Attachment 4 - Officer Report Dated 12 September 2023

(e)   Outside urban and rural residential areas, lands are maintained for their rural, landscape and
      biodiversity values. The hinterland accommodates vibrant villages, rural living, agricultural
      and complementary enterprises, and natural bushland tracts against a backdrop of
      mountains, ranges and waterways.
(v)   Important agricultural areas, shown on the Agricultural Land Map in Schedule 2, are
      recognised for their contribution to a diverse economy, food security and good stewardship
      of the land for future generations. Agricultural lands are protected from encroachment and
      fragmentation from incompatible land uses.
(w)   Rural enterprises provide a variety of services and employment opportunities and growth in
      traditional and emerging sections are encouraged. These may include primary production,
      agribusiness, value adding, farm gate sales, cottage industries, artisans workshops and rural
      tourism.
The applicant submits that the proposed farm stay complements the expanding and existing
agricultural pursuits, and is part of a permaculture experience, providing benefits to the land and
educating guests on sustainable farming and living practices. The applicant further advises that
while some buildings are proposed on good agricultural land, approximately half the golf course
will be removed and used for agricultural purposes. The applicant also suggests the farm stay is
also a sustainable low impact rural tourism component of an agricultural use.
The proposal offers an opportunity to enable some value adding to an agricultural use on the site
and draw both upon the economic benefits of agricultural and rural tourism. It also has the potential
to offer educational and land benefits from the proposed permaculture practices. However, the
farm stay activity is more than complementary to the agricultural use of the land or a component
of this use, as it will clearly be the primary use of the land, with the agricultural use being secondary.
The proposal is not considered to be small scale or fit for its setting.
The extent of the proposed buildings and associated driveway and car parking areas whilst not
being visible externally and provided in 4 areas on lot 394, would be the largest in the Shire’s
hinterland. The site is also accessed via a narrow roadway, which currently supports only 5 other
rural properties and will generate significantly more traffic than the existing golf course to the
detriment of the adjoining resident’s amenity. Currently, Kabi Road experiences 58 car trips during
the week and 27 on Sundays compared to the proposed 352 car trips during the week and 116 on
Sundays.
Although parts of the golf course are to be removed, the new villages, new roadways and new
activity fields remove areas currently used for agriculture on lot 394 and reduce the area of the site
to be used for agriculture. The applicant’s plans indicate that the area used for productive
permaculture currently is 4.8ha on lot 394, with the proposed permaculture gardens comprising
3.74ha. The plans note that there is the potential to expand the gardens by another 2.3ha however
the plans do not detail these areas.