The “Brooklyn Evolution” project won in the “Hard Won Victory” category at the Planning Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Planning Excellence.
The Hard Won Victory Award
This award is for a planning initiative, effort or leadership that has resulted in positive planning outcomes in the face of difficult or trying circumstances.
Winner: The Brooklyn Evolution Project
Project Team: Brimbank City Council, Meinhardt, MGS and EPA Victoria
State: Victoria
This nomination ticks all the boxes. It is a clear demonstration of collaboration between a range of important stakeholders following significant community pressure to improve the quality of the local environment. This example is a clear illustration of using the planning system to achieve an outcome in the face of the community having felt let down by the planning system in the first instance. A hard won victory is not simply about what is achieved, but the process that is undertaken to attain it. The Brimbank City Council, in partnership with its community, Victorian government agencies and adjacent councils has provided an exemplar of turning community confidence in planning around through participation, ownership and shared vision.