AS IT HAPPENED: Coverage from Wednesday night’s council meeting.
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Council has endorsed a plan to constrict urban sprawl and instead promote a ‘compact city’.
Last night the Greater Bendigo City Council voted to send the Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy to the minister for approval. The plan lays out the city’s residential development in the short- to medium-term to 2024.
Councillor Peter Cox was one of several councillors to speak enthusiastically in favour of the proposal, despite conceding there had been pressure from hundreds of constituents who wanted to see amendments to the urban growth boundary.
“This is probably the first council to say to itself: ‘we are going to change directions,’” Cr Cox said.
Cr Cox said councillors had been inundated by phone calls and emails from residents and developers wanting their land included in UGB.
"But if we accept any one of those it means we water down our central policy of a 'compact Bendigo,” he said.
“It is about a compact city rather than a sprawling city and, if we are going to believe in that, we need to adopt a policy that says ‘we mean to do what we say.’”
Councillor Elise Chapman had to excuse herself from the meeting after she made a submission to the independent panel appointed by Planning Panels Victoria which reviewed – and strongly endorsed – the plan. It meant only Councillor Helen Leach voted against the motion, citing concerns raised by the Bendigo Golf Club and other submitters who wished to see land included in the UGB.
The golf club had urged councillors to defy recommendations in the report and allow the former Eaglehawk Golf Club to be rezoned to let it to go ahead with a plan to develop the Eaglehawk land and invest the profit into Epsom to create a wold-class golfing facility.
Councillor Barry Lyons said he understood the Bendigo Golf Club and the Balgownie Estate’s desire to be included in the urban growth boundary.
“But neither would be sensible plannings at this stage,” he says. “Both should be included as part of the larger area – but not at this stage… so we are sending a signal that you’re next.”
It will no doubt come as little comfort to the Epsom-based club, which said it cannot continue to service the debt incurred from the Eaglehawk land until the next residential plan in 2024.