Mayor Geoff Akers, Winslow project manager Jack Burgess and Goldfields national director of communities Paul Cicchiello at the Parkers Grove sod-turning ceremony.
Photo by
Hailey Wight
A former pear orchard in Shepparton’s south is set to become home to about 2000 people, with construction under way on a $205 million housing development.
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A sod-turning ceremony on Wednesday, October 28, marked the start of construction at Parkers Grove, a 650-lot master-planned residential community on Channel Rd and McPhees Rd.
Developer Goldfields, civil construction partner Winslow and local dignitaries marked the milestone, celebrating the first residential development to receive a planning permit within the Shepparton South East Precinct Structure Plan.
Goldfields national director of communities Paul Cicchiello said the development would help address the region’s housing supply challenges while creating jobs and new community infrastructure.
“We’re not just building a housing estate on a block of land,” he said.
“In the first couple of stages, we’re also going to be upgrading the intersection at Archer and Channel Rd, which will be great for the community.”
The development is expected to support at least 250 local jobs throughout construction, including work for subcontractors and suppliers.
Mr Cicchiello said the company was aiming to keep housing affordable, with house and land packages currently available for less than $600,000.
“$600,000 for a house and land package is really the entry price, and it all just depends on the sort of house a purchaser would like to build,” he said.
Parkers Grove is set to include a centrally located 1ha community park, natural wetlands and walking paths, with an aim to have a government school and sporting field added to the area.
Mr Cicchiello said the company would work with the Victorian Government to help ensure supporting infrastructure was delivered as the area grew.
“We want our residents living here to have the best of infrastructure and for life to be as easy as possible,” he said.
Mr Cicchiello said the project would carry the history of the former orchard into a new chapter for the region.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Geoff Akers said he was looking forward to seeing the site transformed.
“We do have a need for houses ... it’s an exciting location,” he said.
“I think it is something that the community will embrace. They like a bit of history, but we also want to move forward.”
Construction is expected to continue over the next six to eight years, with the first stage of Parkers Grove set to be titled in the third quarter of 2027.
The Channel Rd construction site was once home to Percy the Pear, who is set to be relocated in Parkers Grove.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Mayor Geoff Akers, Winslow project manager Jack Burgess and Goldfields national director of communities Paul Cicchiello have their shovels at the ready.
Photo by
Hailey Wight
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