Ecowall Cladding

This past week it has been announced that the western port recycled water scheme has been funded by State & Federal Governments.

We welcome this announcement as the proposed route will go down the road and past our farm.

We have already had preliminary discussions about accessing recycled water to grow our h**p. Additionally we are working with the project team about the potential to use Class A Water to make our products instead of bore or rain water. Our focus is on all aspects of sustainability and this includes efficient use of water.

We continue to work away on progressing the farm. Our fill pad is now 99% completed and compacted, just waiting the Geotech review.

Sadly our much planned for and anticipated launch of the business has to go back on hold as our neighbours have appealed Councils decision to approve our Planning Permit to make Australian Made H**p Based Mud Bricks...so off to VCAT we go...again...

We have some preliminary hearings coming in October, Mediation/Compulsory Conference in February and a potential hearing if that does not resolve it in April.

If you want to support us and help our the H**p Industry break through in Victoria please email the Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP, Minister for Planning [email protected] & [email protected].

The minister has powers to call in any planning permit and approve it. Send her an email saying you support the emerging H**p Industry and want Australian Made and Australian Owned H**p products. Ask the Minister to use her powers to call in and approve Planning Permit T230342/VCAT P842/2024.

Feel free to reach out to us if you want more details or information.

The weather might be better for skiing than for building but we are making progress with our fill pad. Just can need the clay capping to dry out enough to do the final level and roll ready for the shed to be built.

A positive article in the local paper about our planning permit process.

Green light for h**p-based manufacturing enterprise A battle for a couple's dream to launch one of the country's first h**p building material production business at a [...]

Earlier this evening we were grateful to receive support of Cardinia Shire Council Councillors who voted to approve our planning permit to process our locally grown industrial h**p into mud bricks on our farm near Pakenham.

We understand that our application was extremely complex and want to publicly thank those who have support us through this journey we are on to make sustainable carbon negative h**p building bricks and blocks. Specifically, we want to thank:
• The Upper House MP’s involved with last year’s H**p Inquiry, especially Rachel Payne MP and Georgie Purcell MP.
• The Hon. Sonya Kilkenny MP, Minister for Planning for supporting the H**p Inquiries recommendation to make H**p Products Rural Industry.
• Kate Lyle, our Barrister
• Mark Waldon & Mandy Black, St-Wise Planning
• Dean Suckling, Enprove Ag & Environment
• Dr Stephen Rowley, RCI Planning
• Charles Kovess, Australian Industrial H**p Alliance.
• Dr Maggie Davidson, Western Sydney University
• Melinda Gardner, Edith Cowan University.

In about 5 weeks time we hope to have the final planning permit to finalise the information required for the permit conditions. After this we will then look to make further announcements about the timelines of bring our products to market.

For any immediate enquiries please feel free to message us or email [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

On Monday night Cardinia Shire Councillors are voting on the planners recommendation to approve our planning permit which will enable us to bring Ecowall Cladding to life. We are hopeful that the Councillors follow the well reasoned advise including recent announcements from the Victorian Government to make h**p products be defined as rural industry in the planning scheme.

Its been a challenging 5 year journey and we are very much looking forward to using our muscles and not our brains in the next phase of this journey.

We want to specifically thank Rachel Payne MP for her work to get the H**p Inquiry done last year and its recommendations that support the industry.

After Council's decision on Monday night we then have the Appeals window of about 4-5 weeks to wait before we can start actioning our next steps, so hopefully come mid August we will be in the position to make some exciting announcements about the timing of our products coming to market.

**p **pbricks **pblocks **pbuilding **pproducts **p

Send a message to learn more

We are excited today to read the Victorian Governments response to the H**p Inquiry.

The full response ishttps://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/49eaa5/globalassets/tabled-paper-documents/tabled-paper-8319/victorian-government-response-to-the-h**p-inquiry.pdf but below is the extract that relates to our submission to the Inquiry.

Recommendation 4
That the Minister for Planning consider defining h**p products as Rural Industry in the Victorian Planning
Provisions.

