Project Tag: New Community

Taylors Rise

Ground Control has had a 25 year association with the Lawport Property Group, creating landscape solutions for multiple new residential communities in Melbourne’s west.  This consulting relationship had its origins at Taylors Hill (1999 to 2015) and continued into this century with The Point, Deanside (2011 to 2014), Orbis Green, Deanside (2011 to 2014) and Infinity, Deanside (2013 to 2021).

Lawport again looked to Ground Control to prepare a landscape masterplan and detailed landscape design/documentation for Taylors Rise, their latest residential development bordering the western edge of Caroline Springs, stretching from Taylors Road in the north to Kororoit Creek in the south.  This new community incorporates over 900 housing lots, a primary school, community centre, a local (retail) convenience centre and a local sports reserve.

The southern section of the new development includes waterway reserves to facilitate management of stormwater from the adjoining Attwell Estate (and further catchment areas upstream) and connection into Kororoit Creek.  Landscape design & treatments include careful remedial works to both Waterway and Growling Grass Frog Conservation Reserves to convert these areas from previously uncontrolled agricultural use to high quality habitat for both indigenous flora and fauna.

The southern quadrant of this new community includes a local park, incorporating a high-quality playspace, BBQ area, shelter, picnic tables & seating, kickabout grass area, shade trees, planting areas, shared paths and seamless, sensitive integration with the adjoining Waterway and Growling Grass Frog Conservation Reserves.

The Landscape Masterplan was completed and endorsed by Council in 2023.  Detailed design and documentation for landscape works to the initial stages of this project is in progress.  It is estimated the development of this this new community will be completed over the next 6 to 7 years.

Creekstone North

Creekstone North is a new residential development bounded by Derrimut Road, Dohertys Road, Skeleton Creek and the adjoining Bluestone Estate to the north.  Ground Control was engaged by Macson Developments in early 2022 to update the Landscape Masterplan for this project and provide a full service for the thirteen stages, two waterways and 1.0 hectare local park.

Ground Control refined the original Landscape Masterplan (prepared by Breese Pitt Dixon) and resubmitted to Council for approval, endorsed by Council in late 2022.

By the start of 2024, Ground Control had completed documentation for 6 of the 13 streetscape stages, the local park, the two waterway sections plus the Skeleton Creek Weed & Revegetation Management Plan.  At this same point in time, the construction of the first 4 streetscape stages and the local park had been completed by Winslow Constructors, awarded Practical Completion and are now under maintenance.  The Skeleton Creek management process is over a 5 year period, to be completed in early 2028.

Highgrove

Brown Property Group engaged Ground Control in 2013 to prepare a landscape masterplan for the new community of Highgrove in Clyde North, and continuing with design and documentation of streetscapes and open space.  The development comprises some 890 housing lots with a focus on pedestrian and cycle connectivity from all homes to 5.25 hectares of formal parks and reserves, entry gateways, advanced street & park tree planting.

The construction of the flagship 1.63 hectare neighbourhood park was completed in late 2017, featuring a main promenade linking the adjoining linear reserve to the high point of the development — commanding views to Westernport and excellent connections of all parts of the park.  This focal point incorporates a contemporary pavilion (designed in conjunction with Dock4 Architects), BBQs, picnic settings, etc., and features Hillview Quarries granite walling, significant bespoke balustrading and a special blend of exposed aggregate paving.  A set of hard-paved dual multi-purpose courts, a large playspace and a grassed active recreation/kickabout area completes the main reserve layout.

A new take on the Cranbourne Meteorites creates a different kind of colonnade from Highgrove’s main entry on Berwick-Cranbourne Road, through the 300 metre long linear reserve and continuing into the neighbourhood park.  These heroic sculptural elements were created in collaboration with Agency of Sculpture on an integrated series of strategically placed public art installations in open space areas.

Two further local parks were completed in May 2019.  The construction of the final reserve to complete the open space provision for the new community was completed in December 2019.

