2. CLARENCE VALLEY CONTEXT

First Nations communities have lived in this rich valley, enjoying food and natural resources for thousands of years. Since the mid 1800s, the Clarence Valley’s wealth has relied on our natural resources including rich alluvial soil and a favourable climate. The natural environment has been a key part of the economic drivers for the Valley including the production of timber, beef, milk, sugar and seafood. Grafton was the first city on the North Coast and this historic centre is the hub of services and opportunities for people of the Clarence Valley, supported by diverse towns and villages including Maclean and Yamba.

First Nations

The Traditional Custodians of the Clarence Valley area are the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl nations who have a long and proud history of living in the Clarence Valley. The way First Nations peoples lived with the landscape, used fire, procured food and built an understanding of the local area can contribute to future decision making including on the values and role of green infrastructure in the Clarence Valley. The NSW State Government has outlined a Designing with Country process. This includes practical guidance on how to incorporate Aboriginal cultural heritage and First Nations people’s understanding of landscape and environment into the planning and design process for the built environment. It is becoming standard practice for new urban development to ensure that Designing with Country is part of the design and planning process

A Natural Setting

National parks and natural bushland have shaped the Clarence Valley that exists today. Our natural assets provide a wealth of ecological, cultural and health and well-being benefits that are crucial to our identity and future. They are a major draw-card for people to live, work and visit the area. Looking after our natural areas, and managing natural hazards, is essential for sustainable prosperity. The natural setting is dominated by national parks and state forests, including the UNESCO World Heritage listed Iluka Nature Reserve and the Clarence River, which connects the community from its hinterlands to the coast.

A Growing Community

Clarence Valley is the largest local government area on the east coast of NSW, with an area of approximately 10,000 km2 Clarence Valley is located about 600 km north of the Sydney and 300 kms south of the Brisbane. In 2022, there were approximately 54,000 people living in Clarence Valley, representing 13% of the North Coast’s population, and Clarence Valley’s population is forecast to grow by 15% over the next 25 years1

1 Source: Population and household forecasts, 2021 to 2041, prepared by .id (informed decisions), November 2022 (https://forecast.id.com.au/clarence-valley)

An Ageing Population

Similar to many regional communities across NSW, Clarence Valley is undergoing a continuing demographic change. The average age of the Clarence Valley population is increasing and the proportion of younger people, in the 20s and 30s, is decreasing. To continue to provide a high quality lifestyle for the Clarence Valley, job opportunities are required to retain and attract new residents.

Affordable Housing

Declining affordability is affecting the sustainability of our community, including the ability to attract younger people and key workers, and enable longer-term residents to remain within their local communities A key challenge is providing housing stock that is affordable for purchase and rent to local residents. Council’s LSPS stated that in 2018 the Clarence Valley had the 5th lowest rental affordability in NSW, making it one of the least affordable places in NSW to rent.

It is also important when providing affordable housing that green infrastructure is provided as part of any affordable housing opportunities to support community wellbeing Good design which incorporates green infrastructure as an essential component encourages physical activity and supports mental wellbeing.

2.1. POLICY CONTEXT

Green infrastructure has been identified as an important element of our cities and urban areas by the NSW Government. This is represented in the NSW Premier’s Priority 11 - Greener public spaces - increase the proportion of homes in urban areas within 10 minutes’ walk of green and public spaces by 10% by 2023. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has also developed a number of supporting strategic documents including the Greener Places Framework and Draft Greener Places Design Guide

The regional and local policy context of the Green Infrastructure Strategy is shown in Figure 5 and discussed further in the following section.

North Coast Regional Plan

The North Coast Regional Plan 2041 is a 20-year blueprint for the future of the North Coast. The vision for the North Coast is to create the best region in Australia to live, work and play thanks to its spectacular environment and communities.

To achieve this vision the NSW Government has set three goals for the region:

- liveable, sustainable and resilient

- productive and connected

- growth, change and opportunity

The North Coast Regional Plan has a number of implications for council’s Green Infrastructure Strategy including providing greater housing diversity. This includes a target of 40% of new dwellings being in the form of apartments, dual occupancies, townhouses and homes on smaller lots. This target has a number of implications for green infrastructure including the need for access to quality public open space, the potential to increase urban heat and the need for enhanced active transport networks.

The Regional Plan also has a clear direction to ensure that new growth avoids hazards and avoids and minimise impacts on the natural environment including protecting areas of high environmental value

COMMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN - THE CLARENCE 2032

The Community Strategic Plan (CSP) is the highest level of strategic planning for Council and community. The CSP has a strong focus on community and the environment. The plan developed five key priorities and two of these priorities relates to our environment and green infrastructure

“creating a place where people are healthy, safe, connected and in harmony with the natural environment to retain and improve the quality of community life”.

“valuing, respecting and actively participating in the care and management of the Clarence’s natural environment for current and future generations”.

The CSP is supported by Council’s Delivery Program 2022/2025, which outlines a range of strategies which deliver on the priorities in the CSP. This Green Infrastructure Strategy directly supports both the priorities in the CSP as well as the strategies in the Delivery Program.

