That’s what City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said this week.
Cr Sali was commenting after the approval of the Shepparton South East precinct which will open up land for 2900 homes east of Shepparton and west of Doyles Rd.
Developed in close partnership with the Greater Shepparton City Council and shaped by community input, the plan outlines a well-connected, liveable precinct that delivers new housing, services and infrastructure for Shepparton’s growing southeast.
The new suburb will feature walkable neighbourhoods, community facilities, and local parks, while celebrating the area’s heritage and natural environment.
It includes generous green spaces, a new recreation reserve, and integrated walking and cycling links that connect residents to schools, shops and services.
Cr Sali said the subdivision may ease the shortfall in residential building blocks.
He said the announcement was the conclusion of a planning process the city had been pursuing with the Victorian Planning Minister.
The next step was for landowners or developers to produce a proposal for a subdivision, which would go through the normal city planning process.
Cr Sali said the larger subdivisions would include provisions for public open space and community facilities.
The next area expected to be opened up for residential development is the former Radio Australia site in Verney Rd, now in private hands, and which was identified in the council’s 2050 strategy.
Meanwhile, the news of the South East Shepparton precinct means the Shepparton bypass is more important than ever, according to Member for northern Victoria Wendy Lovell.
She said Doyles Rd currently forms part of the Shepparton Alternative Route for heavy freight vehicles, but this plan will now require roundabouts and a pedestrian crossing on Doyles Rd to serve the new residents and school children in the area.
“Introducing significant additional vehicle traffic and foot traffic onto the designated route for heavy vehicles will both hinder the efficient flow of freight traffic, and raise safety concerns for pedestrians and local residents,” Ms Lovell said.
“The imminent development of a new suburb highlights the urgent need for a dedicated Shepparton Bypass that will take freight vehicles out of the CBD, and away from residential areas planned to be built along the existing alternate truck route.
“Industry, food growers, freight transporters, and residents of the Greater Shepparton region should be deeply concerned that the Allan Labor Government has no plan to prioritise the bypass as a critical infrastructure project for regional Victoria,” Ms Lovell said.
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