Byron Shire Council is pleased to announce that the Federal Village Masterplan has won a prestigious IAP2 Australasia Core Values Award for Excellence in Community Engagement.
The national award recognises the outstanding efforts of the Federal community and Council to deliver a truly community-led planning process that enhanced civic participation and collaboration. The awards were announced at the Engagement Institute conference held in Melbourne last week.
"The idea was to get the community involved right from the start – owning the project and driving the project, collaborating with Council staff as needed," Council's Director Sustainable Environment and Economy, Shannon Burt said.
"Federal was the first village in Byron Shire to lead their own masterplanning process from the ground up and they did it through the formation of a community Steering Group which empowered residents to shape the future they wanted to see," Ms Burt said.
"Despite challenges including COVID-19 and the 2022 floods, the community remained engaged and committed, leading to the plan's adoption by Council in December 2022.
"Our sincere congratulations to Steering Group Chair Alan Goldstein for his project leadership and to all Steering Group members for their tireless work, which resulted in the final masterplan presenting 15 practical actions, each scoped and tested for community support," Ms Burt said.
"The Federal Village Masterplan is a great example of how a deliberative process can be used to harness the power of local leadership and collaboration," she said.
