Residents are far from impressed with the dud Bendigo GovHub project, appalled at the way Bendigo is being treated.
Here's what Ascot ratepayer and resident Ian Ellis has written to the Bendigo Weekly:
On Saturday, July 27, I attended the Bendigo Town Hall to ask questions about the proposed Bendigo GovHub and left with even more questions with no practical answers.
Parking appears to be a huge issue.
I asked, “given the footprint of the proposed building, why not excavate the full footprint of the building, and have at least two floors of parking space below ground level?”
The response was the area has contaminated soil, and removing that would add considerably to the construction costs.
There will be a need to excavate this site for footings, so given the need in the future for another multi-storey carpark, why is this not part of this concept?
Power supply and water are other issues raised recently by developers and council officers in relation to obstacles for further development in the Bendigo CBD.
And the site proposed – is it the best? If other sites were considered, where is the case against those? What were these locations?
The old Gillies factory site in Garsed Street is one site that comes to mind. Was it considered?
And how much increase in actual office space does the new planned building generate that would not be generated by extending the current offices upwards, as was originally planned?
The new concept appears to have large internal open areas which will not be office space?
The main question remains, why is the first real consultation with the community only relating to the “design” of the building?
Sign our petition to State Parliament calling for answers.
You can download a copy from our website www.bendigogovhub.com.au
