Environmentally-Sensitive Practices

• The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives presented the City an award for completing the Planning and Review component of the Cities for Climate Protection Plus program. The City was one of the first in Australia to complete all five milestones of the initial Climate Protection Australia program.
• The City has a state-of-the-art irrigation monitoring system which has won a prestigious Western Australian Water Award.
• Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre is an innovative centre showcasing the latest in renewable energy technologies and sustainable building design.

Enhancement Of The Landscape

• The City has won a number of engineering awards in relation to streetscape design and construction.
• Management Plans have been prepared to provide the City with a five-year program for the long-term protection, conservation and restoration of all wetlands and reserves.
• A Foreshore Restoration Strategy is to minimise erosion damage, restore native vegetation, control and eradicate invasive introduced plants, provide habitat, facilitate recreational use and increase community awareness of foreshore management issues.

Heritage Management

• The Melville Historic Framework documents a detailed municipal inventory of 72 historically-significant places within the City.
• Heathcote Cultural Precinct, on the site of the former Heathcote Mental Reception Home, is now a heritage-listed public open space, featuring a museum and contemporary gallery, a tertiary education campus, various community facilities including a Toy Library and Playgroup, and a world-class restaurant.

Community Sustainability

• The City has a Community Engagement Framework and Resident Perception Surveys are regularly carried out.

• Melville Visions – the largest consultation ever undertaken by the City – allowed residents and business owners to ‘have their say’ on its future.
• The City was one of only two Australian cities to be involved in the United Nations World Health Organisation Age-Friendly Cities Project.
• More than $150,000 in City funds is distributed annually to its community groups for innovative community programs and activities.

Healthy Lifestyles

• The City won the People category for its Human Resources practices at the 2009 Australian Business Excellence Awards.
• The City has more recreation facilities per head of population then any other local community in Western Australia.
• A Disability Access and Inclusion Plan ensures people with disabilities have the same opportunities as others.

Planning For The Future

• The Community Wellbeing Survey found 96 per cent of residents are satisfied with their overall quality of life, 94 per cent proud to live in the area and 89 per cent would like to stay in their neighbourhood for many years to come.
• The Local Planning Strategy provides a long-term vision for sustainable planning that integrates diverse issues such as: residential densities, activity centres and corridors, community hubs, multi-nodal transport oriented hubs, transport corridors, environmental resources, and housing diversity.