summary of community feedback greater bendigo … · “gardens always look beautiful and there are...
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Summary of community feedback Greater Bendigo Community Plan 2017-2021
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IntroductionA wide range of activities was conducted, mainly during February 2017, to enable engagement of community members in thinking about and reporting back on their priorities for the future of Greater Bendigo. In the first instance this information was sought by Council to inform the development of the new Community Plan 2017-2021 (Council Plan). As with the other information and feedback we get from community members when developing new plans and strategies, this information will be useful for a number of additional future planning activities across the City of Greater Bendigo.
Activities conductedA survey was prepared which asked a range of questions about what people love about Greater Bendigo, what Council is doing well and what should be changed, and what Council should spend more or less on. This survey also sought information about people’s top 5 priorities for the future, their age and what they love in the municipality.
The survey way made available online for the City of Greater Bendigo website and reply-paid hard copies were made available at community meetings and when requested. To guarantee complete anonymity, the survey was made available through Survey Monkey, an online application.
Facebook - the survey was made available as a link from The City of Greater Bendigo’s Facebook page and a series of advertising posts was made to increase participation
Postcards - these were printed with similar question to the survey, but in a briefer format. These were available for completion at Council buildings including Lyttleton Terrace, Hopetoun Mill, Bendigo Library and Heathcote Office. Postcards with reply-paid envelopes were made available and community meetings.
Postcards were distributed at a wide range of community events including 10 Summer in the Parks events, six community sessions in the parks, showgrounds market, Huntly Family Fun Day, and some Councillors encouraged people to provide feedbackDRAFT
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How Greater Bendigo had their say
MEETINGS POSTCARDS SURVEYS ONLINE PRINT
68 410 549 51,345People attended two community
workshops at the Ulumbarra Theatre
15Community group meetings including rural communities
Postcards submitted allowing
community members to have
their say
Respondents to online and paper
surveys specifically targeting residents
in rural areas
People reached through Facebook
posts
1,656Visitors to the
project’s web page
Notices, articles, updates, and flyers in public and community
newspapers
12,000Were reached in
seeking responses
LISTENING POSTS
1.5Days open house
listening post at the Bendigo Library
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Public Open Spaces
What should Council spend more on?“Quality accessible public space”
“Pools, playgrounds, walking tracks, playgroups, and kids and family activities”
“BBQs, bike paths, playgrounds”
“Maintain well our public spaces”
“Extensive play areas for children in the centre of Bendigo”
Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“A public space for youth. Move the skate park, this will get youth out of the mall”
What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Gardens always look beautiful and there are beautiful walking tracks and places to enjoy”
“Keep the public playgrounds looking good”
“Maintain parks and recreation areas well”
“Maintenance of Rosalind Park and other parks is exceptional”
“Parks and recreational areas are well maintained”
What is the most important issue for the Council to take into consideration when planning for the future?“Equal amenities for all areas. Those to the north in Epsom and Huntly feel as if they are forgotten. Especially in regards to transport and community/recreational facilities”
What should Council spend less on?“The seat in Hargreaves Street, a chair was needed but the money could of been better spent elsewhere”
“Fancy bus stops and big screens, ridiculously costly seating in ridiculous places”
“Stupid things like what they have done to the Mall”
“Structures like the mall screens which aren’t utilised”
What should we be doing less of?“The chair incident”
“Wasting money doing up the Mall or other places in the CBD”
“Less money spent on unnecessary items such as ‘fancy’ benches in the mall”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Poor play spaces. More shade and trees throughout”
“Crusoe Reservoir is a totally neglected gem”
“Lake Weeroona is just a disgrace”
“Extensive play areas for children in the centre of Bendigo”
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Transport and roads
What should Council spend more on?“Routine maintenance”
“More on roads being fixed”
“Less exposure to trucks and heavy traffic”
“Drains, roads and footpaths. Many seem to have fallen into disrepair these days”
“Wider roads, more lanes to Huntly”
“Extra lanes to White Hills/Epsom and Axedale”
“Parking areas for free to encourage more shopping in the CBD”
What should we be doing more of?“Seal more roads”
“Making walking tracks and pedestrian friendly areas in small towns”
“Cycling infrastructure”
“Improving bad intersections and roads”
“Road maintenance”
“Moving bus stops away from CBD to avoid people loitering”
“Safer turning ‘right’ on main streets/roads”
“Beautifying ‘all’ the streets of Bendigo”
“Basic things: roads, footpaths, lights, proper planning for future”
“The basics, roads, footpaths, general maintenance”
What is the most important issue for the Council to take into consideration when planning for the future?“Equal amenities for all areas. Those to the north in Epsom and Huntly feel as if they are forgotten. Especially in regards to transport and community/recreational facilities”
“Bicycle access to the centre of Bendigo”
“Having enough walking paths available to encourage people to be active”
“Increased bike lanes, separated from cars etc, for increased cyclist safety across the region - not just in town”
“Public transport for urban fringe areas”
“Road infrastructure and public transport to new areas eg, Junortoun”
“Single lanes in and out from all new estates is pathetic”
“Congested roads”
“Continue to upgrade the roads to ensure traffic flows”
“Improvements to roads and parking facilities”
“Moving traffic”
“Town bypass, more dual lane roads”
“Ring road”
“Easy flow of people/traffic about the city”
What should Council spend less on?“Bus shelters that no one uses”
