Somerville Ecovillage Update 1st March 2006

Rezoning and Approvals.

Ecovillage Design.

Funding and Finance.

Enterprise Development

Social/Cultural

Project Operational Aspects.

Summary.  

Rezoning and Approvals

The project is now in the final stages of approvals in relation to the long and extensive rezoning process.  To date it has been noted that over 338 pages of information – more than 82,000 words – have been submitted to the Shire of Mundaring. This continues to be a key focal point as it drives all key timings on the project. The advertising period for the amendment ended on the 15^th September 2005. It was a positive outcome with no material objections to the project being submitted at the same time many letters of support lodged with the Mundaring Shire.

As has been our experience with the Shire of Mundaring, they continue to be slow in dealing with this project.

Initial indications were that we would be able to go to council in November 2005, later revised to December 2005, and then pushed out to February 2006. We were given a firm commitment from Shire Officers that this would take place. We provided all required documentation as requested by the required date which includes a comprehensive draft Local Subdivision and Infrastructure Plan. In the first week of February we were once again notified that it would not be ready for February meetings. We are now investigating alternative methods of expediting the approvals process with the Shire of Mundaring. This is not only critical for the rezoning approvals but for the additional approvals process that will follow on.

The rezoning approvals are now scheduled to go to council in March 2006. This includes firstly the Development Approval Committee on the 14^th March 2006 , and then full Council for final resolution to adopt the rezoning amendment on the 28^th March 2006.

We have also commenced new dialogue with the Western Australian Planning Commission. The response from them was positive indicating they would like to work with us in order to move through their processes as quickly as possible. This was a refreshing and much welcomed change from the somewhat difficult interactions which have previously taken place.

Ecovillage Design

The process of designing the ecovillage moves ahead, even though we have yet to obtain the required approvals to proceed.  It became clear that if we did not conduct these processes in parallel it would extend the overall project timeline significantly. This process has involved the engagement of skilled and experienced people in all facets of village design. To date this includes Permaculture Designer, Subdivision Engineer, Hydrologist, Wastewater Specialists, Drafting, and Land Care Specialist. This input combined with the experienced and professional Project Team has seen major forward steps in all facets of the project.

We believe we have now reached the final lot configurations. Minor adjustments may take place following input from the subdivision engineer, but the location and configuration of lots and clusters will not vary significantly. This has been an extensive iterative process that has seen a gradual evolution to what we believe is one of the best ecovillage layouts in the world. Communications will now take place with the community to begin the process of deciding lot preferences. This is the next step in this process.

The lot configuration is one which has seen the introduction of many innovative features. This includes some lots with no direct car access, town (row) house and duplex lots, shared internal parking, and the ability for some lot size selection by the community. As the detailed design unfolds we expect that many more exciting and innovative features will emerge.

Finalisation of the cluster and lot layouts was a prerequisite to the next stage of detailed design. We have now commenced this process and will see the development of details for all aspects of the ecovillage design begin to emerge.

In relation to planned building activity currently progress is taking place on The Community House, a chalet cluster, and temporary accommodation facilities.  Once again all these process are subject to the approvals process within the Shire of Mundaring in which we have experienced significant delays and continue to expect further delays.

We will be preparing a design and construct brief for the community house with the aim of engaging a builder to take this project on from design through to completion. We have a short list of builders and will be inviting them to submit their proposals following on from the issue of the Brief.

The time has come for us to engage the service of an Architect in our process. We see that we would like to have our team a Project Architect which can be involved in all aspects of the design process ahead.

With this in mind we will be holding a design competition and inviting architects to enter. The purpose of this will be for interested parties to put forward their ideas and concepts. Based on the submissions we will then select an Architect to work with us on the evolution of the ecovillage design. This is a commonly used process which is highly appropriate for the scale and nature of our requirements.

Funding and Finance

On a large scale project such as Somerville, financially we continue to operate with relatively limited funds. Whilst we have an overdraft in place from National Australia Bank for $500,000 the majority of these funds have been utilised for repayments of loans which took place in the later half of last year. We recently reviewed and amended our cash flow and in order to proceed on the many items that are taking place we will require additional funds in April 2006. Preliminary discussions have taken place with National Australia Bank and they have indicated that they would be prepared to provide additional funding. This will be subject to an updated report on our approvals process. Subject to all going well at the Shire of Mundaring it is envisaged that by the end of March we will have in place additional funds to take us through the next phase.

We also hope to, and in fact are required to, attract new members to become financially involved in the project. This to date has been unpredictable and we can no longer rely on this process for evolving the project. We expect that once lots are finalised and allocations have begun we will be able to go out to the wider community and attract many of the fence sitters which have been floating around the project for some time.

