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7pm – Greater Creative Bendigo has been endorsed by council.
You can read more about it here.
It includes giving Indigenous artists more space to create and display their work, the appointment of a full-time Public Art Officer, a creative industries grants program, using vacant shop fronts to promote art and to further develop Bendigo’s contemporary music scene.
6.40pm - Councillors vote to refuse a permit for a three-lot subdivision at Redesdale, which was planned to make way for the construction of three dwellings.
The section of land in question is on Lyell Road, and sits on the border with Mount Alexander Shire Council
One lot was proposed to be 22.6 hectares, the second was for 15.6-hectares and the third for 19.2 hectares.
Council officers recommended refusing to grant a permit, with the Planning Department informing council the proposal would not be supported in any form.
Issues centred on the lot sizes and the proximity to a nearby waterway. You can read the full report in the council agenda at the bottom of this page.
Cr James Williams argued in favour of the proposal however, and said the subdivision would provide more protection to the waterway with plans to construct a fence and to re-vegetate the area.
“While it might be suitable for grazing, I think these smaller lots - we see a lot of this south of Bendigo - provides alternative land uses that are more acceptable than grazing in these conditions,” he said.
Cr Yvonne Wrigglesworth, Cr Jennifer Alden and Cr Andrea Metcalf spoke against the proposal, and supported the recommendation by council officers.
Councillors voted 6-3 to refuse to grant a permit.
6.20pm – Councillors back a move to prioritise an off-leash dog park for Heathcote in the 2019/20 budget.
The dog park would be based at a site on Depot Road, which currently has overgrowth and debris.
Cr Yvonne Wrigglesworth said it was a matter she has been told about a lot by Heathcote residents, and supported the dog park.
She said Bendigo had one of the highest rates of pet ownership in Victoria – more than one-third of residences have either a cat or a dog.
Cr Andrea Metcalf welcomed the move, but wanted better planning than the recently-opened dog parks at California Gully and Kangaroo Flat.
She said users of the California Gully dog park were already calling for infrastructure upgrades for seating and shade.
“There is demand for a dog park at Heathcote so we’re part of the way on the journey to establishing another one,” Cr Metcalf said.
6.10pm - No questions from the public tonight, but a packed gallery. An Indonesian delegation is here to witness proceedings, along with some former council staff who now work at other shires.
It is also Cr Malcolm Pethybridge’s first ordinary meeting of council.
6pm - Welcome to the City of Greater Bendigo meeting for November, 2018.
Councillors will respond to a petition calling for a dog park in Heathcote, which appears to have support from the council.
Read more about it here.
A three-lot subdivision in Redesdale will also come up for a vote. Council officers have recommended that it be rejected.
Mayor Margaret O’Rourke was sworn in for her third term as City of Greater Bendigo mayor last night, with Cr Rod Fyffe as deputy mayor.
Read a report on her speech here.
Read the full agenda here:
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