FAQs

Stages 1 – 3 are sold out. We have a handful of lots still available in Stage 4 and released Stage 5 (Clusters 5A and 5B) on 16 May 2023. This is our final stage of residential lots in the Ecovillage. Check out the Cluster plans and pricing under the LOT SALES menu to see what’s available.

The deposit for purchase of a residential Ecovillage lot is $5,000 ($10K for a commercial lot) and it is refundable if contract conditions (e.g., finance application or subject to sale) are not satisfied.

Yes. There is no membership or vetting process for buying in the Ecovillage, only an assumption of shared values and sustainability principles. We hope to see the development of a diverse community of like-minded, caring people.

The Witchcliffe Ecovillage has been designed as a survey strata development. All lots have survey strata titles, which provides freehold ownership of each lot plus shared ownership of the strata company’s common property (e.g. in a regular residential cluster this will include the community garden and infrastructure). Visit the Land Ownership page for more information.

Very little in comparison to the average home (no water bills and a tiny daily service charge for electricity). There will be strata fees, AMR Shire rates and wastewater service fees that will be similar to a standard WaterCorp connection.

For detailed information, contact our Sales team, [email protected]

We envisage the agricultural lots will be used for high value, small scale commercial horticulture crops. They will be available for purchase in Stage 2 to Ecovillage residents only, with the potential of leasehold arrangements with the developer during Stage 1. If you are interested in becoming one of the Witchcliffe Ecovillage’s organic farmers, please contact us on [email protected]. 

In future, agricultural lots owned by Ecovillage residents will be able to be sold separately to non-Ecovillage residents. Strata by-laws for those lots will ensure that future agricultural operations remain consistent with the Ecovillage’s objectives.

Titled commercial lots are available now. We encourage you to get in touch if you have a business you would like to develop in the Ecovillage. Strata by-laws for those lots ensure that future commercial operations remain consistent with the Ecovillage’s objectives. We have also created a set of Commercial Building Design Guidelines specifically for these special lots.

If you are interested in purchasing an Ecovillage commercial lot, please contact us at [email protected] 

Yes, this is allowed by the ‘Village Centre’ zoning that we have used for our commercial lots. Contact us on [email protected] for more information.

Yes, ‘Village Centre’ zoning in the Shire provides a range of permitted uses (refer  AMR Shire Local Planning Scheme No. 1 , specifically the zoning table on pages 38-42). In addition, our commercial lots are survey strata lots with strata bylaws to ensure that businesses are guided by the overall sustainability themes and objectives of the Ecovillage.

This will depend on the various businesses that start up in the commercial precinct, the Village Square and on the agricultural and tourism lots. However, we anticipate the following goods and services will be required by the Ecovillage community and its local and international visitors:

• Commercial lots: bakery, café, food processing, childcare centre, bulk food shop, heath food, health centre, permaculture nursery, alternative technology centre, EV (car and/or bike) sharing service.
• Village Square tavern and café.
• Creative Hub: office spaces, café, artists studios, film/photography/music studio.
• Mixed Use “Shop Top” retail and residential lots: retail shops, art and craft studios, professional offices, health care providers.
• Agricultural lots: Market gardens, fruit orchards, berries, garlic, hops, etc.
• Tourism / Short Stay accommodation / backpackers: providing a range of eco-tourism accommodation options to allow visitors to experience Ecovillage life and attend events and courses.
• Home businesses: a wide variety of home businesses are permitted within Residential zoning in the Shire (see AMR Shire Local Planning Scheme No. 1 ).
• Food Hub: organic packing shed, commercial kitchens, value adding and food processing, etc.

Historically, ecovillages around the world attract visitors from near and far who come to learn about sustainable living and be inspired by ecovillage community life.

In order to manage the impact of visitors to the Witchcliffe Ecovillage and, at the same time, provide an additional income stream for Ecovillage businesses, we have provided sites throughout the Ecovillage for low impact, eco-tourism opportunities. These tourism locations are located outside of the residential clusters and will be managed to ensure a positive impact on the residential Ecovillage community.

