Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island councils took out five awards and two commendations at the Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) 2024 State Awards for Planning Excellence.

Alexandrina Council’s Michael Jaensch was named SA Young Planner of the Year and it also won the Stakeholder Engagement Award for the Community Coastal Flood Emergency Plan for the Goolwa and Mundoo Channel Communities Project.

Stage One of the City of Victor Harbor’s The Bluff Master Plan won the award for Community Wellbeing and Diversity. The Great Place award went to the District Council of Yankalilla for the new Normanville Surf Life Saving Club. Kangaroo Island Council took out the Climate Change and Resilience award for its project, Preparing Kangaroo Island: A Whole- of-Island Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Plan.

Alexandrina council also received a Climate Change and Resilience commendations for the Community Coastal Flood Emergency Plan for the Goolwa and Mundoo Channel Communities Project and a Strategic Planning commendation for its Heritage Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030.

The PIA State Awards highlight planning excellence in South Australia and were announced at a presentation ceremony held in Adelaide on Friday 29 November.

Alexandrina Council Acting CEO Tash Hunt says the awards and commendations were worthy recognition of the challenging work of the council’s planning and environment teams.

“Alexandrina is a region experiencing significant growth. Our planning team handles a significant workload, processing over 1,000 development applications a year, making us one of the busiest regional councils in the State,” she says.

“The team is also working through 16 Code Amendments, eight initiated by private landowners and a further five led by the state government.

“Our planning and environment teams work incredibly hard to achieve the best outcomes for our community, making sure the development of our built environment aligns with our strategic vision.

“To have one member named SA Young Planner of the Year is a great honour for us as a council and a fitting recognition of the hard work and passion Michael has for his work as a Town Planner.

City of Victor Harbor Mayor Moira Jenkins says the low-impact enhancement promotes The Bluff as an area of high cultural and ecological value.

“From the dreaming artwork to the intentional upcycling of materials, the first stage of The Bluff Master Plan highlights Council’s commitment to cultural diversity and protection of our natural environment.

“The Bluff is an important Victor Harbor landmark, and the upgrades invite visitors – local or otherwise – to stay a while, take in the view and experience the magic of this coastal environment.”

Full details of the PIA 2024 Awards for Planning Excellence, are on its website.

Michael Jaensch, SA Young Planner of the Year.