Greater Shepparton City Council has decided to move to expressions of interest in its latest attempt to advance a proposal for the development of affordable housing in the municipality.
Council voted at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 20 to take the next step towards the possible sale, lease or gifting of the south-eastern corner of 84-90 High St Shepparton, or High and Rowe Sts car park, by a public process.
Under the motion carried, any proposed sale, lease, or gifting of the land will be subject to further community consultation and council approval.
Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Shane Sali acknowledged that some residents had concerns over the clustering of “certain housing” around the city, but said the proposal should be thought of as CBD living, which is a concept he says council supports.
“We want to make sure with this particular proposal and the EOI (expression of interest) that will go out now comes back to us with the proposal that can still maintain our community asset, being the car park as well, the ground level, but perhaps something along the lines of a mixed use development as well,” Cr Sali said.
“We know housing is at a crisis point for all the community, but we know vulnerable community members face more challenges than others.”
Greater Shepparton was estimated in 2019 — well before the floods of October last year added more families to waiting lists — to have the highest homeless rate in regional Victoria, with 5.56 homeless persons per 1000 people, and 1674 households on the waiting list for social housing.
A previous attempt by council to clear the path for the development of affordable housing above the Edward, Maude and Nixon Sts car park was eventually voted down in June 2022 after attracting strong community opposition.
Council has already received 121 submissions and five verbal presentations in response to its latest proposal, with 100 opposing it, 19 in favour and two neutrals.
Car parking-related concerns were the most prevalent submission theme and raised in more than 60 per cent of submissions.
The proposal has attracted opposition on council too, with the motion carried despite councillors Fern Summer and Greg James voting against it.
“Happy to follow the process, but I don’t hold great faith that high-rise buildings over car parks are a solution to homelessness; in fact, I think supporting the (state government’s) Big Build by scrambling for the easiest option could make things worse and increase the divide between the haves and the have nots,” Cr Summer said.
Cr James said he took issue with the type of housing being proposed, saying he would prefer single-storey dwellings with better access to green spaces.
“Whilst I support the council’s commitment to addressing the increasing concern of homelessness in our community and the large number of people that are on our waiting list for social housing — and there are quite a few, of course — I don’t support this type of construction and I’ve been consistent with that response right from day one.”
Cr Seema Abdullah moved the motion, saying the current level of supply of new, affordable housing into Greater Shepparton was not solving the problem.
“We can’t just ignore this problem and pretend that the problem will go away with the work done by the private sector and community housing agencies, we need as many helping hands and partnerships as possible to speed up the delivery of the solution,” Cr Abdullah said.
Cr Anthony Brophy seconded the motion and encouraged council to get on and ensure the proposal was successful.
“This really has the ability to provide some inner-city living for those who would like to take up this offer, and obviously it’s an opportunity for mixed accommodation in that area and for those who actually need housing desperately,” he said.
Speaking in support of the motion, Cr Dinny Adem said councillors might not choose to live in the type of housing being proposed, but suggested many people simply wanted any house at all.
“I don’t think anyone would prefer to live in a multi-storey apartment block, I know that, but some people don’t have the luxury of that choice,” he said.
Cr Sam Spinks said the style of living might be unusual for Greater Shepparton due to its lack of range of housing, but it was not in other places.
“Apartments are a very, very normal type of living. Greater Shepparton really has only one type of housing, that’s a part of the issue,” she said.
The motion was also supported by Cr Ben Ladson, who first read out a section of the agenda pointing out Greater Shepparton’s high homeless rate, summing up simply.
“I’d like to echo Cr Abdullah’s thoughts that housing is a basic human right,” he said.
Cr Geoff Dobson did not take part in the debate after declaring a conflict of interest in relation to the matter.