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MASTERPLAN NT OUR VALUES We strive to always provide our clients with honest and reliable advice in the pursuit of balanced, well considered, practical planning outcomes. We are constantly working on developing a culture and workplace that enables staff to perform their work ethically and efficiently, which encourages a professional environment for personal development and growth. The aims of the business are not driven by numbers but outcomes that benefit client needs, professionalism in the service provided and the relationships that we build. In satisfying our principles of value, we strive to succeed and grow as an enterprise and be regarded as the markets first choice for the services we provide.
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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES CO M
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CO MasterPlan’s symbol reflects our commitment to balancing our actions with the needs of the community. We do this by recognising the connection between town and country and the human elements that create the bridges or links in our environment.
We share our rural areas, our suburbs, our workplaces, our open spaces and our infrastructure. We need to do this in a balanced and purposeful way taking into account the environment, economic progress and the needs of the community.
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A LOOK BACK IN TIME The company was born in 1977 by the late Commissioner Brian Turner. 1 From that gestation Geof Bone and Simon Tonkin built Bone & Tonkin Planners 2 and in the late 90’s remastered the enterprise as MasterPlan and relocated to Carrington Street. 3 Graham Burns was brought into the team back from the Northern Territory and became a valued director in 2001. 4 The new millennium brought opportunity for the willing to innovate and progress. MasterPlan seized upon these chances to excel and develop and introduced Greg Vincent into the management team. 5 MasterPlan then took on the Northern Territory boldly during times when the economy for some was confronting and MasterPlan now boasts a formidable team in Darwin serving Northern Australia an area of about 40% of our magnificent country. 6
Again MasterPlan has challenged convention by opening its doors in May 2016 at our Queensland base in Teneriffe Brisbane. 7 More recently, Michael Richardson joined the executive as a director in 2017 8, whilst born and raised Territorian Jack Priestley deservedly became NT manager. 9 MasterPlan’s influence also extends to West Australia, New South Wales and Victoria with some significant and complex projects. Most importantly, this history and background has been created on the people that innovate, reinforce and build on our culture and vision and those we serve, our clients.
LOGO EVOLUTION
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OUR FAVOURITE MOMENTS
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We have been helping a client who wants to create a separate title for an existing Dependent Accommodation Unit in the form of a Community Title. Our client, a retiree lives alone in her long time family home. Her husband passed away more than 10 years ago and she has rented the rear portion of her home out since that time to supplement her retirement income. She has been living on a relatively tight budget given the ongoing increases in the cost of living and has an opportunity to sell the existing Dependent Accommodation Unit at the rear of her dwelling to her tenant. This would be a nice top-up to her Superannuation without the need to leave her family home. Unfortunately, the Council staff were of the view that the land division was not an “orderly form of development” as it included some intricate common property and rights of way to accommodate the retrofit of an existing dwelling. They recommended to the Planning Panel that the application be refused.
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We were fortunate that the Panel’s Presiding Member offered us an opportunity to address the Panel on the night. Following our description of the proposal and our reference to the clear provisions contained within the planning scheme regarding opportunities for affordable housing and a range of residential accommodation to suit all members of the community, the Panel determined unanimously to support the proposal. Whilst it is not one of our more glamorous projects, it was a really great outcome for our client and one that makes you feel good to be a Planner!
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BMW drive day! A result of bidding with Gusto for the Sammy D Foundation. Driving cars well out of my budget through the Adelaide Hills was incredible. The lunch at Maxwell Estate was delicious and I certainly could not complain with a superb bottle of red wine as a gift at the days end. It was a great day to interact with co-workers and our friends at Adelaide Motors – many thanks.
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As part of the furniture for 21 years, there have been several MasterPlan moments but as a favourite, I would have to say it was the day we moved into 33 Carrington Street in November 1997. Firstly I remember how great it was to finally have a PC (after working for 18 months without one at Hutt Street) but most of all, I remember how impressive the new offices were at that time with features that were way ahead of their time. The office continues to be updated technologically but the design and function remains, they look as though they have only just been refitted.
