Greater Taree Conservation and Development Strategy

Greater Taree D ConservationR A F and T Development Strategy

Distributed to Councillors for consideration of Public Exhibition – Ordinary Council Meeting 19 October 2005

Greater Taree City Council October 2005

Greater Taree Conservation and Development Strategy

Prepared for Greater Taree City Council by

Rural and Environmental Planning Consultants PO Box 1858 Bowral, 2576 Ph: 02 48614983 Fax: 02 48616778 www.ruralplanning.com.au

In association with Heather Nesbitt Planning and Andrews Neil Pty Ltd

October 2005 Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction...... 1 1.1. Background ...... 1 1.2. Strategy Outline...... 2 1.3. Existing Planning Framework...... 2 1.3.1. State and Regional Planning...... 3 1.3.2. Greater Taree City Council Plans...... 8 1.4. Why prepare a Strategy ...... 10 1.5. Study Area ...... 10 1.6. Current Strategies ...... 14 Chapter 2: Greater Taree – The present situation...... 19 2.1. Physical Location and Character...... 19 2.2. The Community...... 21 2.3. Natural Environment ...... 29 2.3.1. Water Catchments ...... 30 2.3.2. Coastline ...... 31 2.3.3. Native Vegetation and Wildlife ...... 33 2.4. The Economy ...... 39 Chapter 3: What the Community Said ...... 43 3.1 Introduction...... 43 3.2 Community Workshops...... 43 3.3 Workshop Outcomes ...... 44 Chapter 4: Conservation and Development Issues and Options ...... 46 4.1 Introduction...... 46 4.2 Conservation ...... 46 4.2.1. Biodiversity ...... 46 4.2.2. Organisational Sustainability ...... 53 4.2.3. Ecological Footprint...... 54 4.2.4. Landscape Preservation ...... 55 4.3 Natural Hazards ...... 57 4.3.1. Bushfire ...... 57 4.3.2. Flooding ...... 60 4.3.3. Acid Sulfate Soils...... 63 4.3.4. Riverbank Erosion...... 65 4.3.5. Highly Erodable Soils ...... 65 4.4 Manning River and Water Catchments ...... 68 4.5 Community Services and Quality of Life ...... 74 4.5.1. Aged Care Facilities and Services ...... 74 4.5.2. Accommodation ...... 76 4.5.3. Medical, Learning and Support Services ...... 77 4.5.4. Unemployment...... 77 4.5.5. Education Facilities ...... 78 4.5.6. Transport ...... 78 4.5.7. Provision of Community Services and Facilities ...... 80 4.5.8. Public Open Space and Recreation Facilities/Services ...... 81 4.6 Heritage Resources...... 82 4.7 Infrastructure ...... 84 4.8 Economic Activity ...... 87 4.8.1. Tourism ...... 89 4.8.2. Taree Regional Commercial Centre...... 91 4.8.3. Industrial / Employment Land ...... 91 4.8.4. Home Based Businesses ...... 94 4.9 Growth Management...... 96 4.9.1. Population Growth and Change...... 96 4.9.2. Housing Demand ...... 101 4.9.3. Housing Types ...... 106 4.9.4. Changing Nature of Settlements ...... 114 4.9.5. Settlement Hierarchy ...... 116 4.10 Settlement Growth ...... 122 4.10.1. Constraints to Settlement Growth ...... 122 4.10.2. Growth Options ...... 127 4.10.3. New Settlement Area - Brimbin ...... 130 4.10.4. Settlements to be Expanded ...... 135 4.11 Rural Land...... 162 Chapter 5: Recommended Strategy ...... 178 5.1 Introduction...... 178 5.2 Vision ...... 178 5.3 Conservation and Development Principles ...... 178 5.4 Strategies ...... 182 5.5 Social and Economic Factors ...... 184 5.5.1. Growth Management...... 184 5.5.2. Land Use Planning ...... 186 5.5.3. Community Services and Quality of Life ...... 191 5.5.4. Economic and Employment Opportunities...... 194 5.5.5. Infrastructure Requirements ...... 195 5.6 Environmental Opportunities and Constraints ...... 197 5.6.1. Water Catchments ...... 197 5.6.2. Ecological Management and Biodiversity ...... 198 5.6.3. Scenic and Landscape ...... 200 5.6.4. Heritage and Culture...... 200 5.6.5. Natural Hazards ...... 201 Chapter 6: Conclusion...... 203 Bibliography ...... 204 Appendix 1: Population Scenario Methodology ...... 207 Appendix 2: Brimbin Details...... 210 Appendix 3: Land Use Survey Methodology ...... 211 Appendix 4 – Methodology to Assess the most appropriate Land Use Designation for Rural Land...... 214

List of Tables

Table 1.1: Current Strategy Analysis ...... 17 Table 2.1: Indigenous People ...... 24 Table 2.2: Population of Settlements...... 24 Table 2.3: Age Group Comparisons ...... 26 Table 2.4: Industry Sector of the Workforce ...... 28 Table 2.5: Level Non-School of Education ...... 29 Table 3.1: Community Workshop Locations ...... 43 Table 4.1: Ecological Footprints ...... 54 Table 4.2: Strategy Dwelling and Population Figures...... 102 Table 4.3: Dwelling Projections...... 105 Table 4.4: Potential Rural Residential Estate Lots ...... 112 Table 4.5: Facilities and Services Provided in each Settlement ...... 138 Table 4.6: Subdivision Scenarios ...... 176

List of Figures

Figure 1.1: Hunter Coastal Settlement Strategy – Greater Taree ...... 5 Figure 2.1: Dwelling Growth 2000 to 2004 ...... 21 Figure 2.2: Population Growth 2001 to 2004 ...... 22 Figure 2.3: Growth Rates 1991 - 2004 ...... 22 Figure 2.4: Future Potential Population 2001 - 2020 ...... 23 Figure 2.5: Age distribution of the Population ...... 25 Figure 2.6: Age Structure comparison ...... 26 Figure 2.7: Projected Ageing of the Population...... 27 Figure 2.8: Occupation of the Workforce ...... 29 Figure 2.9: Vegetation Types ...... 35 Figure 4.1: Dwelling Growth in Main Centres ...... 101 Figure 4.2: Future Population Scenarios 2001 - 2020...... 102 Figure 4.3: Dwelling Growth Scenarios 2001 - 2020 ...... 103 Figure 4.4: Dwelling Growth Scenarios for Main Towns ...... 104 Figure 4.5: Rural Residential Dwelling Take up ...... 112 Figure 4.6: Proposed Settlement Hierarchy...... 118 Figure 4.7: Land Use Survey ...... 162 Figure 4.8: Rural Land Fragmentation ...... 163 Figure 4.9: Land use by holding Size ...... 164 Figure 5.1: Issues and Themes for Conservation and Development...... 179

List of Photos

Photo 1.1: Blackhead – a Coastal Settlement ...... 12 Photo 1.2: Lansdowne – an Inland Settlement...... 12 Photo 2.1: Coastal beaches south of Crowdy Head ...... 19 Photo 2.2: Manning River Floodplain ...... 20 Photo 2.3: Steep land in the rural hinterland ...... 20 Photo 2.4: Manning River Opening at Old Bar ...... 30 Photo 2.5: Coastal Landscape north of Crowdy Head ...... 32 Photo 2.6: Coastal Landscape ...... 33 Photo 2.7: Cattai Wetland...... 33 Photo 2.8: Coastal Sand Dune Vegetation ...... 35 Photo 2.9: Inland forest vegetation...... 36 Photo 2.10: Inland forest vegetation ...... 36 Photo 2.11: Industrial Use in Taree ...... 41 Photo 4.1: Native Vegetation north of Taree...... 48 Photo 4.2: Manning River Upper Catchment ...... 56 Photo 4.3: Hallidays Point Landscape ...... 56 Photo 4.4: The impact of Bushfires in Glenorie...... 59 Photo 4.5: Boating Facilities at Forster ...... 72 Photo 4.6: Manning Riverfront at Taree ...... 73 Photo 4.7: Manning Riverfront at Taree ...... 74 Photo 4.8: Heritage buildings in Wingham...... 82 Photo 4.9: Medium Density Urban Housing at Harrington ...... 106 Photo 4.10: Low Density Urban Housing at Hallidays Point ...... 107 Photo 4.11: Rural Residential Estate housing...... 108 Photo 4.12: Rural Lifestyle housing ...... 108 Photo 4.13: Farm Housing ...... 110 Photo 4.14: Traditional coastal Village housing ...... 114 Photo 4.15: Project Home style housing...... 115 Photo 4.16: Taree the Regional Centre ...... 120 Photo 4.17: Old Bar a Town ...... 120 Photo 4.18: Coopernook a village ...... 121 Photo 4.19: Burrell Creek a rural locality...... 121 Photo 4.20: Brimbin Locality ...... 131 Photo 4.21: Agriculture Land Unit ...... 169 Photo 4.22: Agricultural Landscape Land Unit ...... 170 Photo 4.23: Rural Living Land Unit ...... 172 Photo 4.24: Urban and Village Land Unit...... 172 Photo 4.25: Native Vegetation Land Unit...... 173

List of Maps

Map 1.1: Greater Taree and Surrounding LGAs ...... 11 Map 1.2: Greater Taree LGA showing the location of the settlements...... 13 Map 1.3: Current Strategies...... 16 Map 2.1: Water Catchments...... 31 Map 2.2: Extent of Native Vegetation ...... 34 Map 2.3: Currently Protected Vegetation...... 38 Map 4.1: Vegetation Conservation Significance ...... 50 Map 4.1: Bushfire Prone Land ...... 58 Map 4.2: Extent of the Manning River Floodplain...... 61 Map 4.3: Extent of Acid Sulfate Soils...... 64 Map 4.4: Steep Land and Highly Erodable Soils...... 67 Map 4.5: Industrial Zoning in Taree ...... 92 Map 4.6: Potential Future Industrial Land...... 94 Map 4.6: Rural Residential Estates ...... 111 Map 4.7: Recommended Settlement Hierarchy ...... 119 Map 4.8: Physical Constraints – Harrington, Coopernook and Lansdowne ...... 124 Map 4.9: Physical Constraints – Old Bar, Hallidays Point ...... 125 Map 4.10: Physical Constraints – Taree and Wingham ...... 125 Map 4.11: Growth Option 1: All settlements growing ...... 128 Map 4.12: Growth Option 2: Coastal Growth ...... 128 Map 4.13: Growth Option 3: Limited Expansion and New Urban Area ...... 129 Map 4.14: Brimbin Locality ...... 131 Map 4.15: New Settlement Area - Brimbin Strategy Plan...... 134 Map 4.16: Taree Strategy Plan ...... 140 Map 4.17: Taree South Strategy Plan ...... 141 Map 4.18: Wingham Strategy Plan ...... 143 Map 4.19: Harrington Urban Expansion Strategy...... 145 Map 4.20: Old Bar – Wallabi Point Strategy Plan ...... 147 Map 4.21: Hallidays Point Strategy Plan...... 149 Map 4.22: Lansdowne Strategy Plan...... 151 Map 4.23: Coopernook Strategy Plan ...... 153 Map 4.24: Cundletown Strategy Plan...... 155 Map 4.25: Tinonee Strategy Plan ...... 157 Map 4.26: Krambach Strategy Plan ...... 159 Map 4.27: Rainbow Flat Strategy Plan ...... 161 Map 4.28: Rural Land Units...... 171 Map 4.29: Rural Land Designations ...... 175

Acknowledgements

This document has been prepared by the consultant team in tandem with the council officers and Councillors as well as officers of the Department of Planning.

We would like to thank the following for their input and comments:

Graham Gardner, Director Planing and Building Larry Howell, Manager Strategic Planning Chris Ryan, Manager Economic Development Richard Pamplin, Senior Strategic Planner Andrew Paget, Environmental Officer Peter Hatton, Senior GIS Officer Steve Brown, Regional Planning and Strategy Manager, Hunter Region, Department of Planning Gary Oakey, Department of Planning Brian Forster, Department of Planning

Mapping Disclaimer

The mapping contained in this document was produced by Greater Taree City Council using data supplied by Land and Property Information New South Wales. Greater Taree City Council accepts no responsibility, either in contract or tort (particularly in negligence) for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies whatsoever contained within or arising from this mapping.

This mapping has been captured from various sources and scales. Interpretation of this data should only be carried out at the original capture scale. Assistance with interpretation of mapping at the correct scale should be sought from Council staff.

Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1. Background

Greater Taree City Council has made a comprehensive commitment to strategic land use planning and has in place a number of strategic reports examining development and conservation outcomes for the local area. To date this work has been carried out on an issue and locality basis. At this stage there is not one overall document that provides direction for the whole Local Government Area. This document will fill this gap and it is first necessary to review the existing documentation before developing strategies that will ensure that the future of the LGA is sustainable and meets the comprehensive community expectations.

The land within the Greater Taree area provides an important resource for the LGA and the wider region. This resource consists of a number of components:

Living Areas The Regional retail centre of Taree Rural Landscapes Coastal beaches and landscapes Agricultural Lands Cultural Heritage Native Vegetation Habitat Linkages Industrial and manufacturing Community services and facilities

Each of these is important in its own right but it is the sum of them that provides the basis of a sustainable future for the community.

