Victorian Aviation Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips yesterday visited Bendigo to reaffirm his government’s $5 million commitment for a Bendigo Airport redevelopment.

A report will go to the council recommending proposed redevelopment options.

Once the councillors adopt a vision, council staff will seek funding and designs for the new-look airport.

“We’ve been working on the redevelopment for a long time,” said City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer Craig Niemann.

“We have got a number of options on the table about where to put the runway and how much it costs and the complications about the ease of delivering that project.

“It is significant dollars but what it does is gives us a step forward to say ‘we have got that part of the funding tied up; how much can the council commit to the project and what other funding can we get from the federal government and other sources?’

“If we can pull all that together, it certainly moves the project forward in terms of delivery,” he said.

State and local government officials attended the launch of a $20 million Regional Aviation Fund.

Bendigo’s $5 million, which was a Coalition election promise, will come from the fund.

The council hopes to create a business park at the airport.

It would have to install a sewerage system, upgrade the electricity supply and change planning conditions.

Mr Niemann said upgrading the airport would benefit existing businesses in Bendigo, while attract others to the city.