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Opening the Darwin office was a big bold step and I reminisced recently whilst celebrating the Company’s 40th year at Char, just as we celebrated the opening of the NT office in 2009. What is most memorable is the energy about the people MasterPlan serves, those with whom we work, share milestones, successes and challenges and the benefits we all receive from the creativity and inventiveness these relationships bring.
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OUR FAVOURITE MOMENTS
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One of my fondest memories as a ‘masterplanner’ relates to a matter in the Hills Face Zone where I managed to overturn and subsequently convert a recommendation for refusal into a unanimous approval despite being told from the outset by the administration that I was wasting our clients’ time and money. The image of the parents embracing and their two sons ‘high fiving’ one another because they finally get to have a swimming pool which overlooks the plains is something that I will never forget, particularly given our clients’ sentimental attachment to the land.
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Coopers is iconic in terms of Australian beer and recreation. The real surprise for me was the technology and the complexity of the process that Coopers employs to create their supreme product. So too, the planning process to expand their existing Brewery to incorporate the malting process on site. My learning curve was steep but never insurmountable and telling the story effectively to the assessing officers was critical and required serious effort. I am really glad the efforts paid off and the works for the malting’s expansion are currently underway and are rapidly taking shape! Cheers!
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A driving persistence by a small sporting club in Robe, regional South Australia has pro duced results well above par and what a game it was! Thankfully the Robe Golf Club’s vision and commitment was a great foundation for me to build the case and win a very hard fought battle. I had very carefully considered and balanced all the issues right from the start and was always prepared to respond to the traps and bunkers laid out before us in the course of the planning process. That preparation paid off and after 15 years the trophy was in our hands. Robe now has an 18 hole golf course.
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One thing I have always admired about MasterPlan as an organisation is that it embraces technology and is constantly searching for new methods to increase productivity and provide greater and better access to information for our clients. I always enjoy receiving the latest and greatest technology, setting it up, testing and generally fooling around with it. I think the most memorable moment was taking receipt of the latest Wacom 27QHD touch tablet which makes my life so much more comfortable and productive.
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In my three years with MasterPlan I have managed to bog the work 4WD twice. Deeply. In two separate, remote locations. Neither with phone reception. It is a testament to the conditions we work in the Northern Territory (rather than my driving ability!).
On both occasions the 4WD eventually became unstuck thanks to the assistance of locals and some blood, sweat, tears and lots of mud. This is truly a testament to the quality of the characters in the Northern Territory.
On both occasions, being bogged was not ideal, but looking back on it, it was hilarious. On one occasion I actually had the landowner with me who advised “she’ll be right it’s not that deep, just go down there!”. After becoming bogged, we left his elderly mother with the vehicle (with water and snacks) and walked the 2k trek back to his house to get his vehicle, only for him to get himself bogged on the return trip before we had even reached the work 4WD! Nevertheless, half a day later both vehicles were out.
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CORPORATE AWARDS 2013 PLANNING INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA BEST PLANNING IDEAS COMMENDATION AWARD COWELL TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN
2015 MINISTERS AWARD ADELAIDE OVAL PROJECT
2016 INSTITUTE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE RIVER AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK
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GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Each year, we flip the pancakes in February to celebrate Pancake Day to help fight poverty and disadvantage.
Our NT manager Jack Priestley participated in the K2D Challenge to help fund sport and recreation programs for people with a disability.
Close to MasterPlan’s heart, Greg and Simon supported Lymphoma Australia in a ride from Canberra to Sydney.
As our charity of choice we have been supporting Variety for over 25 years and will continue to do so.
Queensland manager Linda Henning cycled 317 kilometres to support the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of childhood cancer.
Greg, Michael and Simon form the MasterPlan JDRF team to raise awareness and funds towards Type 1 Diabetes research.
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IMPRESSIONS CELEBRATIONS IN DARWIN
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MasterPlan NT Unit 33, 16 Charlton Court Woolner NT 0820
(08) 8942 2600 plan@masterplan.com.au www.masterplan.com.au