Voices from affected community members on the issue of Greater Bendigo council updates

Greater Bendigo City Council adopted its $280 million budget for 2026-27 with nearly $100 million directed to roads, buildings, parks and community facilities.

The timing places these decisions under caretaker rules as postal voting proceeds for the October 24 election. The same period includes a completed remediation plan at the Bendigo Gasworks site that stops contaminated runoff into Bendigo Creek, with a site management plan due over the next six months.

Planning changes and housing targets

Council approved Amendment C279gben to the Planning Scheme to carry out the Bendigo City Centre Plan, including new activity zones, heritage guidelines and parking overlays. The full process is expected to take 12 to 18 months. At the same time the council is weighing heritage overlay proposals for 18 sites that intersect with a $30 million hotel development plan.

The Housing Strategy sets a target of 900 new houses each year across Marong, Junortoun, Huntly, Maiden Gully and Kangaroo Flat. Separate projects listed in council documents include the Flora Hill urban renewal site on the former Bendigo Teachers’ College grounds, which will deliver about 160 homes with 56 social and affordable units once construction begins in 2027, and the Viewpoint Estate in Huntly, which already has hundreds of lots sold toward a capacity of more than 800 homes.

Budget position and immediate steps

Council recorded a $9.4 million deficit forecast for the current year and arranged a $3 million loan while keeping its financial sustainability indicators at low risk. The Lockwood Ward seat, vacant since November 2025, was filled by Donna Nicholas after a by-election in March 2026.

Community members in the listed growth corridors and in central Bendigo neighbourhoods continue to assess how the budget allocations, the heritage overlay proposals and the staged planning amendment will shape daily access to services and new housing supply. The council remains in caretaker mode with postal voting open until the October 24 election.