But, in one night, councillors progressed work on a plan for the Bendigo CBD, efforts to preserve and protect the city's heritage and a major update to the planning scheme.

Each of the aforementioned projects was the result of years of work, and will shape the city for years to come.

The council was unanimous in all of its decisions on Wednesday evening.

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They included adopting an amended version of the draft Bendigo City Centre Plan, including an amended parking futures action plan.

The documents outlined a strategy and vision for the future of the CBD, which was previously the subject of the 15-year-old Bendigo CBD Plan.

The draft alone was credited with helping to attract two proposed hotel developments to the Bendigo city centre - something Cr James Williams said the city had been lacking in the past.

"It is investments like this that will take the city to the next stage," he said, expressing excitement at the city's future.

The next step is for a planning scheme amendment to be drafted, to enable the Bendigo City Centre Plan to be implemented.

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The first stages of both the Bendigo City Centre Heritage Study and the Golden Square Heritage study were adopted, enabling the city to request an amendment to the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme from the Minister for Planning and prepare for a second stage.

Much of the heritage identification and protection work for Bendigo stems from a 27-year-old study.

Several councillors took the opportunity to delve into some of the history of Bendigo and Golden Square as they discussed the work done in the more recent studies, highlighting the importance of the city's heritage.

Efforts to undertake the biggest ever update to the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme also progressed, with the council agreeing to seek authorisation to prepare an amendment to implement the recommendations of a 2019 review.

Cr Rod Fyffe said every resident would be affected by the proposed changes in some way, and encouraged them to have at least a cursory look at the document.

Last night's meeting also saw the council ratify the immediate supports it announced in response to COVID-19, commit to developing further initiatives, and ratify the draft budget's delay.