Support in full
The Victorian Government supports this recommendation in full and the Department of Transport and Planning
(DTP) will investigate an amendment to the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP). DTP accepts that there may be
potential barriers in the planning system to the industrial h**p industry, especially in rural areas, and is open to
reforms to help facilitate the industry. DTP will commence investigations into potential amendments to the VPP,
which will involve further stakeholder consultation, to be followed by preparation of an amendment to the VPP.
An amendment to the VPP will need to ensure that the facilitation of the h**p industry is balanced against other
objectives of planning in Victoria, including preservation of agricultural land, supporting rural amenity expectations
and minimising land-use conflicts. Stakeholder input will help shape the final form of the amendment.

www.parliament.vic.gov.au

We are super excited that the next stage of our farm development has got its planning permit and hopefully we can get started on building the shed in the coming weeks.

Media Release - Victorian Election Platform In August 2019, the Andrews Government created the H**p Taskforce. Chaired by the Minister for Agriculture and Assisted by Ali Cupper and Fiona Patten.

Statement on VCAT Decision

We are extremely disappointed with the decision made by the VCAT Member and the immediate impacts it has in our plans to launch our h**p based Ecowall Cladding business and create employment within the local area.

We remain committed to the development of Ecowall Cladding. We are currently awaiting a detail review of the members decision from our legal team to consider our options and the impacts on our and other rural industries.

For the past two years we have been developing our h**p panels and working with **pmanufacturingcompany on a new breathable render for use with traditional h**pcrete and our panels.

To say we are chuffed with the outcomes is an understatement!

Sadly, we have had to withdraw from our debut show this coming weekend Off-Grid Living Festival due to some covid related challenges. We definately will be back next year and are looking for the next opportunity to debut our products.

Merry h**pmus to all from the team at Ecowall.

Our h**pire continues to grow while we wait for a decision from to overturn the decision of . Our crop is 4 weeks old and is looking awesome! To date our crop has not needed any irrigation.

The first stage of our crop is in and has germinated earlier this week. This is someone’s family home coming out of the ground. Will it be yours?

**pcrete **p

So while we patiently wait for the VCAT decision on our planning permit for the farm we have continue to prepare and develop the farm within the limited scope we have to do works.

We have continued to procure and stockpile equipment after making the decision to setup our operations off the grid. This will truely enhance the sustainability of our operations.

Last weekend we started trenching to install the grid of irrigation and water pipes around the farm, aimed at harvesting as much rain/stormwater as is possible.

Today we got approval for our irrigation bore to be constructed so that’s another major step forward.

Only a month behind schedule/plan we this week started seeding the crop area with about 2.5ha in the ground now. A further 1.5ha is well advance and hopefully another 1ha will follow quickly after with the help of some new toys arriving at the farm shortly. The remaining 2ha we can’t plant out yet as we need an access way to move the soil from our soon to be constructed storage dam.

The only negatives we have had recently came from the strong winds last Friday which resulted in 30000l of water being lost from one of our tanks and the freshly installed greenhouse roof being ripped off. But given all that could go wrong that seems pretty mild and we will rebuild.

VCAT Update

Our hearing has now concluded and we now patiently await the decision from the member. In the mean time, we are working hard at the farm getting ready to plant for the growing season. Some farm photos are coming shortly!

An update for all our followers. Our VCAT hearing for our Planning Permit has not finished, sadly the 2 day hearing has been extended to 3 days with the 3rd day now scheduled for October 5.

We have started to present our case so hopefully we will have an answer some time in October, but in the mean time, we continue to work and prepare our farm ready to plant.

A nice write up about our farm in the local paper

H**pcrete: the future of building | Pakenham Gazette For centuries, builders around the world have used products like timber, concrete, bricks and mortar to construct homes and buildings …

A great project completed last year.

Fantastic to see a finished h**pcrete project 6 months on from being finished.

This project is truely bespoke as a pottery studio and workshop.

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