Redland City’s Priority Development Area projects have received their second major accolade from the Queensland planning industry in as many weeks.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said the exciting waterfront projects at Toondah Harbour and Weinam Creek had won an Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Wildcard Award at the state awards on Friday night.
“This award is fantastic news and shows that these projects are not only exciting for Redland city residents but they are also recognised as leading the way on a state-wide stage,” she said.
“This UDIA award follows a commendation from the Planning Institute of Australia only two weeks ago for excellence in public engagement and community planning.
“These awards recognize the effort put into informing and engaging with the community and industry on the Priority Development Areas and show that they will create a positive legacy for the community.”
Cr Williams said the UDIA Wildcard Award category was for innovative projects that contribute to the environment and community.
“This award had a list of very high calibre entrants and recognised the team’s use of Australia-first 3D visualisation technology through a downloadable app that allowed users to appreciate the scale, design and overall vision for both precincts,” she said.
“This cutting edge technology was part of the project team’s engagement strategy that ensured the community and industry could understand the opportunities that both sites offered.
“Council and the Government 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.
“Council and Economic Development Queensland officers involved in this process can be proud that their commitment, professionalism and ingenuity have been recognised by leading industry bodies.
“These projects have achieved Queensland wide recognition twice, and we are yet to start construction, so the real excitement is still to come.
“All this is helping pave the way for the transformation of two run-down transport terminals into vibrant marine precincts which will be drawcards for locals and visitors alike while retaining their primary focus of being community gateways to Moreton Bay.
“The end result will be two magnificent waterfront precincts that we can be proud of.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said he welcomed industry recognition of these two great Priority Development Areas.
“I congratulate Redland City Council for recognising the tourism and development potential of these two sites and working with Economic Development Queensland within my department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning to make them happen,” he said.
“Our government promised at the election to deliver better infrastructure and planning and Priority Development Areas such as Toondah Harbour and Weinam Creek are strong examples of our policies at work in cities, towns and suburbs across Queensland.”