6.
Key strategic principles
Cognisant of the project drivers identified in the previous section, the following strategic principles have been established to guide the preparation of this Background Paper and the overall Strategy. These are aimed at providing high level outcomes across the 20-year horizon of the Rural Strategy.
6.1
Protecting key agricultural land resources
agricultural and rural industries by increasing land values and reducing incentives to buy and sell land as a means of improving agricultural productivity. It can also increase the potential for land use conflict, resulting in detrimental impacts on the mental health of the parties involved, fractures within communities, loss of faith in authorities and the alienation of productive land17. The Strategy will aim to protect agricultural land resources wherever possible by: o
discouraging residential development from being located on valuable agricultural land, i.e. on land subject to Far North Coast Farmland Mapping within the NCRS 2036.
Agriculture is a major contributor to the Clarence Valley economy with o
1 in 4 businesses being a primary producer 14. Careful planning is
improve agricultural productivity or to retain agricultural land
required to maintain the benefits to local and regional economy that o
the sector provides, as well as providing for food security and
o
Encouraging ongoing investment in agriculture and protecting the
between 1997 and 201715 and recent work by the NSW Agricultural Commissioner confirmed that “the State and councils have no oversight of how much agricultural land is available and at what rate it is being converted to other land uses"16.
recognising that all of the agricultural uses in Clarence Valley rely on a healthy, sustainable environment.
supporting resource base is critical to long-term success. hectares of productive agricultural land is estimated to have been lost
supporting diversification of rural land that supports ongoing agricultural use and provides value adding opportunities
opportunities within regenerative agriculture and carbon farming.
However, loss of rural land is a key concern. More than 100 million
minimising subdivision of rural land, unless demonstrated to
The value of agricultural land is a strong theme throughout the LSPS and other regional documents, including the NCRP 2036. Protection is specifically addressed in LSPS Actions 13.3, 13.4 and 13.7 of Planning Priority 13 which states “Protect agricultural land and increase opportunities for access to locally produced fresh food and economic growth”.
Use of key agricultural land for residential (including rural residential), urban or rural lifestyle purposes can threaten the viability of 14
Clarence Valley Local Strategic Planning Statement (2020) – Clarence Valley Council
15
2019 Agrifutures report within Improving the Prospects for Agriculture and Regional Australia in the NSW Planning System (2021) – NSW Agricultural Commissioner
Clarence Valley Council Rural Lands Strategy – Background Paper
16
Improving the Prospects for Agriculture and Regional Australia in the NSW Planning System (2021) – NSW Agricultural Commissioner
17
Managing Farm-Related Land Use Conflicts in NSW (2020) - Australian Farm Institute
Page | 26
