THE Shepherds Ground farm and village project at Butterwick has weathered a hail of planning challenges in the past three years but it’s ready to sprout in 2016.
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Thirty homes will be centrally clustered on the 112 hectare farm to encourage residents to grow their own food as part of a sustainable existence.
It’s designed to be more affordable than traditional rural living too – with house and land from $150,000 - even though council requirements have threatened to derail the dream at times.
One requirement was to build all of the project’s roads upfront which the developer appealed against at the last Port Stephens Council meeting of 2015.
“For cash flow purposes we just wanted to delay the construction of the internal roads,” Shepherds Ground director Lucie Bruvel said.
When council baulked at this request Cr Ken Jordan proposed a compromise.
This will allow the developer to build the internal roads in stages.
But he wouldn’t back down on the requirement to tar a 400 metre stretch of Green Wattle Creek Road up to the Shepherds Ground gate or the all-weather gravel road up to the community worth $150,000 combined.
“This is what got the development over the line in the first place,” Cr Jordan said.
“The reality is if you start building homes [trucks] start causing dust for neighbours.”
Work will start early 2016.
