DHA Annual Report 2012

Major projects

Larrakeyah Barracks, Darwin

The construction of 97 homes for Defence families on Larrakeyah Barracks, Darwin is well-advanced. The project required the removal or demolition of 61 existing residences and major upgrades to base infrastructure such as sewerage, stormwater and electrical. It was approved by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works (PWC) on 24 November 2009 at a cost of $58 million with an increase to $64 million approved on 21 March 2011. The first 29 houses have been handed over and are ready to be allocated to Defence families. The balance of 68 will be progressively delivered during 2012–13 with final deliveries expected by April 2013.

Muirhead, Darwin

DHA expects to construct 329 homes for Defence families in the new Darwin suburb of Muirhead on land bought from Defence in 2006 and 2010. About 15 kilometres from the CBD, Muirhead is very well located and homes there will be highly sought after by Defence families. The total development is expected to provide 1,096 lots, 15% of which are for affordable housing. Stage 1 civil works are complete, the first lots have been sold to the public, and the first 50 homes for Defence families are under construction. The PWC has approved Stage 2 civil works which have started.

Crimson Hill, Lindfield, Sydney

Defence members and their families will occupy more than half of the 345 dwellings, including apartments in Crimson Hill which is a 13.9 hectare development adjacent to the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Ku-ring-gai campus. Located 15 kilometres from the Sydney CBD and bounded on three sides by the Lane Cove National Park, the site was purchased from UTS in December 2010. The five precincts in the development have been named after Victoria Cross winners who fought in the Battle of Lone Pine. Crimson is the colour of the ribbon on the Victoria Cross. The project has been referred to the PWC. Subject to its approval, the first dwellings could be delivered by late 2014.

AE2, Ermington, Sydney

About 220 Defence members and their families will live at AE2 on the banks of the Parramatta River in Ermington. The site has an approved Master plan that allows for up to 437 dwellings, including townhouses and apartments. Purchased from Defence in 2011, AE2 is a 14.3 hectare prime riverfront property, fronting the northern shore of the Parramatta River. Named after the first Allied and Australian submarine to enter the Dardanelles Straits during the Gallipoli campaign, AE2 is 15 kilometres from Central Sydney and 5 kilometres from the Parramatta CBD. Following approval by the Parliament, civil design works have been completed and a tender released. The first houses are expected to be delivered in 2015, to coincide with the centenary of the Gallipoli landings.

Warner Springs, Brisbane

About 130 Defence members and their families will live in the Warner Springs development in the Brisbane suburb of Brendale. Located 17 kilometres from Gallipoli Barracks, the site was acquired from CSR Limited in September 2011. It is expected to provide 465 standard and two medium-density lots (a further 70 dwellings). The site is a former clay quarry and is being rehabilitated by CSR. Final settlement was made conditional on an environmental clearance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This and other conditions precedent to final settlement are expected to be satisfied by the end of March 2013. In due course, the project will be referred to the PWC. Project management will be provided by Peet Limited.

Betty Cuthbert Estate, Sydney

About 42 Defence members and their families will occupy townhouses to be constructed on the site of the former Riverview Nursery on Victoria Road in the Sydney suburb of Ermington. The estate, which will comprise a total of 47 townhouses, will complement the much larger AE2 development on the Parramatta River. Civil works are well-advanced and construction has started. The first townhouses will be completed late in 2012.

Voyager Point, Sydney

DHA will build 59 houses for Defence members and their families on the Voyager Point site that was purchased from Defence in 2003. Development and construction of housing was approved by the PWC in June 2010 and a Final Development Approval provided by the Liverpool City Council in May 2011. The development is expected to provide a total of 137 lots. Those not required by DHA will be sold on the private market. The total project cost is around $40 million. The DHA homes are scheduled for completion by mid-2014 and will mainly be allocated to Defence members at the nearby Holsworthy Army Base.

Kellyville, Sydney

About 34 Defence members and their families will occupy houses and townhouses at Kellyville following development and construction on a 4 hectare site located about 21 kilometres from RAAF Base Richmond. The site was formed by the purchase in 2011 (by private treaty) of two adjoining allotments for $10 million. The development is expected to provide a total of 65 lots. The balance of 31 serviced allotments will be sold on the private market. Costing $27 million, the project has been referred to the PWC. The first houses are expected to be ready in December 2014.

Rasmussen, Townsville

More than 400 Defence members and their families will call Rasmussen home when development of this 100 hectare site is complete. The allotment was acquired from the private market in December 2010 at a cost of $30 million. It is in the Thuringowa corridor 17 kilometres southwest of Townsville and 11 kilometres from Lavarack Barracks. The project was referred to the PWC and a public hearing held in Townsville on 1 May 2012. It was approved by the Parliament on 28 June 2012. DHA will develop the site which is expected to provide 1,180 residential lots and a medium-density lot of 8,400 square metres. Stage 1 civil works could start as early as May 2013 with the first Defence houses delivered in October 2014. The project will continue until 2023.

Gordon Olive Estate, Brisbane

Home to 61 Defence members and their families, the Gordon Olive Estate in the Brisbane suburb of McDowall is named after Brisbane-born Battle of Britain pilot and distinguished community figure, Gordon Olive, CBE, who died in 1987. It is located 5 kilometres from Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera and 12 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD. Following consideration by the PWC and approval by the Parliament, the project was completed in late 2011 and resulted in the supply of 34 detached houses, 11 townhouses and 10 duplexes at a cost of $27 million including land. The construction program was interrupted by the Brisbane floods in January 2011. All dwellings achieved a minimum six-star energy efficiency rating, and at the recommendation of the PWC, DHA implemented the silver level of the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines incorporating disability access provisions. Owing to demand, a further six houses were added in 2011–12.

Weston Creek, Canberra

At least 50 Defence members and their families will occupy homes in the Weston Creek Estate, a new development adjacent to the Australian Defence College precinct in the inner western suburb of Weston, ACT. The project will provide 73 standard lots and three super lots. The total project cost is estimated at $47 million. The project was referred to the PWC in May 2011 and will be the subject of a public hearing in early 2012–13. The first DHA houses are expected to be delivered in late 2014.

Bayriver Estate, Adelaide

About 35 Defence members and their families will live in the Bayriver Estate in Port Adelaide when development and construction is complete. DHA acquired the development rights from the Land Management Corporation of South Australia in 2010. The site is expected to provide 127 allotments including 11 for medium-density development. Costing $30.4 million, the project was approved by the PWC in November 2010. Civil works are expected to be complete by late 2012.