Council Sets 12-18 Month Path for City Centre Amendment and Creek Remediation

Greater Bendigo City Council adopted its $280 million 2026-27 budget, allocating nearly $100 million to roads, buildings, parks and community facilities. The vote followed a forecast $9.4 million deficit for the current year that prompted a $3 million loan.

The decisions arrive while the council operates in caretaker mode ahead of the October 24 election, with postal voting already underway. Residents in Lockwood Ward saw a change in representation when Donna Nicholas succeeded John McIlrath in March 2026 after a by-election triggered by his resignation.

City Centre Planning Amendment Advances

Council approved next steps for Amendment C279gben to update the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme. The amendment introduces better-defined precincts, heritage guidelines and parking overlays drawn from the Bendigo City Centre Plan. The full public exhibition and approval process is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

Heritage overlay proposals covering 18 sites remain under consideration and sit alongside a separate $30 million hotel development plan that could be affected by the new rules.

Gallery Redevelopment and Creek Cleanup Timelines

Construction is scheduled to begin on the $45 million Stage 1 redevelopment of the Bendigo Art Gallery. The project, described as the city’s largest infrastructure undertaking, draws $9 million from council funds and more than $34 million from external sources.

A separate remediation plan addressing contamination from the former Bendigo Gasworks site into Bendigo Creek has received EPA approval. A site management plan must now be developed over the next six months to guide ongoing works.

These timelines set the immediate sequence of council actions: gallery site preparation starts shortly, the C279gben exhibition period runs through the coming year and a half, and the creek site management plan is due within six months. Council documents list no further public consultation dates beyond those already scheduled for the planning amendment.