Land use assessment
Decisions regarding the zoning and development of land have the potential to impact upon mineral resources, including coal, petroleum and construction materials, by restricting or prohibiting access for exploration and mining. The Minerals and Land Use Assessment program has an important role in ensuring that the locations of current and potential future mineral resources are considered in land use planning decisions by state and local government agencies.
NSW Department of Primary Industries, Mineral Resources (NSW DPI, Mineral Resources) is consulted regarding most state and regional planning initiatives. The division (in coordination with other NSW DPI divisions) provides advice to the NSW Department of Planning, other government agencies and local government authorities regarding geology and mineral resources across the state.
The division also cooperates with other agencies, stakeholders and community representatives on regional assessments such as the Comprehensive Coastal Assessment (CCA). Coastal Quaternary geological map series at 1:25 000 scale form fundamental data layers for the CCA.
The Land Use Assessment team conducts on-going programs to provide local government authorities with advice on known and potential mineral resource lands. This advice is provided in response to a local planning direction issued by the Minister for Planning under Section 117 (2) of the Environment Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 (Direction 1.3 – Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive Industries). To date, Section 117 (2) advice has been provided to local councils in the more densely populated eastern part of the state. It takes the form of maps (both hard copy and digital form) and a brief explanatory report. This information is a valuable source of data for other government agencies involved in land use planning and natural resource management.
As part of the state government reform of the state planning system, a new standard template for Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) was gazetted in March 2006. The template reduces and standardises zoning categories. All councils in the state must complete new whole-of shire LEPs using the template by 2011.
To coincide with the preparation of the new LEPs, NSW DPI Mineral Resources is undertaking an audit of mineral and extractive resources for the entire state over the next 2-3 years, on a Local Government Area (LGA) basis. This information will be supplied to local councils and NSW Department of Planning to inform preparation of new LEPs and land use planning decisions.
In February 2007, the State Environmental Planning Policy (Mining, Petroleum and Extractive Industries) 2007 (SEPP) was gazetted. The SEPP, which was developed in consultation with NSW DPI Mineral Resources, consolidates and updates many existing planning provisions related to mineral, petroleum and extractive resources and also introduces new provisions which protect identified resources of state and regional significance from being affected by incompatible development.
The Sydney Metropolitan Strategy was released by the state government in December 2005 to manage Sydney’s growth over the next 25 years. It underpins more detailed planning at the sub-regional and local government level. Part of the strategy involves protection of significant natural resources in rural land, including mineral and extractive resources. Information on these resources is currently being upgraded by the NSW Department of Planning, in partnership with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
NSW DPI Mineral Resources also provides advice to the NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change (DECC) regarding potential areas for acquisition and reservation under the National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act). Any land proposed for reservation is first referred to NSW DPI Mineral Resources to ensure that no known or potential resources are sterilised by inclusion in a conservation reserve. Where both conservation values and mineral values are found to coincide, the option of reservation as a State Conservation Area (SCA) is available. SCAs are the only conservation reserve category which allows access for exploration and mining following environmental assessment. The NPW Act requires that the status of SCAs be reviewed every five years.
The first five year review of all SCAs in NSW (127 in total) was conducted in 2007/08 in conjunction with DECC. This review assessed the mineral values of all SCAs and made recommendations as to whether they should be converted to national parks or remain as SCAs. Results of this review will be published by DECC.
For further information please contact the Land Use Team.
(Last updated on 24/02/2009)