DEVELOPER’S DREAM OF URBAN FUTURE REALISED

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Miltonbrook executive chairman Neville Fredericks with former NSw Premier Bob Carr.

DEVELOPER Neville Fredericks dream of a town for the future was realised last Friday when stage one of Tullimbar Village was officially launched by former NSW Premier Bob Carr.

The unique village development set on 150 hectares at the foot of Macquarie Pass near Albion Park has been hailed as the blueprint for sustainable urban design for the future.

The launch comes 12 years after the Miltonbrook executive chairman set out to prove there could be an attractive and viable alternative to urban sprawl.

Endless urban sprawl where residents rely almost exclusively on their cars for transport is a luxury Australian can no longer afford, said Mr Fredericks.

As Premier, Mr Carr recognised that we needed a different approach and his Government made a decision to increase urban density.

We embraced this philosophy, and committed ourselves to developing a community which wasnt dominated by motor vehicles, where people had the option to walk rather than drive for their daily needs, Mr Fredericks said.

The majority of residents will live within 500 metres of the town centre, and will be encouraged to walk by the provision of attractive footpaths and walking trails through the parks and along the creeks.

Tullimbar is very much the style of town that developed in Australia in the 19th century, but we lost it in the second half of the 20th century when the car became the dominant form of transport. So in a sense were going back to the future rediscovering the art of town-building.

When Mr Carr cut the ribbon across Tullimbar Villages main street, he officially launched the first buildings in Stage One - 20 architect-designed homes that epitomise the style and character of the town.

The homes in Stage One ranging from two and three bedroom homes to four-bedroom executive residences are priced at $345,000 to $565,000. They are the first of around 2,000 dwellings that will be built on the 150-hectare site over the next 10 years.

Future stages will feature a diverse range of dwellings to cater for different needs, ranging from terrace-style houses and apartments to large family homes.

Miltonbrook is designing and building the entire township, including public and commercial buildings around the town square. The NSW Government has also announced plans to build a new school in the village that will open in January, 2008.

Former Kiama MP Bob Harrison attended the launch and described the village concept as the shape of things to come.

The fact is, if you let urban sprawl continue youll have it all the way to the Victorian and Queensland borders, he said.