This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
FRASERS Property Industrial and Aware Real Estate’s $1 billion The Yards development has become the first industrial estate to achieve a Communities rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
The 6 Star Green Star Communities v1.1 rating is the highest possible and has previously only been awarded to residential, mixed-use commercial and retail precincts.
Located in Sydney’s western suburb of Kemps Creek, The Yards is under construction that will accommodate more than 14 facilities of approximately 400,000 sqm, across 77 hectares of land. Pre-commitments have been secured with contract manufacturing and packaging operator Probiotex, for a 30,000 facility on a 15-year term, and global manufacturer Ardex for its Oceania headquarters on a 20-year deal.
The Green Star – Communities rating tool assesses the planning, design and construction of large-scale development projects at a precinct, neighbourhood and/or community scale. It provides a rating across five impact categories – governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment and innovation.
The recognition highlighted The Yards’ community and sustainability initiatives. For workers, these included integrated parks, walking tracks and cycle paths within the masterplan, and common spaces and amenities. Also highlighted were environmental initiatives, which included assessment of climate change risks associated with location, the approach to embed climate adaptation design initiatives, commitment to certify all facilities within the estate to 6 Star Green Star Design & As-Built v1.3 rating, water-efficient fittings and fixtures, rainwater harvesting and future-ready infrastructure for recycled water connections, minimising urban heat island impacts through landscaped areas and a native bush regeneration zone to support local biodiversity and nature, and rooftop solar installation and full electrification of the estate to facilitate an easy transition to fossil fuel-free energy sources in the future.
Davina Rooney, CEO at Green Building Council of Australia, The Yards is a place where sustainability, community and technology intersect to create a neighbourhood that boosts the wellbeing of staff while being well connected. This is the future of industrial and an achievement worth celebrating. We congratulate all involved.”
Ian Barter, managing director Australia at Frasers Property Industrial, said, “Our vision for The Yards is to create a next-generation industrial community centred on sustainability, well-being and technology. This vision aligns with our long-term sustainability goals as well as our ongoing focus to support the health and well-being of our customer’s employees.”
Aware Real Estate CEO Michelle McNally said the development of The YARDS aligns with Aware Real Estate’s investment strategy to target “strategic locations around existing and new infrastructure that will drive long-term demand and capital growth”.
Leasing enquiries are being handled by Frasers Property Industrial and Altis Property Partners.
