2018-09-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 SEPTEMBER 2018




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                           11 SEPTEMBER 2018

           POLICY GUIDELINE -— Private Landholder Conservation Partnerships
           assessment by a Council officer with any unallocated funds relating to a particular property expiring
           at the end of each financial year (i.e. they are not carried forward). When a property changes hands,
           the statutory conservation protection remains, and the Voluntary Conservation Agreement expires.
           An agreement between the new landholder and Council may be entered into depending on VCA
           program priorities, and applications will be considered at the request of the new landholder.
           New VCA’s:
           Where an eligible landholder and Council enter into a new Voluntary Conservation Agreement which
           includes statutory protection and/or an Environmental Management Plan for the conservation area,
           Council may provide the following incentives:
           Statutory Conservation Protection Incentive
           A financial incentive to set up statutory conservation protection such as a covenant or Nature Refuge
           to protect their property into perpetuity may be provided. Costs will cover a survey of the covenant
           area or Nature Refuge dedication costs, and legal fees.
           Areas on subject land parcels can remain exempt from the statutory protected area and can be used
           for other purposes (e.g. grazing, orchards, open space, future house site). A covenant or Nature
           Refuge does not grant any public right of access to the land.
           Environmental Management Plan Incentive
           A financial incentive may be provided for the development and annual implementation for up to 5
           years of an Environmental Management Plan, with the annual incentive being reviewed against CPI
           every 5 years. These include:
           °     Costs to develop the Environmental Management Plan for the conservation area under
                 statutory protection.
           e     An annual incentive to implement the Environmental Management Plan, which will be capped,
                 as follows:
                 °    Minimum available annual incentive of $1,500 per annum for Conservation Areas up to 5
                      hectares in size.
                 °    For conservation areas over 5 hectares an additional $100 will be available for every
                      extra hectare (up to a maximum total of $5000 each year for up to 5 years).
                 °    Ongoing financial support will not exceed 5 years unless specified in the EMP.
                 °    Costs cannot be claimed for unexpended VCA funds from previous financial years.
           What funds can be used for under the EMP
           The type of works or materials required will be identified in the agreed EMP. Examples include:
           °     engagement of contractors for ecological restoration works and fencing;
           °     engagement of contractors for pest control:
           °     engagement of consultants such as ecological surveys or fire management planning and
                 approved works;
           °     purchase of materials such as herbicide and/or hand tools;
           °     purchase of wildlife apparatus such as nest boxes.
           Funds cannot be used for the purchase of machinery such as chainsaws, mowers, brush-cutters or
           tractors.
           VCA properties may be eligible for grants and other funding from state and federal governments
           such as environmental or carbon offsets.
           VCA funds cannot be used for works that are a regulatory requirement such as a condition of
           development or subject to compliance action by a regulatory authority.
           Commissioning works
           The EMP priorities will be discussed on-site annually with a Council officer, the landholder and
           contractor/consultant to agree and review works undertaken. Agreed works will be confirmed in

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