Alexandrina Council has taken out a national planning award for its Village Conversations program, demonstrating excellence for Stakeholder Engagement.

The win was one of only two for South Australian councils, announced at the Planning Institute of Australia’s national awards held on Wednesday 24 May.

Village Conversations was recognised for its thorough community engagement to achieve positive change in the regional council area.

The program conducted a series of community meetings, drop-in sessions and events in each of Alexandrina’s townships to enable hyper-local communication.

It aimed for the voices heard throughout the Village Conversations to provide a foundation to develop Village Innovation Plans for each of the eight localities by 2024.

The council says the program demonstrates its commitment to create a liveable, green and connected Alexandrina.

State Planning Minister Nick Champion says Adelaide is internationally recognised as one of the most liveable cities in the world and leads the way in planning reform.

“I congratulate the South Australian Councils who were nominated and recognised at the national awards for their community-driven work.”

Details of all Village Conversations can be found on the Alexandrina Council website.

Salisbury Council was the other South Australian council to win an award