Yes. We encourage investment in rental properties and have had many enquiries from people who would like to rent a house in the Ecovillage. We are keeping an informal list of potential tenants who we can connect with investors.

Like any leased strata property in WA, your tenants must receive a copy of the Strata Management Statement and Bylaws and comply with these regulations (e.g. no cats, etc.) 

This is dependent on the home’s location and the type of accommodation being offered. Please refer to the Augusta Margaret River Shire’s Local Planning Policy 7 - Short Stay Accommodation for specific details.

However, in short, accomodation meeting the Shire’s criteria for ‘Bed and Breakfast’ is allowed. Homes that are located within the 50m radius of a Village Centre zone are permitted to be used as a ‘Holiday Home’. Only a handful of lots within the Ecovillage meet this criteria as per the Village Centre zone on the Ecovillage Structure Plan - Land Use Map .

This is not permitted anywhere in the Shire. Please read the Augusta Margaret River Shire Local Planning Policy 7 - Short Stay Accommodation for more details.

Yes we anticipate there will be rental homes available through private owners / investors. There are no limitations on investors who wish to buy any lot type and build a long term rental and we have had interest from people wishing to do so. At this stage, the Ecovillage developers do not plan to own or offer any long term rental homes for lease. However, we have an informal list of people who are interested in renting, who we are happy to connect with potential investors. So get in touch if you’re interested in a long term rental at the Ecovillage. 

Alternatively, read the Groupie Lot Eligibility Criteria for further information about Groupie lots, which are the Ecovillage’s most affordable housing option.

We are receptive to the purchase of Ecovillage land by a co-housing group with the view to establishing a project that would provide an alternative ownership model (secure permanent rental, rent to buy, etc). Co-Operation Housing WA is proposing a development on our Aged and Dependent Care site called Kyloring Housing Co-operative. 

If you are a co-housing group ready to discuss purchase of land, please contact us at [email protected]. If you are interested in learning more about co-housing in WA please visit Co-Operation Housing WA.

All homes built in the Ecovillage must comply with the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines (BDGs) to ensure that the built form and landscaping of the Ecovillage reflects the strong vision of sustainability and the rural village character set for the development. They provide straightforward guidelines that apply to all residential buildings in the Ecovillage and are managed by the WEV Design Team through the design review process. They will help owners, designers and builders create aesthetically harmonious buildings that are solar passive, efficient, affordable, and comfortable to live and work in.

Yes. New owners can choose to design and build their own homes, as owner builders or with a licensed builder. House designs will need to conform to the Ecovillage Sustainable Building Design Guidelines.

We also have six sustainable house designs for a variety of lot types available in our Pre-designed Homes range that you can take to any builder to price and build (a one-off payment applies). Please contact us on [email protected] for more information.

The WEV in-house design team created six Pre-designed Homes specifically for the size and orientation of Groupie, Cottage and Family lot types.

House and land are two components that are purchased separately. Buyers enter into a contract with Sustainable Settlements for the land and a separate contract with their chosen builder for the house.

Alternatively, owners can design and build their own home using their own architect or designer as long as it meets the sustainability requirements outlined in the BDGs.

Yes, in Stage 4-5 we have a three-year timeframe for building. There’s nothing worse than buying and building in a master planned community like this and having vacant lots next door forever and living in a never-ending construction site. All lot purchasers will be required to start building their home within two years of settlement and complete building 12 months after that. 

However, we are cognisant of the challenging circumstances for prospective purchasers created by COVID-19, building price escalation, interest rate hikes and all the other pressures in the current building market. Therefore we are willing to consider an extension to this timeframe in extenuating circumstances and ask that you contact us to discuss your situation well before your timeframe runs out.

All Garden, Family and Cottage lots are zoned Residential and allow residents to build an ancillary dwelling (granny flat). However, it must be noted that these ancillary dwellings cannot be used for short stay accommodation, such as through Airbnb, as per current AMR Shire planning regulations. Refer to Local Planning Policy 7 - Short Stay Accommodation

To ensure optimum solar gain for every lot, regardless of size, we have included building setbacks on the north of every lot. Substantial rainwater tanks are needed for every dwelling and the footprint size of these, which relate directly to the roof size and occupancy, must be factored into lot design.

