Intrapac is shaped by a legacy that spans across four decades, built upon a foundational desire to create exceptional neighbourhoods that are built for the long term.
Home to 1,996 lots, our Somerfield project, in Melbourne’s south-east, turned a 136-hectare, ecologically deteriorated site into a thriving, state-of-the-art community.
A Cut Above
From the outset of its planning, Somerfield was designed as an integrated residential development, providing a bounty of amenities well above what was typical of its Keysborough location.
“Somerfield has 20% open space, so no house is more than 400m from either a pocket park or a major open space,” explains Intrapac Property CEO, Max Shifman.
“This natural amenity is made up of parks, wetlands, bike trails and boardwalks all designed to create a connected, walkable precinct that also connects its residents to the wider Keysborough area.”
Alongside walkability, the primary goal of this incorporation is informed by our commitment to creating connected communities – establishing community points where neighbours can come together – and encouraging interaction between residents.
Prominent community amenities such as the iconic Pirate Park at Somerfield Reserve have amassed widespread popularity in the local area, becoming a staple for local families.
An incredibly detailed and considered approach to Landscape Design was implemented alongside these amenities, allowing Somerfield to receive numerous industry awards for its design excellence. These include two Victorian Landscaping Awards as well as two Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards for Excellence – large-scale Residential Subdivision and Environmental Excellence.
This process included extensive consultation with the City of Greater Dandenong to ensure that ongoing, high-quality maintenance of the site’s open spaces was feasible and cost-effective for the long term. By doing this, we are ensuring that our communities remain as beautiful and as viable for our residents long after we’re gone.
Environmental Innovation
For Somerfield, environmental responsibility was more than just a compliance measure – it was an ethos that our team embedded into the very fabric of the project.
By looking at emerging and future standards of liveability, we were able to implement a range of environmental innovations aimed at extensive stormwater management, recycled water and land rehabilitation.
Some of these innovations include:
• Recycled Water Infrastructure: Somerfield was among the first subdivisions in Australia to install this infrastructure, long before it became a regulatory requirement
• Water Sensitive Urban Design: Functional wetlands in the development serve dual purposes, acting as both stormwater storage and landscaping to offer a connection to green spaces throughout
• Transformation of Degraded Land: The site was once home to dog kennels, a chicken farm and market gardens, all of which left the land ecologically degraded
• $12 Million Environmental Restoration: In collaboration with the council and traditional landowners, extensive remediation was completed to remove noxious elements and rehabilitate the natural ecology, surpassing the EPA guidelines for residential use
• Hybrid Basin Innovation: Due to the complexities of the site’s existing basin, a hybrid system was implemented, combining wetland design with a structural stoned-wall basin, reducing land usage while maintaining functionality.
Collaboration, foresight and creativity underpinned the environmental approach at Somerfield, embedding sustainable development principles that would benefit the generations of residents who call it home.
Collaboration & Legacy
Our long-term partners and collaborators across multiple communities, Brencorp Properties, worked closely with our team to deliver Somerfield. The combined expertise of our teams allowed us to reach the new heights of innovation still evident in the project today.
Alongside these commercial partners, we helped to establish and provide financial sponsorship to the Somerfield Community Social Club, an organisation committed to fostering community connection amongst residents.
Playing host to events and creating a support network within the community, the social club plays a crucial role in the ongoing success of Somerfield. As of September 2025, the social club has amassed over 2,000 members on its Facebook page.
In 2016, as a result of this successful collaboration and the support of Intrapac, the social club successfully lobbied to local government across multiple issues, resulting in the announcement of relevant funding in the 2016 State Budget.
Somerfield stands as a testament to what can be achieved when vision, innovation, and collaboration come together. From transforming an ecologically degraded site into an award-winning community, to embedding sustainability and social connection at its core, the project reflects Intrapac’s unwavering commitment to creating neighbourhoods that endure.