Clarity around Rural Lands Strategy

Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes has hit back at media and social media reports accusing the Council of removing the shire’s environmental protections through its Rural Lands Strategy.

“Statements in the media and some sections of the community accusing Council of removing environmental protection from 38,000 hectares of the south coast and threatening the Clyde River oyster industry are simply untrue.

“I want to correct the misinformation out there with the following facts.

“The 38,000 hectares of land subject to Council’s Rural Lands Strategy is primarily agricultural land, a large proportion of which is already cleared. The environmental protection controls of the NSW Government will continue to apply to the land.

“The strategy recommends that the integrity of this productive agricultural land be maintained by providing planning rules that enable continued rural land use under modern farming practices.

“The strategy essentially recommends the preservation of larger and good quality grazing and dairy lands as well as water catchment areas by allowing little or no subdivision in these areas.

“It allows for a small number of rural lots in areas that are already fragmented, basically recognising the current pattern of subdivision.

“And it takes the natural environment into consideration, for instance, protecting areas with high value vegetation and soils, while also providing opportunities for small scale agriculture, important for our food economy and for tourism,” Clr Innes said.

“I also want to be clear that oyster farming on the Clyde River is not at risk. In the entire Clyde River catchment, the strategy allows for a maximum of nine additional lots to be created by subdivision and potential for up to 20 additional dwellings. The majority of these are located more than four kilometres from the Clyde River. Any new development would require consent and be assessed against NSW Government legislation and conditions would be applied to prevent impacts to water quality.”

Council’s Director of Planning and Sustainability Lindsay Usher echoed the Mayor, saying claims that the planning proposal will result in significant and widespread subdivision of rural land and clearing of bushland are not correct.

“There is no greater potential for clearing for agricultural purposes as a result of the planning proposal than exists now under the 1987 LEP, and land clearing will continue to be controlled by the NSW Government.

Mr Usher also states that concerns raised by NSW government agencies about elements of the strategy have been addressed in the planning proposal.

“Local representatives of the Office of Environment and Heritage, Rural Fire Service and Local Lands Services continue to raise the same specific issues they raised during the preparation of the RLS when they were part of the steering committee. They’re not opposed to the strategy as such, but to certain elements of it that relate to their agencies. We considered their concerns at that time and we’ve reviewed them again and we continue to disagree with the issues they raise. These areas of disagreement are addressed in the planning proposal.”

“It’s important to remember that the NSW Minister for Planning determined that the proposed changes to the controls in Eurobodalla were sufficient to meet the requirements of the NSW planning legislation and the planning proposal could be placed on public exhibition.

“Right across Eurobodalla, the planning proposal allows for a total of 122 new lots and 255 new dwellings. This scale of potential development across Eurobodalla is modest, and any development would require development consent from Council and be assessed against NSW biodiversity, land clearing and bushfire protection legislation.

“Any clearing for agricultural purposes will continue to be assessed by the NSW Government’s Local Land Services. There is no change to the current system of approvals for land clearing in this regard.”

The planning proposal was on public exhibition throughout May and June and 538 submissions were received. A report about the assessment of submissions will go to the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 29 August 2018. If approved by Council, the proposal will go back to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to make the new LEP consistent with the changes detailed in the planning proposal.