Knutsford Urban
Regeneration Precinct

The Knutsford precinct aims to be a leading model of urban regeneration and sustainability, featuring a blend of medium to high density residential and mixed-use development parcels alongside expansive public spaces. Three separate sub-precincts will be used for case study research purposes:

WGV sits directly adjacent to the Knutsford Urban Regeneration Precinct. Located on a former school site, the 2ha residential development includes approximately 80 dwellings with a diverse range of climate responsive housing options, including single residential homes and apartments. WGV is considered as a pioneering model for net zero planning, as well early adoption of emerging renewable energy technologies. The opportunity now is to evaluate the success of the various low carbon initiatives, especially the lessons learned from shared solar energy initiatives.

East Village at Knutsford is a 1.5-hectare brownfield residential development, including 36 town homes, an apartment building and future terrace homes. The all-electric sub-precinct features climate responsive design, shared solar energy systems, rainwater harvesting, localised stormwater management, a groundwater supply scheme, and strata managed billing for shared services. The project will move from construction to occupancy over the life of the Net Zero Precincts project, providing valuable learnings on technology integration, commissioning and resident engagement.

The Swanbourne Street Structure Plan area is 8.3ha of former industrial land that has undergone decontamination works and will soon move into subdivision planning phase. Here the research activities will focus on applying lessons learned from WGV and East Village into the design process, especially around the interrelationships between land title, energy services and governance models.

The Knutsford Urban Regeneration Precinct also serves as a case study for the ‘Net Zero Corridor’ research, exploring innovative mid-tier transportation solutions to enable better quality urban development.