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

rural production and that land use policies influenced the ability for agriculture to remain
competitive or to transition to something more competitive (such as niche agricultural products).

Within the SEQ Regional Plan 2009-2031 the regulatory provisions apply to the Regional
Landscape and Rural Production Area and restrict further fragmentation of land holdings, urban
development, except within established villages, and the expansion of rural residential
development outside areas already allocated in local government planning schemes. In 2014 these
regulatory provisions were amended.

In summary the SEQ Regional Plan became a powerful instrument for avoiding ongoing
fragmentation and cluttering of the hinterland with development better located within urban areas.

South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan 2009–2031 is a non-statutory plan to
support the SEQ Regional Plan 2009–2031. It contains various targets relevant to agriculture and
associated land and water resources.


Rural Futures Strategy for South East Queensland 2009
In support of the SEQ Regional Plan the State released a Rural Futures Strategy which included
both a strategy and action plan to improve the economic prosperity, environmental wellbeing and
quality of life of rural South East Queensland. The document included a number of well-intentioned
aspirations, for instance it included a target of maintaining 90% of 2004 levels of agricultural land
for productive purposes in 2031 and to halt the fragmentation of land within the Regional
Landscape and Rural Production Area.

The document acknowledged that the regulatory environment can have a negative impact on the
profitability and sustainability of rural enterprises and that streamlining the planning process could
assist economic diversification and allow primary producers to undertake normal daily productive
activities without unnecessary red tape.

One of the Strategic Actions was to Improve the coordination of planning for agriculture and other
rural land uses in the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area. This included the following
programs & projects:

•      Rural precinct planning
•      Developing a Regional Landscape Planning Framework for SEQ
•      Reforming the Integrated Planning Act
•      Reviewing State Planning Policy 1/92
•      Developing a coordinated and consistent approach to agricultural planning in SEQ using a
       case study approach
•      Shared rural planning specialist
•      Transferable Development Rights pilot (at Ipswich City Council)
•      Agricultural production precincts

While this document may have prompted State and Local Governments to turn their attention to
rural planning it is not generally considered to have brought about significant change and in fact
the State generally abandoned some of the concepts in favour of wide spread planning reform.


Sunshine Coast Rural Background Studies
In October 2009 the Sunshine Coast Council (inclusive of the Noosa area at the time) released for
discussion, various background studies as part of preliminary consultation to inform the new
planning scheme amongst other work.



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