A joint initiative by Landcom and Orange City Council will set a new sustainability benchmark, combining net zero ready, all electric homes with water-sensitive urban design, affordable housing, and biodiversity protection. The project is leveraging its location, designed on a water catchment site, to boost green development goals and meet environmental, regulatory, and structural challenges that frequently restrict development in the area.
Around 300 new homes in Orange, New South Wales, are set to achieve the highest possible sustainability rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. Developed by the NSW Government’s land and property developer, Landcom, in partnership with Orange City Council, the community will be the first in Orange to receive a 6 Star Green Star rating, representing world leadership in net-zero carbon emissions, public health, and resource efficiency.
Under the site-specific Development Control Plan, the project will prioritise long-term sustainability principles while minimising increases in construction costs by providing planning, design, and environmental construction guidelines.
“We were always aiming for a minimum five-star rating,” explained Alison Weir, coordinator of strategic planning at Orange City Council. “But we could see we were tracking towards six,” she told The Fifth Estate after planners incorporated management measures to protect the drinking water catchment surrounding the 24-hectare development site.
“We’ve tended to steer away from [a lot of] development because of the impact it could have, so this really sets the bar for Orange in relation to how and what type of development we want to see ongoing.”
The Redleaf Masterplan exceeds Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) requirements for water cycle management by establishing constructed wetlands and a blue-green corridor that will integrate natural water systems with open green spaces to mitigate heat, manage stormwater, and conserve local biodiversity.
Sustainability is embedded in construction contracts
Embedded into construction contracts, sustainability requirements also cover areas such as responsible material sourcing, the use of products with recognised environmental credentials, and initiatives to reduce waste through reuse and recycling.
To ensure these requirements continue to be met, Landcom will offer rebates to financially incentivise buyers to build more sustainably by targeting a BASIX 100 score operating with net-zero emissions through an all-electric design.
Landcom told The Fifth Estate, by email, that the rebate process will also cover landscaping to ensure that “species selected are appropriate for the local climate” and the neighbourhood will “look and feel consistent”.
Landcom originally piloted sustainability rebates up to $15,000 at Macarthur Heights, a 122-hectare residential community in South Western Sydney. The initiative successfully provided more than $2 million in total rebates to homes that achieved BASIX 90 scores, according to the organisation’s 2025 sustainability report.
In a statement, Landcom said the eligible homes saved up to $1300 a year on utility costs.
Beyond targeting ambitious sustainability goals, Alison Weir said the development will feature a mix of housing types including single dwellings, duplexes, townhouses, and low-rise apartments “to provide additional housing for the city in conjunction with 20 per cent affordable housing.”
Under the project delivery agreement, affordable home rates will be capped at 30 per cent of a tenant’s total income, and “if feasibility is to align,” as many as 30 per cent of developed homes could be made affordable, Weir said.
“Up to 2041 we’ll have an additional 6000 people within the city,” she said. More than 80 per cent of homes in Orange are three- and four-bedroom, which have a larger footprint and will not be able to accommodate the population influx.
“So what we’ve tried to do through the project is provide for more diversity of housing … to provide more one- and two-bedroom dwellings.”
Following Orange City Council’s 2023 memorandum of understanding with Landcom, which marked the project’s conceptual beginnings, demand for more diverse and affordable housing was informed by community engagement efforts. This included a Connecting with Country framework to integrate First Nations knowledge into planning, design, and delivery of infrastructure projects.
The development is currently in its pre-construction phase and is expected to commence later this year. In the meantime, Landcom said the organisation has already received “healthy interest” from buyers via sales registrations and direct contact with the team.
Following the project’s completion by 2030, Weir said the council hopes the development will lead to more sustainable housing developments and “more state-led engagement with regional New South Wales.”
“Seeing this type of project actually moving through the development phase and achieving such high ratings, it’s a credit to Landcom, and a great opportunity for us to drive better outcomes for our city.”
