2016-07-12 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                             12 JULY 2016


12                       FURTHER REPORT - PLANNING STUDY ON AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL
                         LAND
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                              Principal Strategic Planner, Rowena Skinner
                                    Planning & Infrastructure Department

Index                               ECM/ Subject/ Rural Planning
                                    ECM/ Project/ Planning Scheme Review 2016 – Planning Studies

Attachments                         1.    Agriculture and Agricultural Land in Noosa Shire 2016
                                          (80 page attachment supplied separately to this agenda. 2 hard copies available in
                                          the Councillors’ room)



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Planning Study on Agriculture and Agricultural Land Report was presented to the Planning
and Environment Committee Meeting on the 7 June 2016 and deferred to the General Committee
Meeting dated 16 June 2016. Following discussion at this meeting, Council requested a further
report with amendments to the study, for consideration at a future Council meeting.


RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the reports by the Principal Strategic Planner to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 7 June 2016 and to the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting
dated 12 July 2016 and endorse the study “Agriculture and Agricultural Land in Noosa Shire
2016” provided at Attachment 1 to the report dated 12 July 2016, for the purpose of informing the
new Planning Scheme.


REPORT
This report brings back to Council a revised planning study into Agriculture and Agricultural Land
in Noosa Shire following Councillor feedback on the study.

The planning study represents an update of an earlier study prepared in 1995 and it considers
contemporary opportunities and challenges for agriculture in Noosa. The purpose of the planning
study is to inform the new planning scheme. It makes recommendations on how the planning
scheme can facilitate rural enterprises as a priority sector, advance the State’s Planning Interest
in Agriculture and protect the amenity and environment of the Noosa hinterland.

1.                       State Planning Interest

The State’s planning interest in Agriculture is that planning protects the resources on which
agriculture depends and supports the long-term viability and growth of the agricultural sector.
The State’s interest in Agriculture is advanced through the following policies:

                       Considering the strategic economic significance of important agricultural areas by
                         promoting and optimising agricultural development opportunities and enabling increased
                         agricultural production in these areas.

                       Protecting Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) Class A and Class B land for sustainable
                         agricultural use by:
                         (a) avoiding fragmentation of ALC Class A or Class B land into lot sizes inconsistent with
                               the current or potential use of the land for agriculture;
                         (b) avoiding locating non-agricultural development on or adjacent to ALC Class A or
                               Class B land; and
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