2016-06-07 - P&E Agenda - Item 5, Attachment 1 - Agriculture and Agricultural Land Study

Appendix E – History of Significant Planning
Provisions Relevant to Agriculture
State Planning Policy 1/92 Development and the Conservation of Agricultural
Land
In 1992 the Queensland Government introduced a State Planning Policy (SPP) aimed at using
planning schemes to protect good quality agricultural lands from those developments that would
lead to its alienation or diminished productivity. When preparing, reviewing or amending planning
schemes local governments were expected to include provisions for the conservation of good
quality agricultural land, regardless of the effect of market fluctuations on its viability.

The fact that existing farm units and smallholdings were not agriculturally viable was not
considered justification for further subdivision or rezoning for non-agricultural purposes and Council
was to minimise instances of incompatible uses locating adjacent to agricultural operations in a
manner that inhibits normal farming practice.


Local Planning Policies
In complying with the above SPP Council prepared a 1995 planning study analysing soil types.
This led to the adoption of Local Planning Policy (LPP) No. 26 Good Quality Agricultural Land
adopted in May 1995, which was intended to define an appropriate approach to protecting good
quality agricultural land from development that would lead to its alienation or diminished
productivity.

This LPP included a map (provided as Figure 8) which showed four categories of land suitability:

 CATEGORY OF LAND                                    1992 STATE PLANNING POLICY STATUS

 1. Land which is suitable for all horticultural     Very likely to be classified as good quality
 uses                                                agricultural land, Class A

 2. Land which is suitable for orchard crops, but    Very likely to be classified as good quality
 may be marginal for annual crops                    agricultural land, Classes A to C

 3. Land which may be marginal to unsuitable         Some may comprise good quality agricultural
 for horticultural use, but further testing may be   land, but in general the land will fall within
 required                                            classes B to D

 4. Land which is likely to be unsuitable for        Land which is likely to be classified as non-
 horticultural use                                   agricultural land, Class D




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