Australia’s healthiest and most sustainable city is set to be built in the Hunter region thanks to a new $50 million partnership between the Hunter Economic Zone and Delos Australia.
Located near Kurri Kurri, the former mining district will see more than 3,500 homes and units, as well as over 800 commercial and industrial buildings, constructed on the 3,200 hectare site.
Expected to start later this year, the project will be delivered to meet International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) certified standards and is anticipated to generate in excess of 15,000 jobs across the next 10 years.
Hunter Investment Corporation chairman Frank Cavasinni said the Hunter Economic Zone aimed to deliver a new benchmark for both living and workplace standards that could evolve with the community to meet its future requirements.
“The Hunter Economic Zone will be the first sustainability-driven WELL-community of its kind in Australia and will elevate modern living and workplace expectations,” he explained.
“After the past 12 months, people have never been more aware and educated around how the indoor environment can affect their health.
“As developers, we have a duty of care to deliver best-in-class infrastructure that promotes wellbeing and productivity for people spending time in our buildings.
“Our partnership with Delos Australia means all 4,300 buildings within the development will be fitted with advanced wellness technologies and adhere to best practice processes that help to improve the health of every indoor space.”
The wellness real estate focus also supports the zone’s broader sustainability vision, after the corporation unveiled a proposal for the world’s largest new grid-scale battery facility with a capacity of 1200-megawatts.
Delos Australia president Bill Giannikos said his team was incredibly excited to take on a project of this scale, which would deliver vast public value for people living in and visiting the area.
“Our new partnership with the Hunter Economic Zone is a game-changer for the development sector and will benefit the landmark project’s end-users for generations to come,” he added.
“Nothing of this scale has been undertaken in Australia before and we are proud to have partnered with the Hunter Investment Corporation to deliver the country’s largest WELL-community.”
As one of the nation’s most significant commercial and industrial zones, the Hunter Economic Zone covers an area of 3,200 hectares, around 70% of the area (2,300 hectares) is dedicated as a green buffer of forest and rural land.
Community wellbeing will be promoted further in the Hunter regions great outdoors with an integrated 18-kilometre network of walking and bicycle tracks that intertwine through public amenities including a shopping complex, hospital, schools and a new community centre.
