PLA National Awards Finalists 2025

Clarence Valley Council

The Clarence Regional Aquatic Centre is the heart of the community, replacing the former Grafton Olympic Pool which was over 60 years old. A new facility which meets the needs of the community was required. Planning commenced in 2016 with community engagement, masterplanning, detailed design and concluded with the construction of a new state of the art facility which includes an outdoor 50m pool and 600 seat grandstand, an indoor 25m heated pool, a combined heated indoor program and leisure pool, a splash pad, accessible amenities and parents room as well as landscaped areas.

Melton City Council

The Diggers Rest Recreation Reserve Redevelopment is a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility designed to support sports clubs and the broader community. It features gender-equitable, fully accessible, and environmentally sustainable design, promoting inclusivity and climate resilience.

SPORTENG

SPORTENG helped St Joseph’s College upgrade its sports facilities to support the growing student population and sporting excellence. The new precinct features durable surfaces for sports like football, rugby, and athletics, providing year-round access for students and local clubs. The multi-use space also hosts community events, promoting active lifestyles and local connections.

SPORTENG

SPORTENG played a key role in the redevelopment of Brennan Oval at Peninsula Grammar, creating a high-quality sporting facility to meet the needs of both students and the local community. The facility supports elite athletic performance and offers space for sports such as athletics and soccer. With its state-of-the-art features, including an organic infill synthetic soccer field, the facility also promotes sustainability. It is designed to host regional and state-level competitions, providing opportunities for local teams and helping all athletes develop their potential.

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Overseen by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), the Victorian Government’s ‘More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West’ program seeks to plant 500,000 trees in Melbourne’s west, creating cooler spaces for communities to enjoy for generations. This $11.95 million initiative provides shade, green spaces, and reduces pollution, urban heat, and improves air quality. The program contributes to Victoria’s world-leading emissions reduction targets, supporting the goal of net zero emissions by 2045.

Tweed Shire Council

The Jack Evans Boat Harbour Precinct in Tweed Heads is a vibrant 4.3-hectare space that blends recreation, tourism, culture, and nature. Serving as the gateway to Northern NSW, this popular destination offers locals and visitors a wide range of activities, including leisurely strolls, family gatherings, water recreation, community events, and cultural engagement. At the heart of the precinct lies the newly upgraded Central Swim Park, a dynamic community space set against the stunning backdrop of Tweed City Centre. Although occupying just a small corner of the 2.3 km sheltered shoreline, it has

Campbelltown City Council

City of Tea Tree Gully

The Reconciliation Walk is a unique reconciliation experience along the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri, linking Kaurna Country with the Cities of Tea Tree Gully and Campbelltown. This 1.2km trail encourages the community and visitors to walk on Country while engaging with local Kaurna Elders via video, where cultural knowledge is shared. By blending storytelling with technology, the trail promotes cultural tourism and strengthens local connections to Aboriginal heritage. Co-designed with Kaurna Elders and developed by two Councils, it exemplifies authentic and respectful collaboration.

Sutherland Shire Council

The $6.2 million Engadine Active Sports Youth Precinct and All-Abilities Playground is a master-planned initiative designed to modernise and enhance recreational opportunities in the Sutherland Shire, providing inclusive recreation and play opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. It offers a state-of-the-art inclusive playspace with a grand bespoke accessible treetop walk; inclusive play equipment designed for sight-impaired or non-verbal play participants; accessible plaza-style skating area, pump track, parkour course, fitness course, bike repair station, set within a large gras

Moir Studio

Harold Gregson Reserve exemplifies exceptional public space development, transforming a complex site into a thriving community hub. Maitland City Council’s strategic vision and Moir Studio’s innovative design seamlessly integrated site remediation with ecological sustainability, creating a place that truly reflects local needs. The reserve offers diverse amenities for recreation and social connection. It is a space where memories are made and community bonds flourish.

Cumberland City Council

This Strategic Masterplan outlines the project vision, principles, and design strategies for the Prospect Pipeline Corridor, establishing a framework in which to enable Council to engage with the local community, key stakeholders, to inform detailed design and feasibility studies, and to support funding applications. The vision for the Corridor is to enhance the established corridor in the west, whilst extending connections in the east utilising a portion of the water pipeline corridor, to provide recreational linkages for pedestrians and cyclists to nearby parklands and town centres.

Orange City Council

A bespoke designed playground, reusing materials and structures of the original Orange Adventure Playground, exemplifies the Orange communities' vision for an accessible, unique, rewarding and safe play space that carries a story and continues a legacy

TERRAS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

The Newcastle South Skate Park and Foreshore Promenade are key components of the City of Newcastle’s ambitious fifteen-year initiative to create a continuous coastal pathway connecting the iconic beaches of Merewether, Dixon Park, Bar Beach, Newcastle, and Nobbys. As a flagship project of the Coastal Revitalisation program, this initiative enhances accessibility and connectivity, community facilities, active play and passive recreation while celebrating Newcastle’s stunning coastline.

