Surrounding LGA's

Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council

Extracts from the Rural Lands Strategy

A strategy is needed on the further use of the E3 Environmental Management land use zone. Indications from research associated with the Discussion Paper point to there being limited benefit in having extensive areas of E3, and in fact, there is a perception that the land use zone has a negative impact on commercial agriculture which, throughout the former Palerang LGA, uses some environmental lands for extensive grazing.

State government regulates the clearing of native vegetation, outside of the relatively small areas impacted by development applications or planning proposals for rezoning, under Council control. While Council powers are limited, Council can seek to influence the review of legislation and lobby for effective and meaningful funding incentives for landholders to conserve native vegetation where it otherwise has economic potential if cleared.

Diverse home business opportunities will strengthen the rural economic base and support agriculture by making part-time farming viable.

There is also an increasing interest in boutique agricultural activities and the ’provenance‘ of food (i.e. mapping out to the consumer where food products come from and how they are produced).

The line separating true hobby farming and commercial agriculture is vague.

Local food and fibre initiatives show considerable potential in the former Palerang LGA given the expanding interest in fresh local food in the Canberra region. Activities at the boutique scale range from hobby production associated with rural living through to part-time and even a few emerging full-time small lot farms with value added rural products.

The impact of rural residential supply stocks requires ongoing monitoring. It is preferable that there is a co-ordinated approach to monitoring across the LGAs surrounding Canberra, given the interrelationship and impacts of the supply and demand of land across all of these LGAs.

So, what did they do?

In the areas bordering the Snowy Monaro LGA to the east of Tallaganda State Forest and Nature Reserves, zoning has remained at RU1-Primary Production. The minimum lot size for this area is currently 40 hectares. Around the area to the north of the Tinderry Nature Reserve, there is a combination of zones. These are: RU1-Primary Production and E4-Environmental Living around the Burra and Royalla areas. The Minimum Lot Sizes are still consistent, remaining at 80 hectares and 6 hectares, respectively.

Eurobodalla Shire Council

The ESC proposed a re-zone to areas surrounding the Nelligen area. Following significant community involvement in the consultation process, Council retracted the plans and kept the status quo.

Bega Valley Shire Council

The BVSC, through the Local Environmental Plan process, introduced significant E-zones and other amendments to zoning and minimum lot sizes. They used local news papers as the consultation process, and as a result many landholders were unaware of the proposal. Following the consultation process, Council had not received many submissions and the Plan was approved.

Landholders in the Bega Valley Shire are now trying to retrospectively fight to get their land use rights back. The values of their properties have decreased. Many are unable to build a home on their land legally.

Brought to the forefront, following the last bush fire season, was the unapproved dwellings on these properties. People still build to live on their land, risking being prosecuted by Council and they are unable to access insurance.