I took a tour to visit the famous Billen Cliffs not too far from Sydney. I wanted to see it for myself, I’ve read so much about it. Billen Cliffs was conceived as an intentional community that valued the natural environment. The Founders made a tremendous commitment to wilderness areas in the village with renewable energy, organic and grass roots small was a fantastic development strategy. While the first eight houses went up for the workers on the farm, the initial development was passed by Council under to M.O. code. Where Lismore City Council had forward thinking policies in economic development and was facilitating a new and rural residential use for the old farms and after the almost fatal collapse of the Dairy Industry.
But then, Billen Cliffs went for Intentional community to a Sustainable Village. The aspirations of new residents to the district often includes a passion for gardening and becoming stewards of the land. They pursued creative activities with a belief in community, and, for some, the dream of being an owner builder in pioneering circumstances. The self regulating system of governance which came with strata title allowed the village of Billen Cliffs to be innovative with development standards.
As I left my room at a luxury Sydney hotel, I couldn’t help but wonder why we can accomplish what Billen Cliffs has. The creation of the village was driven by the growing market for small rural acreage in the Northern Rivers. So, as rural residential developed, the village community benefited from the cost-effectiveness that came from the body corporate management of the roads, fencing, firebreaks, reserves, village commercial zones and administration. It makes living on the land easier and more affordable and guarantees minimum standards of maintenance. Plus, the village has a strong foundation in the arts and crafts, fine musicians and performers, graphic, audio visual and creative industries.
As I walk around the Village of Billen Cliffs, I still wonder why we didn’t come up with a living style like this in the first place? Where did we go wrong? And can we make our cities become sustainable?
No related posts.
I have been told by people with extensive legal credentials who were involved in the Court case that ensued after the Councils decision that it was an undeclared interest voting on the Council that was the one vote that saw the MO passed.
The idea it was forward thinking by the local Council is rubbish. The decision to establish the MO was corrupt and the Judge in the Court case only let the MO stay because the Judge felt it was inequitable to too many people to reverse the Council decision.
You will not find that on the Billen website. The place was born out of corruption.
Billen is hardly sustainable living. Billen relies on the outside world as much as Sydney people rely on the city around them. The self regulating governance is nothing more than a tool used by an entrenched clique to make life difficult for people who do not subscribe to the warped vision held by the old guard of the “community”. I have lived in Billen for over ten years and when I arrived I was told of the battles of the past as owners fought over drug patches and the right to keep a dog or cat. Since my arrival different battles have gone on; only the players have changed.
Billen claims to be a model to the world but no one has mirrored it because it is not what people claim it to be.
The entire rave about Billen typifies what people want it to be not what Billen is. Billen exists on the back of a corrupt council decision, government grants, welfare recipients who dropped out of society to smoke pot and has a sprinkle of lower middle class residents. Billen is not a sustainable model … cut the dose.