Description/context

As a mixed use development, Tullimbar features both residential and a range of other land uses. Dwellings are a diverse mix of housing types, ranging from studios and apartments in the town centre’s main street to five bedroom homes on the edge of the development and many designs in between. The focal point of the development is the town centre, which is densely planned around a traditional main street. The Building Design Guidelines adopted by Shellharbour Council specify a mix of uses for the town centre, including not only retail/commercial but also residential use, a school, and a wide range of other services and community facilities that aim to make the centre ‘the focus of community life’. A number of public open spaces (including a ‘village green’, ‘civic place’ and ‘village square’) are planned to encourage people to use the centre for formal events as well as informal public gatherings. Facilities specified include a town hall, church, preschool/childcare centre, retirement/aged care facility, public toilets, a hotel, and a range of sporting facilities including a cricket/football oval, pavilion, pool and gym. The overall aim is to deliver a wide range of basic services to Tullimbar residents that they can access on foot or bicycle, avoiding the need to drive further afield.

The development incorporates a number of elements that are explicitly intended to increase ‘walkability’. For example, attractive streetscapes, footpaths on both sides of most streets, and wide usable front verandahs on homes are intended to create opportunities for the kinds of social engagement between neighbours that results from more people walking (rather than driving) around the local area. The development is designed with a grid street pattern to create a legible layout with direct walking routes, and careful street design aims to slow and ‘calm’ traffic. The Development Control Plan (DCP) explicitly states that streets are intended to be designed as ‘multi-purpose public spaces’ that are appropriate to the needs of drivers but that also support pedestrians, cyclists, and social interaction. The town centre will be an important destination for residents, meaning they are more likely to incorporate walking into their daily lives. The density of the development is also intended to help create a safer environment for pedestrians as it will increase the level of activity on local streets, and improve passive surveillance from adjacent buildings.