Before you can begin building your new home at Northside, the site must first undergo a comprehensive preparation process to ensure that our community and its homes are constructed to the highest standards.

Phase 1: Approvals from Relevant Authorities.

Before any civil construction can begin, we must obtain all required approvals from the City of Casey (Council) and other relevant authorities.

Phase 2: Bulk Earthworks

This phase involves loosening, removing, depositing, shaping, compacting, or stockpiling existing soil and/or importing or removing fill. Site re-grading is carried out to adjust the slope and elevation of the soil.

Phase 3: Sewer and Drainage

Each block will be provided with reticulated sewer services. These pipes are laid in trenches and protected by easements. The sewerage system carries sewage from homes to modern treatment plants.

Phase 4: Road Infrastructure

Once earthworks and sewer installation are complete, we begin constructing the road base, kerbs, footpaths, driveways, and other services before placing the asphalt.

Phase 5: Water and Gas

Gas and potable water pipes are installed, with each lot having a single connection point.

Phase 6: Electrical and Telecommunication

Electrical cabling is laid in trenches within the verge. After this, street lights are installed. Additionally, fibre optic cables are installed to provide high-speed broadband and telecommunications services to your home.

Phase 7: Road Pavements and Concreting

Road construction is finalised with the installation of gutters, footpaths, driveways, and any walking and cycling paths.

Phase 8: Completion & Finishing Works

Council and Service Authority works and sign off to constructed works including roads and services. Provision of final documents to Council to facilitate a Statement of Compliance for the development stage.

Phase 9: Titles and Settlement

Registration of individual lots from each stage occur at the titles office, and your lot is now ready for you to settle, then start the construction of your home .

Phase 10: Congratulations, your journey to Northside starts now!

All home designs are to achieve the minimum energy rating requirements for energy efficient design. Please refer to the relevant Government approved rating scheme. For more information about sustainable homes, visit the Greensmart section of the HIA website at www.hia.com.au.

All home designs are encouraged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficient design.

There are a number of important steps along your settlement journey.

1. Legal representation
   Appoint a legal representative, and a bank or finance institution (if you are obtaining a loan).
2. Finance approval
   Ensure you have received finance pre-approval 3 months prior to settlement (if applicable).
3. Valuation report
   If a valuation report is required by your bank or finance institution, contact the Northside team so we can provide your with access to the site.
4. Settlement documentation
   Your legal representative will need to finalise settlement documentation and communicate with your lender.
5. Settlement notification
   Once titles are registered, you will have 14 days to settle your land lot. Ensure your funds are ready prior to the booked settlement date.
6. Settlement
   Congratulations on your settlement! You will now own your Northside block. Your legal representative and your lender (if obtaining finance) will hold the title on your behalf. You do not have to attend settlement in person.
7. Timeframes for settlement
   Northside will communicate estimated timeframes for title registration and settlement with purchasers.

   Stage construction timeframes can change due to factors beyond our control such as weather conditions and approvals from multiple authorities.

The allure of build a new home that meets all your family’s requirements is exciting. Whether it’s your first or your fourth time, we’ve put together some things you need to know about building at Northside.

It’s important to research your options thoroughly as, after all, this is a significant investment, both financially and emotionally.

Some tips:

1. Talk to family, friends, neighbours and other people that you know and trust.
   Knowing someone that has used and had a positive experience with a builder is a great way to obtain a short list of possibilities.
2. Drive around your local and surrounding suburbs.
   Check out construction taking place and, if you see a design that you like, take note of the builder. This is also a good way to see firsthand how the builder goes about construction, for example how clean the building site is kept, is there a lot of activity going on or a lot of “down” time, is consideration being given to neighbours and other residents in the street and how long it takes to complete the project.
3. Visit display villages.
   Set aside specific time to visit at least two different display villages that each feature homes from a range of different builders. This exercise will enable you to see the quality of a builder’s workmanship plus the type of materials and finishes they use. The nearest display villages to Northside are located at:
   – Fresco Place Clyde North
   – Waterman Drive, Clyde
   – Honour Avenue, Clyde North

To ensure that our community looks beautiful and feels welcoming well into the future, Northside has Design Guidelines to follow when designing your new home. They help protect the integrity of your investment and provide you with peace of mind that every house in your neighbourhood is built to the same high standards.

