Cold Snap: Q and A with Joe Valenti
BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.
The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.
The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.
Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.
“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.
“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.
“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,
“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.
“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”
Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.
“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.
“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”
Bendigo Weekly | Bendigo Weekly | 25-Oct-2011 3.05pm
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Joe Valenti (far right) and Cold Snap will be a regular feature in Bendigo over the month of November.
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By now most Central Victorian musical connoisseurs should well aware of Rhythm and Blues sensations Cold Snap, who’s local popularity continues to soar thanks to their spectacularly energetic live show.
For three years running Cold Snap have played to large and enthusiastic audiences at the Rock & Blues in Bull Street gigs over Easter, as well as wowing New Year’s revellers for the past two years as the star entertainment in the Hargreaves Mall.
With a rush of Central Victorian shows coming up, MICK GRIFFIN caught up with singer and guitarist Joe Valenti for a chat.
MICK: You’ve played a couple of gigs at the Shamrock Hotel’s Gold Dust Lounge, how did they go?
JOE: We had a fantastic time. The audience was great! It’s such a fabulous venue… a great place to play. In fact we are booked to play the Gold Dust again on November 18, which will be the week before the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival which we will also be playing.
MICK: How are you feeling about being a part of the inaugural festival? What’s the vibe you’ve been getting?
JOE: Just looking at the calibre of acts that will be playing the festival, I mean guys like Geoff Achison, it speaks volumes for the support for this festival from musicians who want to see the festival succeed and grow. We are really excited about performing at the very first Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival. We played at one of the fundraisers at the Goldmines Hotel and it was so much fun, the atmosphere was great. The festival itself is going to be fantastic.
MICK: What of local musicians or bands, who stands out?
JOE: There’s some great players on the Bendigo Blues Scene. Last New Year’s Day Sonia (Joe’s wife and Cold Snap singer/saxophonist) and I chanced upon the Blues Jam at the Newmarket Hotel. That was a fantastic day. We got to hear and play with some incredible talent. When you’re playing your own shows it’s not always easy to catch other acts, no matter how much you’d like to, but on this particular day it was as if the planets were aligned. Marc Leon is one musician on the local scene I always try to catch when possible, he’s such a great guitarist, I love his playing.
MICK: Your live show is incredible Joe; can you talk about the on-stage chemistry between Sonia and yourself? What makes for a great show?
JOE: We are very much a band that feeds off the audience. It’s a great feeling knowing that people are responding to your performance. The more an audience enjoys the show, the more we do as well. We pride ourselves on our entertainment value, this is a real Rhythm and Blues revue. We have so much fun doing what we do, I just love having Sonia on stage with me. Can you imagine doing something you love with someone you love? It doesn’t get any better than that! As much as I enjoy playing guitar my favourite part of any show is when I get to put the guitar away to dance, and interact with Sonia. The chemistry between us is incredible. I’ve had feedback from audience members saying they feel almost voyeuristic watching us on-stage together. I guess we get into so much I can understand why!
MICK: With the success of your live CD release Authorised Bootleg are there any plans for a studio recording?
JOE: Certainly, that’s one of our main goals for 2012. The reaction to the live CD has been incredible. It’s a no-frills recording, just us live at that point of time and it’s a really good indication of our live show as such. We’ve sent copies to community radio stations throughout the country and the response has been amazing. As to when our next CD release might happen, well that’s a matter of timing. We all have work and playing commitments which makes the time needed to actually write and record kind of hard to come by, but it will happen.
Cold Snap play Heathcote’s Idavue Estate as part of the Reds & Blues series on Sunday, October 30, the Gold Dust Lounge on Friday, November 18 and the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival on Saturday, November 26, in both Rosalind Park and the Gold Dust Lounge.
BENDIGO’S residential Strategy will be reviewed because of greater than expected growth.
The State Government has announced a grant of $50,000 to carry out the review.
The review is needed because, according to the State Government, 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
Regional Development Parliamentary Secretary Damian Drum made the announcement this morning.
Mr Drum said the Bendigo Residential Strategy Review would deliver greater community and investor certainty, helping the region grow.
“The Bendigo Residential Development Strategy was adopted in 2004 and is currently being audited because of the faster than anticipated growth that has occurred in Bendigo in recent years,” he said.
“Strong residential growth has many flow-on economic benefits and having a clear framework for future development will position Greater Bendigo City Council to undertake more detailed, place-based planning in the future.”
Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said about 40 per cent of the forecast growth between 2006 and 2031 had already been realised.
The Residential Strategy impacts directly on where and how property developments use “infill” parcels of land, range of housing styles and also on housing affordability.
“This project will review the strategy, assess current and estimated land supply and demand and consider various legislative and policy changes,” Mr Ryan said,
“It will also consider the latest demographic data and establish a new strategic framework to guide the long-term residential growth of Greater Bendigo.
“The project will result in a revised residential strategy that will give developers, the community and service providers greater surety and confidence about where land can be developed for residential purposes, and that sufficient land is available to accommodate the City of Greater Bendigo’s future growth.”
Mr Ryan said a contemporary strategic planning framework was essential to the economic development of a large regional centre like Bendigo.
“Clearly identifying future growth options and supporting infrastructure needs will enable the Greater Bendigo City Council and other infrastructure providers to plan their capital works programs well in advance,” he said.
“Identifying long-term growth areas will enable the council and other service authorities to start planning for the delivery of services, thereby minimising the lag time between when residential development occurs and when the services need to be in place.”
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