Overall MCC RU1 Zone Changes – Part 1
This post is about macro level changes to RU1 land which will take place at the time of gazettal of the Draft LEP. My next post will analyse RU1 land that will become RU2 but for now I’ll look at the land that will remain as RU1. Shown below is a screenshot of the whole LGA and their current zonings.
And below is shown the Draft LEP zonings.
Straight away it’s obvious that there are big changes in the old Taree and Gloucester council areas. The colouring of the zones can make the zone changes difficult to see, so below I’m showing only the current RU1 zones.
And below are the Draft RU1 zones.
HUGE areas, covering almost half of our LGA, will no longer be the least restrictive rural zone, RU1. Looking at the remaining RU1 zone around Gloucester it’s worthwhile to see how that zone will change. You’ll find the conditions placed on the current and draft RU1 zones here.
This is an AI analysis of a comparison between the current and draft.
Summary of Key Changes
- Objectives: The proposed zone adds two new objectives: promoting small-scale rural tourism and maintaining rural landscape character.
- Permitted without consent: Home businesses are upgraded (from ‘with consent’ to ‘without consent’); Forestry and Viticulture are downgraded to ‘with consent’; Extensive agriculture remains, but Horticulture is removed from this list.
- Permitted with consent: Major additions include Agritourism, Artisan food & drink industries, Tourist & visitor accommodation, Secondary dwellings, and various industrial-type uses (Depots, Timber yards, Transport depots). Many rural tourism uses (e.g., Farm stay, Eco-tourist facilities) are retained but renamed/regrouped.
- Prohibited: Drastic expansion of prohibited uses. Previously, only unspecified uses were prohibited. Now, 50+ specific uses are banned, including Airports, Backpackers’ accommodation, Caravan parks, Restaurants or cafes, Shops, Service stations, Hotels/motels, and most residential accommodation (except dwellings, dual occ, group homes, secondary dwellings, rural workers’ dwellings).
Detailed Comparison Table
| Provision | Current RU1 | Proposed RU1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Objectives | 5 objectives: sustainable primary production, diversity, minimise fragmentation/alienation, minimise conflict, encourage eco-tourism (minimising adverse effect on production & scenic amenity) | 6 objectives: first 4 identical, then adds: • Provide for small-scale & complementary rural tourism in association with primary industry capability • Maintain rural landscape character | Eco-tourism de-emphasised (now part of broader tourism); new focus on small-scale tourism and landscape character; scenic amenity no longer explicitly linked to eco-tourism |
| Permitted w/o consent | Environmental protection works; Extensive agriculture; Forestry; Home occupations; Horticulture; Roads; Viticulture | Environmental protection works; Extensive agriculture; Home businesses; Home occupations | Added: Home businesses (was with consent). Removed: Forestry, Horticulture, Roads, Viticulture (all now with consent or prohibited?) – Roads not listed in w/o or with consent? Check: Roads appear under ‘Permitted with consent’ in proposed – yes. |
| Permitted with consent (selected highlights) | Agricultural produce industries; Agriculture; Airports; Airstrips; Animal boarding; Aquaculture; Backpackers’ accommodation; B&B; Camping grounds; Caravan parks; Cellar door; Cemeteries; Community facilities; Dual occ; Dwelling houses; Eco-tourist facilities; Educational; Emergency services; Extractive industries; Farm buildings; Farm stay; Flood mitigation; Function centres; Home businesses; Home industries; Intensive livestock/plant ag; Kiosks; Open cut mining; Recreation areas/facilities (outdoor); Restaurants or cafes; Roadside stalls; Rural industries; Veterinary hospitals; Waste transfer stations | Agritourism; Airstrips; Animal boarding; Aquaculture; Artisan food/drink; Boat ramps/sheds; Camping grounds; Cemeteries; Community facilities; Crematoria; Depots; Dual occ; Dwelling houses; Eco-tourist facilities; Educational; Electricity generating works; Emergency services; Environmental facilities; Extractive industries; Farm buildings; Flood mitigation; Forestry; Function centres; Group homes; Helipads; Home-based child care; Home industries; Home occupations (sex services); Info/education; Intensive livestock/plant ag; Jetties; Landscaping material supplies; Markets; Open cut mining; Places of worship; Plant nurseries; Recreation areas; Recreation facilities (major & outdoor); Respite day care; Research stations; Roads; Roadside stalls; Rural industries; Rural supplies; Rural workers’ dwellings; School-based child care; Secondary dwellings; Sewerage