The neighbourhood spirit of yesteryear is set to return to residential communities of the future as master planners look to create the ultimate lifestyles now being demanded by Australians, says one of the nation's foremost master planners.
Director of Design for ML Design, Brian Toyota says the nature of master planning has gone full circle in a little over a decade when he was involved in developing the exclusive Sanctuary Cove resort in the late 1980s.
Toyota says developments such as the $350 million Salt project in Northern NSW are a shining example of the shift known as ‘new urbanism’, which concentrates on more inclusive and more community-focussed residential living – and maximising natural amenities such as oceans or rivers.
“In the late 1980s, gated communities were sold on the basis of the security they offered, and where people wanted a more exclusive living environment,” says Toyota.
“But new urbanism has a more traditional focus where security is achieved by knowing your neighbours and establishing a sense of community.
“Salt is a great example of new urbanism, where an integrated plan mixes residential and resort properties with a blend of commercial, recreational and public open space amenities in a way that enhances lifestyle and enjoyment of the natural environment.”
Toyota, who is currently also working on multi-billion master planning projects in southeast Asia, says the new shift has not diminished the desire for gated communities, but merely added another dimension to the lifestyle requirements of Australians.
“There seems to be more of a need for people to form communities, for people to re-ignite their sense of community and that’s why the concept of the urban village is so important to urban planners today.
“Urban villages, neighbourhood parks, and even front verandahs maximize the opportunity for people to interact.”
Canadian born and raised, Toyota recalls the moment that led to the beginning of his new path to becoming one of Australia’s leading master planners.
“Early 1984 was certainly a moment that changed my life, when an Australian bloke by the name of Michael Gore stormed into our office in West Vancouver on a Sunday afternoon and confronted us by saying he was going to build a world class resort community in Australia,” Toyota says.
“We didn’t know anything about Michael Gore or the Gold Coast but the Hulbert Group ended up doing the master planning and architecture for Sanctuary Cove.
“It was particularly challenging. With the Hyatt Hotel, we were effectively designing a building from our base in Vancouver, with our clients, service consultants and site on the Gold Coast, interior designers in Los Angeles, landscape architects in Honolulu and operators (Hyatt International) in Chicago. This was before fax machines were in common use. I spent a lot of time on planes”
The success of Sanctuary Cove facilitated Mr Toyota’s move to ML Design (McKerrell Lynch) on the Gold Coast in 1991, where he has proceeded to play a key role in the planning, design and delivery of major projects throughout Australia and South-East Asia.
He was responsible for designing several landmark buildings including Hyatt Regency, Sheraton International Resort at Noosa, and Grand Mariner apartments on the Gold Coast.
He has recently completed the master plan for the re-development of Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, and is currently involved in planning and architectural projects at Hope Island, Cairns, Airlie Beach and Rainbow Beach, south of Fraser of Island.
Salt, which includes a 4.5 star Outrigger Salt Resort Hotel featuring 318 hotel rooms, 280 resort apartments, 410 beachfront and beachside homes as well as 202 medium density sites for villas and townhouses, is designed to include both resort and residential living in one integrated environment.
The project’s centerpiece will be a Village Centre featuring retail stores, restaurants, taverns, bars, a supermarket, businesses and sporting clubs. The project will include a 1.3 hectare central park, a 1.1 hectare beachfront park and almost seven kilometres of bicycle tracks and walkways.
Toyota describes the Salt project as ‘a unique opportunity to apply inclusive master planning principles and a comprehensive approach to total design’.
“People like to talk about creating a ‘sense of place’, or the identifiable heart of the community. By combining two world class beachfront resorts, a public park and spectacular beachfront setting, we believe we have made Salt a destination for both residents and the general public.
“An extensive network of dedicated pedestrian/cycle paths, open space corridors and neighbourhood parks will provide convenient links from the Salt village to the residential precincts, the beach and Cudgen Creek foreshore.
“Rather than creating fortresses that exclude people, the intent is to be more inclusive of those things that exist beyond the purchased property.”
The sellout of the Outrigger means Salt has now sold out all of its initial release of real estate for a combined $160 million, less than four months after receiving development approval.
Salt is currently moving into a new phase, focused on construction of the Outrigger, the village heart and the first home sites, as well as a second resort hotel to be operated by Peppers, and the release of Salt’s first residential apartments.
