Town centre master plans judged Australia's best
Council's town centre master plans for Boonah, Beaudesert and Tamborine Mountain have won a national award for excellence in landscape planning.
The master planning project, which forms part of Council's Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages initiative, was recognised by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects at its national awards presentation in Sydney last night.
John Mongard Landscape Architects received the Award of Excellence in the Landscape Planning category for the Vibrant Towns of the Scenic Rim, which surpassed designs submitted by the City of Sydney, City of Perth, City of Adelaide and City of Melbourne.
Mayor Greg Christensen said the award was a great accolade for the town centre master planning process undertaken in the communities of Boonah, Beaudesert and Tamborine Mountain and a major coup for the Scenic Rim region.
The awards citation said Vibrant Towns of the Scenic Rim "highlights the pathways to achieve long term sustainable, people-oriented and economically viable places within one of Australia’s most picturesque regions".
"Taking an approach that considers the value of these towns on both their individual merit, and importantly the collective whole, the plan unfolds as an experiential journey that explores the character and life of each town. With community engagement playing a central role in the project, the plan reveals the history, culture and scenic amenity that make these places real."
Cr Christensen commended landscape architect John Mongard and his team for their latest achievement, which follows the Queensland award for Excellence in Landscape Planning in June.
"John has worked with Council and the Scenic Rim community since late 2015 to develop master plans for our largest town centres," he said
"This process of consultation and engagement to frame a long-term vision for the look and feel of the three communities has been a significant undertaking. To have the result of this work recognised as the best in Queensland and now Australia is outstanding."
Cr Christensen said Council had allocated more than $1.5 million in its 2017-18 Budget to continue the delivery of town centre projects as part of its Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages initiative.
"I'm excited about the delivery of the next stage of transformative projects in this process: a new town square in Boonah and the Village Greens at Tamborine Mountain, where construction will commence on the revitalisation of the Main Street precinct in coming weeks," he said.
"Our long-term commitment to the Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages initiative will ultimately provide both an economic and social dividend to our communities. It will help to create liveable communities and, in doing so, provide a magnet for commercial and retail activity.
"Importantly, it addresses key elements of the shared Community Plan vision for the region - developing vibrant towns and villages and supporting a sustainable and prosperous economy."
Village Greens, Main Street, Tamborine Mountain