By Deanne Jeffers
AT ITS’ March meeting, Greater Shepparton City Council agreed to adopt the ‘Shepparton North Structure Plan’, to address the strong population growth and significant investment opportunities occurring in the area.
The Shepparton North Activity Centre was once considered the northern fringe of Shepparton, comprising predominantly of industrial and freight related uses. This Structure Plan will be used primarily as a guiding document to support the transformation of Shepparton North into a fully functioning activity centre.
This is long overdue according to Pat & Tina’s BP Service Station owner, Joe Di Conza, who said, “This end of Shepparton has been neglected. More and more houses are going up each week, but where is the infrastructure to support this?
“So much has been spent on continuous redevelopment of the CBD, but what’s really needed is the construction of services out here, maintenance of Council land and a clear plan about how we will support the population increase.”
The Structure Plan will aid in facilitating the redevelopment of North Shepparton, including:
– Identifying potential new sites for new supermarkets
– Facilitating new commercial and retail development
– Facilitating new mixed use and residential development
– Guiding new vehicle and pedestrian links
– Creating more open spaces Allowing for the provision of carparking.
Two items Joe would like addressed are to have the basketball courts redeveloped and for the channel to be cleaned, noting feedback from his customers.
The Structure Plan was developed following extensive community consultation, with the feedback received by residents, user groups and business owners helping guide the development of the final document.
Mayor, Cr Shane Sali said the document was an important one for the Shepparton North community.
Council will now commence the Planning Scheme Amendment process to re-zone land within the Structure Plan area. To learn more, visit Council’s website: greatershepparton.com.au/shepparton-north-activity-centre-structure-plan
