19 March 2014 — Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has taken out the Planning Champion Award at the 2014 National Awards for Planning Excellence for his work on urban infill development.
Western Australia was well represented, with Perth’s Forrest Place and Cockburn Central also winning gongs.
The awards, held on Tuesday night in Sydney by the Planning Institute of Australia, recognised the top planning projects of the year across Australia.
Senator Ludlam took out the award for his collaborative work with the WA Property Council on one of Perth’s most controversial planning issues: infill housing.
Senator Ludlam and the Property Council are calling for urban infill development in seven key transport corridors, including Charles Street, Fitzgerald Street, Scarborough Beach Road and Stirling Highway.
The judges of the awards said Senator Ludlam, who is the Greens spokesman on sustainable cities, infrastructure, housing and communications , was as one of the most progressive, collaborative and prolific champions for better planning in Australia’s cities.
His other planning achievements included the WA 2.0 project, a light rail plan for Perth and Bike vision 2029.
- See more on Senator Ludlam’s achievements in our Sustainability Salon for Perth and WA, in which he was a guest of The Fifth Estate.
Western Australia took out another two awards on the night, with Perth’s Forrest Place winning the Australia’s Great Place Award and Cockburn Central winning the From Plan to Place Award.
The redevelopment of Forrest Place was cited as a well designed and high quality public space, which created an intimate relationship with its surrounding environment and achieved a significant level of interaction with the Perth community.
Examples of this interaction include water labyrinths, the GPO refurbishment and permanent stage and shade structures that are home to multiple shows throughout the culture and arts festival season.
Cockburn Central was cited as a successful infill development in Perth’s southern corridor, and as a vibrant urban village providing a variety of recreation, retail and commercial opportunities in higher-density residential living.
The judges noted that Cockburn Central was integrated with major public transport facilities, offering the convenience of contemporary living mixed with sustainable development.
“When a great place, a good development or the creation of open urban space is awarded, people in the community can see what good planning is all about,” PIA president Dyan Currie said.
“The awards don’t just help planning colleagues become aware of each other’s work, they help planning to connect with the community.”
The Fifth Estate is currently preparing part 2 of our “Greening The West” ebook series, which will feature sustainable development projects in WA being planned, constructed and recently completed.
Interested parties should email editorial@thefifthestate.com.au for further information on how to be involved, or advertising@thefifthestate.com.au for sponsorship opportunities.
The full list of winners:
- Planner of the Year: Alexander Rix, SA
- Outstanding Achievement by a Young Planner: Tim Sneesby, NSW
- Planning Champion Award: Senator Scott Ludlam, WA
- Hall of Fame Award: Associate Professor Phil Heywood, QLD
- Improving Planning Processes and Practices Award: State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA), Queensland (Department of State Development Infrastructure and Planning, Regional Services Group, and Planning and Property Group)
- Public Engagement and Community Planning Award: North West Rail – Stakeholder and Community Engagement, NSW (Transport for NSW)
- Promotion of Planning Award: The State of Australian Cities Reports (2010–2013), ACT (Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development)
- The Great Place Award: Redevelopment of Forrest Place, WA (City of Perth, Woodhead, PlanE, BG&E)
- Outstanding Student Project: Browns Plains Centre Strategic Plan 2033, QLD (Jessica Crane, Christina Hill, Michelle Squires, Hayden Gianarakis, Brylee English, Genevieve Denny – The University of Queensland)
- Cutting Edge Research and Teaching Award: South East Coastal Adaptation (SECA) – Coastal Urban Futures in South East Australia, ACT (University of Canberra, ANU and University of Wollongong)
- From Plan to Place Award: Cockburn Central, WA (LandCorp, Cardno, Urbis)
- Hard Won Victory Award: Blackwood Street Affordable Housing, QLD (Brisbane Housing Company (BHC), Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants)
- Best Planning Ideas Award – Small: Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Planning Scheme, QLD (Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council, Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants, AECOM, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs)
- Best Planning Ideas Award – Large: Newcastle Urban Renewal Strategy, NSW (NSW Planning and Infrastructure, City of Newcastle Council)