More revelations emerging on the dud Bendigo Gov Hub with news it will not be the so-called one-stop shop trumpeted by the Bendigo Bunch puppets and their State Government masters.
Before the ink is even settled on this flawed project that betrays the once proud and independent city of Bendigo, and a price tag that has already jumped 10 per cent to $100 million, we learn that not all services will be on the land once owned by the people of Bendigo in Lyttleton Terrace.
No, while VicRoads is moving from East Bendigo to the CBD, a senior council deepthroat has told bendigogovhub.com.au that vehicle testing will not take place at the new headquarters. That will require a trip of a further 3km out to the current council depot in Adam St, perhaps weaving around the anti-terror bollards council now insists event organisers use. Will the State Government be paying top-dollar rent back to council?
VicRoads in Gov Hub has been one of the worst-kept secrets after a councillor dropped the revelation over a casual coffee months before any announcement was made. What else do the Bendigo Bunch know but are not telling us?
And if you are a rural resident needing access to specialist agricultural services, make sure you have several meals into the esky. They too will be in Adam St, the deepthroat has told us.
So much for the one-stop shop political slogan to knock down an iconic building, sell it to the Government, don’t worry about banking the cheque and for council to pay top dollar rent as a tenant in a Gov Hub owned by who knows who all to save 400 council workers walking a couple of hundreds metres to other office buildings.
Seriously! You could do the weekly shop at the massive Chadstone centre and cover only a fraction of the distance that will be needed to access government services under Gov Hub.
At least Chadstone has plenty of convenience parking. Not like Bendigo CBD where council and government are sucking jobs out of the suburbs and adding to the problem, there’s the new TAFE building and courthouse.
Actually, why is the courthouse even being built in the CBD? While there have been social behaviour problems in the CBD since the police moved out to Golden Square, increasing the distance between police station and courthouse will only add to transport and security costs.
The Bendigo Bunch should be making the State Government build the new courthouse adjacent to the police station as has happened in many other locations in Victoria and was once the staple planning of wise forefathers,
And what about parking? There are no plans … public talk fests as the horde of cars comes screaming over the Mitchell Street bridge in growing size every day.
And the even bigger question? Who will pay for more carparks in the CBD? Is Bendigo going to get 1200 new carparks like Ballarat, all paid for by the State Government?
On current form, if the State Government tells Bendigo Council to carry the can, it will be us poor ratepayers hit again.
More reasons why Gov Hub is a dud … not good enough Bendigo Bunch.
