Council wins Climate Change and Resilience Award

Penrith City Council was named winner of the Climate Change and Resilience Award at the recent 2022 Planning Institute Australia - NSW Awards for Planning Excellence!

The award recognises projects and initiatives that provide outstanding leadership and/or innovation that makes a positive impact on addressing climate change and can be held up as a case study of best practice for the planning profession.

Penrith’s City Planning team earned this accolade for its Urban Heat Planning Controls Package, Council’s proactive plans to reduce urban heat impacts from the urban environment to provide our community with a liveable, active and healthy lifestyle throughout summer.

Penrith sees high temperatures during summer and the Urban Heat Planning Controls Package forms part of Council’s ongoing commitment to cool the city and make it a more comfortable place to be, for our residents, visitors and businesses.

The Urban Heat Planning Controls Package adopts a two-pronged approach; introducing a new local provision in the Penrith Local Environment Plan 2010 to ensure the mitigation of the urban heat island effect is a major consideration for development, and a new Urban Heat Chapter in the Penrith Development Control Plan 2014 with controls included to mitigate the impacts of urban heat and cool the city.

These controls apply to all urban, village and environmental living zones and specify a range of planning and design measures for new development, to cool Penrith’s buildings and outdoor spaces, by improving building design, landscaping, tree canopy and water, introducing cool colours and materials, and optimising mechanical ventilation and cooling.

Find out more about Penrith City Council’s Urban Heat Planning Controls Package here: https://yoursaypenrith.com.au/urbanheat