Download your copy here (coming soon).

Approval and plan submission
The siting and design of your home must be approved by the Beveridge Williams Design Assessment Panel (DAP). Generally, your builder will handle this on your behalf. They will submit all the required documents via the Design Portal.

In the event that changes may be required to your plans, your builder will work in conjunction with you and the DAP to achieve a positive outcome for both parties.

Timeframe for submission
You can submit your plans prior to settlement, and it is strongly encouraged. Construction of the dwellings must commence within twelve months of settlement and must be completed within twelve months of work commencing.

Timeframe to review
The DAP will use its best endeavours to assess proposals within 10 business days of receiving your fully completed application. Once your plans have been approved by the DAP you must then obtain a Building Approval from your Building Surveyor and any other Statutory Approvals required.

Changes to approved plans
It is important that plans are resubmitted and approved by the DAP prior to construction commencing. If your completed dwelling differs from your approved plans, the DAP will issue you with a non-compliance notice. If the non-compliance is not rectified the matter may be subject to further legal action. We strongly encourage you to ensure your building is constructed as per your approved plans as rectification works may be very costly.

Timing of house construction
Construction of the dwellings must commence within twelve months of settlement and must be completed within twelve months of work commencing.
Incomplete building works must not be left for more than three months without work being undertaken.

Fencing

You will be required to install the fencing at your own cost.

Side and rear fencing must comprise of timber palings and have timber capping with timber posts exposed to both sides of the fence. Fences between adjoining lots must be 1.8 metres in height above the natural ground level of the lot and must finish a minimum of 1 metre behind the front façade. A wing fence of 1.8 metres in height, that compliments the dwelling, can return between the side boundary and dwelling.

Corner lots require the side boundary fence to comprise a 1.8 metre high paling fence, and must not exceed 70% of the boundary length of the Secondary Street Frontage.

Fencing to the front of homes is classed as any fence forward of the 1.8m high fence and is permitted only in circumstances where it:

• Has a maximum height of 1 metre;
• Is designed to complement the dwelling; and,
• Is transparent in design to allow views from the street into the front yard (i.e. not solid for its entirety).

Any side boundary fencing forward of the main frontage building line must not exceed 1m in height and must be transparent in style.

Lots Fronting the Cardinia Creek Conservation Area are not permitted to have front fences and side fences are to be no greater than 1.2m within the first 3m of the lots.

Details of the fencing requirements are included within the Design Guidelines.

How to contact your neighbours regarding fencing installation

You and your neighbour share equal responsibility for the cost of the dividing fence on your block. If you have purchased a corner block, you are solely responsible for the cost of the fence that faces the road – shared costs with neighbours only apply to common boundary fencing. Please contact the Council to obtain your neighbour’s details to discuss sharing the fencing costs.

Cost for fences that share a boundary with land owned by the developer are not recoverable.

An investment in quality landscaping adds significant value to any community. You are encouraged to invest in the quality landscaping of your front and rear yards.

Gardens are encouraged to be environmentally sensitive by utilising appropriate drought tolerant sensitive plants, organic or mineral mulches and drip irrigation systems.

The front garden must be completed within three months of the Certificate of Occupancy being issued.

Visiting the construction site is strictly prohibited to ensure public safety. We will provide confirmation that you can inspect your lot prior to settlement when it is safe to do so.

Northside will ensure all pegs are present and secure prior to settlement.
Pegs can be located using your Plan of Subdivision. If you are unable to locate your boundary pegs, please contact our Sales Team.

After settlement, pegs are your responsibility. You will need to arrange boundary pegs at your own cost via your builder or an independent surveyor to replace missing lot pegs.

Rainwater tanks (with a minimum capacity of 3 kL) to be installed on lots >300 m2. Water from the tanks can be used for toilet flushing, laundry, and outdoor irrigation.

