UDIA Queensland Awards for Excellence 2020 Master planned Development JUDGING SUMMARY
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OV E RV I E W
Creating a diverse offering for Pimpama and Gainsborough Greens The $325 million Halcyon Greens project at Pimpama is Australia’s largest lifestyle community, the size and scale of which has never been seen in seniors living. The development has substantially changed the demographic of Pimpama, traditionally an area for young families and first home buyers. • Located on a 34ha island surrounded by native wetlands, nature reserves adjacent to Gainsborough Greens Golf Club. • The vision was to create modern country club style living, to redefine the category and introduce lifestyle community living to those who previously dismissed it or not understood the concept. • A deal struck with Gainsborough Greens developer Mirvac extracted a 114ha land holding including the 18-hole championship Gainsborough Greens Golf Club and 34ha of residential land. • A new golf clubhouse was built providing restaurant, bar and golf, wedding/function space catering for the northern Gold Coast. Including a private resident-only access to golf course. • Co-located Arcare Aged Care facility. • Sanctuary Cove architect Brian Toyota was engaged to masterplan the island oasis with five residential precincts, connected to 2.8ha green spine of $20m recreation and leisure facilities. • On completion there will be 528 homes with almost 1,000 residents and a density of 15.5 homes/ha. • Achieved 6-Leaf EnviroDevelopment certification with sensitive urban design. • Development success has resulted in partnership with Mirvac to build Australia’s first bridging accommodation facility for domestic violence.
“It’s the fountain of youth here, it’s a place where people my age can come along and cut years off their life.” —Peter Fahey, Halcyon Greens resident, Channel 7 News
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“Halcyon’s involvement has a dual benefit. Its proposed development will enhance the overall community and diversity of homes on offer and, at the same time, ensure a long-term commitment to the quality of the golf course, which was a number one priority for us.”
—John Carfi, Head of Residential, Mirvac
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P L A N N I N G
Be invited and leave a legacy Extensive community consultation • In October 2016, Halcyon secured 114ha parcel from Mirvac, part of Gainsborough Greens masterplanned residential community. • Core principles when establishing the community was to be ‘invited and welcomed’; positive outcomes for our residents, the surrounding stakeholders and reflective of local identity. • Consulted extensively with; Mirvac, Gainsborough Greens Body Corporate, Habitat Environment Management, local interest groups and Golf Club members to achieve positive outcomes. • Connected the adjoining community with walking tracks and accessibility to local shops, parks and facilities. • Extensive consultation with Gold Coast City Council to meet the development Actionable Damage Report for environmental conditions, change residential zoning and enhance nature reserves.
Golf club reinvigoration • The 114ha land parcel purchased from Mirvac included the golf course, but excluded existing clubhouse. The course had extensive flooding problems and a clubhouse that needed repair and refurbishment. • Redesigning, remodelling, rehabilitating the golf course and constructing a new clubhouse has ensured its longevity for homeowners and future generations. • Clever design delivered a two-storey $4.5m clubhouse with uninterrupted views over wetlands to the first hole and a bar, restaurant and function space.
Changing the face of Pimpama • Provisioned Pimpama’s first aged care facility, expanding the areas residential offer. • In 2019, the average 4-bedroom house in Pimpama was $440,000, a 2-bedroom home at Halcyon Greens was $667,389. • Positively changed the demographic of Pimpama and been a catalyst for further development planned; railway station, emergency services hub and M1 connectivity improvements.
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I N N OVAT I ON
Raising the bar Halcyon’s vision was to create a community which set a new standard in Seniors living in Australia, one that would change people’s minds about “over 50s living”. • Situated within masterplanned Gainsborough Greens community with:
• A 34ha residential island, surrounded by 10ha of native wetlands and an 18-hole championship golf course.
• Co-located Aged Care Facility and Gainsborough Greens Golf Club. • Five residential precincts with a range of homes priced from $474,000 - $1.075 million. • $20 million recreational and community facilities and $8 million of landscaped private open space and walkways. • Private storage for 75 vans/boats and private dog off leash park. • Largest purpose-built pickleball facility in Australia. • 6-Leaf EnviroDevelopment certification. • All residential and commercial construction by Halcyon Construction Qld Pty Ltd. • First seniors community to have incorporated an 18-hole championship golf course with residents receiving private gated access and 10 years free golf membership. • Depth of buyer choices to individualise their home, 23 different homes, 8 design finishes and an array of customisations. With homes on average bigger than typical retirement or lifestyle community, 170m2 – 283m2. • Triple Guarantee homes: Patented design, Superior energy rating and Silver LHD design.