City Parklands

The Enchanted Garden is Brisbane’s premier immersive lighting experience, held annually at Roma Street Parkland and produced by City Parklands during the festive season. In 2024, the event showcased the park’s natural beauty, illuminated by stunning lights, while a one-of-a-kind soundscape filled the air, creating a magical atmosphere. Attendees were captivated by the new storyline of fairies Willow and Marigold, as they danced through each event zone guiding attendees with a touch of Christmas magic enhancing the night’s wonder and excitement.

City of Newcastle

The creation of the new inclusive playspace at Hamilton’s historic Gregson Park. The new playspace includes equipment for a range of ages and abilities. The playspace provides a combination of traditional and nature based play elements including traditional Indigenous elements including a yarning circle and a bush tucker garden. The playspace is complemented by an upgraded, accessible amenities building and new covered picnic and BBQ area.

Belgravia Leisure

The MOVE IT CANBERRA! campaign takes a comprehensive, 360° approach to achieving health and wellbeing outcomes, demonstrating how short-term events can create lasting impacts for everyone in the community.

Twin Fin Consulting

Data Consulting

Lake Macquarie City Council

Coastal Visitation Analytics – Enhancing Public Safety & Recreation Management Twin Fin Consulting is at the forefront of data-driven decision-making in coastal safety and recreational planning. Our groundbreaking Coastal Visitation Analytics Project, developed in collaboration with Data Consulting and Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC), leverages People Movement Data (PMD) to provide unprecedented insights into beach visitation trends, safety risks, and resource management. Using anonymized GPS data from mobile devices, this innovative approach allows councils to accurately measure visitation

City of Armadale

Piara Waters Library is a $9.3 million state of the art facility, in the Western Australian suburb of Piara Waters. Piara Waters Library was funded with $8.3 million from the City of Armadale (City) and $1 million from the WA Government, through the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries (DLGSC)Piara Waters Library is located at 352 Wright Road, Piara Waters, and will be open seven days a week. The library will serve a population of 35,000 people and nine schools in the suburbs of Piara Waters and Harrisdale.

City of Greater Dandenong - Festivals and Events

Keysborough's Big Picnic, a free community event delivered by Festivals and Events team at City of Greater Dandenong, leverage Frederick Wachter Reserves facilities by bringing together 7,500+ attendees, promoting liveability, celebrating diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability. It demonstrated outstanding outcomes in community engagement, access, and environmental sustainability, making it an exemplary model for community based initiative.

Cumberland City Council

Connecting Canal Road Park is a transformative project centered on connection—linking people, place, and culture. An upgraded playspace and new outdoor learning space connected by a new shared pathway provide enhance play, accessibility, recreation, and engagement with nature while embedding cultural storytelling.

Bass Coast Shire Council

Emerge Associates

Graydens Reserve Newhaven is the gateway to Phillip Island providing recreation opportunities to the 547 residents and visitors. The innovative master plan deals with regional level challenges and a hostile community, on a small budget. Creating an accessible, multi-use ball space, modern playspace and beginner level skate park for the whole community to enjoy. At the same time using creative solutions to minimising the potential loss of open green space from the proposed road re-alignment adjoining the Reserve.

Brisbane City Council

Bligh Tanner

Victoria Park is transforming into an iconic parkland with something for everyone. The Victoria Park / Barrambin Urban Pump Track is a community-driven haven for all ages. Its innovative design, inclusive features and sustainable materials create a vibrant hub for active lifestyles, boosting social connection and the local economy.

Ascot Vale Leisure Centre

Using a range of targeted programs Ascot Vale Leisure Centre has proved that you don't need a new facility to make a huge impact on your community, on your team and on the environment.

City of Parramatta

The Dixon Park Escarpment Lookout offers a transformative experience for visitors, providing an accessible and unique vantage point overlooking the Parramatta River, the vibrant Central Business District, the new Powerhouse Museum, Parramatta Quay, and the breathtaking sunset views. This project creates an invaluable connection between the community and the natural environment, allowing people to engage with the landscape in an innovative and meaningful way. The design team adopted a “light touch” approach, carefully considering the site’s challenges and environmental values. This thoughtful

Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

Arcadia Landscape Architecture

Nandi Reserve, a 12.24-hectare bushland site off Wakehurst Parkway, Frenchs Forest, has been revitalised under the NSW Government’s Parks for People Program. Shaped by community feedback, the upgrades created new pathways and opportunities to improve connection through nature. These include new walking trails, creek crossings and new nature play spaces, as well as areas to sit and rest, all while having minimal impact to the ecology of the natural environment.

Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

The Adventurous Spaces Guideline champions inclusive, engaging spaces. It navigates cost, land use, and community attitudes, offering invaluable research, inspiring case studies, and practical advice for creating skateparks, pump tracks, mountain bike trails, and dynamic skills parks. It embraces a ‘people, place, purpose’ approach to transforming overlooked, undervalued public spaces.