Eshita presenting the Guildford Laneway project at the Melbourne Engagement Conference before receiving the award.

Cumberland City Council receives its first IAP2 Core Values Award for Community Development at the 2024 Engagement Conference.

Cumberland City Council has taken home its first ever IAP2 Core Values Award — a milestone that reflects years of genuine community-centred practice. The win recognises the Guildford Laneway upgrade, delivered as part of Transport for NSW’s Safer Cities: Her Way program, and I couldn’t be prouder of my former team. This project brought together Community Engagement, Place Activation, Economic Development, and Smart Places in a true whole-of-organisation effort, supported by our fantastic partners at CRED Consulting and the original team members who’ve since moved on.

This project remains one of my favourites from my time at Cumberland. It was community-centred, creatively delivered, and powered by a genuine whole-of-organisation approach — bringing together Community Engagement, Place Activation, Economic Development, and Smart Places. Our collaboration with CRED Consulting added even more strength, insight, and heart to the process, and I’m grateful to the original project team members who’ve since moved on but left a real legacy in the work.

It was also my introduction to walkshops — an incredibly effective, hands-on way of connecting with people in the places they actually use. CRED led the way beautifully, and Ivana, Eliza, Erica and I threw ourselves into those walkshops and pop-ups with gusto. Hearing directly from residents across all three suburbs and then watching their ideas shape the design was one of the true highlights of the project.

Seeing Eshita present our work at the Engagement Conference in Melbourne before accepting the award was a moment of real pride. This win is so well deserved. Congratulations to everyone involved — it was a privilege to contribute to such a bold, creative, and community-driven project.

Guildford Laneway mural

Cumberland’s Back to Guildford Festival was recognised earlier this year at the Place Leaders Asia Pacific Awards, receiving a commendation in the Placemaking for Prosperity category. The return of this much-loved community event – after two decades away – delivered a strong boost for local businesses and helped reignite pride in the town centre. I was proud to play a part in delivering the festival and being there on the day, and I’m delighted to congratulate the Place and Economy team on this well-earned award.

In November 2024, the Westmead Master Plan Engagement project received a Highly Commended award in the Stakeholder Engagement category at the Planning Institute of Australia’s NSW Awards for Planning Excellence. I was part of the engagement team at Cumberland City Council during this project, and it was a real privilege to be there on the night as the work was recognised.

The SMART Cumberland Program was also acknowledged with a Highly Commended award in the Technology and Digital Innovation category – a great reflection of the talent, creativity and collaboration across the Place and Economy and Urban Strategy and Planning teams.

Image: PIA NSW Awards for Planning Excellence 2024 – official event photography.

Cumberland Staff at the PIA NSW Awards 2024