Bendigo council’s Plan Greater Bendigo is a forward-thinking approach to managing population growth that should be referenced in the local planning scheme, a town planner says.
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The draft plan, released for public consultation recently, lists 18 transformational infrastructure projects required to cater for an expected population of 200,000 by 2050.
A reinvigorated city centre – including upgrades to the law courts, TAFE campus and Golden Dragon Museum – is at the heart of an ambitious 30-year plan.
“I work with lots of different councils and some of them really have their heads in the sand about population growth – Bendigo is not one of those,” Tomkinson Group director Andrea Tomkinson said.
“Bendigo is getting ahead of the curve with this and this is a good thing for Bendigo.”
A reference to Plan Greater Bendigo in the Bendigo planning scheme would make it easier for certain projects to be approved, Ms Tomkinson said.
“If you take upgrading the law courts for example – the paperwork, reports and hurdles they have to go over. It’s very complicated, time-consuming and expensive,” she said.
“I would like to see it (Plan Greater Bendigo) referenced in the planning scheme, so that it is clear that other statutory requirements should be weighed up alongside the overarching growth intent.”
The Bendigo Metro Rail and station activity centre, CBD revitalisation and a Bendigo gov hub office co-location of government agencies in the CBD would give the city the boost in activity, employment and amenity it needs, Ms Tomkinson said.
“The popularity and growth of towns often swings on the vitality of the city centre,” she said.
Upgrading the track between Bendigo and Kyneton was another important project Bendigo could seek government funding for, she said.
City of Greater Bendigo strategy manager Trevor Budge recently told the Bendigo Advertiser local public transport networks needed strengthening, following a spike in car ownership over the past five years.
More people meant greater economies of scale with transport systems, Ms Tomkinson said
Regional cities like Odawara, Japan, and Oxford, UK, were examples of places that still retained their amenity despite population increases, she said.
Plan Greater Bendigo, which is a joint project between council and the state government, is open for public comment until December 1.
Bendigo council’s regional sustainable development manager Trevor Budge said the city has undertaken a significant amount of long-term strategic planning work in recent years including around housing, transport and commercial development, much of which has now been implemented through the planning scheme.
“It may be appropriate for Plan Greater Bendigo, like many other long term strategies, to be identified as a reference document in the planning scheme, and this will be considered at the time of implementation,” he said.
“There may also be planning controls required for the implementation of certain projects, which will be considered as part of the normal planning process.”