A move away from a flexible, multi-functional rural zone towards a highly prescriptive, protectionist zone.Note: Electricity generating works, which includes solar farms, wind turbines and battery storage are allowed with consent.
Comparison Table: Key Shifts in RU2
| Category | Current RU2 | Proposed RU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Core Purpose | Mixed rural living, enterprise, and tourism. | Landscape protection & primary production first. Other uses are secondary and highly controlled. |
| Tourism Stance | Explicitly encouraged (“provide for rural tourism”). | Not mentioned in objectives.Agritourism and Tourist and visitor accommodation (broad) are permissible, but specific forms (B&B, Hotel) are prohibited. |
| Commercial Activity | Allows Neighbourhood shops, Kiosks, Restaurants. | All shops, cafes, and kiosks are prohibited. Only Roadside stalls and Markets are allowed. |
| Community Services | Allows Places of public worship, Centre-based child care, Public admin buildings. | Most are prohibited, limiting the zone’s role in providing community nodes |
| Housing | Dwelling houses, Dual occupancies, Secondary dwellings allowed. | Largely unchanged, but Rural workers’ dwellings added to support primary production. |
| Landscape Control | Objective to “maintain” character. | Strengthened by removing conflicting uses (tourism, commercial, industrial) that could compromise it |
Overall Shift in Philosophy
* Current: A “flexible rural living and enterprise zone” that permits a wide mix of uses including various tourism, retail, and light industrial activities alongside agriculture.
* Proposed: A “tighter, more protective landscape-focused zone” that actively discourages urbanisation, larger-scale commercial development, and standalone tourism to preserve landscape character and prevent fragmentation.
Key Changes & Their Implications
1. Objectives of Zone: A Sharp Refocus
* Removed Objective:”To provide for rural tourism in association with the primary industry capability of the land…”. This is a major philosophical shift away from explicitly encouraging tourism.
* Revised Objective: “To secure a future for agriculture… by minimising the fragmentation…” is changed to “To promote productive rural landscapes by minimising the fragmentation of rural land.” This broadens the focus from just agriculture to the overall ‘productive landscape’.
* Implication:** The zone’s purpose is being re-centred on **landscape protection and primary production**, with tourism and other uses taking a subordinate, strictly controlled role.
2. Expansion of “Permitted Without Consent”
* Current: Only `Extensive agriculture; Home occupations`.
* Proposed: `Environmental protection works; Extensive agriculture; Home businesses; Home occupations`.
* Implication: `Home businesses` are promoted to a more accepted status, and `Environmental protection works` are formally recognised as foundational. This encourages small, low-impact rural enterprises and environmental management.
3. Major Reshuffle of “Permitted with Consent”
The proposed list removes many “urban” or “commercial” uses and adds new rural-supporting ones:
* New/Emphasised Uses: `Agritourism; Artisan food and drink industries; Markets; Research stations; Rural workers’ dwellings; Electricity generating works; Telecommunications facilities`. This supports a modern, diversified, but still land-based rural economy.
* Notable Removals (moved to Prohibited): See next section. Crucially, many specific tourism and retail uses are gone.
* Broad Category Introduced: `Tourist and visitor accommodation` replaces several specific types (B&B, Backpackers, etc.), giving planners discretion but within a narrower overall intent.
4. Drastic Expansion of the “Prohibited” List
This is the most impactful change, fundamentally altering what the RU2 zone can be used for. The proposed zone now explicitly bans a vast array of developments currently allowed with consent, including:
* Tourism & Accommodation: `Backpackers’ accommodation; Bed and breakfast accommodation; Caravan parks; Hotel or motel accommodation`.
* Food & Retail: `Kiosks; Neighbourhood shops; Restaurants or cafes; Shops`.
* Community & Services: `Centre-based child care; Crematoria; Places of public worship; Public administration buildings; Respite day care centres`.
* Recreation: `Marinas; Recreation facilities (indoor); Recreation facilities (major); Registered clubs`.
* Industry & Storage: `Industries; Warehouse or distribution centres; Freight transport facilities; Storage premises`.
* Specific Infrastructure: `Airports; Heliports`.
Implication: This creates a ‘bright line’ against urbanisation. It prevents RU2 land from becoming a location for larger-scale tourist resorts, commercial hubs, or light industrial estates, which are seen as incompatible with the core objective of maintaining the rural landscape.
Key Drivers of the Change:
1. Landscape Paramount: The objective to “maintain the rural landscape character” becomes the overriding principle, justifying the extensive prohibited list.
2. Anti-Urbanisation: By prohibiting shops, cafes, major recreation facilities, and larger tourist accommodations, the proposal seeks to prevent rural land from transforming into quasi-urban or commercial destinations.
3. Refocused Economy: The economic base is shifted firmly towards **primary production and its direct, small-scale diversification** (artisan, agritourism, markets), not secondary service industries.
Stakeholder Impact:
* Landowners may find their development options significantly reduced, particularly for tourism or commercial ventures.
* Existing Businesses operating uses that will become prohibited (e.g., a B&B, a small cafe, a childcare centre) may have existing use rights but could face restrictions on expansion or redevelopment.
* Community: Access to certain services (like a local place of worship or a larger childcare centre) within the rural landscape will no longer be a permissible planning outcome under this zone.
In summary, the proposed RU2 is a much “tighter” zone designed to act as a strong policy instrument to contain urban sprawl, preserve scenic landscapes, and ensure rural land remains primarily for rural purposes.