We are thrilled to have been recently recognised for our work by leading industry body, Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) in their annual awards.

The Street Lighting Improvement program in which Council is a partner, won the Engineering Excellence Award for an Environmental Enhancement Project. This program is led by Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils and is a partnership with Ausgrid and 28 other councils. It upgraded street lights on main roads to energy efficient LEDS and smart controls, which optimise maintenance and give the ability for off-peak dimming in the future.

The new lights reduce electricity consumption by 80%, with estimated savings to ratepayers of more than $1.7 million over 10 years and a 3,000-tonne reduction in carbon emissions each year. 

Council also received a Highly Commended Award in the Excellence Awards 1B (civil projects under $5 Million) for our Taylors Point Bank Stabilisation Project.

This project involved the permanent stabilisation of a bank that collapsed following a storm in 2020 and encapsulation of the significant asbestos contamination within the fill material. 

The project was very complex and made more so by all works needed to be undertaken from the Pittwater waterway itself. The project has successfully contained the contamination, stabilised the slope, protecting several private properties and Sydney Water assets and enabled us to address an ongoing environmental issue of sediment run off into Pittwater.

This critical piece of infrastructure overcame a unique set of engineering problems which has resulted in the area being returned to a safe and useable space.