2019-06-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                      11 JUNE 2019


8                        ENVIRONMENT LEVY LAND ACQUISITION PROGRAM - UPDATE
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                              Principal Environment Officer, Peter Milne
                                    Environment and Sustainable Development Department

Index                               ECM/ Subject/ Environment Levy

Attachments                         1.    Environment Levy Land Register



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Principal Environment Officer to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 11 June 2019 regarding an update on the Environment Levy Land
Acquisition Program and:
A.                       Agree to investigate, through the development of a business case, the eligibility for two
                         parcels of land purchased by the Environment Levy (25SP104706, 26 Riverpark Drive,
                         Ringtail Creek and 3RP186809, 1675 Louis Bazzo Drive, Boreen Point) for a revolving
                         fund, in accordance with Council’s Revolving Fund Policy Guidelines, to potentially provide
                         funds to acquire other environmentally significant land; and
B.                       Request staff to provide a report on the business case back to a future round of Council
                         meetings for consideration.



1.                       Background
Council established the Environment Levy in 1995 for the purpose of protecting environmentally
significant land. A diversity of vegetation and habitat has been protected through the
Environment Levy Program including wetlands, eucalypt forest, rainforest and heath. Placing
environmentally significant land under public protection provides long term security for vegetation
and habitat.
Since 1995 thirty-four parcels covering 1,592ha (approx.) of land have been purchased with the
levy, as shown in Attachment 1. In summary:
                       22 parcels remain as Council freehold land
                       3 parcels have transferred to National Park
                       2 parcels have transferred to State freehold land pending National Park gazettal
                       5 parcels have transferred to State Conservation Park with Council as trustee
                       1 parcel is held by Council under nomination of trust
                       1 parcel has transferred with water and sewerage assets to Unity Water in 2010
Purchases range in size from 0.0315ha to 400ha, with the lowest cost purchase of $15,000 in
2003 and the highest cost purchase of $4,500,000 in 2007. 14 land parcels were jointly
purchased, either with the State (Coastal Land Acquisition Program) or Federal Government
(National Heritage Trust-National Reserve System Program). Funding from these programs
ceased some years ago.


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