An aerial view of The Green in Dickson. Stage 1 is the front three structures from left. Images: Stewart Architecture.
An innovative waste recycling system is a key part of the Tradies’ precinct-sized redevelopment of its Dickson footprint, which moved a step closer with the lodgment of plans for the first stage of the masterplanned, seven-building project.
The waste proposal is part of a sustainable approach to development that includes passive design, rooftop solar, communal gardens, a central village green, and the restoration of Sullivans Creek to a natural stream for approximately 300 metres along the site boundary.
Designed by Stewart Architecture and dubbed The Green, the entire project will deliver seven buildings of varied design, 645 dwellings, including some townhouses, a new 4400 sqm club and 5000 sqm of commercial space supporting retail, dining and services.
It is expected to take seven to 10 years to complete across three stages, and the club wants it to be a model development.
The $94 million first stage on Dickson Place will require the demolition of the nursery, gym, squash courts and part of the motel.
It will comprise two buildings – one six and 13 storeys and one 13-storeys – and deliver 246 one (68), two (160) and three-bedroom (18) apartments, as well as ground floor commercial units.
Overall, the precinct dwelling mix will be 307 one-bedroom apartments, 279 two-beds and 59 three-beds, but that could change depending on market demand.
Stage 1 will also establish the precinct’s waste collection system, where material will be recycled into sellable products after a nine-stream sorting process.
The aim is not to have traditional waste chutes, but ground-floor waste collection rooms where waste can be sorted and then transferred to the main waste processing room in Stage 1.
Tradies CEO Alison Percival said even food waste could be recycled into pellets, emulating Singapore’s advanced waste strategies.
She said the body corporate would need to invest in the process, but the result would be an income stream and hopefully mean zero waste going to landfill.
The proposal was ahead of the government’s own plans and resulted in additional months being added to the DA timetable when more information was required.
Ms Percival said the club was still evaluating the different evolving systems to deploy, but sustainability was integral to the whole project.
It had employed a full-time sustainability consultant, Finding Infinity, “who’s doing some really cutting-edge stuff”.
“We’ve embedded them in the process so hopefully the people that live in the precinct will have highly sustainable, low-cost living going forward,” she said.
Part of Stage 1 will be the Sullivans Creek project. The ACT Government may have baulked at the cost of re-naturalising the creek, but all of the architectural proposals saw its potential as a recreation area.
Ms Percival said the club had always turned its back on the ‘drain’ but now wanted to embrace it.
“We think that can be a beautiful community area that incorporates the active travel networks,” she said.
Stewart Architecture had opted to go taller to allow more light in and free up space on the ground for the central green, pocket park, and wider landscaped laneways that would connect the precinct to the Dickson shops and create a unified Dickson identity.
The National Capital Design Review Panel had sought wider laneways, in particular, so it was clear that these were public thoroughfares.
Ms Percival said the goal was not to compete with or cannibalise Dickson shops but complement them and hopefully be a catalyst for renewal there.
“We’re going to be a major player in the precinct; it’s vital we get the retail strategy right,” she said.
“It’s highly advantageous to us for the rest of Dickson to be working.
“It’s about increasing foot traffic, not about shifting the focus from where the shops are now.”
This stage will also include the first basement access from Dickson Place down to three levels, offering 426 parking spaces, 44 above requirements.
Overall, the precinct will provide 1258 parking spaces for residents, commercial tenants and club members. This will be a shortfall of 48, according to a conservative estimate of peak demand.
The basement entry will be one of four for the precinct, with another on Dickson Place and two on Badham Street.
Ms Percival said the club had consulted widely with resident groups, Daramalan College, and businesses, and this had guided design changes.
She said they supported the proposal in principle, but there may well be elements that could be contentious, such as parking and retail.
But the younger families that have moved into the area because they wanted to be in Dickson were very excited.
Later stages would be 2A, construction of Building G; 2B, demolition of the existing club and creation of the central park, establishing the precinct’s green, and pedestrian-friendly character; and Stage 3, completion of Buildings C, D, E and F.
Ms Percival said what the new club would look like was not yet known, but Tradies had a clear vision for the precinct.
“We want to create a welcoming place that builds on our legacy, reflects the needs of our community, and continues to bring people together in meaningful ways,” she said.
If all goes well with the DA, Tradies plans to break ground this time next year.
Comment on the DA closes on 1 October.
