2016-07-12 - Item 12 - Att 1 - Agriculture and Agricultural Land in Noosa Shire

•      Where there is uncertainty about the likely effect of a land use on a sustainable agriculture
       or good quality agricultural land, ensure that protection of the agriculture or conservation of
       the good quality agricultural land prevails.
•      Encourage agriculture to adhere to the Strategic Principles and Development Principles.
•      Encourage the adoption of environmentally sustainable land management practices that
       ensure that agricultural development does not impact on surrounding or downstream
       environments or environmental processes.


Vegetation Management Act 1999
The Vegetation Management Act 1999 regulates the clearing of remnant vegetation to conserve
biodiversity values and maintain ecological processes. While there is a considerable amount of
protected vegetation throughout Noosa Shire there are various exemptions for agriculture and
grazing purposes. For instance farmers can clear to construct new infrastructure, build fences and
tracks, clear watering points, clear firebreaks and reduce hazardous fuel load.

Subject to gaining a permit you can clear remnant vegetation for high-value agriculture or irrigated
high-value agriculture. This includes broadacre cropping, annual horticulture, perennial horticulture
and irrigated pasture (but not plantation forestry or unirrigated pastures). However in the
application process the applicant has to demonstrate that
•       the land is suitable for the proposed high-value or irrigated high-value agriculture;
•       the development will be economically viable; and
•       there is no suitable alternative site and clearing is limited to the extent necessary to
        establish and cultivate crops.


The Noosa Plan 2006
The Noosa Plan was introduced as the planning scheme for the Shire of Noosa in February 2006.
This plan, prepared under the now repealed Integrated Planning Act adopted a Natural Resource
overlay that included an Agricultural Land Conservation Area (ALCA) generally carried forward
from the 2007 Strategic Plan. This overlay has implications for development within ALCA as well
as development in the vicinity of ALCA so that the use of good quality agricultural land is not
adversely affected by other forms of development and that uses that can be located elsewhere are.
It is the intention of the scheme that land within the ALCA is not further subdivided.


SEQ Regional Plan
The first draft of the South East Queensland Regional Plan was released for public comment in
October 2004 (shortly after Noosa’s draft IPA-based planning scheme was released for
consultation). The Regional Plan includes Urban Footprints over the various towns of Noosa Shire
and Rural Living designations at Lake Cooroibah, Black Mountain, Doonan, Sunrise Hills and Lake
Macdonald. The vast majority of Noosa Shire is included in the Regional Landscape and Rural
Production Area.

The Regional Plan and its regulatory provisions prevented the subdivision of land in the Regional
Landscape and Rural Production Area unless the resultant lots were at least 100 hectares in area.

This had an immediate effect on the subdivision potential of many properties within Noosa Shire
and owners had a period of 2 years to make development applications under the planning scheme
provisions.

The SEQ Regional Plan 2005-2026 also strengthened the stance against urban activities being
approved in the Regional Landscape and Rural Production area and defined what was and was
not considered an urban activity. It sought to maintain a viable rural production sector, capitalising
on existing advantages and ready to meet changing circumstances. It acknowledged changes in
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