Now, 40 per cent of the land lays vacant and the rest is being leased cheaply to another orchardist.
The land on the corner of Doyles Rd and Old Dookie Rd, has belonged to the Zurcas family for 70 or 80 years, but now they want to sell it.
Located only a few minutes’ drive from the Shepparton central business district, George Zurcas believes the land would be ideal for a new housing estate.
As it is, it almost abuts directly on to one side of Dobson’s Estate, before extending to the eastern side of Doyles Rd.
There is another parcel of land between the housing of Dobson’s Estate and the Zurcas land.
It also used to be orchards, but now is also just vacant land.
Mr Zurcas said immediately adjacent to the property is the end of the town’s sewerage system, which he said would be easy to link onto the Zurcas family land if it was developed into housing.
It could then be continued through to Dobson’s Estate, which Mr Zurcas says is currently on a septic tank system.
However, Mr Zurcas said his family’s land is still zoned for rural land use and Greater Shepparton City Council will not rezone it so it can be used for a housing development.
“I don’t get it. There is a housing crisis,” Mr Zurcas said.
“They are crying out for houses.
“They want to keep this for orchards.
“Next door is completely empty, and ours is 60 per cent orchard but the rest is empty.
“Ours will never get replanted now.”
Mr Zurcas said the land’s close proximity to the central business district, Greater Shepparton Secondary College and Shepparton Marketplace made it ideal for housing.
“It’s so convenient here,” he said.
He also said the land did not flood.
His proposal for it to be developed into housing lots also meant that the five houses that currently sit along Doyles Rd with driveways out onto the busy truck route would also be able to have their driveways re-routed through the new estate, with an entrance to it off Old Dookie Rd.
The Zurcas’s have recently put up signs for expressions of interest from those wanting to buy the property.
Ultimately, they want to sell it to a developer and see it turned into a housing estate, however currently that is not possible.
Mr Zurcas has now taken his fight higher, imploring the Victorian Housing Minister to do something about it.
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