THE regional growth plan that will guide the development of Shepparton and Mooroopna over the next 30 years is once again open for community feedback after Council deferred the adoption of the Plan for six months at the August Council meeting.
Greater Shepparton City Council is inviting residents and businesses interested in the future growth plan for the city to have their say, again, on the Shepparton and Mooroopna 2050: Regional City Growth Plan until December 24.
According to Council, the Plan outlines objectives to address liveability, land supply, urban renewal, infrastructure, transport and water consumption, and will also guide all future rezoning requests and assist Council in advocating for funding to deliver infrastructure required to support growth.
The Growth Plan has already gone through several rounds of community consultation, in what has become a bureaucratic quagmire.
In 2018, Council and the Victorian Planning Authority first undertook community consultation, a stage which included engagement with primary school students. The feedback received informed the preparation of an ‘Issues and Opportunities Paper’.
The Issues and Opportunities Paper was then taken to a further round of wider community consultation in February and March 2019.
Once a Draft Growth Plan was created, this also went to a round of community consultation in September and October 2019.
In early 2020, additional consultation was undertaken to address concerns expressed by landowners in Grahamvale, Orrvale and Shepparton East.
Then at August’s Ordinary Council Meeting, Council resolved to defer the adoption of the Growth Plan for a further six months to allow time for “extended consultation” with the Greater Shepparton community.
According to Council, submissions received in this round of community consultation will be considered in early 2021 and is expected to be on the agenda at the February Council meeting.
