Landlease Developments Pty Ltd flags 73 unit bushland expansion of retirement village Aviva Bendigo
A developer has flagged a $13.8m plan for a major bushland expansion of a Bendigo retirement village, with a stormwater barrier following flooding in 2022.
Bendigo
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A developer has flagged a $13.8m plan for a major bushland expansion of a Bendigo retirement village, with a large excavation to create a stormwater barrier to stop flooding.
Landlease Developments Pty Ltd plans to expand the over 55s community Aviva Bendigo on Granter St, Kangaroo Flat with 73 new units and internal roads, adding to more than 200 existing units, swimming pool and bowling green.
The latest stage in the village’s development would also see a new community centre built with a bar, gym and function area.
The planned expansion was slowed down after flooding in 2022 inundate parts of the village, forcing the developer to take flood mitigation action.
The developer is now required to excavate a large stormwater basin at an existing drain that feeds into Bendigo Creek to mitigate flooding of the retirement village.
“If the basin is not installed, the existing village and the proposed residences will be subject to inundation in a high rainfall event,” ecologist Cara Cappelletti stated in planning documents.
“The existing village has already experienced some of this late last year in 2022, during the heavy sustained rains.
“The flood management system is dependent on the stormwater basin being installed at the proposed location.”
The excavation of the stormwater basin and construction of the new units would see 1.2ha of native vegetation removed and about 30 trees across the 5.84ha site.
“The reason for the removal includes a mix of the need to maintain defendable space for the proposed units (from bushfires) and to provide for the stormwater infrastructure,” town planner Samuel Hockly said.
The units mostly comprise two bedrooms, kitchen, living, laundry and bathroom with an attached carport and private open space at the rear of each unit.
The developer stated the expansion of units would be “seamlessly incorporated” into the retirement village and allow Bendigo residents over 55 to downsize into a more “affordable home”, which would ease the burden of the existing housing shortage.
“The resulting downsizing from local residents to the Aviva residential village in turn frees up existing family housing stock in Bendigo for younger generations,” Mr Hockly said.
You can have your say on the Bendigo council website.
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