White Box Rise

White Box Rise is a planned 1100 lot residential subdivision, incorporating a wide choice of lot sizes and home styles, incorporating a neighbourhood shopping precinct, primary school and the new Wodonga Aquatic Centre, all nestled into the northern slopes of Bear’s Hill approx. 3 kilometres south of the city centre.

Ground Control has been involved from the project’s inception in 2005, influencing the whole estate planning, urban design and landscape direction to achieve a sustainable outcome. We have been instrumental as part of the consultant team in sensitively positioning the proposed development footprint to retain & enhance the structural diversity of the original White Box Grassy Woodland, through the creation of a linear network to preserve biodiversity on site while providing recreation opportunities for the new community.

The design of the new community is based on New Urbanist principles, with a focus on creating a walkable community of mixed use, with the commercial hub and community facilities linked to each other and to constructed parks and playspaces by an extensive open space and shared path network.

White Box Rise also features whole estate stormwater harvesting, directed into the adjoining racecourse wetland and lake storage and reused as irrigation and for other purposes.

We have enjoyed working with Abacus, Head & Humphreys (land consultants), SJE Consulting (civil engineers), Council and other specialist consultants and contractors to meet and solve the many challenges White Box Rise has presented to us.

The full extent of the linear reserve system has now been designed and constructed, with completion in late 2017 of the construction of the major neighbourhood reserve as a centrepiece and social/recreational hub of the community.

The final addition to the White Box Rise recreation experience was a junior pump track, constructed in late 2018 as part of Stage 22 pocket park. Designed and constructed in collaboration with Terrain Trail Construction, this pump track has proved to be a ‘second home’ to local kids of all ages and abilities!

Video courtesy of Terrain Trail Construction.

Border Mail article 17 August 2019.

Infinity Estate

Following the success of the Taylors Hill development, Lawport Property Group engaged Ground Control in 2014 to again partner with Breese Pitt Dixon and the design team to create Infinity, a 695 lot residential development in Melbourne’s western growth corridor.

This new community is bisected by a tributary of Stony Hill Creek, a Melbourne Water drainage corridor, which has been recreated as a 905 linear metre constructed waterway and a linear open space network, with over 160,000 plants, bioretention basins, ephemeral ponds and downstream wetland.

This waterway corridor connects to an 8,000 square metre central reserve with a dynamic shade sail, public sculpture (Agency of Sculpture), fitness stations, a playspace and an adjoining open grass area, all integrated with and overlooking the waterway.

Street tree selection has been directed from early lessons learned from Taylors Hill, with selection of trees for park spaces, arterial & collector roads and local streets limited to selected native & hardy exotic species suited to the harsh soil & climatic conditions.  The majority of trees planted at Infinity were locally grown at a tree farm in Keilor to ensure each tree was acclimatised to the local conditions and given the best chance to establish with minimal ongoing assistance.

Golden Grove

Golden Grove is a residential community of over 12,000 lots in rolling limestone and clay hills 21 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre, developed over a 19 year period commencing in 1984.  The Golden Grove development began as a joint venture between the SA Urban Land Trust and Delfin Property Group (now Lendlease).

Cielens+Wark (with Chuck Wark as director) was engaged as landscape architects for the development in 1985 — Chuck completed his involvement with the project in 1994.  During this period, Chuck was the director with primary responsibility for the landscape design, documentation and contract administration for over 100 hectares of open space, including streetscapes, parks, reserves, drainage reserves, escarpment revegetation and special projects incl. Secondary Education Shared Facilities Complex, Arts & Recreation Centre and the Kids for Landcare Outdoor Classroom.

As landscape architects, we also directed the establishment of a development production nursery, contract growing advanced tree stock and other plant material for future stage plantings, based on projected stage release timing, lot numbers and expected sales rates.

The Golden Grove development was awarded the FIABCI Prix d’excellence in 1998, voted the best residential development in the world.