Development Victoria plans to deliver 160 homes at Bendigo on the site slated for the cancelled Commonwealth Games athletes village.
The 8.32ha site at Flora Hill is 130km north-west of Melbourne and 2.5km from the Bendigo CBD. It was formerly occupied by the Bendigo Teachers’ College and later used by La Trobe University for student accommodation.
Development Victoria, the Victorian Government’s property developer, will oversee the project and collaborate with the City of Greater Bendigo, Homes Victoria, and the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA).
The project is part of the Victorian Government’s Housing Statement, which aims to unlock surplus land to deliver homes close to schools, jobs, transport and services.
According to online planning portal BCI, the original project scope was for 212 townhouses and 46 apartments. The new village will include at least 160 houses with at least 10 per cent as affordable housing.
Development Victoria group head housing Penny Forrest said, “Flora Hill will provide a range of lot sizes and housing types to meet current housing demands, including some social and affordable homes”.
The historic Eumana House, built in 1904 and designated as a place of local heritage significance, would be retained and incorporated into the residential community. The building and its surrounding area, including two significant oak trees, are subject to a Heritage Overlay.
A kangaroo management plan is to be implemented to encourage them to move from the site before construction begins.
According to BCI, when designated for use as the athletes village for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the project could have “comprised building techniques including traditional in-situ construction, prefabricated and modular construction”. Development Victoria was unable to confirm with The Urban Developer if this would still be the case.
Victoria announced on July 18, 2023, that it had cancelled the Games.
Early works and site remediation are expected to begin in 2025, after the purchase of the site from La Trobe University.
A tender for early works and remediation is planned for early 2025, with the successful bidder to be appointed before the end of the year. Staged construction is expected to be complete by 2030.
Meanwhile, the Bendigo Stadium and Showgrounds will undergo significant renovations as part of the state’s $45-billion Regional Sports Infrastructure Program.
The Bendigo Stadium project includes a new two-court annex, upgrades to existing courts, solar panels, new lighting for outdoor netball courts, and improved parking and accessibility.
The Bendigo Showgrounds will also receive a facelift, with a new multipurpose pavilion, a redeveloped arena, and upgraded entrances and fencing part of the plans to make the venue more suitable for hosting community, cultural and agricultural events.
Development Victoria is also supporting a project to remediate and heal a former mining site 4km west of Flora Hill, at Chum Street, Bendigo.
The site has been largely vacant since the 1950s. The project aims to restore the health of the land and make it suitable for future use, Development Victoria group head of housing Penny Forest said.
Partnering with Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and the City of Greater Bendigo, Development Victoria will “embrace First People’s cultural knowledge and understanding and restore this historically contaminated site into a safe and valuable asset” for the DJAARA and the wider Bendigo community.
The project is part of is the Dhelkunya Dja (Healing Country) Country Plan, which prioritises the restoration of former mining sites.
Development Victoria will undertake the remediation process in accordance with EPA requirements, with preliminary environmental and geotechnical works expected to begin in late 2024.
