The draft Managed Grow­th Strategy aims to guide housing grow­th. It focuses on areas near existing services and job opportunities. The strategy aims for 70 per cent of new­ urban development to occur in established areas. The remaining 30 per cent in grow­th areas like Huntly is subject to further investigation.

The Managed Growth Strategy identifies Huntly as a growth area to accommodate longer term growth. It provides direction for the expansion of the urban growth boundary to the south and east of the Huntly train station.

This would help to:

• support the existing township
• create better connections to existing residential development

The draft Managed Growth Strategy also acknowledges there are many challenges to growth in Huntly. The biggest is the potential for flooding. It is important that any new developments don't make the flooding and drainage issues in Huntly worse.  For this reason, the City will need to prepare a Huntly drainage strategy.

The Strategy identifies the following considerations for progressing residential development in Huntly:

• Repair and/or replace critical sections of the earthen flood levee along Bendigo Creek south of Leans Road.
• Limit further access points along the Midland Highway to help create a walkable activity centre
• Avoid and minimise harm to Aboriginal heritage values. We will require Cultural Values Assessments in identified locations.
• Prepare a structure plan for any area identified for residential growth expansion, covering:
  • The integration of the existing township with the future expansion area
  • The relationship between residential growth and bushfire risk. Particularly in the south-west corner (east of Cruikshank Drive)
  • Protecting existing agricultural and industrial development from residential encroachment
  • Determining the most appropriate location for future commercial development.
  • Planning requirements to address bushfire risk.

If Huntly becomes a future growth area in the final Managed Growth Strategy, the City would need to identify and update the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme. This would happen through a future planning scheme amendment. This would have its own public exhibition process.

There are no rezonings proposed in Huntly through the implementation of the Managed Growth Strategy.  Any land rezoning to enable residential development in the growth areas would happen through the Huntly Structure Plan process. This is still in progress.

The Managed Growth Strategy identifies the existing commercial area of Huntly along the Midland Highway as a primary large activity centre.

Primary large activity centres meet daily and weekly needs for their suburban catchments. For example we would encourage:

• A range of economic, social and some civic activities
• Goods and service provision

The Strategy also identifies a future neighbourhood activity centre adjacent to the Huntly train station. We will encourage a mix of activities that meet common daily needs for those within walking distance.

We did not investigate Huntly for change areas through the draft Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy. This is due to the current work underway to prepare a Huntly Structure Plan, where changes to the residential zones will be evaluated consistent with the methodology of the Draft Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy.