Reporter Joseph Hinchliffe will be tweeting and posting a live video on Facebook of the council meeting from 6pm. Follow him on @joe_hinchliffe or watch the live stream here. Full agenda at the bottom of the page.
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It is an important night for the Greater Bendigo City Council with two major tenders set to be awarded for construction of the Kangaroo Flat aquatic centre and the Bendigo Stadium expansion worth a total of $44.7 million.
Also on the agenda a contentious development application which could spell the end for a ‘oasis’ for wildlife in Kangaroo Flat.
Related:
8.15pm: That’s it for tonight. More reporting to come soon.
7.51pm: Cr Leach proposes a procedural motion that council consider a response to the “CFA crisis” as urgent business – but it is voted down by six other councillors, with Cr Chapman the only other councillor voting in favour.
7.50pm: Councillors vote in favour of the procurement policy
7.44pm: Councillors vote in favour of the motion to recommend council acknowledge the final five of the 69 recommendations as complete.
7.30pm: Councillors vote in favour of releasing the study to the public.
7.23pm:
Cr Chapman, a real estate agent, says that two-bedroom homes “sell just like that.”
She argues greater diversity of housing would make it more affordable for young people to enter the housing market.
“Bring on a community discussion,” she says.
7.20pm:
Cr Leach and Campbell call on community response to discussion paper.
“I’ll be very interested to hear from the communtiy on this one, I’m sure there will be an adverse reaction, not just the risk of it as it says in the report,” she says.
“I argue that liveability and compactness are in opposition to one another.”
7.13pm: Onto the proposed housing strategy. Councillors are voting to release an 'issues and opportunities’ report for public discussion.
Read more about the discussion paper here.
7.10pm: Councillors vote 8-1 in favour of awarding the $16.8 million tender for the Bendigo Stadium expansion.
Tasmanian construction company Fairbrother to construct the stadium expansion, which includes a new show court, up to 4000 retractable seats and a new foyer.
6:58pm: Councillors vote in favour of a $27.9 million tender for the construction of the Kangaroo Flat aquatic centre to be awarded to Victorian construction firm Behmer and Wright.
Councillors Leach and Chapman vote against the motion to which they have long objected.
6.45pm: Mayor Rod Fyffe casts deciding in favour of the Kangaroo Flat development after council’s split.
Councillors for: Mark Weragoda, Lisa Ruffell, Fyffe and Rod Cambell.
Against: Elise Chapman, Helen Leach, James Williams and Cox.
6,40pm: Councillor Elise Chapman says she is “torn” over the vote and notes there was no indigenous study conducted.
“I have, over the last three-and a half years voted for every development of size because I am a pro-development person.
“With this I am very torn.
“By bulldozing this hidden sanctuary … it won’t be making Bendigo any more liveable that’s for sure.”
6.30pm: Councillor Rod Campbell says Cr Cox’s suggestion is impractical.
“We are advised the biodiversity not exceptionally unique,” he says.
“I look at the site from a very practical view point.
“Yes we would love it as a park, but pragmatically, reasonably how would that happen?”
“How many houses could you have in there around a park?”
6.25pm: Councillor Peter Cox slams the proposed Kangaroo Flat development which could see 27 hectares of bush and wetlands demolished for 34 houses.
The councillor acknowledge he is a supporter of a compact city but said there should be exceptions.
“Does that mean that there is nothing sacred left?” he said.
Cr Cox reads from Bendigo Advertiser article which spoke about the previous owners of the land, a mother and daughter who both died suddenly within months of one another.
“It was their dream to leave this as a conservation area and it seems to me that we need to get the balance right – this sets a very big precedent.
It was their dream to leavethis as a conservation area seems to me that we need to get the balance right and this sets a very big precedent.
“Bulldozers will go over hundreds if not thousands of frogs in this hollow and we’re not even prepared to debate it.
“Are we at the point where we can’t even develop a plan?
“Don’t we have the skills to encourage developers to come up with a practical solution to develop around the wetland and still provides diversity of housing?”
6:10pm: Four questions from public, the first relates to council’s residential strategy which aims for a compact city.
Mark Hiney asked why council is concerned about constricting urban sprawl when a two-bedroom inner city apartment is unaffordable for most Bendigonians.
Mayor Rod Fyffe conceeds current apartment development is targeted at the upper end of the market, but said the city aims to ensure a better mix of housing which meets the needs of the city.
The second question relates to concerns about misuse of disabled parking at the Epsom Village shopping centre – council directs concerns to shopping centre management.
The third question is about expenditure on the Kangaroo Flat aquatic centre and the final question is about the way council conducts its business.
City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer says if residents are unhappy with ward meetings they can “take it up with the ombudsman”.
5:56pm: Australian flag bearing protester evicted from Town Hall before council meeting begins.