Western Australia’s City of Cockburn was recently recognised at the annual Planning Institute of Australia (WA Division) Awards for Planning Excellence, scoring honours in three categories. Held last November, the awards recognise and acknowledge quality, innovation and excellence in planning.
Located 22 kilometres south of Perth, Cockburn is a major coastal city renowned for its historical and tourism features along with its agriculture and ship building industries.
Council’s Phoenix Revitalisation Strategy was recognised in the awards, receiving the State President’s Award and a certificate of commendation, while the City’s online planning system received an Award for Excellence
Providing a strategic framework for the Phoenix Town Centre, including the surrounding suburbs of Spearwood and Hamilton Hill, the award winning Phoenix Revitalisation Strategy aims to create a central community hub for Cockburn.
Following extensive community consultation, the strategy encompasses the establishment of a cafe strip, new park, residential development, a life learning centre and improvements to Rockingham Road.
The online planning system was introduced to the City of Cockburn website to make it easier for developers and land owners to track the progress of their development applications.
Known as Masterview, the system works in real time by allowing people to search via property or their application details to view specific information such as application status and progress, relevant application documents and property zoning and attributes.
The system also advises if an activity is permitted on a property and supplies information on any necessary development controls and other possible requirements.
City of Cockburn Director of Planning and Development Daniel Arndt said the awards highlight Council’s commitment to effective planning and liaison with the community.
“These awards recognise Cockburn’s commitment to innovative development that is suitable and beneficial to the area, while also acknowledging we are doing our best to make life simple and more convenient for people wanting to lodge a development application within the City.”
