Member for Northern Victoria Region, Wendy Lovell, took a firsthand look at Shepparton Chamber of Commerce’s recent suggested changes to the redevelopment of the Maude Street Mall precinct last week.
During a walk through the Mall, Chamber president, John Anderson showed Ms Lovell plans drawn up to complement the Greater Shepparton City Council’s plans.
Key elements of the Chamber’s modifications to the Maude Street Mall redevelopment.
- Central location of road with slow safe one-way vehicle movement from Fryers through to High Street with traffic calming (not to exit Stewart Street as the current plan has)
- Retain the trees as a natural canopy (not remove existing trees as the current plan shows)
- Easy forward directional parking on both sides of Maude Street. (Allowing balanced and better parking for the whole Maude Street strip). Currently the plan has the bulk of parking at the south end
- Creation of a Town Square near the Telstra Tower for young families and the elderly
- Create passive spaces East to West from Stewart Street (outside the Village Cinemas) through to Fraser Street – Wyndham Street, creating a community hub feel, and near the already upgraded amenities
- Unclutter the current design and therefore less ongoing maintenance
- Relocate the Event Space (outside Harris Scarfe) to the suggested Town Square area near the Telstra Tower, where the recently upgraded $500,000 amenities are located
- The Chamber is of the opinion that current plan is already dated and therefore won’t last the distance of what should be a forward-thinking design that will last for several decades
During a recent Chamber visit to Mall businesses, 85% of traders supported the Chamber’s redevelopment plan, the balance of the businesses who weren’t recently visited were mostly closed during the Chamber’s survey due to COVID-19.
Many surveys carried out by the Chamber over the years have shown in the high 90% range of supporting the Chamber’s plans to opening the Mall.
