Tribunal battle looms over childcare bid in Grattan Street, North Bendigo

Greater Bendigo councillors have voted to oppose a Grattan Street bid for a 104-child centre when it appears at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Council staff had previously voiced "significant concerns" with the bid to transform two lots of residential land, one of which faces Smith Street on the other side of the block.

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Cr David Fagg said the design would not meet the council's threshold for approval.

"They are numerous, we are seeing more and more of them and we should be careful about what we choose to accept," he said.

Cr Julie Sloan said she had visited the site several times and came away believing the proposed building would be too big to fit the neighourhood's character.

"It's quite obvious on inspection," she said.

Council staff had warned that the two storey building facing Grattan Street would be out of place with the single-floor homes in the street.

They said the building would be too high and bulky, that the land was too small for such a large childcare centre and could overshadow two neighbours' backyards.

Thirteen members of the public had objected to the childcare centre.

Not all councillors agreed Greater Bendigo should fight the bid at VCAT.

Cr Greg Penna had initially leaned towards opposing the bid but changed his mind after thinking about the positives the centre could bring.

"Bendigo community has a desperate need for more childcare centres," he said.

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Cr Penna said the centre would be close to many residents and employees with young families. The hospital is among organisations operating a short walk away, he said.

Cr Fagg acknowledged Cr Penna's points and said it was "absolutely correct" that the city had a childcare shortage.

"However, we are in the business of balancing considerations and on balance I would argue that we should reject this application," he said.

All but two councillors voted to oppose the childcare centre at VCAT.

It was one of two childcare centres that the council made key decisions about on Wednesday night.

Councillors approved a push to build a 120 space childcare centre a suburb away in Ironbark, which they unanimously agreed was necessary to ease that area's childcare shortages.

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