Balance needed in pool talks
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 | 17-Feb-2012
Last week’s column talked about the decision by the City of Greater Bendigo to choose a 50 metre swimming pool complex at Kangaroo Flat as the preferred option for which it will seek external funding.
The conversations online and in the press in the week ensuing have also talked up the actual costs associated with operating swimming pools, but I believe there needs to be a broader discussion and a greater balance included in these talks.
It’s not practical to look at individual facilities or amenities and lament how much money is poured into them without also considering the benefits of doing so.
For example, the City of Greater Bendigo stumps up massive amounts of money to fund the operation of facilities such as the Bendigo Art Gallery, or the Bendigo Exhibition Centre, which on paper, could be said to lose money each year.
But the greater good is realised through the significant amount of money the gallery and exhibition centre generate through hosting major events that fill our motels, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants etc, and no doubt provide a welcome boost at the cash registers of local retail outlets as well.
It’s the same with swimming pools. Many years ago I worked very closely with another local government body in regional Victoria which had a problem with its swimming pools. I think it’s fair to say that they valued their pools more highly than we do here in Bendigo, and they talked up the social, recreational and even the mental health benefits of providing swimming pools for the community to enjoy.
To them, it wasn’t just about the laps being swum. To extend the same argument further… council would never collect household garbage from some of the more remote parts of the municipality if it was only about cost. They’d probably never grade the road going past the front door of some of these properties as well. The City of Greater Bendigo perhaps should not have upgraded the Queen Elizabeth Oval either, but we are all glad they did.
And the trend in more recent times to demand all our major service providers operate at a profit brings with it the potential for services to be compromised in the name of cash.
As one of the fattest and most unhealthy municipalities in Victoria, one can only hope that new state of the art recreational facilities can do more to entice more people into exercising more in the future.
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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