Cycling as a drawcard
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-May-2012
The Bendigo community’s love affair with cycling is well known and well established, but there’s a new move afoot to promote cycling, not so much as a sport, but more as a pastime, and its potential as a tourism industry for our region.
About 50 cycling enthusiasts met a couple of weeks ago at the Bendigo Cycling Club rooms to begin a journey that will hopefully lead to not just more tourists coming to Bendigo to ride a bike, but to a better engagement between cyclists and the community.
The fact that senior Bendigo Tourism identities Geoff Michel and Kathryn Mackenzie were among the peleton on the night shows there is recognition from the City of Greater Bendigo that this is an idea worth pursuing.
A working party chosen out of the meeting to represent the various forms of cycling in our fair city met for the first time last night, and already the signs are good.
Thinking about the growth in the Alpine Shire for cycling-related tourism, it’s not hard to see how such a centrally located region as ours could become a major destination for city-based cyclists looking to escape the rat race for a weekend or even just a day.
There’s a lot of work to be done, not just by the working party, but by the City of Greater Bendigo itself if the idea to develop and promote Bendigo as a cycling destination is to succeed.
The current City of Greater Bendigo Walking and Cycling strategy is outdated, and does not reflect the impetus needed to make a transition away from provision of urban infrastructure such as walking paths and bike racks to the bigger picture stuff places like the Alpine Shire and Ballarat do so well.
But that’s where the enthusiasm and ideas from the cycling community itself have so much to offer.
Finally, the Bendigo Weekly bids farewell to Eddie Barkla this week, who after six years as a regular columnist, has decided to have a spell. Eddie’s passion for cycling, his deep seated faith and spirituality and his loyalty to both the art of cycling and to the Bendigo Weekly are testimony to his outstanding character and personality.
As much as we will miss the pedalling padre, more importantly, we say thanks to Eddie for the past six years of support of the Weekly and for helping build cycling’s profile and standing in the community.
Twitter: @peterkennedy23
pk@bendigoweekly.com.au
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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