself at the forefront of sustainable design utilising best practice techniques which incorporate effective site planning as well as social sustainability including access to services and community building.

PLACE is also involved with AV Jennings and the Queensland Governments Department of Housing aiming to incorporate elements of Smart Housing through developing a Building Covenant for the release of further stages in the Regatta Waters Estate located at Coomera on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Included within the Building Covenant, PLACE has derived a set of Advisory Design Guidelines from elements of the Smart Housing Design Objectives. These Guidelines provide the purchaser of land with best practice design techniques aimed at improving site planning and orientation of buildings and elements of energy efficiency. PLACE hopes that documents such as this will provide a link and encourage people to actively search out sustainability tools such as the Sustainable Home Checklist for new homes in Queensland.

For more information refer to the Queensland Department of Housing Guide or visit: www.smarthousing.qld.gov.au