Horse sense shines
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.”
Rosemary Sorensen | Bendigo Weekly | 11-May-2012
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LEARNING: Andie West has a way with horses.
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There are dozens of questions you can ask Andie West about “equine assisted learning and growth”.
Why don’t clients learn to ride? What happens in a counselling session? Does it work if you are afraid of being bitten or kicked?
But, once you see Andie leaning on the fence of her sandy arena in Strathfieldsaye, contentedly watching a couple of sturdy ponies twitch their ears nearby, it makes sense.
“When I was young, the way I was taught to interact with horses was ‘power over’, because that was the way you did it,” Andie says.
“Now it’s working with the horse, understanding the individual horse.”
Andie has a degree in psychology and sociology and worked for many years as a counsellor with the Centre Against Sexual Assault.
She set up Shine when she became interested in equine assisted psychotherapy. It’s a way of taking counselling out of an office, and into an environment where the client can feel both less formal but also “out of their comfort zone”.
“In the first session you talk about safety, because of course, I want everyone to be safe, but that’s minimal,” Andie says.
“Then you talk about which horse a client would like to work with and it’s interesting because people are drawn to horses they have the same personality as.”
“I use the horses to engage the clients, and we find it’s so much easier to talk about issues when they do it through the horses.
“Horses are super-sensitive. If someone comes in who is aggressive, they will move away.
“We can use that to look at what’s happening, and why the horse has responded to you.
“In many ways, they mirror what humans are doing.”
She says the service is still very new in Australia.
“I know people can be sceptical with something like this that is outside the norm and innovative, something that could either be whacky or evidence-based,” she says.
“But early responses to the program suggest it will fill a gap, providing an alternative to traditional counselling.”
Andie says she always wanted to call a business “Shine”.
“It’s what I want people to feel after their experience,” she says.
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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