NSW DPI and land use planning

Overview

The gazettal of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Act 1979 gave strong legislative backing to rural planning in New South Wales. It provides for the development of plans (or planning instruments) by local councils and by the NSW State Government as a framework for the location and regulation of land use. These plans may broadly cover key issues for the state or they may specify local zones for specific types of activity and what criteria those land uses need to satisfy.

State issues are covered by:

• State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs)
• Regional Environmental Plans (REPs).

Local issues are covered by:

• Local Environmental Plans (LEPs)
• Development Control Plans (DCPs).

In the rural areas of NSW, all these sorts of planning instruments impact on agricultural land.

The EP&A Act also provides for the assessment of new or expanding developments. Depending on the size or importance of the development, the responsibility for assessing its impacts and determining whether it should be approved or not may rest with the local council or the State Government. Whichever way it goes, agencies like NSW DPI, with an interest in the development, participate in the assessment process.

NSW DPI’s involvement in land use planning

Our involvement in the planning process is through agricultural environment officers (AEOs), whose role is to promote the interests of sustainable agriculture in the context of state government policies. NSW DPI’s Policy for the Protection of Agricultural Land aims to retain good options for sustainable agriculture through keeping the best land available for agricultural use. This policy is represented in over 60% of new LEPs and is well recognised by planning professionals statewide.

Our involvement in the assessment process is also through the AEOs, with technical assistance from other staff on industry and best practice technology. Local knowledge is essential in the assessment of new developments, which may be agricultural or non-agricultural:

• Agricultural developments, e.g. feedlots, compost facilities and irrigation developments. Our role is to advise the determining authority on how sustainable an agricultural development will be.
• Non-agricultural developments in rural zones, e.g. housing, mines, golf courses, garbage dumps and schools. Our role is to advise the determining authority on the impact that a non-agricultural development might have on nearby agriculture or agricultural land.

Our position will, at times, conflict with the plans of farmers and developers.

Current activity and direction

The type of activity in each region is influenced by its proximity to urban growth centres, its importance as a drinking water catchment, the types of new agricultural developments entering the region, and the interest in land clearing for agricultural expansion.

• In areas with significant urban development pressure, such as in Sydney, along the coast and around major regional centres, land use planning is dominated by the demand to subdivide agricultural land for residential growth. As a result, existing and future agricultural development may be constrained.
• In areas where water quality is a high priority, planning for the location of intensive agricultural industries (such as poultry, feedlots and horticulture) and for the general use of pesticides and fertilisers through identification of best management practices is a high priority.
  • Some areas are the focus of new poultry developments because of the pressure on the poultry industry to avoid conflicts with nearby residents in Sydney’s developing suburbs.
  • Other areas are attracting dairy developments because of the availability of irrigation water and because land is cheaper than on the coast.
  • The inland irrigation areas are attracting new cotton developments as the industry expands southwards and westwards in the state.

NSW DPI is involved in all these and many more planning issues to ensure that agricultural land and the industry have a sustainable and profitable future.