New estates are often perceived as homogenised and uninspiring, but housing developments are changing, according to one expert.
Building consultant Kerri-Ann Hooper, director of Carnelian Projects, which works with turn-key builders in the Hunter and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, says estates are no longer “all the same”.
Hooper helps her clients, often first-home buyers, buy a block of land and select a house design. She then liaises with the builder on their behalf. She says many buyers want more than just a “flat rectangle to build on” and developments are changing to meet that demand.
Hooper cites boutique developments with less than 10 blocks, eco-friendly estates with strict rules around vegetation through to “entire, new little towns, complete with shops and childcare centres” as examples of the diversity being seen in the marketplace.
“It’s not the same as 20 years ago, where it was just housing blocks, that’s for sure,” she says.
“The Huntlee development in the Hunter Valley will essentially be a new town of its own, with shops, open space and parks with barbecues etc. The idea is you won’t need to go anywhere else, as everything will be there,” Hooper says.
When finished, Huntlee, which is 45 mins from Newcastle, will be home to 20,000 residents and have 160ha of parks and open space. Land is on sale from $180,000.
In seaside Fern Bay, 15 minutes from Newcastle, an eco-friendly estate includes off-road trails, Hooper says. Some developers even include front and back yard landscaping, she adds.
Hooper says the new offerings are simply a case of developers “putting in things that appeal to people.”
Having a childcare centre right where you live would be a drawcard for young families. Picture: Getty
“Childcare centres are a good example. In the past, that simply wasn’t part of it, but now it’s quite common to see and naturally, that appeals to young families,” she says. “We’re also seeing medical centres and supermarkets.”
Despite the change, Hooper says the traditional model of big developers buying up farm land on the urban fringe and offering ‘easy to build on’ blocks remains strong.
