Environmentally minded buyers snap up Sekisui's western Sydney project The Hermitage, perhaps drawn by satoyama
The Hermitage, a master-planned community in the brand-new Sydney suburb of Gledswood Hills, has attracted considerable buyer interest, with 28 of the first 59 lots in the first release sold just days after the project's official early March launch. Pre-sales began in early January.
Developer Sekisui House is behind the 260-hectare development, which is the Japanese company’s first Australian master-planned community.
The first release is called Hardy’s Rise and comprises lots ranging from 400 square metres to 700 square metres. Prices for the lots begin at $215,000, and house-and-land packages begin from $450,000.
Hardy’s Rise is named after visionary Australian architect, artist and author Hardy Wilson, born in Campbelltown.
In 1920 Hardy published an illustrated history of the local area called The Cowpasture Road, which featured Gledswood Homestead and its garden, which stimulated a revival of interest in the simpler forms of architecture of the early years of the colony.
Set on about 50 hectares, The Hermitage will include more than 10 kilometres of bike and walking paths. A 27-hole golf course is also proposed.
The development is set to make use of the Japanese concept of “satoyama", which means the preservation of the environment while encouraging human interaction.
“The Hermitage features a central three kilometre green corridor that aims to attract an array of recreation activities, such as dog walking, cycling and weekend family barbecues,” says Craig D’Costa, Sekisui House senior development manager.
Sekisui House’s other Australian projects in Sydney include The Waterfront at Wentworth Point and Central Park, in partnership with Frasers, in Chippendale.
Gledswood Hills is about 55 kilometres south-west of Sydney, and it is named for nearby convict-built mansion and winery The Gledswood Homestead and Winery.
“Gledswood Hills has been a welcomed addition to the south-west corridor, an area that is set to boom in the coming years. The Hermitage will be the focal point of this blossoming new suburb,” D’Costa says.