Boral wins award for community consultation in Tasmania
Boral’s proactive community engagement to manage potential noise complaints during the construction of its Launceston concrete plant has been recognised with an industry award.
Boral received the Cement Concrete & Aggregate Association’s Tasmanian Innovation Award for Community Engagement for developing a communication plan to engage with all local residents prior to and during construction.
The award is presented to a company that develops community engagement initiatives such as informing and educating residents via site open days, community brochures, surveys and meetings and improving site amenity for the local neighbourhood.
Construction of the new Launceston plant required nearly 120 timber piles of about 30 meters in length to be driven into the ground raising the potential for Boral and the City of Launceston to receive negative community reaction and noise complaints.
Boral Tasmania General Manager Gary Chapman said a communication plan was developed to engage with all local residents to combat any anticipated community issues.
“The plan was very inclusive and tackled the issue head-on,” Gary said. “We sent a monthly newsletter to all local residents advising on the construction progress and subsequently more than 300 residents were invited to attend the official opening.
“We received mainly positive feedback during the construction process and residents appreciated being kept informed. If members of the community had a concern then a contact number and email address meant that the responses could be centralised and communicated uniformly and effectively. It also made it easier for both the community and the business to manage communication.”
Boral Tasmania is now a finalist in the biennial CCAA National Innovation Awards to be held at the Construction Materials Industry Conference in 2020.
Pictured above: Tasmanian Minister for Resources, Building and Construction, Sarah Courtney, presenting Boral Tasmania General Manager Gary Chapman with the award in Hobart on May 24.