“Fancy bus stops and big screens, ridiculously costly seating in ridiculous places”
What should we be doing less of?“Spending money last minute on roads - budget better”
“Quick fix repair road jobs”DRAFT
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What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Streetscape in Eaglehawk, streets off the highway are very poor, no footpaths, lack of drainage and crossovers”
Transport and roads
“Basic things: roads, footpaths, lights, proper planning for the future”
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What should Council spend more on?“Extensive play areas for children in the centre of Bendigo”
Parking areas for free to encourage more shopping in the CBD”
“Removing the mall rats”
Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Manage unsocial behaviour in the Mall. For safety and so as not to discourage visitors from returning”
What should we be doing more of?“Moving bus stops away from CBD to avoid people loitering”
“Cleaning the Mall up”
What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Council does maintain the inner city areas well, but remember not everyone lives in the inner areas of Bendigo”
City Centre
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What should Council spend less on?“Frivolous wastes, eg. $28,000 seat”
“Things which add no long term value such as $30,000 seats”
“The seat in Hargreaves Street, a chair was needed but the money could of been better spent elsewhere”
“Going ahead with purchases, such as that ridiculous ‘seat’ - what a wicked waste of ratepayers money”
“Fancy bus stops and big screens, ridiculously costly seating in ridiculous places”
“Stupid things like what they have done to the Mall”
“Structures like the mall screens which aren’t utilised”
“Constantly reworking existing infrastructure in the CBD”
What should we be doing less of?“The chair incident”
“Wasting money doing up the Mall or other places in the CBD”
“Less money spent on unnecessary items such as ‘fancy’ benches in the mall”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Waste rate payers money on needless projects. Spend way too much money in the CBD”
City Centre
“Fancy bus stops and big screens, ridiculously costly seating in ridiculous places”
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Internal process/bureaucracy
Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Employ forward thinking senior staff so there is a long term vision to work toward and stick to that vision”
“Make sure the decisions made do not negatively affect the majority”
What should we be doing more of?“Being a bit more innovative in service delivery”
“Services for those in need”
What should Council spend less on?“Salaries, people sitting at desks. 700 employees and most are sitting at desks”
“Expensive CEO wages”
“Personal expenses”
“Non-productive staff”
“Councillor wages”
“Single focus departments”
What should we be doing less of?“Overseas trips”
“Bickering”
“Squabbling”
“Infighting”
“Fighting between Councillors”
“Infighting by Councillors”
“Disruptive and nasty behaviour by Councillors”
“Control the behaviour of your Councillors”
“Bickering internally”
“Setting up gate keeping arrangements and barriers that stop people from doing great things”
“Less red tape”
“Talking with no results or follow up information”
“Long and heavy Council processes that provide little to no value to city residents”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Honesty and integrity”
“Council needs to work collectively to achieve desired outcomes”
“Fight and not use logistics, not really listen to what people want”
“Very poor transparency, this should be paramount”
“Wasting money on pursuing petty complaints on Councillors”
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Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Manage unsocial behaviour in the Mall. For safety and so as not to discourage visitors from returning”
What should we be doing more of?“Enhancing tourist attractions, more community events”
“Community events”
“Events for young adolescent crowds”
What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Providing the public with events to attend over different holiday periods”
“Good events around town”
Fun events like the night market”
Events such as Summer in the Parks”
“Attracting food, wine and craft beer festivals is great”
What should Council spend less on?“The arts precinct. It should at least be close to self funding”
“Arts. In most cases the arts will still happen with minimal financial support”“Manage unsocial
behaviour in the Mall. For safety and so as not to discourage visitors from returning”
Arts, events and tourism
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Community and youth engagement/developmentOverall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Engage more with all levels of the community”
“Be more involved with two-way conversations”
“More consultation with the community”
“Schedule a community meeting so all their constituents can come and talk about any ideas or grievances they might have”
“Consultation freely”
“Listen to the people”
“Ask community what we want instead of telling us what we need”
“Address issues of racism and bigotry at the root cause”
“Have real consultation with the public”
“Involve community”
“Providing a thorough plan to the community with real solutions that will actually have the ability to work”
“Manage unsocial behaviour in the Mall. For safety and so as not to discourage visitors from returning”
“Youth control”
What should we be doing more of?“Listening to residents”
“Listening to ratepayers”
“Consulting with the community about what we actually want/need (this survey is a good start)”
“Listening to the community”
“Ratepayer consultation”
“Spending time with rural communities to understand their needs and views”
“Listening to smaller groups and trying to incorporate some of their ideas”
“Mental health awareness”
“Helping homeless”
“Looking after elderly”
“Community events”
“Events for young adolescent crowds”
What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Engaging with the communities that are more than 20km from the CBD”
“Community engagement”
Involving the community in decision making”
What is the most important issue for the Council to take into consideration when planning for the future?“Social inclusion”
“Our ageing population and how we will incorporate them into our community”
“The health and wellbeing of the whole community. Helping to make the lives of all the community better, but particular the disadvantaged”
What should we be doing less of?“Disregarding residents’ opinions!”
