Issue 2: Managing rural conflicts When rural activities are not managed, land use conflict can easily be
However, expanding river and coastal towns, such as around Yamba,
created, whether perceived or real. In particular, there can be
Maclean and Grafton, as well as pockets of other rural conflicts were
incompatibility between certain rural lands practices (for example
identified through the consultation period as being most susceptible to
agricultural activities such as spraying and processing) and
this issue in the future.
neighbouring land uses. The potential for conflict is exacerbated where pre-existing notions of pristine rural lifestyles are met with the reality of living in close proximity to agricultural activities.
Opportunities to better manage activities in rural lands are explored through this section in terms of:
Typical farming practices can result in land use conflict including noise, odour, dust, smoke, chemical drift, water quality issues, vehicle movements, hours of operation and poor visual amenity. The obvious solution is to provide separation or buffers between conflict points, however such separation can be particularly difficult where small landholdings are prevalent and in areas where intensive activities are undertaken. Another reason for conflict can be a result of how Council applies both rural and residential land zoning. For example, the application of an RU1 – Primary Production zone adjacent to a residential zone has potential to cause land use conflict if natural buffers (e.g. vegetation or waterways) or transition areas are not available. This issue is recognised within the NSW Agricultural Commissioner’s report which highlights that land use conflict is not currently measured effectively across the State. Consultation with agencies, Council staff
o
Use of the available land use zones
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Right to farm and activities that sit outside planning processes
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Providing for education and awareness
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Exploring the use of buffers
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Better utilising Council’s DCP
It is also noted that the NSW Agricultural Commissioner’s report provides some details of the extent of the rural land use conflict issues across the State and provides a number of recommendations to address this. This includes the establishment of a “NSW Farm Practices Panel” that would assess and where satisfied, endorse industry codes of practice, and the establishment a “Council Reference Group” to bring councils together across NSW to share experiences of agricultural land use conflict.
2.1
Land use zones
Council can play a key role in the management of rural land from land
and industries observed in developing this Strategy that rural land use
use planning perspective through the application of rural zones.
conflict in the Clarence Valley is comparably low compared to
Each zone provides objectives, prohibited and permitted uses, with
surrounding LGAs. This can be partly attributed to the extent of rural
zones then being influenced by a range of local clauses within the
lands and the relatively low population density across the LGA.
broader LEP framework. An example of this is the application of
Clarence Valley Council Rural Lands Strategy – Background Paper
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