The project is being jointly funded by Council and the Department of Planning through the Planning Reform Fund.

This document forms part of a number of documents that either have been prepared or are to be prepared as part of Council’s planning for the future. The others are:

Issues Paper (Prepared in September 2004) Community Consultation Report (Prepared in May 2005) Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan Development Approvals System Review Land Development Monitor Website Information

The Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP), Development Approvals System Review and Land Development Monitor will follow the preparation of this document. It is intended to utilise the Council’s website as a key tool to inform the community about the project.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

1.2. Strategy Outline

This Strategy develops a vision and set of strategies for the Greater Taree LGA and how it relates to its surrounding areas to ensure that conservation and development are balanced for a sustainable future.

Chapter 2 provides an outline of the existing situation. The physical location and character are described. Details are provided about the population and demographic make up of the people who live in Greater Taree. The water catchments, coastline, native vegetation and native wildlife are discussed. Finally a detailed profile of the economy is presented along with a projection of the future strengths of the economy.

Chapter 4 discusses the development and conservation issues that have to be considered when preparing strategies for the future. The issues covered range from the changing population to economic growth, infrastructure availability, service delivery, natural hazards, biodiversity and agriculture.

Chapter 5 provides a discussion of the options to be considered that arise from the issues outlined in chapter 4. It discusses growth management, community services, economic growth, infrastructure, ecological management, water catchments, landscape preservation, heritage resources and natural hazards.

Chapter 6 outlines the vision, growth management philosophy and development principles as well as the structure plan and detailed strategies for the future. Strategies, policy actions and responsible authority and timeframe are provided. They have been divided into 2 broad categories with 5 heading in each as follows as follows:

Social and Economic Factors Growth Management Land Use Planning Quality of Life Economic and Employment Opportunities Infrastructure Requirements Environmental Opportunities and Constraints Water Catchments Ecological Management and Biodiversity Scenic and Landscape Heritage and Culture Natural Hazards

1.3. Existing Planning Framework

The existing planning framework for Greater Taree has state, regional and local components. The State and Regional components include the various acts of parliament as well as the Regional Environmental Plans and plans prepared by the Catchment Management Authorities. The local plans include the Council's corporate and management plans as well as others which will all be outlined below.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

1.3.1. State and Regional Planning

There are a number of Acts of Parliament that have an impact on the future development of the area. They are as follows:

Contaminated Lands Management Act 1997 Crown Lands Act 1989 Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (Commonwealth) Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1998 Fisheries Management Act 1994 Fisheries Management Amendment Act 1997 Heritage Act 1977 Mining Act, 1992 Native Vegetation Act, 2003 Native Vegetation Conservation Act, 1997 Noxious Weeds Act, 1993 Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 Rivers and Foreshores Improvement Act 1948 Rural Fires Act 1997 Rural Lands Protection Board Act, Water Act, 1912 Water Management Act 2000

There are also a number of State Government policies that have an impact on the future sustainability of Greater Taree. They have been listed in the Issues Paper prepared in September 2004. One significant one is the NSW Coastal Policy and the State Environmental Planning Policy dealing with coastal development.

Regional planning is coordinated by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. The Department is committed to carrying out effective regional planning and there are 2 current documents that are of relevance. They are the Hunter Regional Environmental Plan prepared in 1989 and the Hunter Coastal Settlement Strategy. Both of these documents are to be replaced by the yet to be formulated Mid North Coast Regional Strategy which is programmed to be prepared in 2006 – 2007. The Hunter Coastal Urban Settlement Strategy was prepared by the former Department of Planning in 1994. The document was prepared to ensure “… that urban growth is planned as well as managed in a manner which is environmentally and economically acceptable to the community.” (Department of Planning (1994) piii). It makes provision for the following:

Existing Urban Areas Potential Urban Areas Urban Management Transport Networks Economic Development Tourism Development Mineral and Extractive Resources

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Prime Agricultural Land Water Frontage Activities Environmental Protection

The document identifies the factors which form the basis for the overall settlement strategy for the Hunter Coast. It identifies the constraints and development opportunities for urban expansion as well as new urban areas. In the case of Greater Taree, the document states the following:

“Most of the coastal area within the city is unsuitable for additional urban development because of extensive flood liable areas; prime agricultural land; wetlands; and national park and State forest reserved lands, especially north of the Manning River.

Development potential is principally focused on the Taree / Wingham urban area and the serviced coastal settlements of Old Bar / Wallabi Point, and Diamond Beach / Redhead / Hallidays Point.” (Department of Planning (1994) p22.

The document makes provision for the following potential urban areas:

Wingham: western extension to the existing urban area Taree: western extension to the existing urban area plus a new urban area to the north east along the railway line Old Bar – Wallabi Point: western expansion to the existing urban area Diamond Beach – Redhead – Blackhead: western expansion to the existing urban area.

The Greater Taree Settlement Strategy based on the Hunter Coastal Settlement Strategy is reproduced as figure 1.1.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Figure 1.1: Hunter Coastal Settlement Strategy – Greater Taree

MidCoast Water is the regional water and sewerage authority and it has prepared a set of strategies that provide for the future provision of water and sewer for the LGA. A significant aspect of their planning is the capacity in the water supply system to cater for growth of the area over the next 30 years. There will, of course need to be improvements to the reticulation, but the fact that there is sufficient capacity is a benefit for the security of the water supply for the region. It is also noteworthy that the existing sewerage treatment plants have adequate capacity to cope with the expected effluent to be generated by the development over the next 10 years.

Greater Taree is located on the lower part of the Mid North Coast region but has just as important linkages to the Hunter Region and Newcastle as well as the Central Coast and Sydney. It is considered that Greater Taree will have more linkages with Newcastle and the Hunter region than the Mid North Coast region over the coming years rather than to the centres on the Mid North Coast.

The Hunter and Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority has recently been established and is in the process of preparing a Catchment Action Plan. This will incorporate the provisions of the Lower North Coast Catchment Blueprint as well as the draft regional vegetation management plan.

The Lower North Coast Catchment Blueprint covers the LGA. The catchment blueprint is an advisory "whole-of-government" plan for integrated catchment management that will guide the long term management of natural resources in NSW for the next 10 years. The blueprint sets overarching priorities for investment in natural resource management, consistent with NSW and Commonwealth Government policy. The catchment blueprint, together with

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy regional vegetation management plans and water management plans, represent the first step in a process to provide for improved natural resource management in NSW. The catchment blueprint will be used as the basis of the yet to be prepared Catchment Action Plan which is being prepared by the Hunter and Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA).

The area covered by the blueprint extends to 3 nautical miles offshore and covers a land area of approximately 12,700 square kilometres. The land area consists largely of coastal rural hinterland with a seaside fringe and includes several estuarine lakes. The major catchments within the Board area are the Manning, Myall and Karuah Rivers and Wallis Lake. The three largest urban areas are Taree, Forster/Tuncurry and Nelson Bay/Tomaree Peninsula. There are approximately 115,000 residents in the region. There can be large influxes of people throughout the summer and over school holidays into many areas of the Lower North Coast. There are considerable areas of National Park ranging from offshore islands and coastal lakes to subalpine plateaux. Grazing, dairying, forestry and hobby farming are the major landuses in the rural hinterland, whilst tourism and commercial fishing, especially oyster farming, dominate the coastal fringe. The main local government areas that make up the Lower North Coast Catchment Management Board area are Port Stephens, Great Lakes, Greater Taree and Gloucester, while parts of the Hastings, Walcha, Nundle, Upper Hunter and Dungog Councils make up the remainder.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

The Blueprint lists 5 first order objectives for the catchment which are:

1. Water bodies are managed to balance natural ecosystem requirements with community needs. 2. The physical structure and vegetation of river, lake, estuary and wetland riparian zones are protected (and rehabilitated where required) to sustain healthy ecosystems. 3. Viable native plant and animal populations and communities are maintained and enhanced. 4. Primary production, human settlement and other land use takes place while protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage, soil, water and ecosystem health. 5. The coastal zone environment is protected whilst providing for the social and economic needs of the community.

The Blueprint then lists 4 catchment targets to focus management activity. These targets are concerned with the resource condition and are measurable. They are surrogate measures of catchment health through which management success can be measured. The Catchment Targets are to be achieved in 10 years (by 2012). It will take approximately 5 years of action to implement this Blueprint. It will take a further 5 years before all the benefits are realised.

The targets relate to the following areas: Terrestrial Biodiversity: By 2012, 100% of Regionally Significant Ecosystems are protected by an environmental planning instrument or conservation agreement. Soil Health: By 2012, the area affected by soil degradation in identified high priority areas (benchmarked at 2001) is reduced by 9300 hectares. Aquatic Health: No decline in assessed Aquatic (freshwater, estuarine and marine) Condition Functioning as reflected in key indicators, benchmarked at 2004. Water Quality: By 2012, achieve a 10% reduction in total phosphorus in high priority rivers (Myall and Wallamba Rivers) and no increase (and where possible a reduction) in other river systems, based on the 80th percentile results measured at the freshwater end-of-system monitoring points.

The Blueprint then lists a total of 22 management targets and 35 Priority Management Actions which provide the detailed work that is needed to achieve the targets and objectives. Many of these targets and actions require specific work to be taken by a variety of State Government Agencies whilst there are some that relate to work to be done by Local Government. A number of them can also be classed as operational rather than strategic and therefore many are not able to be adopted by the accompanying strategy. Those that relate to Local Government and that are strategic in nature are best dealt with by a strategy like the Conservation and Development Strategy which is to be prepared. For the operational matters, the Council should abide by the basic principles and objectives in its operational decision making. By doing this, it can help to achieve a sustainable future for the LGA.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

1.3.2. Greater Taree City Council Plans

There are other Council documents and plans that are related to this strategy. The main one is the recently adopted Greater Taree Twenty Twenty Vision document which is Council's corporate strategy for the next 15years to 2020. The Council’s vision is as follows:

We want Greater Taree in 2020 to:

be an interactive and vibrant community focused on economic, social, environmental and cultural achievement. have a strong and dynamic local economy, which is conducive to business development and economic growth. have a distinct identity, using the Manning River waterways as a focal point, with recreational diversity and a sustainable built and natural environment. have people living in a community of which they are proud and have the city, towns and villages retaining a unique and distinctive character.

To achieve this vision, the Council will do the following:

exercise its leadership role in partnership with the community by being responsive and focused on establishing trust and an inclusive future with a shared commitment to economic, social, environmental and cultural goals. capitalise on the competitive advantage of the area’s assets, strategic location and strong regional partnerships. Maintain the public infrastructure to a high standard and maintain a strong financial position for Council by adequate and sustainable revenue streams. implement ecologically sustainable development principles in all facets of Council’s operations. retain the balance of rural and residential lifestyle, and ensure a fair and equitable distribution of resources for optimum community benefit.

The document includes 8 strategic themes which are as follows:

Governance Manning River Financial Sustainability Economy Natural Environment Urban and Rural Development Physical Infrastructure Community

It is noteworthy that 6 of these strategic themes are ones that are related to the conservation and development process and are covered by this document.

Council adopted an Environmental Management Policy in 2000, which aims to achieve ESD. The Policy seeks to ensure Council achieves the following objectives in carrying out its responsibilities:

(1) Maintenance of biodiversity, habitat conservation and management of native vegetation will be incorporated into strategic plans for growth, development and conservation within the local government area.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

(2) Environmental impact assessments will include consideration of the maintenance of biodiversity, habitat conservation and management of native vegetation. (3) All operational activities undertaken by Council will have regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development - these being the need to act quickly to avoid environmental harm, conserving the health, diversity and productivity of the environment for future generations; conserving biodiversity and attaching an appropriate value on the environment. (4) Comprehensive community consultation will be established to determine and prioritise community concerns relating to environmental resources, pressures and management actions. (5) The principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development will be included in Council’s Management Plan. (6) Council will actively participate in community and government sponsored programs, which investigate and address environmental management issues. (7) The resources and facilities that are available to the community to assist with environmental management will be actively promoted. (8) Environmental management issues and the controls applicable to each will be actively promoted.

Council is in the process of preparing an Environmental Management Plan. This document will provide a vision and direction to show how Council will address the existing and future environmental issues over the coming years. It will set out where and how council will play a lead role in developing action programs to address environmental issues important to the local community. Council has established an Environmental Advisory Committee which will be involved in providing advice to Council on environmental matters on an ongoing basis, so that the plan can be kept current and up to date with emerging environmental concerns. The plan will also support what other levels of Government are trying to achieve in addressing environmental concerns, which includes the yet to be prepared Catchment Action Plan for the Hunter and Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority. It will also support the work being done by a wide range of community organizations and volunteers in acting to monitor and address environmental degradation.

Other Council documents which are relevant to this project are:

Management Plan Community Plan Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy Economic Development Planning Group Business Plan Manning River Floodplain Management Plan Manning River Estuary Management Plan Greater Taree Heritage Strategy

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

1.4. Why prepare a Strategy

The preparation of a strategy is a vital component in the future sustainability of the area. It enables the Council to consider all of the aspects of the social, environmental and economic issues that interact and have to be considered for the future of an area. The strategy is an overarching document that provides the Council with guidance for the future of the area to ensure its sustainability. It also provides a basis for Government Departments and other organisations to plan for the provision of public and private infrastructure and services in the LGA. This document will develop a clear statement of principles and a map that will be the strategic direction for conservation and development outcomes for the LGA over the next 20 years. It will complement Council's Environmental Management Plan which is currently being prepared.

The preparation of a strategy enables the Council and other organisations to address the big picture issues as well as providing a road map for the future direction of the development of an area. It is important to recognise however, that this strategy also gives a direction for further work. It provides a framework and sets the direction for future rezonings and other actions that will implement the strategy.

The measure of success of a strategy is its implementation by the Council and the acceptance of this by the community. This strategy makes a series of recommendations that will have an impact on the Council’s resources. In an area like Greater Taree, where new urban housing is being produced, a large amount of the resources of the Council is devoted to these areas. Too often in the past, the provision of services and facilities to the rural areas and villages has not kept pace with the urban areas. It should be recognised that the Council needs to devote a considerable amount of resources to achieve the outcomes that would be expected by the community if the strategies were to be implemented. If we are to achieve a sustainable future, this resource imbalance needs to be rectified. Costing of the strategies need to be considered in the context of the Council’s Management Plan.

1.5. Study Area

The Greater Taree LGA is located on the mid north coast of NSW. To the north are the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Hastings and Walcha, to the west is Gloucester with Great Lakes to the south. Map 1.1 shows Greater Taree in relation to the surrounding Local Government Areas (LGA).

The LGA has an area of 3,730 square kilometres with a 50 kilometre coastline stretching from Crowdy Head in the north to Hallidays Point in the south. It is bounded by the Nabiac and Bunya areas in the south, Johns River in the north and the Great Dividing Range to the west.

The settlement pattern can be described as coastal and inland rural settlements located within a fragmented landscape. Approximately one third of the population lives in the rural areas and two thirds live in urban areas.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

There is a hierarchy of settlements in Greater Taree ranging from the regional centre of Taree to the smaller rural villages. They are, in order of population size, as follows:

1. Taree 10.Wallabi Point 2. Wingham 11.Moorland 3. Old Bar 12.Manning Point 4. Hallidays Point 13.Johns River 5. Harrington 14.Mount George 6. Cundletown 15.Krambach 7. Tinonee 16.Crowdy Head 8. Lansdowne 17.Croki 9. Coopernook 18.Hannam Vale

Photos 1.1 and 1.2 show the different settlement types in Greater Taree and Map 1.2 shows the Greater Taree LGA and the location of these settlements.

Map 1.1: Greater Taree and Surrounding LGAs

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Photo 1.1: Blackhead – a Coastal Settlement Date of Photo: August 2004

Photo 1.2: Lansdowne – an Inland Settlement Date of Photo: August 2004

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Map 1.2: Greater Taree LGA showing the location of the settlements.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

1.6. Current Strategies

The Council has a number of current strategies that deal with the development on either a locality basis or a land use type. These were prepared to provide a basis for the future development and conservation outcomes of the areas that they covered. They were prepared in response to a range of issues. The strategies identified the areas that were proposed to be developed and conserved in the future. They allowed the Council and the community to see the development of the area from the bigger picture instead of looking at parcels of land in isolation.

The Strategies are as follows:

Taree Wingham Urban Growth Plan, 1992 Taree City Centre Study and Strategy Rural Villages Study and Strategy 1996 Cundletown, August 1997 (Draft) Taree Development Study and Strategy August 1997 (Draft) Brimbin Development Strategy 1997 Wingham, May 1999 Harrington, July 1998 Old Bar – Wallabi Point, January 2003 Hallidays Point, September 2004 Rainbow Flat, Rural Residential Strategy and Release Program, September 2002 Rural Lands Study and Development Strategy, Draft March 2001

The strategies were prepared and then exhibited for public comment. Comments were received and the documents were then adopted by the Council as the preferred direction for the conservation and development of the area. The strategies are being implemented through the rezoning process in most of these areas. Council relies on the property markets for the actual timing of these rezonings as they are being funded by the landowners concerned. Rezonings are currently being prepared in Harrington, Old Bar, Wallabi Point and in the various settlements that make up the Hallidays Point area. Map 1.3 shows the existing and proposed rezonings for the strategies.

Although there is no actual stated direction for the LGA, when the strategies outlined above are viewed together, the following inherent but unstated strategic directions can be inferred:

A hierarchy of settlements with Taree as the regional centre with smaller centres supporting Taree but not competing with it. A new town (Brimbin) close to Taree rather than the continuous sprawling development option. A philosophy to protect agricultural land and to preserve and promote biodiversity conservation. Provide a variety of housing options Ensure that there is adequate infrastructure provision (water, sewerage, electricity, roads, telecommunications, etc) The need to provide for adequate levels of service for community and recreation services and facilities

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Make sure that there are adequate areas for commercial and retail uses in each centre Limited rural residential development

In addition to the above, the Council has a number of plans and policies that compliment the above inherent strategy. They include:

Vision 2020 Corporate Strategy Management Plan Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy Heritage Strategy Community Plan Infrastructure Asset Plans (Roads, Bridges, etc) Environmental Management Policy

The strategies for Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point, Hallidays Point and Taree and Wingham as well as the Rural Residential Strategy all deal with the development of land for future urban and rural residential housing which is to provide for the growth of the towns and areas that they cover. Map 1.3 shows each of these strategies and the land that is covered by them.

It is not intended to review each strategy individually as they have been adopted by the Council and rezonings are proceeding. Instead it is intended to establish a set of criteria for identifying settlements for growth and then assess each of the strategies against the criteria. When considering whether a settlement is to grow, it is necessary to consider social, environmental and economic matters. These are as follows:

Provision of community facilities such as community halls, library services, medical and dental services, child care and aged care services. Weekly and convenience shopping facilities Distance to regional centre for social services, shopping and employment Provision of water and sewerage infrastructure Adequate standard of road access Provision of public transport Employment opportunities locally Capability of land surrounding the centre for development, including slope of land, presence of significant native vegetation, flooding and bushfire risk

Taree, Wingham and the coastal areas of Harrington, Old Bar, Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point are the settlements that are experiencing growth. These are the areas that have strategies prepared to guide the growth.

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 15 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Map 1.3: Current Strategies

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Table 1.1 shows an analysis of how each of the towns outlined addresses the criteria.

Table 1.1: Current Strategy Analysis

Criteria Town Old Bar – Taree Wingham Harrington Wallabi Point Hallidays Point Community Provided Provided Provided Provided Provided Facilities Shopping Facilities All levels of Weekly and Weekly and Weekly and Weekly and Shopping Convenience Convenience Convenience Convenience facilities Distance to 15 minutes 20 minutes 20 minutes 30 minutes Regional Centre drive Water & Sewerage Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Standard of Road Good Good Moderate Good Good Access Public Transport Yes Yes Moderate Moderate Moderate Local Employment Yes Yes Some Some Some Capability of OK OK OK OK OK Surrounding Land

When each of these towns is assessed having regard to the criteria outlined above, it can be seen that they do in fact meet these criteria. It also needs to be pointed out that the strategies provide for future conservation and development and notes where there is a need to improve this. In some cases, for example, there is a need for an increase in the community and shopping facilities, but the strategy recognises this. There are some issues that are out of the ambit of an individual strategy, such as provision of public transport and local employment and these have to be addressed by an overall Conservation and Development Strategy – which this document aims to do.

One aspect of the implementation of the strategies is the timing of land release and the impact on the surrounding areas. In some cases, land identified for inclusion in a strategy has been cleared well in advance of the rezoning taking place and this has caused some land degradation issues. However, it has to be recognised that the land was identified in the draft Strategies and then publicly exhibited and then adopted by the Council as the preferred option for the future. It also has to be recognised that the area is growing and is part of the nationwide movement of a significant proportion of the population to live in the coastal areas. This is discussed further in the next chapter.

The issue of vegetation clearance needs to be considered in the overall context of the amount of vegetation in the area as well as the significance of that vegetation. If we are to retain all of the existing stands of vegetation in an area and not clear it for development and instead only develop the existing cleared land, it may have the impact of making the settlement pattern less sustainable and also consume land that is currently used for food and fibre production, i.e. agriculture.

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 17 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

There is a need to identify the land that is most suitable for settlement using the criteria outlined above and then assessing the impact that the likely development will have. If this means that some vegetation needs to be cleared and if, after an assessment of its status (either as a threatened species or not), it is found to occur in abundance in the area and is not in itself significant, then it should be cleared for development. If it is not, it could make the settlement pattern disjointed and less sustainable.

The process that the Council has gone through by assessing land for its development potential, consulting with the community and then implementing the strategy by carrying out detailed studies with the rezoning complies with good planning practice.

The Council is also investigating the construction of a new town to the north east of Taree in the Brimbin locality which will have a significant amount of employment land as well as a population of 20,000. This will provide for the expected future population growth.

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 18 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Chapter 2: Greater Taree – The present situation

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a statement of where the LGA is at present. What its physical features are, its community make up, its economy - the things that make it unique from other areas. This chapter does not consider the issues that arise from these facts as these are picked up in Chapter 4 and the options to deal with them are discussed in Chapter 5.

2.1. Physical Location and Character

The City of Greater Taree is located on the mid north coast of New South Wales. There are a number of different features which combine to create a somewhat unique landscape which is a mixture of coastal beaches and rural hinterland. This landscape comprises the following features:

sandy coastal beaches the Manning River with a wide coastal floodplain a rural hinterland which is comprised of steeper land and an escarpment

Photos 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 show these features and it can be seen why they are important and contribute to the uniqueness of the area.

Photo 2.1: Coastal beaches south of Crowdy Head Date of Photo: September 2004

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Photo 2.2: Manning River Floodplain Date of Photo: September 2004

Photo 2.3: Steep land in the rural hinterland Date of Photo: September 2004

There are a variety of vegetation types ranging from densely vegetated forests to open grazing lands on the floodplain as well as the steeper inland parts.

The settlement pattern is as diverse as the landscape and ranges from small inland rural service centres to booming coastal settlements. The settlement pattern is dominated by a strong regional centre which is centrally located in regard to the surrounding smaller settlements. It is significant to note that two thirds of the population lives in urban settlements and one third live within in the rural landscape living on a mixture of farms and rural residential estates plus rural lifestyle blocks.

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There are eleven beaches in the LGA as well as floodplains rainforests, nature reserves, national parks and scenic routes. A total of 60% of the LGA is covered by native vegetation and this is made up of 11 % National Parks, 12 % State Forest and 77 % private land.

The Manning River has a wide coastal plain with a number of islands and 2 openings to the sea – a feature that is not evident on any other river in Australia.

There is good infrastructure available to the residents. The Pacific Highway and main northern railway traverse the LGA. The recent improvements to the Pacific Highway provides easy access to Newcastle and the Metropolitan area of Sydney – 2 hours to Newcastle and 3 hours to the outskirts of Sydney.

2.2. The Community

The population of the Greater Taree area is estimated to be 45,065 at 31 December 2004. The population at the 2001 census was 42,943. The growth in population since the census has been significantly higher than that between 1996 and 2001 when there was an average growth rate of 106 dwellings per annum which equated to 0.5 %per annum. Council data shows that there has been an annual average of 249 new dwelling houses. It should be noted that Sydney and NSW had a growth of 1.1% over the same period. Council figures for the growth since 2000 are shown on figure 2.1 and the population growth from 2001 to 2004 is shown in figure 2.2.

400

350 355 332

g 300 248

llin 233 e 250 w D w

e 200 N f o

150 . o N 100 75 50

0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year

Figure 2.1: Dwelling Growth 2000 to 2004 Source: Council Property Information Data

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45,500 45,065 45,000

44,500 44,260 44,000 n o i at 43,500 pul

o 43,506 P 43,000 42,943 42,500

42,000

41,500 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year

Figure 2.2: Population Growth 2001 to 2004 Source: Council Property Information Data and ABS 2001 Census

This shows that the population of the LGA has significantly grown since the 2001 census. From 2000 to 2004, the average annual population growth has been 564 people per year and the annual dwelling growth is 249. By comparison, the average annual population growth between 1996 and 2001 was 238 people and the average annual dwelling growth was 106. Between 1991 and 1996 the average annual population growth was 385. This population growth can be seen as a percentage in figure 2.3 which also shows comparative growth rates for Sydney and Hunter Regions for the periods 1991 – 96, 1996 – 2001, 2001 – 2002, 2002 – 2003 and 2003 - 2004. It can be seen that since 2001, the Sydney and Hunter region growth has declined whilst that of Greater Taree has increased substantially, when compared to the Sydney and Hunter regions. It should be noted that there was a lack of supply of subdivided land between 1991 and 2001 and since 2001, there has been a large amount of land placed on the market.

2.0% 1.8% 1.7% 1.8% 1.6% 1.3% 1.4% 1.2%

h 1.1% t 1.2% 0.9% 1.0% 0.8% 1.0%

% Grow 0.8% 0.9% 0.6% 0.4% 0.5% 0.2% 0.0% 1991-96 1996-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 Year Greater Taree Sydney Hunter

Figure 2.3: Growth Rates 1991 - 2004 Source: ABS NSW Regional Statistics and Council Records

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It can be seen therefore that the Greater Taree City Council area has grown considerably since 2000. The implementation of the current strategies will provide for the continuation of this trend. Hirst Consulting Services have prepared future potential population details for the LGA which have been based on the implementation of the strategies. The future potential population of the LGA is shown in figure 2.4 and is based on the implementation of the strategies that have been adopted by Council and DOP (Harrington, Old Bar - Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point). It is therefore not a projection based on percentage growth over past years and natural increase. It shows medium and high projections based on the currently occupied dwellings for the low projections and all dwellings being occupied for the high projections. In a coastal area like Greater Taree, there are a number of unoccupied dwellings that are used as holiday houses. There is a trend for these to become fully occupied as they are sold and replaced or permanently occupied as retirement living. This is a result of the national trend for people to move to the coastal areas. The future potential population details were prepared by Hirst Consulting Services and the methodology is provided in Appendix 1. The low future population figure is based on a continuation of the existing level of average growth per year. It should be noted that these population details do not include the proposed new town at Brimbin.

90000 78,413 80000 65,766 70000 52,324 57,236 49,969

n 60000

o 51,044 47,613 ti

a 50000 45,031 l

u 57,142 68,124 p 40000 50,555 48,151

Po 41,619 42,410 42,943 30000

20000

10000

0 1991 1996 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Year

Low Medium High

Figure 2.4: Future Potential Population 2001 - 2020 Source: Hirst Consulting Services Note: These have been based on implementation of strategies and occupation of unoccupied dwellings as well as the current growth rate continuing.

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 23 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

The number of people living in each house (the occupancy rate) has decreased from 2.59 in 1996 to 2.52 in 2001. If this continues to decrease, it will have an impact on the amount of housing required for the incoming population. It will mean that more houses will be required for the future population. This is more significant when one considers the age of the population and the projected increases as outlined below.

The proportion of indigenous people in the population for Greater Taree, the Mid North Coast region and NSW is shown in table 2.1. It can be seen that Greater Taree has a similar proportion of the population who are indigenous to the region but that both Greater Taree and the Region are considerably higher than NSW.

Table 2.1: Indigenous People

Region Males Females Persons (%) (%) (%) Greater Taree 3.9 3.7 3.8 Mid North Coast 3.8 3.7 3.7 NSW 1.9 1.9 1.9

Source: ABS 2001 Census

The median household income of the residents of Greater Taree is $500 - $599 which is the same as the region but less than that for NSW which is $800 - $999.

Whilst the majority of the population (68%) lives in urban areas, 32% live on rural holdings. The population of the towns and villages and rural areas at the 2001 census as well as the estimated population at the end of 2004 is shown in table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Population of Settlements

Dwellings Population % of Dwellings Population % of Settlement 2001 2001 Total 2004 2004 Total Taree 6,354 14,351 33.4 6,448 14,580 32.4 Wingham 1,919 4,665 10.9 1,969 4,793 10.7 Old Bar 1,377 2,853 6.6 1,512 3,128 7.0 Hallidays Point 948 1,770 4.1 1,127 2,117 4.7 Harrington 898 1,409 3.3 1,010 1,607 3.6 Cundletown 604 1,422 3.3 616 1,450 3.2 Tinonee 278 698 1.6 292 733 1.6 Lansdowne 152 416 1.0 157 430 1.0 Coopernook 142 380 0.9 148 396 0.9 Wallabi Point 136 317 0.7 143 333 0.7 Moorland 114 287 0.7 117 295 0.7 Manning Point 162 242 0.6 164 245 0.5 Mount George 78 120 0.3 78 120 0.3 Krambach 60 120 0.3 60 120 0.3 Johns River 55 118 0.3 55 118 0.3 Total Urban 13,277 29,168 67.9 13,896 30,465 67.7

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Dwellings Population % of Dwellings Population % of Settlement 2001 2001 Total 2004 2004 Total Total Rural 5,602 13,775 32.1 5,901 14,529 32.3 Total LGA 18,879 42,943 100.0 19,797 44,994 100.0

Source: ABS 2001 Census and Council Property Data

It can be seen that the population is mostly based in the settlements to the east of the Pacific Highway plus Taree and that these areas plus Wingham have had the greatest growth in dwellings and population. This shows that the most sought after areas are the coastal communities.

The population is made up of nearly half males (48.9%) and females (51.1%). The age of the population is shown in the age distribution graph (referred to as a population pyramid) in figure 2.5. This shows that the population is ageing but also has a considerable number of young families by the high proportion of 35 – 45 year olds and 0 – 14 year olds. The comparison between this and the NSW age structure can be seen from figure 2.6.

95-99 90-94 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% % % % % % % % % % %

Males Females

Figure 2.5: Age distribution of the Population Source: ABS 2001 Census

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 25 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

95-99 90-94 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 p 55-59 ou

r 50-54 G

e 45-49

Ag 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0% 9.0% % of T ot al

NSW Taree

Figure 2.6: Age Structure comparison Source: ABS 2001 Census

Table 2.3 shows the comparisons with the mid North Coast Region and NSW for selected age groups. It shows that Greater Taree has more than the region and NSW in the 0 – 14 year old age group (children) and similar to the region but less than NSW for the 15 – 24 year olds (youth and young adults). This is consistent with an area like this as this age group normally gravitates to the metropolitan area. The working age population (15 – 64) is similar for Greater Taree and the Mid North Coast but less than NSW. When this working age of the population is broken into the 15 – 44 year olds and the 45 – 65 year olds, it shows that Greater Taree and the Region have similar proportions of the population in the 15 – 44 year olds but much less than the State. However the older working age people are the opposite, having more in Greater Taree and the Mid North Coast Region than for NSW. Greater Taree has fewer retired people (65 yeas and older) than the Region and more than NSW.

Table 2.3: Age Group Comparisons

Mid Age Greater North Group Taree Coast NSW 0 - 14 22.3% 21.3% 20.6% 15 - 24 10.6% 10.4% 13.3% 15 - 64 59.6% 59.7% 65.4% 15 - 44 33.9% 34.0% 42.8% 45 - 64 25.7% 25.7% 22.7% 65 + 17.9% 19.5% 13.0%

Source: ABS 2001 Census

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 26 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

The median age of the population has increased from 35 in 1991, to 37 in 1996 to 40 in 2001. This shows that the population of the LGA is ageing. Figure 2.7 shows the projected aging of the population, as outlined in the Greater Taree Demographic Profile, 2004. The figure shows that the working age population is decreasing along with the children and that the retired people are increasing as a proportion of the whole population. This ageing of the population has a number of implications which will be discussed in chapter 4.

70.0

60.0

50.0 l a 40.0 Tot 30.0 % of ` 20.0

10.0

0.0 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 Year 0 - 14 yrs 15 - 64 yrs 65 + yrs

Figure 2.7: Projected Ageing of the Population Source: Greater Taree Demographic Profile, 2004

The working population is mostly employed with 87.8% of the population employed. Of these 58.5% worked full time and 38.6% worked part time. The unemployment rate was 12.2%.

The industry sector of the employed workforce is shown in table 2.4. The table shows the percentage of the workforce in each sector and compares it to both the Mid-North Coast Region and NSW. Significant points to be made about this comparison are:

Retail employment in Greater Taree is higher than the region and much higher than NSW Health and Community services is higher than the region and NSW Manufacturing is the same as NSW and higher than the region Agriculture, forestry and fishing are higher than the region and NSW Construction is slightly less than NSW and less than the region Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants are slightly less than NSW and less than the region

These figures also point to the tourism industry being a big employer as tourist industry workers are employed in retail, property and business services accommodation, cafes and restaurants and personal and other services. If these

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 27 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

are combined it makes the tourism industry a significant contributor to the local economy and the workforce.

Table 2.4: Industry Sector of the Workforce

Industry Sector Mid Greater North NSW Taree Coast Retail 18.9 18.6 14.2 Health and community services 13.0 11.8 9.4 Manufacturing 11.5 8.2 11.5 Education 7.8 7.9 6.8 Agriculture, forestry and fishing 7.0 6.6 3.4 Construction 6.8 7.6 6.9 Property and business services 6.2 7.3 12.2 Wholesale trade 5.6 4.4 5.6 Accommodation, cafes and restaurants 5.1 7.2 5.2 Government Administration and Defence 3.3 4.1 3.8 Personal and other services 3.3 3.6 3.6 Transport and Storage 3.3 3.5 4.6 Cultural and Recreational 1.8 2.1 2.5 Finance and Insurance 1.8 2.2 4.8 Communication Services 1.2 1.4 2.0 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 0.8 1.0 0.7 Mining 0.2 0.1 0.5 Not Classified and Not Stated 2.2 2.3 2.3 Source: ABS 2001 Census

The occupations of the workforce are shown in figure 2.8 for Greater Taree in relation to the Mid North Coast Region and NSW. The largest occupation is clerical and service workers (28.9%) which are less than the Mid North Coast Region (31.1%) and NSW (30%). Professionals are the next highest proportion with Greater Taree having 14.5% which is similar to the region (15%) but less than NSW (19.1%). Tradespersons and related workers are the next highest occupation group with 13.7% of the workforce which is higher than the region (12.8%) and NSW (11.9%). Labourers are the 4th largest group with 12.6% which is higher than the region (10.2%) and much higher than NSW (8%). Associate Professionals account for 10.8% of the workforce which is less than the region (11.8%) and NSW (11.6%). Managers and administrators make up 9.2% of the workforce which is more than the region (8.9%) but slightly less than NSW (9.4%). Production and Transport workers are 8.4% of the workforce which is more than the region (8%) and NSW (7.9%).

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 28 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Not stated

Inadequately described

Labourers and Related

n Production & Transport o i t a

p Cleric al & Servic e Workers ccu

O Tradespersons & Related

Associate Professionals

Professionals

Managers & Administrators

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% % of T ot al Taree Mid North Coast NSW

Figure 2.8: Occupation of the Workforce Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing 2001

The non-school education attainment of the population of Greater Taree compared to the region and the State is shown in table 2.5. It can be seen that overall, Greater Taree has a lower level of non-school education (28.7%) than the region (30.5%) and NSW (36.2%). However it is slightly higher than NSW for certificate type of education. This points to a higher proportion of the population working in trade related than office type jobs. This is reinforced by the industry sectors that the population works in, as outlined above.

Table 2.5: Level Non-School of Education

Region Post Graduate Not Graduate Diploma Bachelor Diploma Certificate Stated or Degree or Degree Not Certificate Applicable Greater 0.6% 0.9% 4.6% 4.9% 17.7% 71.3% Taree Mid 0.6% 0.9% 5.4% 5.0% 18.5% 69.5% North Coast NSW 2.2% 1.2% 10.1% 6.2% 16.4% 63.8% Source: ABS 2001 Census of Population and Housing

2.3. Natural Environment

The natural environment of the LGA provides a resource which is important for the future of the whole environment – natural and modified. They can also be considered to be a constraint to future development. This includes the following:

Water Catchments Coastline Native vegetation and wildlife Native Wildlife

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 29 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

2.3.1. Water Catchments

There are 4 separate catchments within the LGA which are shown on map 2.1 and are as follows:

Manning River, which covers most of the LGA Stewarts River which is part of the Hastings catchment in the north, Khappinghat Creek which enters the ocean south of Saltwater, and Wallis Lake which covers the south of the LGA from Nabiac to Krambach

The Manning River estuary and River system is unique the Australian Coast because it has two natural entrances, both of which are predominantly open. These entrances are at Old Bar and Harrington. Currently the Old Bar opening to the sea has closed up due to natural processes. Photo 2.4 shows the Manning River at Old Bar.

Photo 2.4: Manning River Opening at Old Bar Date of Photo: September 2004

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 30 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Map 2.1: Water Catchments

The Manning River catchment has an area of 8,420 square kilometres which makes it the sixth largest catchment on the coast of New South Wales. The Manning River system is comprised of the Manning itself, the Lansdowne River, Dawson River and associated creeks and drainage lines. The estuary has a range of conditions which in turn produce a variety of habitat types. This produces a wide variety of living organisms which range from free swimming micro plankton and algae to mangrove forests, aquatic birds and dolphins. All of these contribute to the water quality and the landscape of the catchment, which is important.

2.3.2. Coastline

There is approximately 50 kilometres of coastline which contains a variety of landforms ranging from beaches and dune systems to rock ledges and cliffs. This coastline also contains significant areas of native vegetation as well as settlement areas ranging in size from small centres like Crowdy Head and Manning Point to larger settlements such as Harrington and Old Bar. Photos 2.5 and 2.6 show the coastal landscape.

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Photo 2.5: Coastal Landscape north of Crowdy Head Date of Photo: September 2004

Wetlands are an important part of the natural environment of the LGA. They can be coastal, estuarine and fresh water wetlands. They play a vital part in the ecosystem by acting as a filter for runoff. They are also habitat for mangroves, salt marshes, sedges and larger trees like the Flooded Gum, Casuarina, Melaleuca, Sydney Blue Gum and the River Red Gum.

Wetlands are protected by a State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP No. 14) which aims to conserve the most valuable wetlands and to protect them from inappropriate development. Any works in or near the catchments of these wetlands that involves clearing of vegetation, drainage, levee construction or filling requires the consent and concurrence of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources.

However, some of the wetlands have become somewhat degraded as a result of land use change in their catchments.

The Council has established the ‘Cattai Wetland Project’ to improve the health of the Cattai wetland and to reduce the discharge of acid sulfate soil runoff into the Manning River. It is east of Coopernook. Photo 2.7 shows the wetland.

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 32 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Photo 2.6: Coastal Landscape Date of Photo: September 2004

Photo 2.7: Cattai Wetland Date of Photo: September 2004

2.3.3. Native Vegetation and Wildlife

Native vegetation covers a significant amount of the LGA. Figures derived from the Greater Taree State of the Environment Report 2003 -2004 (p76) show that 57.5% of the area is covered and 38.9% cleared and 3.6% of the land mass being water. The contribution of each vegetation type is shown in figure 2.8. The extent of native vegetation cover is shown on Map 2.2.

There are approximately 5 endemic plant species that are not found anywhere else in the world and a large proportion of the State’s lowland floodplain rainforest (Wingham Brush).

EDGE Land Planning October 2005 33 Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Map 2.2: Extent of Native Vegetation

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Riparian Scrub Plantation 0.87% Vegetation 0.25% Dunes and Wetlands 0.85% Heaths 1.08% Water & 0.03% Unknown 3.58% Rainforests Woodland 4.54% Cleared 5.28% 38.94% National Parks 10.68%

State Forests 11.83% Open Forest 22.07%

Figure 2.9: Vegetation Types Source: State of the Environment Report 2003 - 2004

Native vegetation is considered to be a key part of the natural environment. It contributes to the health and productivity of the landscapes – both natural and modified and have conservation and aesthetic values as well as contributing to agriculture by providing habitat for bees that are needed to pollinate some crops. The 2003 - 2004 State of the Environment Report notes that there are 16 threatened plant species and 3 endangered ecological communities as well as 73 threatened species of birds, mammals and reptiles in the LGA. It also notes that these are increasing.

The vegetation varies across the LGA from dunes and heath systems to rainforests and open forests. Photo 2.8 shows the coastal sand dune vegetation and photo 2.9 shows the forested inland areas.

Photo 2.8: Coastal Sand Dune Vegetation Date of Photo: September 2004

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Photo 2.9: Inland forest vegetation Date of Photo: September 2004

Native vegetation provides significant habitat for both flora and fauna. This habitat provides linkages between areas of vegetation that enables the movement of both fauna and flora, thus improving the biodiversity of the area. However, in a lot of cases, the habitat linkages have been degraded by the introduction of housing and particularly rural residential areas. Photo 2.10 shows a rural residential estate that has been developed in amongst native vegetation areas. The National Parks and Wildlife service have mapped significant habitat linkages for the region and this is shown on map 2.3.

Photo 2.10: Inland forest vegetation Date of Photo: September 2004

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

The LGA also has a significant number of Koalas which live throughout the rural landscape. The Council has prepared a Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management which has evaluated and ranked the Koala habitat throughout the LGA and recommended strategies to conserve and protect this threatened species. The plan has shown that the Koala Habitat extends over much of the native vegetation of Greater Taree.

The following map 2.3 shows the existing national parks, state forests and environmental protection zones which are those areas currently protected from clearing.

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Map 2.3: Currently Protected Vegetation

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

2.4. The Economy

Greater Taree has a diverse economy. It has significant health and community services and manufacturing sectors as well as tourism and to a lesser extent agriculture. Council has engaged the Hunter Valley Research Foundation to prepare to prepare a document titled Economic Profile – Current Structure and Future Directions.

This document provides an analysis of the current economy which is drawn from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing as well as other sources. Interviews were conducted with key industry stakeholders to gain a perspective on the future of the economy.

The Economic Profile found in general that the LGA has a robust and growing economy which is highly diversified.

The sectoral analysis and related demographic trends can be summarised as follows:

The tertiary or service-based sector is increasing in importance; The largest proportion of tertiary sector employment is in the knowledge- based service industries; Retail trade is growing and becoming comparatively more important to the economy; “Sea changers” and retirees with disposable incomes are moving into the area and driving the growth in retail trade; Greater Taree had a higher proportion of employment in health and community services than NSW and the Mid North Coast region in 2001 and this industry has been growing consistently since 1991; Ageing of the Greater Taree population is one of the factors likely to be driving the growth in health and community services; Tourism is a key industry and directly reflects the “image” and placement of Greater Taree within the broader region and the State; Despite the growth in the tertiary sector, agriculture, forestry and fishing remain important to the local economy; Fragmentation of agricultural land is one of the emerging local trends affecting the primary industry sector; Greater Taree’s manufacturing industry remains one of the most significant for the economy of the LGA.

The Labour force analysis and related trends can be summarised as:

Overall, Greater Taree has experienced reduced unemployment and a growing labour force; A changing workforce is being attracted to the area with more professionals, associate professionals and intermediate clerical staff in the labour force; There is a growing small business and home-based business sector;

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Greater Taree Draft Conservation and Development Strategy

Many businesses have difficulties attracting and retaining experienced, suitably skilled and qualified staff; The TAFE system is well established.

The likely direction of the Greater Taree economy over the next fifteen years can be summarised as follows:

There is likely to be continued growth in the tertiary or service based sector; The ageing of the population is predicted to continue and is one of the factors influencing the rise of the tertiary sector; The growing appeal of the area as a lifestyle destination is another influence upon the growth of the tertiary sector and is also likely to continue; The construction industry and the flow-on economic effects that it generates are likely to be an important part of the economy over the next fifteen years. The increasing accessibility of Greater Taree is important to manufacturing in the LGA; The ability of Greater Taree to promote itself to business as a viable area in which to relocate will influence whether manufacturing in the LGA will reach “critical mass”; A further factor influencing secondary industry in Greater Taree is whether there is a sufficient supply of appropriately located and serviced industrial land; The primary industry sector of the local economy could continue to diversify and make a significant contribution to Gross Regional Product; Measures will most likely have to be taken to prevent the substantial fragmentation of agricultural land in the Manning Valley if primary industry is to remain viable. A continuation of the cultural shift away from the perception of Taree as a “two dollar town” will be an important factor influencing the direction of the economy over the next fifteen years; The natural environment of Greater Taree as one of its principal attributes and provides the potential to promote the growth of the area, based on preservation of its environmental values; It is likely that education will continue to be a key employer in the region and that the education sector will diversify and expand

In addition to this, the Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy states that other key industry sectors are:

Transport; Home Based Businesses; and Cultural Services Major manufacturing businesses within the LGA are as follows:

Schefenacker Lighting Systems Australia Pty Ltd (designer and manufacturer of automotive parts) A Goninan & Co Ltd (railway, transport and mining equipment) Wingham Beef Exports (export abattoir)

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Bayview Seafoods Pty Ltd (seafood processor and supplier) Hot Tuna Pty Ltd (surfwear manufacturer and exporter) Containers Packaging (aluminium can manufacturer) Valley Industries (pallets & packaging, garden care, support services) Southcott Pty Ltd (hydraulic adaptors and hose assemblies) Stebercraft Pty Ltd (ocean–going fishing, surveillance and pleasure craft) Australian Cooperative Foods (milk and milk products) API Security (manufacturer of safes, vaults and security systems).

It can be seen therefore that Greater Taree has a diverse economy that is based on non-traditional businesses of Health and Community Services, Manufacturing and Tourism. The traditional rural base of the economy is not has high as would be expected. The list above shows that the manufacturing economy is not based entirely on businesses serving the rural sector and that there are a number of ‘exporting’ businesses in the LGA. There is a large industrial estate in Taree which houses most of the industries mentioned above. Photo 2.11 shows one such industrial use.

Photo 2.11: Industrial Use in Taree Date of Photo: September 2004

A document published in January 2005 for the Mid North Coast Regional Economic Board, Mid North Coast Area Consultative Committee and TAFE NSW titled Growing Jobs on the North Coast by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation has identified a number of drivers of the Mid North Economy and this is relevant to the Greater Taree economy. The drivers are listed below:

In-migration and Population Growth. Population growth generates economic growth by increasing expenditure on consumer goods and has implications for housing, utilities as well as health and education services.

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Agriculture. Traditional and emerging agriculture such as vegetables, specialty fruits and beef for the Asian market and farmers markets all are increasing. Dairying is increasing in volume of production although the number of farms is decreasing. Manufacturing. There are a few large companies with a large number of smaller businesses which serve niche markets. The value of the output is the largest sector of the Mid North Coast economy. Education. This is part of the knowledge based sector of the economy witch is an area that is increasing. Attainment in education of the workforce also reduces the potential for unemployment as people are more able to find alternative employment in diverse fields or can easily retrain by attending university or other courses. Health and Aged Care. This sector has 2 impacts. Firstly, through construction and maintenance of facilities as well as direct employment. The ageing of the population also means that this sector is going to increase in importance. Tourism. This is a growing sector of the economy and included spending by both visitors and residents who use the ‘lifestyle’ services and facilities. It is estimated that the value of output of this sector is increasing at a faster rate than the overall growth rate of the whole Mid North Coast economy. Investment. This includes investment in public infrastructure such as health, education, transport, roads and governance as well as private investment in existing businesses such as new plant and industry, office space, tourism facilities and agriculture. Creativity, Enterprise and Social Capital. Creativity, entrepreneurial ability, innovation and social capital are all drivers of an economy.

The Federal Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics have published an Industry Structure Database which allows comparisons for employment and industry types. One key feature of this is the Industry Diversity Index. This provides a summary of the extent to which a Local Government Area has a diversified employment base for its workforce. Greater Taree has an index of 95.1 which shows that the economy has a diverse range of employers and industries to employ the workforce. This is comparable to surrounding areas with Coffs Harbour being 94.6 and Hastings (Port Macquarie) being 94.3.

It has been noted in section 2.1 that the LGA has a higher percentage of the workforce involved in Health and Community Services than NSW and has the same proportion of the workforce involved in manufacturing. These to facts as well as the high diversity index point to a prosperous economy that is increasing and generating more economic activity.

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Chapter 3: What the Community Said

3.1 Introduction

Community consultation is an integral component of the Conservation and Development Strategy. Consultation gives the Council an opportunity to listen to what the community desires for the future of the area as well as allowing the Council to explain to the community the development issues and wider context of policy development within the Mid North Coast region and NSW.

It is also important to recognise that the community is vitally interested in the future of the area and as such should have input into the development of policies for the future. The Council sees community consultation as a major component of the Strategy.

The following is a summary of the consultation and the details can be found in the separately published Community Consultation Report.

3.2 Community Workshops

There were 5 community workshops held as part of the process for developing this strategy. The location and dates of the workshops are outlined in table 3.1.

Table 3.1: Community Workshop Locations

Workshop Date Taree 14 September 2004 Old Bar 15 September 2004 Harrington 21 September 2004 Hallidays Point 22 September 2004 Wingham 23 September 2004

The workshop used a technique of group consensus. The attendees were seated at tables in groups of 4 to 6 with other people from the same area. This enabled group discussion of the issues and provided a group focus for the workshop.

The first part of the workshop was to ask the participants to think about their vision for their part of the LGA in 10 to 20 years time. Questions to be answered to help define this vision were as follows:

How much housing development should there be? Should there be a limit placed on it? Where should housing development be built? Are there any services or facilities that you need in your area? Are there any environmental attributes that should be conserved? What are they? What types of future land uses would you like to see? Are there any uses that are inappropriate? Which ones?

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The participants were encouraged to write down their own individual answers to these questions to identify for themselves their own vision. Then people were asked to discuss their vision within the group around their table to come up with a group consensus and to write the group consensus views down on the butcher’s paper provided. These were then shared with the whole workshop by a group spokesperson.

The participants were then asked to consider the actions that could be taken to achieve the vision. They were asked specifically what they as a community could do to achieve the vision and what the Council could do. These were also written down on the butcher’s paper and presented to the whole workshop.

In addition to the workshop participants providing their comments on the vision and actions for the future, a technique was used to provide the Council with feedback on particular photographic images of elements of the LGA. The photographs were mounted on pieces of paper, which were placed on the walls. Participants were asked to write what the photographs meant to them on the paper surrounding the photographs during the workshop.

3.3 Workshop Outcomes

A summary of the outcomes of all of the workshops are presented below. There are a number of themes that run through the workshop responses, which are listed in no particular order as follows:

Managed growth Balanced development Preserve productive agricultural land Retail and office uses in smaller towns Rural residential development No building on steep or flood prone land Community to become involved in the process Improve services, community and recreational facilities Maintain and preserve biodiversity, creeks and wetlands Public transport needed, especially for seniors Respect, protect and preserve aboriginal culture Maintain the Heritage character of towns and rural landscapes Build on tourism potential Upgrade roads Maintain existing character of towns villages and rural areas Improve urban design of new housing Variety housing types to be provided Maintain the country town feel Promote all forms of agriculture

The photo board technique was used to find out the community’s views on a number of images that are representative of the Parry Shire.

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The images included:

Agriculture Shopping Centres Rivers and Waterways Car Parking Rural Landscapes Manufacturing Industry Housing Boating and Fishing Schools National Parks Community Facilities Beaches Parks and Recreation areas Wildlife Native Vegetation Heritage

The detailed responses from each of the photo boards are included as Appendix 2. As a general statement, it can be said that the community wants to keep the rural landscape and productive agricultural lands. National Parks, native vegetation, wildlife and beaches are important and should be conserved. Community facilities and schools as well as parks and recreation areas are needed for the future and should be improved. Existing industry is necessary for the future and more of it is required. Some shopping centres are congested whilst others need better and more variety of shops. Parking is an issue that needs to be addressed.

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Chapter 4: Conservation and Development Issues and Options

4.1 Introduction

There are a number of issues that need to be considered to ensure that the future of Greater Taree is sustainable. This chapter explores each of the issues and provides a discussion on the significance of that issue. The Council's current response is outlined and the options and directions are discussed.

The range of issues covered by this chapter considers the environmental, social, economic and physical sustainability of the Local Government Area. They are as follows:

Conservation Infrastructure Natural Hazards Economic Activity Manning River and Water Catchments Growth Management Community Services and Quality of Life Settlement Growth Heritage Resources Rural Land

They have been arranged in this way so that there is a progression from the conservation and natural area issues through to the social and community requirements to Heritage and infrastructure then economic issues followed by growth management and settlement growth then the rural land is discussed.

4.2 Conservation

The conservation issues are an important component of the future of the Greater Taree LGA. This section identifies the key conservation issues facing Greater Taree and discusses options that can be addressed within the framework of this Conservation and Development Strategy. It covers biodiversity, organisational sustainability, the ecological footprint and landscape preservation.

4.2.1. Biodiversity

The Issues

Biodiversity includes the native Vegetation, biodiversity and the habitats that are created by the native vegetation. This is an important issue for the future of the LGA. In the context of Greater Taree, it is important to recognise that all landuse decisions will have an impact on the native vegetation, biodiversity and habitats of the area. It is important to recognise the important areas and to conserve these. In order to do this it is first necessary to recognise the threats to their conservation which include the following:

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Habitat Loss. Clearing of land for housing and other uses causes loss of vegetation which is also a habitat for other plants and animals. Habitat loss can also occur when development is permitted in close proximity to existing areas of biodiversity. This edge effect can also lead to the loss of habitat. Habitat Connectivity Loss. Habitat corridors or linkages provide pathways for the movement of habitat from one area to another. The loss of habitat can lead to loss of the connectivity which in turn leads to a loss of biodiversity in the LGA Urban and Rural residential development. This is a threat because it often includes the clearing of land which can cause a loss of habitat. It also introduces pets which can eat small animals. Effluent disposal areas can kill the surrounding native vegetation because of the high nutrient content. Weed invasion is also an impact and stems from ‘garden escapes’ and dumping of garden clippings. The weeds will also invade the area that has been denuded of native vegetation by the nutrient runoff from the effluent disposal systems. Agriculture. Clearing of land for agriculture can have an impact on the habitat and thus the biodiversity value of the land. Agriculture, if not properly managed, can cause nutrient laden runoff to invade the native vegetation and in turn can lead to the loss of biodiversity. Bushfire. This has the potential to cause a major impact on biodiversity. Bushfires can cause massive destruction of both habitat as well as plants and animals. It is important to recognise that the vegetation and habitat will regenerate and this needs to be allowed to occur. It should be noted that recent bushfire legislation requires the establishment of an ‘asset protection zone’ around any new house. This has the potential to destroy biodiversity habitat because of the need to clear the land to provide for this asset protection zone. Just as problematic are the low intensity hazard reduction burns as well as the lower frequency of high intensity bushfires. These have an impact on certain species which have evolved to use fires for germination and procreation.

There are significant important tracts of native vegetation that should be conserved. These have been identified by the Department of Environment and Conservation and are shown on Map 2.3. Photo 4.1 shows some of this in the Cedar Party Rural Residential Estate north of Taree.

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Photo 4.1: Native Vegetation north of Taree Date of Photo: September 2004

The issue of land clearing has been raised in the consultations with people claiming that land has been cleared in anticipation of development and that there has not been any action on behalf of the Council to enforce the unlawful clearing. It should be pointed out that the Council does not have any control over clearing of land in rural zones, as this is the role of the CMA to authorise and control clearing of land. Nor does the Council have the resources to manage land clearing. The Council can have a role in identification of the significant vegetation and then educating the public about this and the need to conserve it. This is being considered by the Council in its Environmental Management Plan.

There is a need to be all embracing when dealing with the impact of humans on the environment. Whilst it is necessary to separate the uses, there should also be recognition that the impact exists, consideration of it in all decisions as well as minimisation of any impact by development. This basically is what ESD is all about.

Council's Current Response

Council has adopted an Environmental Management Policy which has as one of its aims to achieve the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development.

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Options and Direction

Biodiversity conservation can be done by the use of statutory and non-statutory mechanisms. The statutory mechanisms include the use of acts of parliament, state, regional and local plans whilst the non-statutory mechanisms include incentives, education and other programs. One important thing to note is that it is a combination of the statutory and non-statutory mechanisms that will lead to the conservation of the LGAs biodiversity rather than one mechanism on its own. For example, regulation through the use of legislation, zones and specific clauses in LEPs and DCPs is one mechanism. However to ensure that the private landowners in fact carry out the conservation of the biodiversity, there should be other mechanisms such as education and incentives.

In order to identify the most significant vegetation within the LGA, the Council have ranked the significance of the vegetation into 4 categories (which is based on criteria established by the Hunter and Cental Rivers Catchment Management Authority) as follows:

International – mostly wetlands which are habitat for migratory birds listed on the JAMBA (Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement) and CAMBA (China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement). National – Species listed under the federal Environmental Conservation Biodiversity Conservation Act and places on the National Estate Reserve System (National Parks and Nature Reserves as well as State Forests). State – Species listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act and Key Koala Habitat Regional – National Parks and Wildlife Key Habitat Corridor Mapping and regionally significant plant communities identified as part of the Comprehensive Regional Assessment process.

Map 4.1 shows the 4 levels of significant vegetation within the LGA. It can be seen that a significant part of the LGA is covered by these levels of significance.

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Map 4.1: Vegetation Conservation Significance

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There have been a number of studies into the biodiversity within the LGA carried out by Government departments. These are as follows:

Regional Forests Agreement / Comprehensive Regional Assessment process. Completed in 1999. The entire of NSW was assessed during the Comprehensive Regional Assessment Process, to develop Regional Forests Agreements. All forested land in each region was assessed according to the Nationally Agreed JANIS criteria to determine a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative (known as CAR) Reserve System for Australia. This assessment determined which forest types were adequately conserved and which were not, and resulted in many State Forest areas being added to the National Estate (eg National Parks). Key Habitats and Corridors Project. Completed in 2001 by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. They carried out a series of Key Habitats and Corridors studies in NSW. This work used computer modelling to predict the habitat and landscape connectivity requirements for a selected range of arboreal mammals. This work established a network of regional and subregional corridors. It was advisory only, and since several pilot projects (eg Habitat Links) have tested how these corridors could be established on the ground through negotiations and collaborations with landholders. Draft Manning Regional Vegetation Plan. This was prepared under the provisions of the Native Vegetation Conservation Act and covered the LGA plus other Council areas. The draft plan was never adopted, but the Hunter- Central Rivers CMA has adopted a very similar definition of Regionally Significant Vegetation for protection, and is likely to adopt similar protection measures for these types of vegetation. The results of the draft regional vegetation management plan were to protect 3 main vegetation areas as follows: special protection zone (includes rainforest, wetlands, dune vegetation and headland vegetation) riparian regional protected land zone (includes buffer strips along listed watercourses) vegetation conservation and management zone - high conservation value vegetation (includes Endangered Ecological Communities, Endangered Populations, rare and threatened species, old growth forests, key habitats, aboriginal sites, rare and vulnerable ecosystems, koala habitat, connectivity, native grasslands, woodlands, heathlands / shrublands, and rock outcrops)

To ensure that the biodiversity is conserved, it is necessary to first identify the important components of flora and fauna species and communities and then to identify the mechanisms that are available to achieve the biodiversity conservation. This involves the introduction of a suite of mechanisms that will not only conserve the existing areas but also provide for the regeneration and expansion of these areas. Therefore there is a need to provide some data in an easily distributable format to educate the community about the values of the biodiversity of the area. This would include identification of the endangered ecological communities and threatened species found in the LGA. The map prepared by Council's environmental officers and included as map 2.3 in chapter 2 provides this information and should be used as a starting point.

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Map 4.1 has provided a clear identification of areas of international and national conservation significance and it is considered that these areas should not be subject to any clearing which is most likely as they are public land. The land identified as state and regionally significant should maintain a ‘no net loss’ or be improved and extended. If clearing is to take place, there should be appropriate offsets and tradeoffs to ensure that the regional significance of the vegetation is not compromised.

One of the challenges to managing biodiversity is that most of the rural land is in private ownership. If it were in public ownership it could be declared a National Park or Nature Reserve or the like and it would be much easier to manage the biodiversity resource. However, because it is in multiple ownerships and each owner has differing ideals and objectives for their land, it means that there is a need to provide a more coordinated approach to managing the resource.

There also needs to be an identification of the role of Local Government as the State and Federal Governments also play a role. It would be more appropriate for the Council to focus its limited resources on education of the community about the significance of the biodiversity of the area and the values that it has. The Council can participate in the identification of regional vegetation analyses but as the biodiversity crosses the boundaries, it is considered more appropriate for this to be the role of the Catchment Management Authority – especially as it is the CMAs that are to be managing the native vegetation of the area under the auspices of the Native Vegetation Act. The Council's powers for regulation of biodiversity therefore are limited and it is not considered that it should play a major role in this as it is controlled by another authority under a different act of parliament.

A regional biodiversity strategy is needed and this could be done using the information prepared for the Draft Manning Regional Vegetation Plan. This could be done by the CMA as part of the Catchment Action Plan which is to be prepared over the coming months. This will be an aid to the strategic planning as it will enable the Council and the community to be informed about the areas of significant biodiversity so that it can be avoided in the rezoning process when considering whether to zone land for residential.

Council has an Environmental Protection – Scenic zone which covers the escarpment areas along the northern boundaries of the LGA. This zone is limited in its application to the landscape at present. Consideration could be given to extending it to cover coastal areas such as beaches and foreshore areas as well as headlands. However, much of this land is already protected by an environmental protection zoning for habitat as well as coastal land acquisition. It is considered therefore that the coastal areas are sufficiently protected and that an objective could be included in the habitat zone to acknowledge the role of the land as a landscape resource. Consideration could also be given to replacing the zones with one environmental protection zone that provides for habitat as well as scenic objectives. Most of the scenic areas of the LGA are also significant habitat and it would make sense to consolidate the zones into one.

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The retention of roadside vegetation is an issue which may require future negotiations with service providers. Other controls which may be considered for retaining the rural character include:

Zoning of the land for landscape preservation, Planting controls for screening undesirable elements and incorporating buffers to significant environmental communities, Building controls for siting and advertising, Planning controls for lot sizes, the design and siting of residential dwellings and ancillary buildings, in relation to the visual amenity of road corridors.

4.2.2. Organisational Sustainability

The Issue

There is a requirement in the Local Government Charter for Councils to have regard to the Principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development in all of its decision making. It is also part of the Council's Environmental Management Policy (outlined in chapter 1).

Some Councils in NSW have adopted a sustainability approach to the way that they operate. One such Council is Penrith City in Western Sydney. The Council have established the ‘Sustainable Penrith’ program which is Penrith City Council's platform for a sustainable future for the City. The program aims to integrate sustainability principles into all Council operations and encourage sustainable practices among the City's communities. The Sustainable Penrith program links to Council's four-year strategic plan and annual Management Plans. It addresses corporate sustainability within Council's own operations, efficient management of natural resources, such as water and energy, planning and development, economic development, biodiversity protection, community development and education. Such a program would be worth considering for Greater Taree to address the impacts of humans on the environment.

Council's Current Response

The Council has included the following points in its Environmental Management Policy:

All operational activities undertaken by Council will have regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development - these being the need to act quickly to avoid environmental harm, conserving the health, diversity and productivity of the environment for future generations; conserving biodiversity and attaching an appropriate value on the environment.

The principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development will be included in Council’s Management Plan

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Options and Direction

There is the opportunity for the Council to embrace a sustainable city concept similar to the Penrith model. This would have the benefit of providing leadership to the community in the attainment of sustainability objectives.

