I’ve been investigating what areas will be rezoned when the MCC Draft Land & Environment Plan is gazetted later in the year. To do this I’ve looked at corners of the area using the Mapping Portal available at https://cloudmaps.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/

To understand the land use changes for your land it’s also vital that one is also aware of the changes to the definitions of each zone. Even if you remain in the same zoning the conditions that are applied to your land will be changed.

As I first began looking at the North West of our LGA that is where I’ll begin this series of blog posts.

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The map below shows the current zonings in the area from Elands, Bobin, Caparra and Doyles River State Forest in the east to the Nowendoc, Mernot and Barrington Tops State Forests in the west. The different colours represent different zones.

Below is the same area showing the zones in the Draft LEP.

The changes are obvious in the east less so in the west. Below is a map showing the current RU1 zones only.

The light green indicates a C1 zone which is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The darker green is an RU3 or Forestry zone. The light brown is RU1 zoned. The legend on the left shows a tick in the RU1 – Primary Production box and the colour of its shading is also shown. Almost all the land that is not C1 or RU3 is RU1.

Below is the mapping of the Draft LEP showing the proposed RU1 land.

Obviously there will be no RU1 zonings in that whole area. So what might it become zoned when the Draft LEP is gazetted? The map below shows the proposed RU2 zoning.

This map presents a stark change of zoning. RU1 land will become RU2 land, except for land on the eastern end of this map which I will come back to in a later post.

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Here is the definition of the current RU1 – Primary Production land.

Current RU1 Zone   

RU1 Primary Production

1   Objectives of zone •  To encourage sustainable primary industry production by maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base. •  To encourage diversity in primary industry enterprises and systems appropriate for the area. •  To minimise the fragmentation and alienation of resource lands. •  To minimise conflict between land uses within this zone and land uses within adjoining zones. •  To encourage eco-tourism enterprises that minimise any adverse effect on primary industry production and the scenic amenity of the area.

2   Permitted without consent Environmental protection works; Extensive agriculture; Forestry; Home occupations; Horticulture; Roads; Viticulture

3   Permitted with consent Agricultural produce industries; Agriculture; Airports; Airstrips; Animal boarding or training establishments; Aquaculture; Backpackers’ accommodation; Bed and breakfast accommodation; Boat launching ramps; Camping grounds; Caravan parks; Cellar door premises; Cemeteries; Community facilities; Dual occupancies; Dwelling houses; Eco-tourist facilities; Educational establishments; Emergency services facilities; Extractive industries; Farm buildings; Farm stay accommodation; Flood mitigation works; Function centres; Home businesses; Home industries; Intensive livestock agriculture; Intensive plant agriculture; Kiosks; Open cut mining; Recreation areas; Recreation facilities (outdoor); Restaurants or cafes; Roadside stalls; Rural industries; Veterinary hospitals; Waste or resource transfer stations

4   Prohibited Any development not specified in item 2 or 3

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If this land will become RU2 lets’s see what the new definition of the RU2 zone will be.

Proposed RU2

RU2 Rural Landscape

1 Objectives of zone • To encourage sustainable primary industry production by maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base. • To maintain the rural landscape character of the land. • To provide for a range of compatible land uses, including extensive agriculture. • To promote productive rural landscapes by minimising the fragmentation of rural land.

2 Permitted without consent Environmental protection works; Extensive agriculture; Home businesses; Home occupations

3 Permitted with consent Agritourism; Airstrips; Animal boarding or training establishments; Aquaculture; Artisan food and drink industries; Boat launching ramps; Boat sheds; Camping grounds; Cemeteries; Community facilities; Depots; Dual occupancies; Dwelling houses; Eco-tourist facilities; Educational establishments; Electricity generating works; Emergency services facilities; Environmental facilities; Extractive industries; Farm buildings; Flood mitigation works; Forestry; Function centres; Group homes; Helipads; Home-based child care; Home industries; Home occupations (sex services); Information and education facilities; Intensive livestock agriculture, Intensive plant agriculture; Jetties; Landscaping material supplies; Markets; Open cut mining; Plant nurseries; Recreation areas; Recreation facilities (outdoor); Research stations; Roads; Roadside stalls; Rural industries; Rural supplies; Rural workers’ dwellings; School-based child care; Secondary dwellings; Sewerage systems; Signage; Telecommunications facilities; Timber yards; Tourist and visitor accommodation; Transport depots; Truck depots; Veterinary hospitals; Waste or resource management facilities; Waste or resource transfer stations; Water recreation structures; Water supply systems; Wharf or boating facilities; Any development not specified in item 2 or 4

4 Prohibited Airports; Air transport facilities; Amusement centres; Backpackers’ accommodation; Brothels; Caravan parks; Car parks; Centre-based child care facilities; Charter of tourism boating facilities; Commercial premises; Correctional centres; Crematoria; Early education and care facilities; Entertainment facilities; Exhibition homes; Exhibition villages; Freight transport facilities; Funeral homes; Heavy industrial storage establishments; Heavy Industries; Health services facilities; Heliports; Highway service centres; Hotel or motel accommodation; Industrial retail outlets; Industrial training facilities; Industries; Kiosks; Local distribution premises; Marinas; Moorings; Mooring pens; Mortuaries; Neighbourhood shops; Passenger transport facilities; Places of public worship; Port facilities; Public administration buildings; Recreation facilities (indoor); Recreation facilities (major); Registered clubs; Residential accommodation; Respite day care centres; Restaurants or cafes; Restricted premises; Storage premises; Serviced apartments; Service stations; Sex services premises; Shops; Vehicle body repair workshops; Vehicle repair stations; Warehouse or distribution centres; Wholesale supplies

That’s a lot of information to take in so I asked for an AI comparison. Here are the results.

I think that even a brief scan of the changes indicate that it is a major shift in the way that your government controls the use of your land. The addition of increased compliance and prohibitions will devalue your land.

It should also be noted that ‘Electricity generating works’ is a new addition to the RU2 zoning. These works can include large scale solar projects, wind farms and battery storage systems.

This is the first in a series of changes that will happen to your land at the time of gazettal of the Draft LEP. If you are unhappy about them then now is the time to make your voice heard.