Welco and the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Coporation (Djaara), along with the City of Greater Bendigo, reached an agreement that will see the land in Sawmill Road evolve into a 400-home community with a childcare centre and more than four hectares of park and nature areas.

Under the Recognition and Settlement Agreement, the Dja Dja Wurrung must provide consent to development works that take place on Crown land.

Read more: Campaspe COVID cases spike, Bendigo records less than 10 new cases

Djaara chair Trent Nelson said being able to have Traditional Owners negotiate agreements and consent has been influential for the Dja Dja Wurrung community.

"It's really important for our social and economic development," he said.

"It creates opportunity for the young ones to stay in school and have tuitions paid for them. Djaara can support that now thanks to the finaicial benefit from this agreement.

"(The agreement) will create more opportunity for employment for our people but also self determination in more opportunities."

As well as a financial compensation that will go to Djaara's community support program to supporting children to stay in school and provide opportunities for higher education and healthy living, the agreement will see a works contract provide landscaping work for Dja Dja Wurrung people.

Read more: Sharelle McMahon's netball career celebrated with historic bronze statue

"Our enterprise Djandak have a lot of Djaara employed to do landscape civil works," Mr Nelson said.

"Hopefully works from this create opportunities for them to be contracted and work in this space in new development."

Welco founder and managing director Andrew Welsh said negotiating under the Recognition and Settlement Agreement was an important step developers must take.

"We think it's about more than compensation," he said.

"Its really about working with traditional owners around sustainable programs to provide ongoing employment opportunities through community building.

"The Dja Dja Wurrung have been fantastic through negotiations. The approach by all organisations, including council, has been one of collaboration in looking to the bigger outcome.

"To hear more around the land, the story of the land and how that can integrate with our design is something that is important.

"We know with Djaara, giving back to the land and rehabilitating that land is something that is important. We are doing that through landscaping and the employment opportunities that are part of this negotiation."

Read more: BTB Accident Repair prepares for final day of trade

Mr Nelson said the Recognition and Settlement Agreement gave Traditional Owners acknowledgment.

"It is a good way to set our precedent on how Djaara works with developers across central Vic," he said.

"It gives us a right and creates acknowledgement for us as First People in this country in central Victoria.

"To be able to sit down and negotiate how Country is managed and created for new developments - it is important for us to be part of those conversations."

Harlowe will now construct a sales office on the land in Sawmill Road with lots and homes to be developed in February.

"Huntly is an area that seen signifcant growth in recent years," Mr Welsh said.

"Within the growth framework, we identified this as an area that was appealing because of the affordability in nature of the area and the natural lay of land that lent itself to it being a desirable location.

"Our sales office will be open by the end of January and construction on the first stage will be a month or two after that.

"It's been long planning process making sure we are doing everything right through that journey but now we are at the point, after signing off on the agreement, of bringing that community to life."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: