Growers and eaters
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.”
Vicki Harrington | Bendigo Weekly | 30-Mar-2012
VicHealth and the City of Greater Bendigo will jointly sponsor a conference with a difference in Bendigo next month.
A collaboration between Cultivating Community and Slow Food Melbourne, the Growers and Eaters Forum will bring together farmers and food experts committed to healthy and resilient food systems for the future.
Giving the keynote address at the Growers and Eaters Forum in Bendigo, US farmer and pioneering voice in sustainable farming Michael Ableman explains: “We need to work to rebuild the real economy, the one based on seeds and sunlight and individuals and communities growing together.”
Food co-operatives, community-supported agriculture, farmers markets, urban agriculture and poly-farming are all on the menu.
The all-day event will celebrate innovative projects and initiatives that are creatively reshaping relations between growers and eaters, valuing the people and communities who produce our food.
The Growers and Eaters forum is an opportunity for the city and country to better understand the farmers who produce our food and the daily challenges they face and to explore practical ways to get involved – either as a grower or as an eater – in the food system at a grassroots level.
Other speakers include Les Cameron, Goulburn Valley Food Co-operative; Carol Vincent, South Australian Farmers Federation; Neil Barr, Bendigo, author of The House on the Hill and Rod May, Captain’s Creek Organic Farm.
Attendees will be able to participate in practical, how-to workshops in the afternoon which will explore gardening and composting, raising animals, food-based social enterprises and soil health featuring local beef farmer Allen Snaith of Warialda Belted Galloways, Kirsten Larsen of Eaterprises, Ben Falloon of Taranaki Farm, soil expert Dr Mary Cole and more.
In addition to the hands-on workshops, the event will also include a session led by Food Fossickers and the Bendigo Community Food Network to give Bendigo residents an opportunity to get involved in the local food networks around them.
The conference, to be held on Monday, April 23 from 8.30am to 5pm at the Salvation Army’s Gravel Hill complex in Mundy Street, will include a long, slow lunch featuring produce and wine from the region.
Bookings essential at www. trybooking.com/BEHC ($80 waged/$60 concession). More information at www.slowfoodmelbourne.com.au/events/growers-and-eaters-2012
- Vicki Harrington
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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