Council says the developer, Shepparton Pty Ltd, appears to be warehousing a permit it was issued in April 2018 to build a supermarket-based shopping centre at the Numurkah Rd site.
The developer requested two more years on the permit but a decision is now out of council’s hands, after the developer applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, accusing the council of failing to make a decision.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said council’s position for the VCAT hearing in January would be to refuse the request to extend the permit.
“Enough’s enough in regards to how much time and how many extensions they’ve had,” Cr Sali said.
“We would’ve loved to have seen something happen as soon as possible, and if they get a different outcome at VCAT that’s for a higher authority than us to determine.”
Council’s grounds for refusing the request include that the permit holder “appears to be warehousing the permit”, there has been a policy change since it was granted, and they had “not advanced material reasons as to why an extension should be granted”.
The change in policy direction is around the designation of Shepparton North, which moved from being a neighbourhood/township centre, to a sub-regional centre.
Cr Seema Abdullah moved the motion at Tuesday’s December council meeting to confirm council’s position and said the redevelopment had not progressed and no detailed designs had been developed since the permit was issued.
“It’s obvious Shepparton North’s population has grown significantly in the past five years so we need those services and retail offerings to keep up with the demand,” she said.
According to the council report, the request for more time by the developer is based on an agreement reached with Coles to lease the second full-line supermarket.
The News contacted Shepparton Pty Ltd for comment.
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