Enterprise Development

From an enterprise perspective we have higher clarity about where we are heading and what is required. This has been based on the analysis finalisation from the economic survey activity which took place last year. Below is a summary of the projected migration plan and then following on from these expected expenditures over a 3 year period in a range of areas. These are not just raw figures but have been produced from a detailed analysis process allowing for a range of factors. These figures will provide a solid basis for any business feasibility activity which follows on.

Below is the migration table which has been used for this analysis. The last 3 rows provide the final numbers for the planned migration of people to the Somerville Ecovillage over the following periods. It is expected that all homes will be built within 30 months of the start of the first residential building.

Anticipated Spending in key Areas

The final output from the analysis is in the table below. This takes into account the following:

1.                  Adjusted migration plan above

2.                  Indications of monthly spend from community members in these areas

3.                  Likely amount of support for these items from community members

4.                  Adjusted factor of 0.75 to reduce overall amounts.

The next step is to begin feasibility on various enterprises and locate potential champions who would like to evolve and take on these potential enterprises. Due to the number of enterprises and the scale it will be necessary to prioritise to ensure that we best utlise the available resources to us. Enterprise which relate to the construction phase of the project have a higher priority as if they are not established on time the opportunity at a later date will be lost. Currently and advert has been put together in order to attract possible interested parties for a range of potential enterprises at Somerville. This will provide us with an indication as to what level of interest exists for various enterprises.

The current list of identified enterprises with potential champions is listed below:

An important note that Jorg Unseld commenced the Somerville School Farm on site on the 23^rd February 2006.

Social/Cultural

First Somerville Sunday took place in February and was a warm but very uplifting day. Project updates were provided to the community, which included a number of interstate visitors. A sociocratic election was undertaken and from this effective process the community elected it’s first two elders, Paul Moes and Mike Fuller.

Project Operational Aspects

It has been discussed recently that the current organisational structures in relation to the project that we are trying to work with, are not working as we would have hoped they would. It is now time to review theses structures and develop some improvements. Some of the key issues which are occurring are the large number of meetings, segregated groups, multiple action lists, and inefficient processes. A review is scheduled to take place within the next two weeks following which changes will be developed and implemented.

Advertisements for the following new staff took place over the last month. Marketing Coordinator, Enterprise Coordinator, Office Manager, and Community Development Officer. A good range of applicants for the Office Manager and Community Development officer position have been received. A shortlist for the marketing coordinator has been compiled. No suitable applicants (only one application) have been received for the Enterprise Coordinator.  We are currently investigating alternative methods for locating support in the area of enterprise development. It is expected that interviews will take place over the next month with most of these positions being ready to start no later than April 2006.

In February Paul Antonelli and Dominic Carlino attended a serious of meetings in Melbourne relating to a range of areas. This included attending the Sustainability Festival located in Federation square, which identified some interesting and applicable products and services which will be of use to the project.  During this trip meetings were held with Orgin Energy relating to Solar Power for the ecovillage, and Flo Car Share in relation to working together to develop a Car Share System for Somerville. A visit to Electric Scooters was undertaken to road test a range of electric scooters which may have great application at Somerville. Meetings were held with financial organisations in relation to the ongoing establishment activity for alternative form of future funding for the project. A visit to Westwyk Ecovillage  located within Melbourne provided many valuable insights into some of the latest technologies and materials available in the market today – as it is currently in the construction phase.

We have engaged the services of a Project Planning organisation to provide input and support in the establishment of an Overall Project Timeline.  This process will continue with the aim of constructing a project timeline which will then be used as a key tool in for project management purposes.

Greenedge Projects is currently in the process of establishing an office in the Chidlow Wells Shop in Chidlow. Initially we were aiming to establish a site office on the property but have decided to put this on hold due to timings and cost in establishing this. We expect that we will be located within this office, which will be able to accommodate up to 7 staff, within April 2006.

Charcoal Cottage on site is currently going through a renovation process. This has included removal of all asbestos and re roofing. The north section is complete and is now being used as a meeting room for all onsite meetings which take place.  The south section is currently in progress and when complete will be a shared kitchen/dining and shower/laundry facility. It is expected that work will be complete by April 2006.

CHEOPS which is a cost control/accounting package has been installed. This system is used by a large number of companies in the construction/projects sector. Currently we are going through the set up and training process and anticipate that it will be operational in April 2006. This system will be used for purchasing, budget and cost control, reporting, and financial management purposes.

Summary

The project continues to unfold with the level of activity increasing across many different fronts. The very holistic nature of the project necessitates this methodology and it will be crucial that we adequately resources the project in order to achieve the desired outcomes. We are currently in the midst of this process while at the same time continuing to move forward as required. This provides as with many challenges. It is envisaged that within the next quarter the majority of the required resources will be in place and operational which will provide a solid foundation for the next phase of the project.

Whilst we see and indeed expect many challenges ahead, as has been the history of the project to date, we are confident about the progress and achieving the vision and outcomes that we as a community have set ourselves.

Paul Antonelli

Director
Greenedge Projects Pty Ltd