Bendigo Council Reveals Planning Transparency Rules Before Deadline

Bendigo residents engaging with local planning applications face a shifting landscape as Victoria's planning system undergoes reforms that alter timelines, transparency requirements and community input mechanisms. The changes affect how City of Greater Bendigo processes development applications and when the public can access decision-making documents—details that matter significantly for residents monitoring everything from neighbourhood retail developments to major infrastructure projects.

The state government has moved to standardise planning decision timeframes across Victorian councils, with the aim of reducing delays but also compressing periods when residents can lodge objections and access planning officer reports before decisions are finalised. For Bendigo, this means shorter windows for community consultation on some applications. Residents tracking a particular development proposal should clarify with City of Greater Bendigo planning staff whether their project falls under the new accelerated assessment stream. The council's planning website now flags which applications are subject to shortened timelines, though policy analysts note that compressed timeframes can limit community capacity to gather information and form submissions, particularly for complex projects affecting multiple properties or environmental values.

Transparency has also shifted. New requirements now mandate that councils publish planning officer recommendations and assessment summaries online before final decisions are made, rather than releasing them only after approval. For Bendigo residents, this means greater advance visibility into officer reasoning—but only if they actively monitor the council website. Residents interested in specific developments are advised to register directly with City of Greater Bendigo's planning notifications service rather than relying on local media coverage, which may not capture all applications. The council has extended its online planning search tool to include preliminary assessment advice, though navigation can be difficult for first-time users.

One significant change affects what developers must disclose to neighbours. New planning requirements expand mandatory neighbour notification for certain building types, including multi-storey residential and mixed-use developments. Bendigo residents living adjacent to sites that might accommodate such projects should understand they are now entitled to earlier notification of proposals than previous rules allowed. However, the notification period itself—currently 14 days for most applications—has not been extended, meaning residents must act quickly once a notice arrives.

City of Greater Bendigo is holding a planning reform information session on July 15 at the Bendigo Town Hall. Residents unfamiliar with the new processes are encouraged to attend or contact the council's customer service line to clarify how changes affect any active applications in their area.

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