The Environmental Management Plan can also be linked to the Management Plan to ensure that the council’s strategic direction reflects sustainability principles.

4.2.3. Ecological Footprint

The Issue

There is a need to recognise the concept of ‘ecological footprints’ when discussing the conservation issues in Greater Taree. It is defined by the Living Planet Report 2004, which was prepared by the World Wildlife Fund, The United Nations Environment Program and the Global Footprint Network as follows:

The Ecological Footprint measures people’s natural resource consumption. The footprint can be compared with nature’s ability to renew these resources. A country’s footprint is the total area required to produce the food and fibre that it consumes, absorb the waste from its energy consumption, and provide space for its infrastructure. People consume resources and ecological services from all over the world, so their footprint is the sum of these areas, wherever they are on the planet. (WWF, et al, p 10)

The report states that Australia’s ecological footprint is the 4th largest in the world being approximately 7.5 global hectares per person. It should be noted that the world ecological footprint is 2.2 global hectares per person.

The NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, in the NSW State of the Environment Report 2003 have calculated the footprint for the Greater Metropolitan Region of Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong, in 1993 – 94 and 1998 – 99 which is reproduced in table 4.1.

Table 4.1: Ecological Footprints

1993 - 94 1998 -99 Change Greater Metropolitan Area 6.36 7.40 Up 16% NSW 6.10 7.02 Up 15% Source: NSW DEC (2003)

It can be seen that the ecological footprint for the Greater Metropolitan area is greater than that for NSW as a whole, which is to be expected as there is more population in the metropolitan area. The report states that the residents of the Greater Metropolitan area are estimated to generate a footprint that is 5% larger than those living in rural areas. (NSW DEC, 2003).

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Council's Current Response

Currently the Council has not measured its ecological footprint. It should be noted that not many Councils in fact have measured it.

Options and Direction

The measurement of the ecological footprint for the Greater Taree LGA would allow the Council to assess the ecological footprint of the LGA and to assess how it rates compared to other areas that have done the measurement. This could be considered as part of the Council's Environmental Management Plan. It will also aid in the implementation of the sustainable city concept outlined above.

4.2.4. Landscape Preservation

The Issue

The natural and modified landscapes of the local government area are important resources that need recognition and protection. The natural landscapes include the large expanses of native vegetation, waterways and escarpments. The modified landscapes include the agricultural and urban areas that have been cleared of native vegetation or have native vegetation scattered throughout the modified landscape.

The predominant character of Greater Taree is created by the numerous rural activities, large and small settlements, topography, vegetation and expansive views. The landscape provides constant variety in landform and landuse from north to south and east to west. Changes to landuse generally arise from topography, which is evident through the high proportion of rural activities contained to valley floors and plateaus while the majority of bushland is located on steep and rugged hillsides. The unique landscape character is a visual resource as it generates tourism, development and environmental management. The visual resource also plays an important role in promoting environmental awareness and well being for residents and visitors. The expanse of the native vegetation on the escarpment provides a dramatic backdrop to the coastal areas and the floodplain of the Manning River. Photo 4.2 shows the landscape quality of the upper reaches of the Manning river and photo 4.3 shows the coastal landscape in the Hallidays Point area.

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Photo 4.2: Manning River Upper Catchment Date of Photo: August 2004

Photo 4.3: Hallidays Point Landscape Date of Photo: September 2004

Any development will have an impact on the landscape and this can be positive and negative. The discussion about the natural environment in Chapter 2 highlighted the importance of the need preserve the biodiversity and catchments within the area and ensure that the impacts of development are minimised as much as possible. There is a need to manage environmental degradation that occurs as a result of development and this occurs particularly on the interface between the urban areas and the surrounding bushland areas. Clearing of land is of particular concern as it disturbs important habitats for biodiversity. It also has an impact on the landscape character of the area. It is important to recognise the visual amenity of open paddocks, post and rail fencing, distant views, heritage items and rural activities.

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Roadside vegetation also adds to the landscape character of an area and can also be a significant biodiversity resource and habitat linkage.

One other issue that impacts on the landscape quality of the area is the impact of ‘service corridors’, particularly ones for electricity lines that dissect areas of native vegetation. This is an issue that the Council does not have much influence over as these are controlled by government authorities who have the powers under their own acts. However, if any new corridors are to be planned, then there is the possibility that they could be located in less sensitive areas.

Council's Current Response

The Council currently has planning provisions and objectives in its Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plans to ensure that the landscape quality of the area is conserved.

Options and Direction

There is an opportunity for the Council to prepare a set of guidelines to ensure that the landscape character of the area is conserved. These guidelines can be incorporated in a Development Control Plan and can include the following:

Planting controls for screening undesirable elements and incorporating buffers to significant environmental communities, Building controls for siting and advertising, Planning controls for lot sizes, the design and siting of residential dwellings and ancillary buildings, in relation to the visual amenity of road corridors. Encourage the retention of roadside vegetation Recognise the visual amenity of open paddocks, post and rail fencing, distant views, heritage items and rural activities.

4.3 Natural Hazards

There are a number of natural hazards that need to be considered to ensure the sustainability of development within Greater Taree. These include bushfire, flooding, acid sulfate soils, coastal and river bank erosion and siltation as well as highly eroded soils.

4.3.1. Bushfire

The Issue

The abundance of native vegetation and the topography of the LGA make it prone to bushfire and they are more of an issue in the more heavily vegetated parts of the LGA than on the floodplain. Map 4.1 shows the bushfire prone areas of the LGA. It can be seen that a significant amount of the LGA is bushfire prone.

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Map 4.1: Bushfire Prone Land

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The protection of the identified community assets is a key issue as is the preservation of biodiversity. Managing the bushfire risk is noted as the key factor in dealing with the bushfire hazard. One of the management options is risk avoidance and therefore, land that is prone to bushfires should not be rezoned and subdivided where an adequate fire protection zone cannot be established. Bushfire Risk Management includes the identification of the level of risk posed by bushfires to the assets and establishing strategies to protect those assets from the adverse effects of the fires. The purpose of bushfire risk management is to protect the community and its values from the adverse effects of wildfire. One key element of bushfire management is to achieve better integration of community preparedness and prevention strategies. The NSW Rural Fire Service and the former Planning NSW have released a set of guidelines titled Planning for Bushfire Protection 2001. Changes have been made to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act that required the preparation of a bushfire prone land map and introduced provisions relating to the lodgement of development applications for houses and buildings in bushfire prone areas. It is a requirement for all new dwellings houses and other uses as well as subdivisions to adhere to the provisions of the document. In certain circumstances, there is also the requirement for concurrence of the Rural Fire Service. There was also a new requirement introduced (Section 117 Direction G20 Planning for Bushfire Protection) that states that all rezonings of land (preparation of LEPs) must adhere to Planning for Bushfire Protection 2001. This basically means that rezonings for urban or rural residential development should not occur on bushfire prone land.

Photo 4.4 shows a house that was burnt in the 2003 bushfires in the Sydney Region. It points out the need for an adequate buffers between housing and bushland.

Photo 4.4: The impact of Bushfires in Glenorie Date of Photo: February 2003

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Council’s Current Response

The Council currently liaises with the Rural Fire Service with all rezoning matters as is required by the legislation. It also participates on the Bushfire Management Committee and is part of the Emergency Services Disaster Management and Response Plan

Options and Direction

It is noted that the legislative requirements for building in bushfire prone land are strict and that all development must adhere to the provisions of the Planning for Bushfire Protection 2001 document. However, there is an opportunity for the Council to adopt a policy that all rezoning should adhere to the principles of the document. The Council can also help with providing information to the public on the issues of bushfires and their impacts.

4.3.2. Flooding

The Issue

Flooding occurs throughout the Manning River valley. It is more pronounced on the lower stretches of the river east of Wingham, where there is a very pronounced floodplain. There is not any accurate mapping of the full extent of the floodplain, however, the Council have a map that shows the individual parcels that are flood affected. This information is shown on Map 4.7 and it can be seen that there is an extensive area flood affected.

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Map 4.2: Extent of the Manning River Floodplain

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Council estimates that 10% of the land mass of the entire LGA is flood affected. Flooding occurs in parts of the urban areas of Wingham and in the Taree CBD and surrounding areas. This is a considerable constraint for further development of these areas.

The New South Wales Government have recently published (April 2005) an updated floodplain management manual titled Floodplain Development Manual: the Management of Flood Liable Land. The primary objective of the Government’s Flood Prone Land Policy is to reduce the impact of flooding and flood liability on flood prone land and the buildings located on that land. It also seeks to reduce the private and public losses that are a result of flooding. The policy promotes the use of a merit approach to development which aims to balance social, economic, environmental and flood risk parameters to determine whether development or use of the floodplain is sustainable. The Policy also states that the primary responsibility for floodplain risk management rests with Councils. The manual outlines a procedure that Councils must follow to prepare a Floodplain Risk Management Plan and introduce appropriate controls within planning instruments. The resulting Floodplain Risk Management Plans are to address existing, future and continuing flood risk for flood prone land. It also requires an assessment of the probable maximum flood and the decision to address it recognises that these rare events should not preclude or unnecessarily hamper development within these areas.

It is not only the flooding of the Manning River that can cause damage to properties. Localised flooding that occurs in small storm events also needs to be considered, particularly for houses which may have their only access over a watercourse which can become flooded and impede access to the house.

Council’s Current Response

The Council has prepared a Floodplain Management Plan and is currently working on a map that shows the extent and depth of the floodplain.

Options and Direction

Flood prone land is a significant constraint to future expansion of settlements and therefore plays a major role in the strategies for the future. Dwellings should not be constructed on flood prone land because of the potential for the loss of the house but more importantly, the potential to cause injury to the people who will be called in to rescue people and animals that may be trapped by flood waters or to save houses and other assets.

The recommendations of the Manning River Floodplain Management Plan should be implemented.

The Council can also incorporate provisions in its DCP to require the assessment of localised flooding and its impact on access for dwellings that have their main access over a watercourse.

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The Council can also provide information to the community on flooding and its impacts.

4.3.3. Acid Sulfate Soils

The Issue

Acid sulfate soils are naturally occurring sediments that were deposited under estuarine or marine conditions during and after the last sea level rise. These sediments were rich in organic matter and iron oxides, which reacted with sulfate in the saline or estuarine water to create iron sulphides within the sediments. It is the oxidation of these sulphides which causes the formation of sulphuric acid within the sediments, known as acid sulfate soils.

Acid sulfate soils occur in the coastal and river bank areas. Map 4.8 shows the extent of the potential acid sulphate soils in the LGA. Certain activities may expose potential acid sulfate soil material to oxidisation. Excavation of soil material or lowering of groundwater may expose acid sulfate soil material to the air, resulting in the oxidation of the material and the generation of acid. Creation of actual acid sulfate soil is irreversible. Mitigative measures to reduce the impact of acid generated are expensive, difficult to apply effectively and must be maintained in the long term – possibly centuries. Acid generated affects the soil in the immediate vicinity, rendering it unsuitable for plant growth and may reach waterways with damaging effects on their ecology, the most visible symptoms of which may be oddly coloured water and fish kills. It is important to ensure that acid sulfate soils are not disturbed. However, with appropriate management, this can be controlled and its impact reduced.

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Map 4.3: Extent of Acid Sulfate Soils

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Council's Current Response

The Council has set up the Manning Acid Sulfate Soils Taskforce which has investigated the issue.

An Acid Sulfate Soils Remediation Action Plan has been prepared by Council for the Lower Lansdowne – Moto – Ghinni Ghinni Creek acid sulfate soils “Hot Spot” area. This plan incorporates approximately 3,880 ha of acid sulfate soils, 1,660 ha of which is recognised as a significant acid sulfate soils ‘Hot Spot’.

The Council has also prepared a draft LEP and draft DCP and Maintenance Guidelines to address this issue.

Options and Direction

The Council is currently doing the work to address this issue and needs to finalise the Draft LEP and DCP to deal with this. It would be appropriate for the matter to be addressed in the forthcoming LEP and DCP which are to be prepared as part of this project.

One aspect that can be addressed is for the Council to adopt a policy of requiring development to avoid these areas of potential acid sulfate soils wherever possible and that if development is proposed in these areas, mitigative measures should be implemented as part of the development.

4.3.4. Riverbank Erosion

The Issue

River bank erosion is a major issue within the Manning River estuary. It is more of a problem in the lower reaches where the floodplain is very flat. The Manning River Estuary Processes Study prepared in 1997, notes that the erosion was widespread throughout the lower and middle estuary. It also notes that there are no longer any areas of particularly severe erosion that could threaten infrastructure or cause a major loss of productive agricultural land.

4.3.5. Highly Erodable Soils

The Issue

Soil erosion is a problem that is exacerbated in certain terrain types. It is particularly an issue on steep land as well as riverbanks as outlined above. Map 4.9 shows the steep land as well as the rivers where there is erosion problems. This steep land is classified as ‘protected lands’ and is that land with slope of greater than 18 degrees or 30%.

