An old Bendigo cathedral should be transformed into 14 homes for inner city living, Greater Bendigo council officers say.
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It would be the culmination of a years-long planning odyssey for a site that has become a flashpoint in debates over heritage.
Bendigo councillors could decide the fate of the land at 14 MacKenzie Street when they meet later on Monday, April 22.
A developer has dreamt of reworking the former All Saints Cathedral for some time but has been delayed by a case before planning umpire the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over a previous design, and concerns from some with nearby properties.
The cathedral sits on land that has been linked to religious uses since 1855.
The latest resurrection plan for church building
The latest plans would transform the heritage site with 14 homes, a number of which would be built in and around the existing church building.
Construction crews would demolish parts of the building linked to a 1953 and 1938 extension, as well as existing paths, a car park and parking bollards. A number of trees would be moved.
The new building would have a basement level car park with 30 spaces and an extension using the same footprint builders used in their 1935 extension.
Six members of the public have lodged objections to the latest plans.
They had a wide range of concerns including potential design flaws and hazards on a small street that runs behind some buildings east of the property, called View Lane.
Objectors also had concerns about extra bins that might need to be collected along that lane and MacKenzie Street, and potential friction with a reception centre next door that is licenced for late-night trade.
Councillors urged to approve plan
Council officers did not share those concerns, or others raised over potential heritage impacts.
They said the latest proposal for the land dealt with most of the concerns that had been raised about the original design, including on heritage.
"Some concerns remain about aspects of the design; however, these matters can be addressed via a permit condition requiring amended plans," the council staff said.
The officers said the project was generally consistent with the council's policies for the area's neighbourhood character and found noise and waste management plans acceptable.
The church redevelopment is not the only major build work councillors were preparing to consider at their April 22 meeting.
Council staff have told them a developer should not have to pay for traffic lights on the Calder if they subdivided land in Kangaroo Flat, and that a 40 lot Quarry Hill project would not shank a nearby golf club's water arrangements.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