systems; Signage; Telecom; Timber yards; Tourist & visitor accommodation; Transport depots; Truck depots; Veterinary hospitals; Waste management/transfer stations; Water recreation structures; Water supply systems; Wharf/boating; Any development not specified in item 2 or 4 | Major additions: Agritourism, Artisan food/drink, Depots, Group homes, Helipads, Home-based child care, Landscaping material supplies, Markets, Recreation facilities (major), Rural supplies, Secondary dwellings, Timber yards, Tourist & visitor accommodation, Transport depots, Truck depots, Waste management facilities. Removed (or moved to prohibited?): Airports (now prohibited), Backpackers’ accommodation (prohibited), B&B (? not listed – prohibited as residential accommodation?), Caravan parks (prohibited), Cellar door (maybe subsumed into Agritourism/Artisan food?), Kiosks (prohibited), Restaurants/cafes (prohibited). Retained: Most primary production and rural uses. |
| Prohibited | Any development not specified in item 2 or 3 (i.e., default prohibition only) | Specific list of 50+ uses, including: Airports; Air transport facilities; Amusement centres; Backpackers’ accommodation; Brothels; Caravan parks; Car parks; Centre-based child care; Charter tourism boating; Commercial premises; Correctional centres; Early education & care; Entertainment facilities; Exhibition homes/villages; Freight transport facilities; Funeral homes; Heavy industrial storage/industries; Health services facilities; Heliports; Highway service centres; Hotel/motel accommodation; Industrial retail outlets/training facilities; Industries; Kiosks; Local distribution premises; Marinas; Moorings/mooring pens; Mortuaries; Neighbourhood shops; Passenger transport facilities; Public admin buildings; Port facilities; Recreation facilities (indoor); Registered clubs; Residential accommodation (except as allowed in with-consent list?); Restaurants or cafes; Restricted premises; Storage premises; Serviced apartments; Service stations; Sex services premises; Shops; Vehicle body repair/repair stations; Warehouse or distribution centres; Wholesale supplies | Dramatic change: From a default prohibition to a specific, long blacklist. Many uses that were ‘with consent’ in current RU1 (e.g., Airports, Backpackers’, Caravan parks, Kiosks, Restaurants/cafes) are now explicitly prohibited. Residential accommodation is broadly prohibited except for specific forms allowed with consent (dwellings, dual occ, group homes, secondary dwellings, rural workers’ dwellings). |
Notable Practical Implications
- Tourism: Current RU1 allows eco-tourist facilities, farm stay, backpackers’, camping, caravan parks, B&B, cellar door with consent. Proposed RU1 allows agritourism, tourist & visitor accommodation, camping grounds, eco-tourist facilities with consent, but prohibits backpackers’, caravan parks, B&B (unless ‘tourist & visitor accommodation’ covers B&B? – likely not, as B&B is a specific use elsewhere). This suggests a shift away from budget/large-scale tourism toward smaller-scale, farm-integrated agritourism.
- Residential: Current RU1 allows dwelling houses and dual occupancies with consent. Proposed adds secondary dwellings and rural workers’ dwellings with consent, but prohibits all other ‘residential accommodation’ (which would include multi-dwelling housing, residential flat buildings, etc.).
- Commercial: Current RU1 allows restaurants/cafes, kiosks, roadside stalls, function centres with consent. Proposed allows roadside stalls, function centres, markets, but prohibits restaurants/cafes, kiosks, shops, commercial premises. This significantly limits retail/food service.
- Heavy industry: Both zones prohibit heavy industry (explicitly in proposed; via default in current). Current allows extractive industries, open cut mining with consent; proposed retains that.
- Forestry & horticulture: Downgraded from ‘permitted without consent’ to ‘with consent’, giving council more control.
Overall Planning Direction
The proposed RU1 zone is more restrictive on non-primary-production uses, especially commercial tourism, retail, and residential development. It seeks to protect rural landscape character and channel tourism through ‘agritourism’ tied directly to primary production capability, rather than standalone visitor accommodation or eateries.
Farmers, tourism operators and residents would need to carefully review these changes, as they significantly alter what can and cannot be done on land currently zoned RU1. Uses like existing caravan parks or B&Bs may become prohibited uses if redeveloped.
Have those affected reviewed the changes, were all involved made sufficiently aware of these alterations?
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Tagged blog, Draft LEP, land zones