Council seeks higher rates for Air BnBs – City of Greater Bendigo council meeting briefs

THE City of Greater Bendigo will lead a push to have short stay properties such as those listed on Air BnB to be given a separate rate category that would see owners pay more than the residential rate.

Councillors unanimously endorsed the motion at Monday’s regular meeting and will now take the proposal to the October meeting of the Municipal Association of Victoria – the state’s peak municipal lobby group.

If supported the MAV will ask the State Government to implement the new rate category so that municipalities are able to more easily identify which properties are listed on accommodation sites.

Council also supported a separate proposal for MAV consideration, which is for the State Government to repair, renovate or refurbish vacant houses it owns so more housing stock is available to address homelessness and housing affordability.

Cr seeks help for homeless

Councillor Vaughan Williams used his ward report to call for more help for people in the City of Greater Bendigo that are being squeezed out of affordable housing.

He said that people were living out of tents at Happy Jacks Reserve at Lockwood and sleeping rough around Huntly demonstrated the need for more services in the City.

“Council has the affordable action plan and the Victorian Government has its Big Build program… but there’s a need for emergency transitional housing,” he said.

“This seems to be the step that is badly needed.”

He noted that local social welfare organisations like Mad Cow were now spending $30,000 annually to feed people affected by homelessness.

Next step for Marong kinder

Councillors unanimously gave the green light for the use of City-owned land at 36 Torrens Steet, Marong, to build a kindergarten and associated community hub.

A report prepared by municipal officers City said that the multi-staged project is designed to meet the high level of demand for kindergarten in the region and the introduction of funded three-year-old kindergarten and 30 hours of four-year-old kindergarten from 2025.
Council approval of the site for the project means the City will now enact stage one of the project, which is to seek capital from the State Government’s Building Blocks funding stream.

“Let’s make sure that kinder is open term 1, 2024,” Cr Rod Fyffe said.

Stage two of the project includes construction of the Marong Community Hub, however a funding stream for the development is yet to be secured.

Comm Games plan takes shape

The municipality will fund a four-year full-time director role at the City of Greater Bendigo covering the Commonwealth Games.

The new role would be responsible for the region’s planning and coordination of the games.

The proposal is one of several contained in a document titled Let the Games Begin – City of Greater Bendigo Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games that was unanimously adopted during the meeting.

It outlines the municipality’s approach to securing a positive legacy as one of four host cities for the Games, and lists six key themes it will advocate including First Nations, climate and environment, culture, creativity and culinary, and jobs and the regional economy.

“We are very excited to be named as a host city but the two-week event presents a great opportunity to deliver a range of initiatives that will serve our community long after the last race has been run and won,” mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said.

The Games legacy document was unanimously adopted alongside the City’s investment prospectus, a list of shovel ready projects for funding consideration from state and federal governments.

Development on farmland refused

A Lockwood South development application for a house on a property of less than 100 acres has been refused by council on the grounds that it is at odds with the protection of agricultural land policy.

The Bendigo-Maldon Road property is classed as a farming zone but speaking against the council motion to refuse the permit, Cr Williams noted that studies of the site revealed that it was “marginal” agricultural land.

“It is low reproductive land, it’s not A-grade land,” he said.

Cr Greg Penna noted there were no objectors to the proposal “and the parcel of land is completely surrounded by dwellings.”

Cr Rod Fyffe opposed the permit, arguing that having more houses in farm zones encourages the consolidation of land.

Cr Metcalf used her deciding vote to veto the application.