Leyne Elbourne

The Village Project

The Village Project will be located in a three-storey warehouse in bustling Summer Hill, in the heart of Sydney's Inner West. After sitting vacant for 16 years, the building is being transformed into a vibrant community hub that will house retail, food and beverage offerings, co-working and service provider space, a gallery, maker spaces, community areas, a theatre and event space for workshops, films, exhibitions, talks and live music. The Village Project will be built on the foundations of ethical consumerism, aiming to source goods and services locally wherever possible. Our team is working with the building owner to incorporate concepts of sustainability and in so doing, turn the existing structure into a green building. This will include solar panels, vertical gardens, rain water tanks, and composting and recycling facilities – both internally and as a drop in service to the community. Our goal is to make this the first of many hubs that will allow people to boost their community involvement, share and expand their skills, support local and sustainable enterprises and be assured every dollar spent is going back into creating a positive social outcome as well as funding future sister villages.