title: Greater Bendigo City Planning Relationships council: greater-bendigo state: vic category: relationships classification: MAJOR status: active last_compiled: 2026-05-31 source_docs:
- city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf
- City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf
- agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf
- agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-minutes-nov-17-2025.pdf
Greater Bendigo City Planning Relationships
1. Managed Growth Strategy -> Advisory Committee -> Planning Scheme Controls
The main growth-policy chain is Managed Growth Strategy plus Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy -> planning scheme amendment -> Settlement and Bushfire Risk Advisory Committee Review -> final statutory implementation. Council reported that the amendment was 45% complete and that the City received advice on 30 December 2025 that the Minister had decided to appoint an advisory committee to review settlement and bushfire risk so the amendment process could progress. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.209-210)
Cause and effect: the adopted Managed Growth Strategy sets a 70% infill direction, but the amendment cannot be treated as settled planning-scheme policy until the advisory committee process and later amendment steps are resolved. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.122,209-210)
2. Managed Growth Policy -> Township Structure Plans
The township structure plans for Elmore, Goornong and Huntly sit beside the 70% infill policy rather than replacing it. Council Plan action CP 3.2.3 records all three structure plans as a 50% complete workstream, while the housing goal separately records the priority to lead a shift to 70% of urban development in infill areas. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.207-209)
Cause and effect: if a township structure plan proposes outward growth or higher local dwelling capacity, that direction will need to be reconciled with the municipality-wide infill target and any settlement/bushfire findings from the advisory committee. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.207,209-210)
3. Goornong Flood and Wastewater Evidence -> Goornong Structure Plan
The Goornong Structure Plan is downstream of two technical gates: Goornong Flood Study and Goornong Wastewater Servicing Report. Council reported both studies as underway within the same action that progresses Elmore, Goornong and Huntly structure plans. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, p.207)
Cause and effect: the flood study determines which land may be unsafe, constrained, or better used for floodplain/open-space functions; the wastewater report determines whether growth can be serviced. Until both are available, Goornong’s growth boundary, land-use mix, staging and developable area cannot be quantified. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.137,207)
4. Huntly Structure Plan -> Epsom/Huntly Corridor and Bus Network Review
Huntly Structure Plan is starting while the corridor relationship with Epsom remains unresolved. The Epsom commercial assessment says Epsom is likely to remain a shopping destination for Huntly and further north in the short to medium term, but that this may change as Huntly’s commercial centre grows. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, p.71)
Cause and effect: Huntly’s activity-centre role will affect how much day-to-day retail and service demand remains in Huntly versus travelling to Epsom, and the 2026 Bendigo bus network review may affect how northern growth settlements connect to activity centres and services. (Source: city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-february-16-2026.pdf, pp.71,207)
5. Elmore Structure Plan -> VC267 Housing Assessment -> Local Servicing Questions
Elmore Structure Plan is being refined after consultation, but local development assessment is already being shaped by VC267. In the 27 Hervey Street example, five dwellings were assessed under the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code, with the report stating that deemed-to-comply standards limit refusal and objector review rights where metrics are met. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, pp.73,76-80)
Cause and effect: the structure plan may guide where smaller dwellings are appropriate, but VC267 can narrow assessment discretion for eligible applications unless local policy is translated into operative controls that matter under the Code. Infrastructure concerns about water pressure, sewerage, stormwater and pedestrian access were raised in objections but not resolved through a township-scale servicing report in the available corpus. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, pp.73-80)
6. Marong Structure Plan -> C263gben -> Activity Centre and Community Infrastructure
Marong Township Structure Plan has already moved through a statutory implementation chain: structure plan -> C263gben -> new zones and overlays -> permit assessment. The amendment was gazetted on 29 May 2025 and changed controls at 42 Torrens Street from Township Zone and Development Plan Overlay to Neighbourhood Residential Zone and Design and Development Overlay. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, p.46)
Cause and effect: Marong is now being assessed as a self-contained satellite settlement of about 8,000 people, with an activity centre, four new residential development areas and a relationship to BREP. That framework supported assessment of an 88-place childcare centre near existing school, kindergarten and community hub uses. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, pp.53-54)
7. Heathcote Township Plan -> C274gben -> C285gben 31 Ayres Street
The Heathcote chain is Heathcote Township Plan -> C274gben NRZ4 residential framework -> 31 Ayres Street, Argyle rezoning. C285gben states that C274gben had rezoned land in Heathcote to NRZ4 and that 31 Ayres Street was identified by the Heathcote Township Plan as suitable for residential rezoning subject to bushfire risk resolution. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf, pp.102,107-108,123,130)
Cause and effect: the township plan identifies suitability, C274gben supplies the residential-zone framework, and C285gben uses DDO35 plus CFA-supported bushfire assessment to bring the 2.2 hectare Argyle parcel into that framework. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf, pp.105-108,116-118)
8. Public Space Plan -> Surplus Land Decisions -> Public Space Reserve and C285gben Corrections
Public Space Plan implementation has two linked mechanisms: surplus-land decisions and planning-scheme map corrections. In November 2025, Council declared seven of nine parcels surplus, retained 6 The Strand and 3 Lona Close, and authorised land assessment/preparation/disposal processes for declared-surplus land. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-minutes-nov-17-2025.pdf, pp.23-30)
Cause and effect: where public-space land is sold, sale proceeds are directed into the Public Space Reserve for new or improved public space; where public land is retained or publicly managed, C285gben often corrects zoning to Public Park and Recreation Zone or Public Conservation and Resource Zone so the planning map matches public land function. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-agenda-november-17-2025.pdf, pp.116-120; Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf, pp.101-108,131-135)
9. C285gben -> VPO2 Rationalisation -> Panel Review
C285gben includes a vegetation-control chain: public conservation/park zoning and Parks Victoria management -> proposed deletion of VPO2 from selected public land -> unresolved submissions -> Panel referral. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf, pp.34-36; Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-minutes-april-20-2026.pdf, pp.18-20)
Cause and effect: if the Panel accepts Council’s position, the scheme relies more heavily on public-land zoning and land-manager duties for vegetation protection on affected public land; if submitter concerns prevail, VPO2 may be retained or additional evidence may be required. (Source: agendas-and-meeting-minutes-city-greater-bendigo-council-meeting-april-20-2026-agenda.pdf, pp.34-36)
10. VC289 Canopy Trees -> VC267 Clause 55 Canopy Metrics -> Redevelopment Outcomes
VC289 and VC267 interact in redevelopment assessment. VC289 introduced Clause 52.37 for canopy trees from 15 September 2025, while VC267’s Clause 55 pathway includes measurable canopy standards for townhouse and low-rise development. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, pp.46,80-86)
Cause and effect: VC289 can require a permit before certain canopy trees are removed, while VC267 can require quantified replacement canopy in an application; however, transitional timing matters because the Marong application and Elmore tree removal fell outside direct VC289 application. (Source: City-Greater-Bendigo-Council-Meeting-Agenda-December-15-2025.pdf, pp.46,56,80-86)