Cobram 2025 Cobram Strategy Plan - Moira Shire Council

Cobram Strategy Plan
Final Report
− There is a perception that more room within the town centre is needed for retail
growth, i.e. from two main streets to three.
− The growth of the town centre was hampered by the railway only leasing the
land fronting the northern side of Punt Road. This has led to the development
of the southern side of Punt Road and Main Street.
− The new bridge over to Barooga will increase Cobram’s potential to capture
the trade from Finley and Deniliquin.
− There is a lack of visibility of the Cobram retail area from Broadway Street and
the Murray Valley Highway. It is too easy to by-pass Cobram and poor
signage does nothing to entice visitors into the town centre.
− There is a lack of connection between the town centre and the Murray River,
including Thompsons Beach.
− There are limited opportunities to shop, recreate and socialise in a traffic free
environment.
− The future of the current saleyard site (Business 3 zoned land) must be
protected from being rezoned to a higher order commercial zone (Business 1
or 2 Zone). Such a rezoning could potentially further disperse and fragment
Cobram’s commercial centre from south of the railway line.
− There is a perception of a shortage of larger sites, those in excess of 6,000m 2 ,
to provide opportunities for major operators to locate within the town centre.
− The retention of ownership of the railway land by VicTrack has resulted in the
unusual combination of the Safeway supermarket (‘the anchor’) being
separated from much of the town centre by the Ford dealership (‘fringe
commercial’), resulting in a somewhat disjointed centre.
− There are many empty retail shops (10 – however at the time of the UDF 3
were being used for storage) and vacant allotments (7) in the town centre.
− There is a perception that Yarrawonga may in the future (with increased
population) adversely impact on the Cobram town centre. 1
The above comments were reinforced during the consultative sessions conducted
to inform this Strategy Plan.
The UDF suggested and described a number of strategies to guide physical
changes in Cobram and/or to change the way people think about the town in order
to strengthen its distinctiveness, character and identity, as well as its economic
competitiveness and efficiency.
6.3 Commercial Land Demand and Supply
Cobram has an established role as a main service centre for retailing and other
activities, but there is increasing competition from nearby towns such as
Yarrawonga which is experiencing a rapid population growth, and regional centres
such as Albury and Shepparton.
1 Cobram Urban Design Framework - Final Draft Report – July 2005, David Lock & Assoc., pp.15-16
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