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What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“It needs to listen to the silent majority more than it does the squeaky wheels”
“It doesn’t listen to the residents and it’s long past time they did”
“No listen to the people”
“Consultation and representation of community values”
“The Council does not respond to public opinion”
“Needs to listen to the people especially in outer areas”
“Provide spaces for young people”
“Listening to smaller groups and trying to incorporate some of their ideas”
Community and youth engagement/development
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Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Improve planning for the future renewal (replacement) and maintenance of assets”
“Think beyond just the Bendigo urban area”
“Don’t push through plans that someone stands to make financial gain from or thought was a good idea without doing research”
“Make sure the decisions made do not negatively affect the majority”
What should we be doing more of?“Basic things: roads, footpaths, lights, proper planning for future”
Town planning and development
“Think beyond just the Bendigo urban area”
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What should we be doing less of?“Less conventional subdivisions”
“No ‘urban sprawl’ where greenfield subdivisions extend incessantly beyond the urban area into rural and farmland areas”
“Approving new communities without having the infrastructure in place to support anything but cars”
“Enabling suburban expansion”
“Urban sprawl, subdivision”
“Giving building permission to constructions that are unsustainable”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Overbuilding approvals in semi-rural areas”
“Trying to squeeze residential properties into green areas within the inner Bendigo communities”
“Stop wasting money, projects need to have better planning”
“Council does not plan subdivisions well”
“Infrastructure for new housing development”
“Allowing expansion of residential areas into farm and bushland”
“Approving ridiculous small subdivisions and not planning for the growth prior to accepting”
Town planning and development
“Approving new communities without having the infrastructure in place to support anything but cars”
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What should Council spend more on?“Spaces where people feel comfortable and safe”
Overall what is one thing Council should do differently and why?“Protect our locals, make Bendigo safe again”
“Manage unsocial behaviour in the Mall. For safety and so as not to discourage visitors from returning”
“Spaces where people feel comfortable and safe”
Public safety
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What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Recycling, mulch collection, and other environmental considerations”
“Green waste recycling is such a fantastic service”
“The waste management services and general tidiness of the town is commendable”
“Green waste recycling is such a fantastic service”
Waste services
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What should Council spend more on?“Infrastructure keeping a community town feel”
What should Council spend less on?“Building unnecessary items that the public wont appreciate or use”
“Big ticket items, we just don’t need any more at the moment, maintain the ones we have”
What should we be doing more of?“Looking after the community assets you have”
“Keeping existing community facilities well maintained”
What should we be doing less of?“Feel good projects that produce no tangible result”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Facilities not equally provided”
“Appropriately spreading funding across Bendigo. It should be overall areas not just selected ones”
“Keeping existing community facilities well maintained”
Community facilities and projects
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What should Council spend more on?“Unemployment and buy local initiatives”
What is the most important issue for the Council to take into consideration when planning for the future?“Support of local businesses”
“The serious lack of full time employment opportunities for young people. We need to encourage sustainable industries and business to Bendigo and stimulate real jobs growth”
“More jobs”
“Making Bendigo’s economy more independent and resilient to change”
“Shopping precinct growth”
“Making Bendigo’s economy more independent and resilient to change”
Local economy
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What should Council spend less on?“Stupid ideas that only benefit a small minority of the city”
“Outdated, underutilised, no longer relevant infrastructure that the rate paying public don’t event use!”
“Let’s just stop changing infrastructure”
What should we be doing less of?“Spend money on unnecessary ventures”
“Waste money to help a few”
“Spending on items that do not add value for ratepayers”
“Wasting money in unnecessary spending”
What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?“Spend more wisely”
“Wasting money on frivolous and unwanted things”
“Spending on things that seem to be a big waste without consultation and long term thinking/planning”
What does Council do well and should keep doing?“Nothing evident”
“Not sure”
“Nothing I am aware of”
“Spending on things that seem to be a big waste without consultation and long term thinking/planning”
Other comments
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Locality distribution of survey respondents
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Survey theme: What do you love about living in the City of Greater Bendigo?
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Survey theme: What is the most important issue for Council to take into consideration when planning for the future?
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Survey theme: What does Council do well and should keep doing?
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Survey theme: What does Council not do well and how should it change what it is doing?
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Survey theme: What should we be doing more of?
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Survey theme: What should we be doing more of?
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Survey theme: Overall, what is the one thing that you think Council could do differently in the future and why?
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Survey theme: What should Council spend more on?
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Survey theme: What should Council spend less on?
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