Watch this space
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 | 03-Feb-2012
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CHANGE: Education Minister Martin Dixon opens Eaglehawk Secondary College.
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The Bendigo Education Plan has radically changed both the physical and philosophical way our children are taught.
With the last of the building projects in sight, we now have campuses across the city that are well-equipped to cope with what is becoming an increasingly competitive environment for schools.
And with Bendigo welcoming a constant flow of newcomers, many of them young families looking for a strong and positive future for their children, the quality of our schools and education is going to be constantly under the spotlight.
One of BEP’s objectives was to plan for growth, but if you look at this year’s enrolments in the five state secondary schools, that growth is not yet happening.
While Bendigo South East at Flora Hill is at capacity, over the other side of the Calder Highway, Crusoe has space for several hundred, before they reach their capacity.
Weeroona College and Eaglehawk Secondary are both also waiting for the rises in enrolments that the building program has prepared them for.
As Weeroona College principal Leanne Preece says in our story on Page 3 today, perceptions are difficult to change. Sometimes, community opinion lags behind the reality.
Absentee rates, literacy standards, and the number of students going on to further study: these were all part of the criteria for success to be measured as the BEP is rolled out.
Early signs were not good, with the feedback from some staff suggesting lack of confidence in the process.
Now, as the schools take shape, and the staff begin to settle into teaching in a style made possible by the new buildings, communities may begin to see the kinds of results that rebuild their confidence.
The vision, it seems, is for a system of schools that interact, and provide equal opportunities, and equal quality, for every student.
The reality, in the past, has been that it does matter where you live, and expectations for the quality of a child’s education varied according to your postcode.
The BEP is a radical attempt to wipe the board clean and start afresh. To use a different metaphor, it aims to create a level playing field.
A measure of its success will be, in the next few years, to see if enrolments increase.
Right now, it looks like parents and students are hesitating, waiting to see if the outcomes match the rhetoric.
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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