Scenic Rim’s excellence in planning celebrated at awards presentation

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Members of Council's Strategic Planning Team at the awards presentation

Scenic Rim Regional Council's foresight and its vision for the region’s growth was celebrated at the Planning Institute of Australia’s 2022 Awards for Planning Excellence Queensland on Friday night. 

The Strategic Planning Project Award for Excellence was awarded to the draft Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy 2041 and recognises an outstanding strategic planning project, which includes regional plans, structure plans, master plans, infrastructure plans and planning schemes. 

Presented to projects that demonstrate vision and innovation, the award recognises projects that foster efficient and effective outcomes, are genuinely strategic, provide leadership, are responsive to need, improve spatial outcomes and are deliverable. 

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen encouraged Council's Strategic Planning team to 'take a well-earned bow' following the announcement of the award win. 

"This is great recognition for the dedication and professionalism of this team," he said. 

"This award is an acknowledgement that the Growth Management Strategy is a strategic planning document which demonstrates innovation through the development of a framework for the sustainable management of growth for the region to 2041.  

"It also recognises that it provides a benchmark, exemplar document that can be utilised by other councils to develop similar growth management strategies to guide the development of growth, particularly within regional areas, and provides for a range of planning considerations to be addressed.” 

The Growth Management Strategy was prepared and offered for community consultation within 18 months. 

This validates the model of excellence in guiding future actions and measures needed to implement the strategic growth management outcomes of the Scenic Rim, which is facing unique development pressures compared with many other more urbanised local governments in South East Queensland. 

“Community consultation on the draft Growth Management Strategy has been invaluable in gaining an understanding of concerns which helped in refining the proposed growth strategies and their implementation,” Mayor Christensen said.    

“Council is grateful to everyone who has participated in consultation, which has been vital in shaping the direction of the growth for our region and welcomes the feedback of the community during this final period of public review.    

"What an amazing acknowledgement of the comprehensive process followed by the team and Council's genuine commitment to engage with our community members on matters important to them." 

The Strategic Planning team led the development of the Growth Management Strategy and developed the growth strategies and consultation report, while PSA Consulting provided project guidance and input into the methodology and were supported by Bull & Bear Economics who prepared the Housing Needs and Employment Land Assessment. 

The award win will see the Growth Management Strategy elevated to the National Awards for Planning Excellence and gives Council a 'hat-trick' of acknowledgments in the past three weeks. 

During this time, it has won the Outdoor Queensland Award - Government Achievement Award Winner for the EmpowHER Hiking Program, a silver award at the 2022 Queensland Tourism Awards - Excellence in Tourism for its Eat Local Week and Local Food Movement, and now the 2022 Awards for Planning Excellence Queensland - Strategic Planning Project Winner for the Draft Growth Management Strategy.  

"Such recognition makes a strong statement that demonstrates another example of our high-performing teams and Council's commitment to sustainable growth," Mayor Christensen said. 

More information: 

The updated final draft Scenic Rim Growth Management Strategy 2041 and the community consultation report can be accessed via Council’s Let's Talk online community engagement platform, letstalk.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/  Feedback can be provided directly to the Division Councillors ahead of the Ordinary Meeting to be held on 22 November 2022 that will consider the final draft, or by emailing mail@scenicrim.qld.gov.au  

Residents who provided feedback on the draft Growth Management Strategy will receive correspondence with a unique reference number to identify how their submissions have been addressed in the consultation report.