EUROBODALLA RURAL LANDS STRATEGY INCEPTION MEETING PRESENTATION - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

EUROBODALLA RURAL LANDS STRATEGY INCEPTION MEETING PRESENTATION

INTRODUCING THE GBPS TEAM Garret Barry  Over 40 years in planning and development  Previous Director of Planning and Development  8 years private practice Managing Director GBPS  Rural reviews for Bega, Palerang and Wellington  Part-time beef farmer with 120 breeders  Garret will personally coordinate all aspects of the consultancy

The Team (cont.) Stig Virtanen  Over 20 years’ experience as a land use planning consultant  Extensive work with Local Government  Rural land review for Bega Valley and Palerang Shires  Experienced in community consultation  Past work in the Eurobodalla Shire (ESC and NPWS)  Successful tourism and hospitality manager  Stig will work across all Strategy tasks in association with Garret

The Team (cont.) Dr. Kim Houghton  PhD Economics  A long standing interest in small business and regional communities  Has previously assisted Council with urban economic assessments  He has developed several programs for stimulating small rural and regional businesses  He has prepared a range of economic development strategies for Local Government in SE NSW  Kim will develop the Economic Direction Paper

The Team (cont.) Roland Breckwoldt  Qualifications in agriculture, geography, sociology. Qualified in mediation. Certified Environmental Practitioner  Wide experience in land and water management from beef livestock officer to advisor on environmental policy at Federal level  Has served as a Local Government Councillor and a member of a PP Board  Significant involvement in Indigenous land and water management programs across Australia  Author of several books relating to land use issues  Roland will produce the Agricultural Directions Paper

The Team (cont.) Stacey Stephens  Qualified town planner with 15 years experience in planning, development and marketing  Has worked for property development companies and planning consultants  Currently part-time employee of GBPS  Stacey will provide background support and research for the Strategy

The Team (cont.) Leanne Jackson  Leanne is a planning drafter with approximately 30 years experience.  She has worked as a planning GIS officer in Local Government and part-time for GBPS for 8 years.  Leanne is proficient in Mapinfo software and will coordinate map production for the Strategy

The Team (cont.) Michelle Wutzke  Over 25 years of project management experience in both the public and private sectors in the fields of information technology and human resources  M.B. Secretarial Services was established in 2007 and provides online business administration support to businesses worldwide  Award-winner for Service Excellence 2013 Wagga Wagga Business Chamber  Michelle will provide secretarial, proofing and research support for the Strategy

Evolution of the Rural Strategy  2011-2012: New LEP exhibited including proposals for placement of rural lands in various zones available under the State wide template  These zones included RU1, RU3, RU4, RU5, R5, E1, E2, E3, E4, W1 and W2  Following various concerns raised in the exhibition, the lands proposed for zoning E3 were deferred and retained their zoning under LEP 1987  Council resolved to prepare a strategy to guide the long term use of rural land in the Shire, including resolution of appropriate zoning for the deferred areas  The Strategy development would follow a 9 stage process: (1) Background research, (2) Establish Steering Committee, (3) Develop terms of reference,(4) Develop Community Engagement Strategy, (5) Develop rural lands issues paper, (6) Develop Social Analysis of Eurobodalla Report, (7) Develop Rural Opportunities and Constraints Study, (8) Develop Policy Directions Paper, (9) Develop Rural Lands Strategy.  We are currently in the final stage

LITERATURE REVIEW  State Policies  SC Regional Strategy  SC Regional Conservation Plan  Planning Legislation  SEPPs  Past and Current ESC Planning  Settlement Strategy 2006  LEP 1987  LEP 2012  DCPs and Codes  Community Strategic Plan  Economic Development and Employment Lands Strategy 2011

LITERATURE REVIEW (cont.)  State Changes  North Coast E Zone Review  Review of Biodiversity Legislation  New Planning Act  New Regional Growth Plans  Strategy Preparation Documents so far  Community Engagement Strategy  See Draft Community Engagement Plan  Rural Lands Issues Paper 2013  Opportunities and Constraints Report  Policy Workshops Report  Draft Policy Directions Paper

STATE POLICIES

South Coast Regional Strategy 2006  A requirement to consider when making new plans  State intention to replace with regional growth plans  Very broad regional level strategies e.g. rural  Consolidate existing settlements/minimise new settlements  Protect quality natural environments and corridors  No new rural residential or fragmentation of agricultural land without a strategy  Protect cultural heritage and coastal landscapes  Most people support the principles but little implementation detail and little monitoring of success to date

South Coast Regional Conservation Plan 2010  Requires consideration when making new plans  Elements of this Plan may be amended by the State level reviews under way  State wide targets:  By 2015 there is an increase in native vegetation extent and an improvement in native vegetation condition  By 2015 there is an increase in the number of sustainable populations of a range of native fauna species  By 2015 there is an improvement in the condition of riverine ecosystems, marine waters and ecosystems, and estuaries and coastal lake systems  By 2015 there is an improvement in the condition of important wetlands and the extent of those wetlands is maintained  By 2015 there is an increase in the recovery of threatened species, populations and ecological communities.  By 2015 there is a reduction in the impact of invasive species

South Coast Regional Conservation Plan 2010 (cont.)  Targets for this region:  By 2016 at least 40,000 additional hectares of the priority native vegetation communities in the catchment will be actively managed for biodiversity conservation  By 2016 the regional status of key ecological communities and species in the catchment improved or maintained  Progress on these targets will be researched as part of the Strategy  Vegetation mapping: 2006 Tozer et al. regional scale - indicative only and since improved with input from OEH (see Vol 2 Opportunities and Constraints Report)  “Poorly conserved” vegetation: The plan targets that 30% of vegetation types that are not currently in reserves or protected by agreements be “managed for conservation”. Most of such vegetation is on private land. The Plan implies such land should be appropriately zoned/managed to protect this poorly conserved vegetation. It suggests such lands be mapped in LEP overlays

South Coast Regional Conservation Plan 2010 (cont.)  Wildlife corridors: The plan identifies a range of important corridors that should be conserved or enhanced and placed in LEP overlays  LEP 2012 contains Terrestrial Biodiversity Mapping that identifies:  Extant native vegetation  Bio corridors  Endangered ecological communities  The Plan summarises strategies to “protect, enhance and restore” biodiversity. Some strategies are voluntary such as agreements with landholders and others are regulatory such as suggesting “… areas of validated high conservation value should be protected in new LEP provisions”

South Coast Regional Conservation Plan 2010 (cont.)  The suggested strategies include:  LEP E zoning and use of overlays  Biodiversity certification  Voluntary agreements  Requirements for consent for clearing as in force under the Native Vegetation Act e.g. PVPs  Catchment management incentives e.g. Eurobodalla Biodiversity Program  Further acquisition for reserves  Several of these mechanisms are under review by State Government, and funding for incentives and agreements has either tightened or moved to new programs. For example the Federal “Green Army” or the State Biodiversity Fund

State Planning Legislation impacting on rural land use at strategic level  Local Government Act 1993 - sets Council’s powers  EPA Act 1979 - core planning requirements for turning strategic vision into land use controls and guidelines. Also requires Councils to carry out their roles as a planning authority  Native Vegetation Act 2003 - approval regime/offsets/PVPs  Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995  Lists threatened species, communities and populations, and plans for their recovery and for threat abatement  Assessment requirements in new zonings and DAs where defined threatened species are located  Licences needed to destroy  Biodiversity certification