Dear Friends of Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage,

I am delighted to inform you that the Augusta Margaret River Shire Council unanimously passed the amendments to the Witchcliffe Village Strategy and Local Planning Strategy that are required to enable the Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage project to proceed to WAPC for approval.

This is the first time in two and half years, since purchasing the property, that I can write to you with some confidence that the Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage will proceed!

The approval will enable up to 180 homes to be built on the 160acre farm. This will enable around 80% of the Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage to be utilized for public open space, community vege gardens, dam, orchards, vineyard, recreation, community centre, backpackers/tourist accommodation, etc…

We are confident that we can achieve all of this and 100% self sufficiency in energy and water at an affordable price point of around $400,000 for house and land.

For those of you that haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage it is a magnificent property with an abundance of water and great soil, immediately abutting the wonderful little town of Witchcliffe (at the intersection of Redgate Rd and Bussell Hwy, 10k’s south of Margaret River & 6k’s east of Redgate Beach).

We are hoping to receive WAPC approval by around January 2013, after which we will still have to rezone the town planning scheme (TPS), which will take us the best part of 2013. However, once we have received WAPC approval the project will have the certainty required to complete the detailed planning during 2013, so that we are ready to lodge subdivision and development applications as soon as the TPS amendment is formally gazetted.

We are very excited to be moving forward and thank the Shire’s planning officers and Council for their solid support.

We now have over 200 people who have registered interest in the Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage; I look forward to keeping you all informed of our progress.

Kind regards,

Mike Hulme

Solar Energy Optimism

The main message from the recent Australian Solar Energy Society [‘AuSES’] 2010 Conference in Canberra, Australia, was very optimistic about the widespread use of solar energy in all its forms.

Having been involved with International Solar Energy Society [‘ISES’] since 1979, through the West Australian branch and then the Australia & New Zealand Solar Energy Society [“ANZSES’] as an incorporated body, when it came into being in 1984, one could understand my optimism to see something I have passionately believed in as the most sustainable way forward for mankind, has started to become a reality.

No longer will the use of solar energy in all its forms be considered a fringe, “thing of future” any more. I have written a series of articles that distil my perceptions of the proceedings from a professional standpoint and the political implications of holding this landmark conference in our nation’s capital, Canberra.

Solar Energy - Watts installed

Graph: showing the explosion of installed PV in Australia in the last decade

The way forward from hereon is the encouragement of more focused research in the various fields of endeavour in the diverse world of solar energy applications.

AuSES is destined to have a pivotal role in the next 50 years to ensure that planet earth no longer lives on the edge of energy and environmental uncertainty.

A series of articles that covers what happened in Canberra will be published on solar-e over the next month or so.

Garry Baverstock AM, CEO of www.solar-e.com

2010 President of AuSES, WA

The following aspects will be discussed in articles posted from December 2010 onwards:

– The Week that Canberra Became a National Focus for AuSES in 2010

– The Role of the Built Environment in Using Solar Energy and Addressing Climate Change – A Viable Direction for AuSES

– Political Will and Systems Thinking for Climate Change Needed – How AuSES Can Help

– Nuclear Politics a Real Danger for Progress of Solar and Renewable Energy Progress – Collaboration Needed Not War

– Open Learning and Presentation of Facts – the Key for Greater Use of Solar Energy – AuSES Leading the Way

– New Solar-e.com Will Soon be Ranking Solar Societies and Associations Conference Papers – First Step AuSES

– The List of ‘solar-e’ Best Papers at Solar 2010 – AuSES Conference in Canberra

Valuable solar-e links:

Self Realisation & Ethics

Tag Archives: solar

Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage

Dear Friends of Foxcliffe Farm Ecovillage,

Solar Energy Optimism