LOCAL STRATEGIC PLANNING STATEMENT (LSPS)

The LSPS is Council’s key strategic plan for a growing population and increasing jobs, providing housing, community infrastructure and an attractive environment for the community

The LSPS sets the direction for land use planning in the Clarence Valley for the next 20 years. It includes priorities to manage growth and development, protect our environment and the character of our spaces and places.

Key priorities in the LSPS include creating more liveable places to improve the community’s quality of life; providing opportunities for people to enjoy our great places and planning for resilient and sustainable infrastructure. An important step in achieving these priorities is understanding opportunities for the provision of green infrastructure through land use decision making, design, and operation of council assets, as well as its integration with recreation and open space planning.

This Green Infrastructure Strategy directly supports these priorities in the LSPS.

Council has also developed, or is in the process of developing, a number of strategies including the Local Growth Management Strategy (LGMS), Employment Land Strategy, Housing Strategy, Rural Lands Strategy; Contributions Plans and the Grafton CBD Precinct Plan. The Green Infrastructure Strategy complements these strategies and outlines the approach to managing growth and development over a 20-year period to ensure sustainable, resilient and liveable communities.

Connecting With Country

The NSW Government’s Connecting with Country Draft Framework assists in informing the planning, design, and delivery of projects in NSW. It supports the health and wellbeing of Country by valuing, respecting, and being guided by First Nations people, who know that if we care for Country – it will care for us.

The ambition of the commitment to improving health and wellbeing of Country is to help realise three strategic goals including reducing the impacts of natural events through sustainable land and water use practices, valuing and respecting Aboriginal cultural knowledge with First Nations people co-leading design and development and ensuring Country is cared for appropriately and sensitive sites are protected by First Nations people having access to their homelands to continue their cultural practices. This is now becoming standard practice in NSW in the design and planning for new development.

Priority 2 of the LSPS also includes the importance of collaborating with the Clarence Valley’s First Nations people to conserve the cultural heritage and self determination of the First Nation’s community.

2.2. DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

Growing Community

Sustained growth and economic development in the NSW North Coast region, coupled with the continued attraction to our stunning environment is resulting in a growing population in the Clarence Valley Population growth over the next 20 years is forecast to be strong with:

- around an additional 9,000 people expected to be living in the Clarence Valley

- an increase in the resident population to approximately 64,000 people by 2041

Approximately 2,600 additional jobs are forecast to be created in the Clarence Valley over the next 20 years with most of these jobs to be accommodated within Clarence Valley’s employment precincts. Our growth industries are tourism, agriculture and manufacturing, with sub industry specialisations providing opportunities for our community, particularly justice and aged care.

There is increasing pressure on development in coastal zones, particularly in Yamba and Iluka. Protecting and enhancing the coastal zone’s biodiversity, its cultural heritage and its natural amenity is an important element of planning for infill and new development

Key Centres

Grafton is the main commercial centre for the Clarence Valley and is a hub for regional branches of government and business. This is reflected in journey to work data for the Clarence Valley showing that approximately 87% of employed residents work within the Local Government Area (LGA). Yamba and Maclean are also important service centres to support the local community and as destinations for locals and visitors.

Key directions in the LSPS include:

- growth and development to be concentrated in our larger existing centres

- growth to be centred in urban release areas including Clarenza, Junction Hill, Gulmarrad, West Yamba and James Creek

- provision of housing choice and vibrant centres to support our main streets and villages

- development to be encouraged where it provides for a resilient and sustainable future, safe from natural hazards

- development to contribute to the character and charm of the Clarence Valley

- no additional urban release around our small coastal villages or on the floodplain.

Future Land Use

The Clarence Valley has residential land zoned to accommodate an additional 10,000 to 16,000 people If all zoned land is developed for a range of housing types this would take our population towards 70,000.

The Clarence Valley Settlement Strategy (1999) was by a sub-regional joint planning project which provided a 20-year vision for the Clarence Valley. The Settlement Strategy is still relevant today and it identified urban release areas across the Valley to meet demand while maintaining environmental values and avoiding natural hazards like flooding and bushfire. Growth was focussed on development in sewered areas close to existing services. These areas included Grafton, South Grafton, Junction Hill, Yamba and Clarenza.

The areas for new housing and employment lands and the estimated increase in population is shown on the following page.

Sustainable Growth

Growth needs to be managed sustainably to retain the best things we love about living in the Clarence Valley. There are a wide range of constraints that needs to be considered in future growth including maintaining, supporting and retaining biodiversity and tree canopy, resilience to natural hazards such as bushfires and flooding, infrastructure provision and costs, affordable housing and demographic changes. Key considerations to development in the Clarence Valley include significant areas of flood affected land and significant areas of bushfire prone land.

A key challenge is growing our population in an ecologically sustainable way and maintaining healthy lifestyles while providing affordable housing. This Green Infrastructure Strategy is an important step in Council’s planning to support growth which is appropriate to the Clarence Valley’s natural assets