The Strathfieldsaye Town Centre will be a safe and lively shopping, public gathering and events space that provides people with opportunities to interact with the environment and other people. The Town Centre will provide direct and comfortable movement for pedestrians and cyclists and will feature landscaping that enhances and contributes to the bushland setting. 

The plan for the Town Centre features a range of amenities and facilities to enhance the quality of life and sense of place for both residents and visitors to Strathfieldsaye. It will also encourage future development of active retail and commercial spaces at ground level and apartment living on upper levels.

The plan features:

• Creation of a new town square space that will serve as a focal point and gathering place for the community with hardscaped paved areas, street tree planting, raised tree beds with seating and drinking fountain and a lawn space that can accommodate markets and other events.
• A shared path from Apsley Street to Strathfieldsaye Road/Wellington Street and a network of footpaths to provide safe and convenient access to the town centre and surrounding areas.

• A series of shrub/tree garden beds, picnic lawns and native grasses beds that create a green and attractive landscape for the town centre, while also providing shade, biodiversity and stormwater management benefits.
• Retention of existing trees where possible

Strathfieldsaye located on the south-eastern side of urban Bendigo is a declared future growth area for Greater Bendigo along with Jackass Flat, Huntly, Maiden Gully and Marong.  

Strathfieldsaye township started developing at suburban densities in the 1990s. It has steadily grown since that time and has now emerged at the end of one of five main transit corridors in Greater Bendigo.

To accommodate the growth without losing its character the City worked closely with the community to develop the Strathfieldsaye Town Centre Urban Design Framework (UDF) which was adopted by Council in 2017. 

The UDF sets the direction and coordination for the development of the Strathfieldsaye Town Centre area and focuses on the town centre of Strathfieldsaye and the area along Wellington Street/Strathfieldsaye Road.

The vision of the UDF is “Sustainable growth and development of the town centre that meets the needs of the whole community, the landowners and businesses and presents as a well-designed, vibrant, safe and attractive place for all.”

The Strathfieldsaye Town Centre UDF was developed with extensive community involvement including feedback from a Community Reference Group who volunteered their time and provided great feedback throughout the project.

Key directions of the UDF included:

• Consolidation of the town centre on the north side of Wellington Street as the focus for retail development and the major place for people to gather in civic events
• The ‘Town Centre within the creeks’ is a concept that will be promoted by strong native tree planting and landscaping
• The Town Centre will support a network of connecting foot and bicycle paths to housing, commercial, social and recreation areas

• The design of new developments should contribute to the preferred Strathfieldsaye Town Centre character Key actions
• Introduce a Design and Development Overlay (DDO) for the town centre and the town entrances
• Rezoning of several sites including sites from Commercial 1 Zone to Mixed Used zone;
• Commencement of detailed design and costing for a square in the Town Centre Square

Progressive development of the Town Centre in accordance with the recommendations of the UDF will require resources over an extended period of time.

There are many benefits for Strathfieldsaye in undertaking this project including:

• Transforming the retail and commercial core of Strathfieldsaye into a vibrant and inviting place 
• Realising the vision and goals articulated in the community and Council-endorsed Strathfieldsaye Town Centre Urban Design Framework
• Stimulating private investment and land redevelopment, creating opportunities for local employment  
• Creation of a landmark and a destination place that will showcase the unique identity of Strathfieldsaye

• Creation of linkages of other public facilities to the town centre.
• Creation of a central place in Strathfieldsaye township for residents to gather, meet, attend community events and enjoy!

Plans available for community comment – July 2023

Project designed and tendered – late 2023

On ground works are expected to be delivered within the 2024/2025 financial year

The draft plans have been developed by the City of Greater Bendigo’s Landscape Design team.  The City are partnering with Dja Dja Wurrung to progress the project in parallel with seeking feedback from the broader community.

Where possible the existing trees have been incorporated into the plan for the project. The City’s arborists have evaluated all trees and those with high value will be retained while those that are compromised will be removed. The plan also includes the planting of many new trees and shrubs to compliment the natural landscape values of Strathfieldsaye.

This $1.4M project is funded by the City of Greater Bendigo.

The City will work closely with landowners adjoining the site to ensure the project causes minimal inconvenience to them. However, the majority of Strathfieldsaye residents will not be inconvenienced by the works.