Seven projects will be considered in the council chambers on April 18, the most notable of which include renewed development plans for a Wattle Street property in Ironbark. 

The original proposal to demolish and rebuild the property was knocked back by the council and later the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2014 on the basis “of the significance of the heritage place, the proposed demolition and replacement building are both inappropriate”.  

A report to councillors recommends they approve the new proposal (pictured below), despite objectors suggesting the new building will obstruct views of the Fuse Factory, the previous uses of adjoining land may mean the application site is contaminated and require remediation and concerns about overshadowing.

Councillors are also advised, via a report, to reject an application for horse stables in Emu Creek.

The applicant wishes to keep up to 15 horses at the facility however objectors have raised a number of issues, including; the commercial nature of the use, the size and scale of the development, amenity impacts including odour, dust and noise and loss of property value. 

The report to council states an unsuccessful meeting was held in February to resolve the issues mentioned.

A tree is proving a sticking point for a housing development in La Valla Court, Junortoun. 

The developer wants to cut down a tree and vary the building envelope to build a shed on a property which is part of a 22-lot subdivision. 

To offset the removal of the tree the applicant proposes to plant native trees along the boundary shared with the O’Keefe Rail Trail. 

A report to council says approval of the subdivision  was contingent on the retention of some native vegetation, and restrictions were placed on title by way of building envelopes to ensure this occurred.

The author of the report recommends council reject the application on these grounds.

An Integrated Municipal Emergency Management Plan, believed to be the first of its kind in Victoria, will also be considered by councillors. 

The plan details a proposal for five shires – Bendigo, Mount Alexander, Campaspe, Loddon and Central Goldfields – to pool resources in emergency management situations.

Floods, fires and damaging storms are common occurrences in central Victoria and this plan is aimed at outlining how a collaborative approach between councils would work.

Councillors will vote on whether to progress the forced sale of a parcel of land they wish to turn into a business park west of the city. 

A ten-year impasse between the landowner – the Carter family – and Bendigo council on the proposed Marong Business Park, has, according to the council, resulted into a number of missed business opportunities.

One formal offer for the 313-hectare site was rejected earlier this year, an offer described as fair and reasonable by the council but “fairly inadequate” by landowner Max Carter.

Read more: Decision looms in Marong Business Park standoff