Council will consider the:

• Managed Growth Strategy (MGS)
• Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy (HNCS)

for adoption at the September 16 Council meeting.

The Managed Growth Strategy sets out a framework for how a long term supply of housing will be delivered. It focuses on urban Bendigo and larger townships. It will be complemented by a Rural Areas Strategy, a draft of which is expected in 2025.

The Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy provides detail about where to accommodate the growth. It focuses on existing residentially zoned areas in the urban growth boundary and the larger sewered townships of:

• Axedale
• Elmore
• Heathcote

Consultation on the draft strategies was open from Tuesday May 28, 2024 until Friday July 12, 2024.

We promoted community and stakeholder engagement opportunities through:

• flyers
• adverts in local papers
• direct emails to interested stakeholders
• media releases
• A bulletin to all households in Marong, Huntly, Strathfieldsaye and Maiden Gully

We held a series of 15 information sessions at various locations.

Over the consultation period, there were over 2,750 unique visitors to the City’s Let’s Talk Page. The Draft MGS was downloaded 549 times; the summary brochure downloaded 497 times; and the Draft HNCS downloaded 253 times.

There were 73 surveys completed by community members and stakeholders and 64 submissions.

63.1% were supportive or very supportive of the Managed Growth Strategy.

Respondents' top three concerns relating to growth were:

1. Increased traffic
2. Lack of affordable housing
3. Loss of flora and fauna

And the top three improvements people would like to see were:

1. Better footpaths for walking and cycling
2. Improved public transport services
3. Improved parks and open spaces