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“Not often does one discover a site like this. I was invited to design and masterplan a community that embraces the pristine setting of the surrounding nature reserves and golf course to provide the ultimate lifestyle for homeowners.�
—Brian Toyota, Studio Lead, ML Design
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CO M MU N I T Y C R E AT I O N A N D I N T E GR AT I O N
Part of a bigger community With 1,000 homeowners living in Pimpama, Halcyon Greens has quickly connected with their neighbours inside and out. Examples of facilitating community creation and integration include: • More than 40 interest groups. • A fulltime community management team delivering regular events fostering friendship, health, and wellness. • Free programs; aqua aerobics, daily fitness classes, golf clinics, pickleball clinics, and guest lectures. • Organised public events; charity golf days, Australia’s inaugural pickleball festival, bowls championships, Tesla Tiny House, Eco Encounter events with conservationist Matt Keys. • 19% of homeowners are active in the wider community still working, doing charity and volunteer work. • Over $30,000 has been raised for charities and causes including DV Connect, Cancer Council Australia, Care Kits for QLD, Ronald McDonald House and RSPCA Australia. • Part of Halcyon’s 115 strong Gold Coast Marathon team raising $5,000 for Ronald McDonald House Herston – enough to fund a room in the facility.
A catalyst for the Bella’s Sanctuary DV Connect facility • Halcyon constructed Australia’s first purpose built bridging accommodation facility for survivors of domestic violence with Mirvac and DV Connect. • Bella’s Sanctuary is in the northern Gold Coast and is a safe and comfortable place where survivors can make a fresh start in life. It represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the private and notfor-profit sectors in Queensland. • Homeowners raised more than $50,000 to fit out the facility with household appliances and furniture.
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“The result is a strong and connected community where many have relocated to enjoy the benefits of the Halcyon Greens lifestyle, respecting the need for housing choice for everyone as their needs change throughout their lives with often a desire to remain within their local community.”
—Donna Gates, Deputy Mayor Gold Coast City Council
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“Seventeen properties worth $11 million were snapped up in minutes at Halcyon Greens.”
—Gold Coast Bulletin and the Courier Mail, 15 February 2020
“Seventeen properties worth $11 million were snapped up in minutes at Halcyon Greens.” —Gold Coast Bulletin and the Courier Mail, 15 February 2020
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MAR KET I N G AN D M A RK E T ACCE P TA N CE
Australia’s fastest selling lifestyle community Attracting a broader market • Engaged Channel Marketing to identify gaps in the seniors living market. • Halcyon wanted to redefine the category, appealing to early rejectors who has dismissed lifestyle communities as an option. • Undertook 12 focus groups (360 people) reconfirming:
• “Looks nothing like a retirement village”. • Offer bigger homes and variety. • Clear positioning of the Halcyon model; no stamp duty, no exit fees, retain all capital gain.
A big story • Successfully marketing Halcyon Greens as a destination
• Since May 2017, $431,355 worth of PR. • Since September 2017, 55 events held on site; from intimate previews to 700 people open days. • In September 2019, 13 new house designs were added, 8% bigger than previous range, plus new interior schemes. • A second display village styled by Coco Republic further elevated the quality of finish and responded to the market’s desire for bigger and better.
Australia’s fastest selling lifestyle community • As of June 2020, 307 homes sold, totalling $198.25 million. • Stage 1 (110 homes) launched in May 2017 and sold out in 10 months, 3 months ahead of schedule. • Stage 2 brought forward and inhouse team ramped-up construction from 7 homes a month. • In September 2018, launched golf-front homes “The Fairway Series”, designed by DC8 Studio, 283m2 base price of $950,000. Nine of 10 homes released sold in one day achieving $8.9 million, a record for Pimpama. • In February 2020, momentum continued with another regional record set with Stage 4 Release 1 achieving $11 million in sales in a day. 11
“If the industry is seeing that the smart developers, like Halcyon, who genuinely care about the environment and do meaningful work on the ground are getting a premium for their homes, then others will copy it.”
