The plan was passed seven votes to one – with Cr Fern Summer voting against the motion.
Cr Geoff Dobson declared a material conflict and didn’t participate in the debate or the vote.
Cr Rob Priestly moved the motion to adopt the plan, adding commentary around the city being a leader in water and renewable energy.
He told the meeting he’d spent more than 200 hours on the plan since being elected to the council and based his decision on the greatest benefit to the whole community.
“The easy decision for me is to cave into interest groups, but it is a hollow victory as these changes would be struck out,” he said.
Cr Priestly said while many good people had made sound arguments, including or excluding land, such as a pocket east of Doyles Rd, in the land needed be in the best interests of the whole community.
He said opposition from referral authorities would lead to challenges, hearings and significant delays in implementation.
Cr Anthony Brophy, who seconded the motion, described the plan as a “sound and solid document”.
“What it does is it takes away the ambiguity of investigation areas and provides certainty to most landowners,” he said.
Cr Brophy said regular reviews and changed circumstances could lead to other land being included in the future.
Cr Fern Summer opposed the motion and foreshadowed moving her own version if it failed.
Cr Summer said councillors should not be afraid of further hearings or delays, and her motion would include land around the Dobson Estate for urgent residential, industrial zoning for agricultural land east of Doyles Rd and lifestyle lots in Mooroopna. It would also remove the former Radio Australia site from the growth plan.
Cr Summer intimated councillors were spooked by legal advice produced before the March council meeting.
“Unfortunately, we were given last minute legal advice before the last meeting which changed the course of events,” she said.
“The changes in my foreshadowed motion are not flippant or populist ideas.
Cr Seema Abdullah spoke in favour of the motion and so did Cr Shane Sali, although with clear reservations about not including urban fringe orchards east of Doyles Rd for future industrial development.
“I do support the majority of the plan, but the lack of industrial land is a concern to me.”
Cr Sali and Mayor Kim O’Keeffe held out some hope that future revisions of the plan would revisit and potentially include additional land in the growth area.
“I still feel there is opportunity to change, because our community is changing,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
The decision triggers preparation of a planning scheme amendment to implement the Shepparton and Mooroopna 2050: Regional City Growth Plan into the Greater Shepparton Planning Scheme.
Further community consultation will occur as part of the planning scheme amendment process.