Hence for the smaller lots, such as the Groupies, we need to be more prescriptive as to where the major structures are placed. However, on the Family lots where there is more space, rainwater tanks may be allowed on the community garden boundary, for example.

This information and more is outlined in the Local Development Plans in concert with the Building Design Guidelines, which are on the Document Library.

Yes, although they are more expensive to purchase and install than an above ground tank. They may be useful on a smaller lot to maximise space and can be engineered to be load bearing so can be incorporated underneath a carport, etc.

Sustainable Settlements (the developer and project manager) has developed strata bylaws (which incorporate a suite of documents, including the Building Design Guidelines, and Community Garden Handbook) that enshrine our sustainability principles. The bylaws set out the practical governance methods to ensure the vision and objectives of the Ecovillage remain unchanged over time, and some of the more important sustainability requirements are also enshrined in the AMR Shire’s Local Planning Scheme. The guiding documents offer practical advice on everything from building materials to garden pest control, do’s and don’ts, resources, and recommend governance frameworks, such as conflict resolution and communication tools.

Ultimately, it will be up to the community as a whole to work together in a way that honours the shared values of sustainability that brought it together in the first place.

The clusters will become micro-communities within the larger Ecovillage community and will govern themselves according to the Strata By-Laws, which enshrine our sustainability principles and provide practical guidance on matters such as committee organisation, conflict resolution and communication. We hope that as a socially diverse community of cooperative, caring and like-minded people, we will be able to work through issues demonstrating respect and tolerance.

In time, we hope the whole Witchcliffe Ecovillage will become a safe haven for many local wildlife species, like endangered Western ringtail possums and Baudin’s white tailed black cockatoos, already visitors in our remnant bushland.

In order to protect the wildlife in the Ecovillage open spaces and conservation zones, cats are excluded (a provision in AMR Shire Local Planning Scheme No. 1 restricts ownership of cats in the Ecovillage). We will also include requirements in the Ecovillage strata bylaws to ensure that dogs are kept inside buildings at night to avoid disruptive barking and minimise impacts on nocturnal wildlife.

Chickens and ducks will be allowed to be kept by residents in appropriate housing on their private blocks and, it is expected, they will also be integrated into the community gardens.

Horses are not allowed anywhere on the Ecovillage (including the agricultural lots) but there are many farms and stables surrounding the Ecovillage providing agistment in the area.

All houses must be designed to Silver Performance Level as set out in the  Liveable Housing Design Guidelines to ensure wheelchair accessibility to all homes.

All internal path networks are paved in concrete to ensure easy wheelchair and pram accessibility. There are tactile pavement markers at major paths to road intersections and bollard downlights throughout the path network for night time accessibility.

• Building waste management and stockpiling
• Wastewater treatment and irrigation to grow avocados and mulch
• Community compost bays
• Recycling and general waste collected by Shire.
• Opportunities for community re-use and up-cycling—jar and bottle banks for preserving, clothes swaps, bulk food shop for refillable containers, arts and crafts upcycling, etc.
• Reduced recycling and waste generated by households due to food grown on site.

You are responsible for managing your Exclusive Use Garden Area (EUA), so if you are not a keen gardener, try and choose a smaller lot with a smaller EUA. You can offer the use of your EUA to a neighbour if you like, or plant it out with easy care perennial herbs and flowers (lavender, thyme, lemongrass, roses for rosehips, etc) and/or low maintenance fruit trees like feijoas, citrus and figs. The main thing is to ensure that it is an attractive productive space, even if it’s just full of flowers and herbs for the bees.

The strata bylaws will mandate that pesticides and herbicides, which are not permitted by the Australian organic standards, cannot be used on Ecovillage lots or community garden areas. Further, we provide residents with a Witchcliffe Ecovillage Garden Handbook with growing guides and planting advice, and there are ongoing organic gardening courses and workshops.