Land use planning and primary industries
Citrus orchard
Coal exploration
A Forests NSW pine plantation with retained native vegetation areas
A hardwood plantation
Freshwater fish hatchery
Role of Industry & Investment NSW
The role of Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) in land use planning is to protect resource lands by providing a strong voice for primary industries in the planning process. This involves ensuring that regulatory and strategic frameworks for land use planning facilitate sustainable, profitable and adaptable primary industries.
Particular focus
The Department's particular focus is on:
- ensuring equitable access to resources for agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mineral, petroleum and extractive industries;
- encouraging investment in sustainable primary industries;
- reducing land use conflict between primary industries and other land uses;
- preventing degradation or sterilisation of natural resources on which primary industries depend;
- ensuring that land use does not impact negatively on aquatic habitats and threatened aquatic species.
Legislation, planning instruments and strategies
I&I NSW is also responsible for administering:
- Fisheries Management Act 1994
- Forestry Act 1916
- Mining Act 1992
- Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999
- Plantations and Reafforestation (Code) Regulation 2001.
I&I NSW has a significant role in initiating and developing planning instruments that facilitate primary industry activities and protect fish species and habitats. The most important State Environmental Planning Policies for primary industries are:
- Intensive Agriculture SEPP 30
- Sustainable Aquaculture SEPP 62
- SEPP (Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive Industries) 2007.
Another important function is to provide input to state, regional and local land use planning initiatives, including proposed changes to land use planning legislation, environmental planning instruments and strategies. This involves working with other NSW government agencies to ensure that government policies and regulations account for the interests of primary industries when determining access to resource lands.
I&I NSW continues to work closely with NSW Department of Planning to promote the interests of primary industries, and to provide advice, information and mapping to assist local councils with strategic planning and development assessment.
Minimising land use conflict
It is important to achieve the most sustainable use of natural resources and to reduce land use conflict, which is increasingly common in coastal and other areas subject to development pressure. I&I NSW actions to reduce land use conflict include encouraging industry best practice, and developing advisory materials such as the North Coast Land Use Conflict Management Handbook.
Find out more about minimising land use conflict.