Redland City Council and Economic Development Queensland received two major planning awards in November in recognition of the project work for the two Priority Development Area projects at Cleveland’s Toondah Harbour and Redland Bay’s Weinam Creek.

The two Priority Development Area projects were judged the best for any Queensland-based project by the Planning Institute of Australia (QLD).

The commendation for Excellence in Public Engagement and Community Planning recognised the efforts of Council and Economic Development Queensland in communicating the plans for the billion-dollar waterfront precinct projects to the community.

Council and EDQ have been committed to ensuring the community and industry have been properly and meaningfully involved in helping shape these vital transport hubs.

The community consultation process saw more than 2000 people engaged with their feedback helping to inform the final planning schemes for the projects.

The Priority Development Area projects were also winners of a second major accolade at the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Wildcard state awards for innovative projects that contribute to the environment and community.

Both awards acknowledged the team’s use of Australian-first 3D visualisation technology through a downloadable app that allowed users to appreciate the scale, design and overall vision for both precincts.

This cutting edge technology was part of the project team’s comprehensive community engagement strategy that also used traditional engagement methods such as face-to-face meetings and a survey of the Redlands community, so that broad community perceptions and attitudes towards developing these key economic areas could be fully understood.