—Matt Keys, Director, Habitat Environment Management.
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S USTA I N A BI LI T Y
Leaving a lighter footprint • Achieved full UDIA 6 Leaf EnviroDevelopment certification. • 20% open green space within the community. • 90% of all planting is locally native species. • 40% of homes have Tesla batteries and 3,900 residential solar panels to date, 7,500 on completion. • All homes constructed with a 25-year steel frame warranty and Colorbond metal roof. • Extensive use of CSR Hebel for superior thermal and acoustic properties. • Consultants Habitat Environment Management helped create a nature corridor connecting 10ha of manmade wetlands to the 300ha Nyamul Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest of its kind on the Gold Coast.
Economic Sustainability • Halcyon’s financial model offers homeowners certainty in cost of living- no entry or exit fees, no stamp duty and homeowners retaining all the capital gains. • A capital gain of 11% (avg. $69,219) has been achieved by homeowners who have already sold, more than double the suburb average. • Energy costs are minimised by energy-efficient designs, solar panels and Tesla batteries. • The model supports aging in place, reducing burden on government for aged care funding.
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U R BAN D ES I GN A N D BUI LT FOR M
A sense of scale and space starts on arrival Masterplanning and house design has delivered a contemporary Australian take on country club living. • Entry precinct with sales and community buildings set back on 1,900m2 of open space. • Gates open onto a 5,300m2 Village Green and then to the Recreation and Lifestyle Precinct. • As part of the masterplan, Halcyon chose to restrict built form density to reflect the vision. House site yield went from 625 to 528. (15.5 homes/ha).
Facilities that rival Queensland’s 5-star resorts. • The private 5-star resort facilities deliver contemporary Australian architecture, natural light and breezes. • A 2.8ha recreational precinct with 22 functional areas, provides scale and a variety of functional facilities.
Sporting Pavilion and Village Green: • Pavilion function space, pool and tennis table. • Covered verandah with BBQ facilities. • Floodlit tennis court, 8 x floodlit Pickleball courts, floodlit bowling green. • Village Green with rose garden, raised vegetable gardens, fruit orchard, bocce court, fire pit, entertaining space, buggy paths, and private off-leash dog park.
The Recreation Precinct: • Main function space with fireplace, bar, commercial-style catering kitchen, dance floor and studio. • Terrace and BBQ area, gym, day spa with salon and treatment rooms. • Covered pool house with heated 25m magnesium pool and spa and outdoor resort pool with beach entry, sunken firepit and seating. • Workshed and messy art room.
The Lodge: • Function space and terrace, dance floor, lounge. • Commercial-style kitchen and bar. • Private dining room, 40-seat Gold Class style cinema, library, sala. 14
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ENGI N E E RI N G
Creating an island oasis Creating an island footprint where homeowners turn in from Gainsborough Drive, crossing a bridge overlooking beautiful wetlands and a golf course.
A stable footprint • 64% of land required fill. • Earthworks cut and fill balance design (500,000 cm3) was undertaken to achieve the developable pad. Completed in 3 months. • A Preload plan utilised 60,000m3 of onsite topsoil for the staging of the preload to meet critical timelines.
Challenges overcome • The DA had to meet the Actionable Damage Report put in place by the GCCC under the original Mirvac development. • The key impact being flooding and water drainage to surrounding residential areas and the hectares of operable Pimpama cane farms. • Taking all this into account, we worked with Matt Keys, Habitat Environment to enhance the natural water courses and create a permanent wetland corridor that adjoined into the newly created 300ha Nyamul Wildlife Sanctuary. • Wetlands were enhanced around the perimeter of the residential development pad.
Rejuvenating golf • Relocating the new golf course and clubhouse presented several challenges. It was imperative that the impact to the GGGC was minimised. • The first, second, and eighteenth holes were reconfigured and rehabilitated to provide a better play start and finish. • To expediate the delivery and construction of the clubhouse, all compressible marine clays were removed and replaced with suitable bearing material. • The golf clubhouse was raised to achieve the required grade of fall for the sewer services to be fed by gravity. Preventing the ongoing cost and maintenance of a sewage pump station.
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7 Halcyon Drive, Pimpama, QLD 4209 1800 050 580