A sustainable village community in Melbourne’s inner city

Rose Mary Petrass

GREEN LISTINGS: “Imagine if everyone who built homes had a focus on the people who would live there”.

Are you looking for a village lifestyle in the inner city? 

Here’s one new development you might want to check out. 

Six kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, East Brunswick Village (EBV) is giving “village life” a new meaning with a unique inner-city development that puts sustainability and community at the forefront.

“A whole team has come together to create a community vibe, built on sustainability, that is well-constructed and architecturally designed,” Des Cipin, EBV marketing manager said. 

EBV has been designed and built to a 7.5-star average NatHERS rating, and all new buildings will achieve operational carbon neutral building status, achieved through rooftop solar, passive building design, rainwater collection tanks, water efficient fixtures and fittings, motion and daylight sensors, double-glazed windows, and carbon offsetting.

In a creative example of circularity, bluestone removed from the site during construction was repurposed for use as pavers for communal spaces. 

The neighbourhood includes EV chargers, a 960-space bike rack, a community tool library, vegetable gardens, and eight separate waste streams to encourage proper waste management and recycling. 

Upon completion a total of 10 buildings spread across three hectares will be home to residents, mixed-use retailers and co-working office spaces. 

Two addresses on Village Ave and one on Nicholson Street have been completed and are already home to “EBV’s first happy villagers”.

“It is a village to call home,” she said. A place where you can “say hello to people you know”. 

It’s a community built upon the model of the “20-minute neighbourhood” – the ideal living concept in which residents have the ability to meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute return walk from home, with access to safe cycling and local transport options.

The village features a supermarket, cafés, bakery, bulk food store, cinema, medical centre, and wellness centre. Private communal spaces include rooftops with city views, playgrounds, barbecues, and veggie gardens with an apiary. A social club powered by a community app showcases exclusive events such as a pop up brewery, a book club, a film club, and an apiary workshop. 

“That’s what we mean about building community.” 

Pet friendly apartments are available from one to three bedrooms. It’s understood the price range starts from $400,000 upwards.

Register interest for an inspection and a tour of the premises via the website: eastbrunswickvillage.com.au