Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy

The Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy was adopted by Council on October 22, 2014. 

The revised strategy seeks to achieve the Council Vision of making Greater Bendigo Australia’s most liveable regional city, together with other pieces of work such as  Connecting Greater Bendigo - Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy . The overarching objective of the strategy is to create healthy and liveable communities. 

Managing growth for community and environmental outcomes

We know that continuing to grow as we have done in the past by creating sprawling car-dependent communities in areas subject to environmental risk is unsustainable, not supported by the community and will not achieve the liveability agenda. 

A new approach is needed where there is greater diversity in housing types, greater choice in transport options and where people can more readily access their daily needs – this is best achieved by promoting a compact city surrounded by a network of well-connected small towns. This new strategy addresses Greater Bendigo’s next 20 years of residential growth and provides a framework for the longer term. 

The focus for new residential growth will be inside the existing defined Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) area and encourage and provide for further residential development of the City’s townships, in particular Marong, Elmore, Axedale and Heathcote. 

Read the: 

• Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy 2014
• Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy Vol 2 - Analysis, Strategy and Implementation 

Watch: 

• Residential Development Strategy – a summary (5 mins)  
• The Residential Development Strategy explained in detail (14 mins) 

Amending the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme to realise strategy outcomes 

The City of Greater Bendigo has adopted Planning Scheme Amendment C215 Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy and has forwarded the documentation to the Minister for Planning for approval.  The timing of this approval is unknown at this stage. 

Among the changes proposed by the amendment are alterations to the Municipal Strategic Statement including a new Clause – Compact Bendigo, strengthening of the Urban Growth Boundary, minor changes to the Urban-Forest Interface Policy and to include the Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy (2014) as a Reference Document within the planning scheme. A number of zoning and overlay changes are also proposed. 

A total of 68 submissions were received and on May 6, 2015 the Council resolved to refer all submissions to an Independent Panel appointed by the Minister for Planning. 

The Panel Hearing took place on July 20-23, August 7 and 10-12 and September 11, 2015.