Concerns have been raised in the community about the proposal, including from the neighbouring Shepparton ACE Secondary College and a new group formed in response to the project, Residents for a Greater Shepparton.
The project, by registered housing associations BeyondHousing and Wintringham, aims to tackle homelessness in Shepparton with about 30 apartments to be built for vulnerable community members.
Public parking would be retained at ground level with residents parking on the first floor and apartments on the second and third floors.
Greater Shepparton City Council proposes to sell or gift the land, for an estimated value of $450,000, with the intention to take back ownership of the ground floor car park once the development is complete.
The residents’ parking and apartments would be managed by BeyondHousing and Wintringham.
Last week, Residents for a Greater Shepparton sent a request to the council for more information about the development.
Robin Knaggs is one of 15 committee members concerned with a lack of transparency from council and the timeframe for public consultation.
“Three weeks is a very short time — especially when we’re waiting on council to get back to us with answers,” Mr Knaggs said.
“How can we respond when we don’t know what the workings of it all are?
“They’re asking people to give them the go-ahead to sell land but no-one’s got any details.”
Mr Knaggs owns a home opposite the car park which he and his wife were intending to renovate.
He’s called off the builder for now while they see what unfolds across the road.
“We all agree with public housing — it’s got to go somewhere,” he said.
“But we disagree with it being in the CBD and feel if it does go ahead, people won’t use the car park and the number of spaces available will be reduced.
“We feel the safety of that area of town could be affected and it’s a four-storey development so it’s not going to fit in with the streetscape.
“We will be calling a public meeting and we want to sit down and talk to council about it.”
The council is inviting submissions from local residents on the proposal to sell the land for the public housing project.
“Community consultation is an important step in the process and council is looking forward to hearing the community’s views about the possible sale or gifting of the land,” Mayor Kim O’Keeffe said.
Adjacent land owners and occupiers of land will be directly notified by the council.
Submissions can be emailed to council@shepparton.vic.gov.au or completed online at shaping.greatershepparton.com.au or submitted by post to Greater Shepparton City Council, Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton VIC 3632. Submissions should be titled ‘Notice of Intention to Sell Land – Maude Nixon and Edward Streets Car Park’.
All submissions must be in writing and submitted by February 7 to be considered by council. Submitters may also request to be heard by council in support of their submission at an upcoming council meeting.
Council will consider all submissions, including those submitters who wish to be heard, and may decide to sell the land, part of the land or not to sell the land at a future council meeting this year.
