Draft MidCoast Rural Strategy

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Introduction

The Draft MidCoast Rural Strategy has been prepared by MidCoast Council with assistance from City Plan Strategy and Development, in partnership with Aurora Research and Development and MJD Environmental. While there is no commonly accepted definition of ‘rural’ for the purposes of land use and development planning, it is generally accepted that rural areas have smaller population sizes and lower development densities e.g. larger lots and greater separation between buildings, when compared to urban towns and villages. Rural landscapes are, therefore, a defining feature of the MidCoast Local Government Area (LGA). The Strategy follows on from the high-level analysis of our opportunities and challenges as a functional economic region in the MidCoast Regional Economic Development Strategy and looks at opportunities for Council, with other key stakeholders, to realise the objectives and game-changer projects outlined in Hunter Regional Plan 2036 and MidCoast Tourism Destination Management Plan and to guide and inform strategy and evidence-based planning into the future. The Strategy also aims to provide clear and consistent land use planning and management principles that can be used to inform preparation of not only the new MidCoast Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan, but well-balanced development and conservation outcomes across our rural landscape into the future. In doing so, the Strategy performs two critical functions: 1. identify Strategic Recommendations to provide a common understanding of the relevance of current planning policy and strategic frameworks guiding the use and management of land and water resources outside towns and villages, consistent with the requirements of relevant legislation; and 2. document Local Plan Recommendations to establish a clear and consistent framework for the application of environmental planning instrument objectives and controls to rural lands, within the inaugural MidCoast local environmental plan and development control plan, and subsequent amendments to these plans. Significantly, the purpose of the Rural Strategy is not to identify any new urban release areas or new areas of rural residential development. The Strategy represents an important first step in providing a common understanding for the development and application of planning controls in rural areas of the MidCoast and will inform Council’s participation and advocacy of other strategic planning initiatives undertaken by State and Regional agencies, that may affect the ongoing occupation and use of these rural lands. Finally, the Rural Strategy and background reports, are acknowledged as a snapshot in time. While establishing a baseline of rural information, the recommendations should be progressively reviewed and improved over time, in consultation with community and industry stakeholders and as more information and insights become available.

Draft MidCoast Rural Strategy

Articles inside

Table 10. Recommended E3 Environmental Management Zone Criteria

Table 9. Recommended E2 Environmental Conservation Zone Criteria

Figure 18. NSW Planning Legislation Framework

Figure 17. Current Planning Controls, from Local Strategic Planning Statement

Figure 16. Coastal Zone of the MidCoast, Coastal Management SEPP 2018

Figure 15. Priority Drinking Water Catchments and Aquifer Catchments in the MidCoast

Figure 14. Broad Catchment Areas of the MidCoast from the Rural Waterways paper

Figure 13. Hunter Regional Plan 'Proposed Biodiversity Corridors'

Figure 12. The MidCoast LGA - Location, Infrastructure and Natural Assets

Figure 11. Location of MidCoast centres, from Local Strategic Planning Statement

Figure 10. Experiences available across the 'Green Grid' of the MidCoast

Figure 9. Destination Barrington Coast, statistics from December 2020

Figure 8. Our Growing and Changing Population, from MidCoast Housing Strategy

Figure 7: Typical mine or quarry project life cycle

Figure 6: Location of underground resources in the MidCoast

Table 8. MidCoast Tourism Destination Management Plan SWOT of Rural Tourism

Figure 5. MidCoast contribution to NSW economy by agricultural industry (ABS 2011

Table 7. MidCoast LSPS Planning Priorities relevant to the Rural Strategy

Table 6. MidCoast 2030 Goals and Actions relevant to the Rural Strategy

Table 5. NSW Government Priority Actions relevant to MidCoast Rural Strategy

Figure 4. Location Quotients and Employment Growth for MidCoast Industries

Figure 3. Strategic Actions for Priority Growth Industries in the Hunter

Figure 2. Hunter Regional Development Investment Prospectus, Local Government Areas

Table 4. Data Gaps identified in Background Reports to Rural Strategy

Table 1. Non-Urban Zones from the Standard Instrument Principal Local Environmental Plan available to use across the rural landscape of the MidCoast Local Government Area

Table 2. Strategic Centres and Centres of Local Significance, Hunter Regional Plan 2036

Table 3. Major legislation, policy and strategies influencing the Rural Strategy

Figure 1. Rural, Environmental and Waterway zoned land considered in the Rural Strategy

1 Strategic Goals and Local Planning...................................................................................64

1 Data Gaps – Challenges and Opportunities......................................................................19