Susanna Freymark
An ecovillage with more than 60 home sites at Afterlee has been approved by Kyogle Council.
It has taken three years of planning for the people behind the ecovillage to get to this point.
Town planner Shane Sylvanspring said the 700-hectare site was chosen because water was abundant and the land is at the site of the old village that includes the school and RFS facilities.
There are plans to reopen the Afterlee school in a couple of years.
“As a town planner, this is a dream come true,” Shane said.
“The ecovillage will have its own identity.”
The ecovillage is not a multiple occupancy, it is a co-operative – the Healthy Living Community Co-operative.
The first 31 plots of flood-free land were assigned in the first round. The second round releases 30 more plots. Some plots are smaller and closer to the village and others are on acreage.
The smaller village plots are going for $145,000 and it cost $170,000 for more than an acre.
“This is not an investment, it’s a lifestyle,” Shane said.
Shane has been hired by the co-operative board for two years because of his experience creating communities.
“In a year’s time, I’ll let go of the reins,” he said.
“I started this concept a few years ago. The co-op was set up in 2022.”
Shane has stayed in a lot of ecovillages in Europe and he has lived in a co-op. He has lived at the Findhorn community in Scotland and was involved in the Bruns Ecovillage.
The money from the first round of purchases paid for the land, and the second round of money will be for infrastructure such as roads.
Ecological and sustainability values bind the group involved in the ecovillage including how the houses are designed and built.
“The members just did a permaculture course,” Shane said.
“And members went on a year-long ecovillage design course.”
The ecovillage will blend community life with nature and regenerative farming and aims to restore elements of the former township, Shane said.
The board plans to develop a community hall, work sheds, and recreational facilities, with current discussions around a pool, a plant nursery, orchards, walking trails, a cafe, and the revitalised school.
The board has to approve new members.
If you are interested in becoming one of those members, there is an information session in Kyogle at the supper rooms (downstairs at the KMI Hall) at 5pm on February 1.
Find out more at the ecovillage website.
