Public exhibition has opened for the proposed City Centre Planning Amendment C279gben which aims to provide vision and clear direction to manage growth and development in the city centre.
The proposed Amendment seeks to implement the Bendigo City Centre Plan (2020), Bendigo City Centre Parking Futures Action Plan (2020), and the City Centre Urban Design Framework (2022).
The Amendment would rezone most land in the city centre to the Activity Centre Zone to provide clearer land use and development directions for developers and landowners.
The Activity Centre Zone will guide future land use and design, including building heights and setbacks. Most of the commercial core of the city centre will have a preferred height of 20 metres (five to six storeys). However, in sensitive areas such as residential or heritage areas, the preferred height is lower.
The Amendment also proposes to remove existing Design and Development Overlays with design guidance to be included in the Activity Centre Zone.
The Parking Overlay is being amended to remove parking minimums from the planning scheme for parts of the city. This change is intended to make it easier for new businesses to open and to attract investment in the city centre, while allowing developers to provide the amount of parking based on commercial needs. For a smaller number of sites, an Environmental Audit Overlay is proposed to be applied.
Heritage Overlays apply to some precincts in the city centre and are proposed to be updated to reflect current standards. The Amendment proposes to modify some Heritage Overlay boundaries, introduce four individual site listings and make administrative corrections such as updating address details.
The Amendment will be on exhibition for four weeks, closing on Monday July 13. Letters have also been sent to affected landowners and occupiers and all submissions about the Amendment must be made in writing.
City of Greater Bendigo staff are available to discuss individual questions at six drop-in sessions at Galkangu Bendigo GovHub at 189 Lyttleton Terrace (ground floor, Room 8):
- 8am – 1:30pm on Friday June 12, 2026
- 1pm – 6pm on Tuesday June 16, 2026
- 12 noon – 5pm on Wednesday June 17, 2026
- 8:30am – 2pm on Monday June 22, 2026
- 11am – 2 pm on Tuesday June 30, 2026
- 12pm – 3pm Thursday July 2, 2026
Manager Strategic Planning Anthony Petherbridge said the Bendigo City Centre Plan 2020 was adopted to provide an overarching structure plan.
“The Bendigo City Centre Plan was developed to provide vision and clear direction to manage growth in the city centre. The Planning Amendment C279gben with its supporting documents, has been prepared to implement this plan,” Mr Petherbridge said.
“The city centre serves a dual role as the civic and economic heart of Greater Bendigo. It is the most significant commercial, health, education, and service centre north of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria and is a key regional destination. It not only services our community, but it is also the hub for a regional catchment of around 223,000 people from central and northern Victoria.
“The proposed Amendment to the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme will provide a logical strategic planning framework that’s clearer, less complex, and more responsive to allow for a well-designed compact city to thrive and flourish.
“To preserve the heritage value of the city centre, we need to take a conservative approach to any changes affecting heritage buildings and streetscapes, while accommodating new development that responds appropriately to the heritage context.”