Solar hot water panels/piping for the dwelling or swimming pools are permitted provided they are located on the roof and installed at the same pitch angle as the roof. Where practical they are to be located at the rear of the property to minimise visual impact from public viewing.

Building can commence after settlement as soon as your house plans have been approved by the DAP and you have the relevant building permit from the City of Casey or a private licensed building surveyor (both of which will usually be organised by your builder on your behalf). It is typically a 4-6 month process for the builder to commence on site once the building contract has been signed.

Construction of the dwellings must commence within twelve months of settlement and must be completed within twelve months of work commencing. Incomplete building works must not be left for more than three months without work being undertaken.

Your builder can conduct a soil test once we notify you that the plan of subdivision has been lodged for registration. Please contact our Sales Team prior to entering a construction site.

During your consultation phase with the builder, there will a discussion regarding site costs. These are the costs associated with your specific block of land, which arise from preparing the site for construction, and can change depending on your block’s soil classification. Because these costs are so variable, they can be challenging to deal with, particularly for those working to a fixed budget. Site costs will vary from builder to builder, however we anticipate site costs will generally be between $15K to $25K.

Prior to construction of your home commencing, your builder is required to erect temporary fencing to deter unauthorised people entering the site and to prevent litter from impacting the neighbourhood.

Northside will ensure that your lot is clear of rubbish prior to settlement.
After settlement, you are responsible to maintain your lot clear from rubbish, debris, excessive or overgrown weeds and all other materials.

If rubbish is dumped on your lot by surrounding builders, you must approach your neighbour to request they remove those items or contact Council for further advice.

You are not permitted to sell your block prior to settlement and no for sale boards are to be installed on your block. Resale of a lot prior to constructing a dwelling is prohibited by Northside unless specifically allowed under the contract of sale.

Be sure to let the Northside Sales Team know if your contact information changes at any time.

Bushfire prone areas (BPA) are where the bushfire hazard has been identified and mapped under the building system. These areas are subject to or likely to be subject to bushfires. This triggers building permit requirements where new buildings are required to build to a national bushfire construction standard. This is known as a bushfire attack level (BAL). For this site we anticipate the BAL assessment will recommend a BAL 12.5 applies. As the surrounding area is gradually developed, and the bushfire risk is removed stages of the subject site will be periodically removed from the bushfire mapping. This occurs every 6 months and should removal of the relevant stage coincide with the timing for issue of your building permit your homes BAL assessment rating would be reduced to BAL-Low. This will mean there are no additional building modifications are required. There are no specific actions you can take in this regard however rest assured the Development Team is constantly working with DEECA to remove stages of the development, as appropriate, when these reviews take place.

There is no known contamination at Northside.

Northside uses clean fill that has been tested by a geotechnical and environmental consultant and has been classified as suitable material to achieve Level 1 compaction to Australian Standards

Corner lots must address their prominent position in the streetscape and contribute to a visually appealing and safe living environment. A corner lot dwelling must appropriately address both street frontages with articulation of the built form as well including varying materials and window and door openings.

Irregular lots are often larger, offering residents more space to design their ideal home. This additional space can be used for a larger alfresco area, a pool, a veggie patch, or extra storage—all of which can add significant value to your property. An experienced builder can help you position your new home to maximise the benefits of an irregular lot.

A crossover is the front section of your driveway that is situated between the edge of the road and the front boundary of your block of land (footpath). It’s important to take note of the crossover location so you can design your home accordingly.

If you have purchased but not yet settled, you can make enquiries with the Northside Sales team to have your crossover relocated. An administration fee and relocation cost will be applicable and please note that crossover relocations cannot always be accommodated due to engineering constraints.

An easement is a section of land registered on the property title that gives someone else the right to use the land for a specified purpose, such as drainage and sewerage pipes.

It’s important to know if any easements exist and where they are located, as positioning can impact future building plans like in-ground pools and building extensions.

The plan of subdivision restricts the number of dwellings on each lot. Future subdivision will be subject to permit approval from the City of Casey and must comply with Northside Design Guidelines