It can be seen that there is a significant amount of the LGA that is affected. There is a need to ensure that this is taken into consideration with any development in thesis areas.

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Options and Direction

Consideration should be given to ensuring that future development should avoid these areas This does not mean that no development should take place in these areas, only that mitigative measures should be taken to ensure that the impact of development should be avoided.

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Map 4.4: Steep Land and Highly Erodable Soils

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4.4 Manning River and Water Catchments

The Issue

The Manning River plays a significant role in the livelihood of the Greater Taree Local Government Area. The river provides social, economic and environmental benefits. There are a number of settlements which are located on the river and these range in size from small inland areas like Mount George and Croki to medium-sized towns such as Wingham, Harrington and Old Bar to the large regional centre of Taree. The topography of the river changes from the steep sided Valley in the west to the open floodplain in the east. There are also a number of tributary streams which feed the Manning River. The river is navigable by boats to Wingham and there are 2 entrances to the ocean, one at Old Bar and the other at Harrington. The Harrington outlet is permanently open however the outlet at Old Bar periodically closes and is currently closed.

The river provides recreation for the local communities it passes as well as being a major tourist drawcard. It also provides economic benefits as a resource for the irrigation of pasture as well as a resource for aquaculture. The river is also the source of the MidCoast Water drinking water supply with the intake upstream of Wingham.

The Manning and Wallis catchments have varying degrees of settlement which includes towns and villages as well as rural subdivision. This is an indicator of the amount of stress that the catchment is being placed under. The Manning River catchment is the most settled and the most heavily fragmented. It contains most of the towns and villages as well as the regional city of Taree.

Catchment Management, from a planning perspective, is about ensuring that all impacts of land use decision making on the catchments are considered. This includes impacts downstream and upstream. These issues include soil erosion, water quality and loss of riparian vegetation.

The issue of preserving the natural flows of rivers is one that is impacted upon by a number of issues, including the number of rural dams which have the effect of holding back and trapping a large amount of water, especially during and after a long period of dry weather.

The protection and preservation of riparian land and its management is a major issue that has to be considered. Riparian vegetation an important part of the catchment as it provides a filter for the waterway by trapping sediments and nutrients that may have otherwise entered the water system. It also provides for bank stability as well as a habitat for wildlife.

There are many things that can cause the waterways to become stressed. Some are as follows:

Nutrient from rural residential, waste disposal and intensive agriculture; Dams and water diversions;

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Extraction from rivers and streams – both licensed and unlicensed; Turbidity caused by soil erosion; Filling of land; Inappropriate development controls on existing uses. Loss of indigenous riparian vegetation.

The Blueprint lists 5 first order objectives for the catchment which are:

Water bodies are managed to balance natural ecosystem requirements with community needs. The physical structure and vegetation of river, lake, estuary and wetland riparian zones are protected (and rehabilitated where required) to sustain healthy ecosystems. Viable native plant and animal populations and communities are maintained and enhanced. Primary production, human settlement and other land use takes place while protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage, soil, water and ecosystem health. The coastal zone environment is protected whilst providing for the social and economic needs of the community.

There is a need to ensure that the catchment blueprint and the actions outlined in it are adopted by the Council when it considers future development.

Council's Current Response

Council's Twenty Twenty Vision Strategic Plan lists the Manning River as one of its main themes. The objectives and strategies for the River are as follows:

OBJECTIVE To effectively manage the Manning River system and identify and develop opportunities for enhanced commercial and recreational usage in balance with environmental considerations and protection of this key natural asset.

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STRATEGIES Prepare and implement plans for land and water based activities and waterfront facilities. Balance existing and potential usage in terms of competing interests. Advocate for the improvement of navigable access from the Manning River to the ocean. Manage and facilitate outcomes associated with flow, riverbank stability, the environment, water quality and supply strategies. Develop tourism potential as well as passive and active recreation interests. Protect existing boat building, oyster and farming industries while extending commercial potential. Pursue funding opportunities associated with management and development of the River. Monitor and address riverfront amenity and security issues. Promote the provision of boating access and related facilities. Maintain effective liaison with other agencies having a role in regard to the Manning River. Encourage high quality residential opportunities particularly in proximity to the CBD. Encourage the provision of tourism, recreation and commercial facilities in proximity to population centres. Address floodplain and estuary issues.

It can be seen therefore that the Council has a number of strategies to deal with the river.

The Council has been involved with Hastings Council and MidCoast water in preparing a framework for integrated water cycle management. The project is aimed at facilitating the organisational integration of water management responsibilities. It considers changes to the current practices The following principles are included in the project:

Value the whole water cycle as a resource. Achieve triple bottom line requirements by using ‘whole of system benefits’. Implement best practice for Integrated Water Cycle Management. Promote and support a culture of innovation. Promote enhanced efficiency outcomes through improved organisational processes and procedures. Align with community values. Respond to a regional and state natural resources planning context.

Ensuring that new development considers water sensitive urban design principles is also an appropriate strategy. This is a component of the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) which has been recently introduced into the rural parts of NSW as a mandatory requirement for all development applications for dwelling houses, dual occupancies and multi unit housing.

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Council can prepare guidelines to ensure that water sensitive urban design measures are included in the development of the new subdivisions (on-site water detention, more permeable surfaces and innovative water quality devices such as wetlands).

Options and Direction

It is considered that the river is underutilised and there are opportunities for using it more than at present which will be discussed below. It is noted that these are addressed in Council's Twenty Twenty Vision Strategic Plan.

There are number of issues that require addressing and they as follows:

fishing and aquaculture connection to the ocean opportunities for boating, marinas and access to the river river based tourism the Taree CBD

The fishing and aquaculture industry have been a strong contributor to the local economy for many years with the current sales in the order of $6 million per year. There is one Co-op based at Taree servicing the River based fishermen and one at Crowdy Head which has sea fishing operators. There are also oyster leases and aquaculture industry. A recent government decision to restrict commercial fishing in a large part of the Manning River will have an impact on the ability to fish with a number of operators expected to close. The Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy has suggested that a centralised fish market be established in Taree that would serve the local restaurants as well as the residents. This facility could be built on the waterfront area in Taree. The construction of a centralised fish market that would combine the river based and ocean fisheries and would create tourism and local economic benefits. This could be constructed on the riverfront at Taree which would enable the most access to the facility by the local population and could also act as one anchor for a restaurant / fresh seafood area.

The connection to the ocean at Harrington has one breakwater and a second breakwater could be constructed which would help improve the accessibility in this area. The entrance is not always navigable due to siltation. The entrance at Old Bar is periodically open and is currently closed. It opens naturally after flooding but often this is short lived because of the natural coastal and river processes that act to close it. There are advantages and disadvantages of making this entrance permanently open. It would certainly improve the tourist and fishing industry in the town of Old Bar however the closure is a natural occurrence and interfering with this natural cycle could have implications for other parts of the river and its estuarine environment. Artificial opening of the entrance is also a costly process and it may not stay open for long because of the natural coastal and river processes that act to close the entrance.

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It is current Council policy not to open the entrance artificially. There are implications for the health of the river and if it is considered that it should be investigated, appropriate study and analyses would need to be undertaken. However it is recommended that Council allow the natural processes to continue and not artificially open the Manning River at Old Bar.

There are opportunities for utilising the river for boating, boating facilities and public access to the river. The river is currently used by recreational boats but there is no use of the river for transportation. Currently there are only moorings at Manning Point and Harrington. There is a small marina at Harrington Waters for use by the residents of that estate. There is a wharf and boat launching ramp at Taree but there is no facility for larger (non trailorable) boats to be moored.

The provision of new and enhanced boating facilities and public access would promote tourism in the area and utilise the river in a more purposeful manner. The style of boating facilities envisaged would be small scale wharfing facility with the ability for people to tie up boats and access the town. They would also provide opportunities for people to have more access to the river than is provided at present. An example of such a facility can be found in Forster and this is shown in photo 4.5. The provision of more boating facilities would enable more people to use the river and improve the active and passive recreation resources available to local people and tourists. There is a need for more discussion on this point which needs to include the scale of the facilities and their location. At present, it is suggested that boating facilities could be considered at Taree, Harrington, Manning Point and Old Bar. Investigations should be undertaken to find an appropriate site for these additional boating facilities. Issues that would have to be considered are impact on the river landscape, traffic generation and parking, pollution impact on the river and impact on the surrounding riverbank. One site that could be considered in Taree is the former pool to the west of Martins Bridge.

PHOTO TO BE PROVIDED

Photo 4.5: Boating Facilities at Forster Date of Photo: April 2005

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River based tourism occurs from Harrington and Manning Point but is not a major tourist attraction. The river is navigable from Wingham to Harrington and Old Bar as well as to Coopernook via the Dawson River. This should be promoted more – both for existing boat owners as well as for river cruises. If there was a boating facility at Taree, it would make it a more attractive option as the tourists would not have to go to Harrington or Old Bar to access river cruises.

The Taree central business district has access to the river and there is a riverfront park with playing and seating areas as well as a walkway. The majority of the businesses, however, do not take advantage of the river and do not have entrances from the river front park into their businesses. Nor do they 'face' the river. This can be seen from photos and 4.6 and 4.7.

There is an opportunity for these properties to have direct access to the riverfront reserve and to use this for outdoor dining. The fact that the land is flood prone needs to be considered but should not be a deterrent to this. There are a number of existing land uses, including a hotel with eating areas facing the riverfront that could be encouraged to allow access to the riverfront for patrons and visitors to the buildings instead of barring entry by fencing. The Council could share the cost of altering the buildings and landscaping of the riverfront to make them more accessible. It is noted that a masterplan has been prepared for the riverfront and this needs to be further discussed and implemented.

Photo 4.6: Manning Riverfront at Taree Date of Photo: August 2004

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Photo 4.7: Manning Riverfront at Taree Date of Photo: September 2004

4.5 Community Services and Quality of Life

The delivery of community facilities and services is an important component in the sustainability of a settlement. These services include Government as well as privately run community services and facilities. As outlined in Greater Taree Community Plan 2005 – 2009, August 2004 the following three tiered level of service provision for public community facility and service infrastructure has been adopted by Council. These service levels relate to the population size of each settlement and their catchment areas:

Level 1 – City Services for all residents of the city at the regional level Level 2 – District Services for all residents of the Community Planning Areas of Wingham, Harrington, Hallidays Point and Old Bar Level 3 – Local Services for all residents of a neighbourhood or village

The Greater Taree Community Plan 2005 – 2009 also identifies a number of key areas that require addressing which are detailed below.

4.5.1. Aged Care Facilities and Services

The Issue

Projections undertaken for the Local Government and Shires Association (Jackson, 2004) indicate that the proportion of people aged 65 years and over in Greater Taree is expected to increase by more than 60% by 2022. With this extent of growth, it is evident that there will be a strong need for aged care facilities and retirement villages in the LGA. However, Council must ensure that the proposed developments respect and appropriately protect the important landscape and environmental qualities of the area. It also must consider that there is likely to be interest in locations that are zoned for rural uses but are adjacent to Residential zones many of which may be unsewered and as such may impact on the environmental quality of the area.

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Existing services are considered to be over extended and under resourced and a coordinated approach is needed to address the needs of older people. Significant issues identified for older people in the LGA are low income levels; inappropriate housing; limited health / medical / support services; poor transport access including limited provision of local footpaths and limited provision of lifelong learning and leisure services.

In February 2004, DOP released the Review of Housing Strategy for Older People and People with a Disability including changes to SEPP 5. This review will inform the development of the proposed Seniors Living SEPP. In regard to the location of SEPP 5 developments in urban edge locations, the review considers that these locations provide economies of scale for major retirement villages which would be more uneconomic in urban locations. The review highlights that by 2021 one in three people in NSW are expected to be aged 55 years and over and given the future high demand for appropriate housing for older people, this provision needs to be continued. It recommends however, that development in these locations should only allow for serviced retirement villages which respect local landscape values. It considers that:

Development provide a community bus and other support services Minimum number of 70 dwellings is required to support service levels Development is required to improve landscape impacts Clarification of accessibility and adaptability standards is required with potential for all dwellings to meet accessibility standard AS1428.

Importantly, the provision of other types of housing appropriate for older people and people with a disability is also recommended such as villas and homes on small lots. Importantly, this type of independent living for older people and people with a disability needs to be:

Adaptable - many NSW Councils have Adaptable Housing DCPs in place which allow for “ageing in place” and meet the Building Code of Australia and AS 4299 Adaptable Housing. These codes have been developed to ensure that new homes are built which immediately makes them visitable by people with a disability/limited mobility and less expensive to modify for accessibility when the need arises. Close to public transport, shopping and medical services Direct access to flat pedestrian/cycle facilities

The review also considers that Councils should be allowed to seek exemption from the proposed Seniors Living SEPP due to the landscape character of the area but that it must demonstrate that it is providing a range of appropriate housing choices for older people and people with a disability.

Council's Current Response

Council has prepared a Community Plan which provides a direction for the next 4 years to 2009. This plan addresses the issues associated with the provision of aged care and retirement villages.

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Options and Direction

The provision of aged care facilities and services will be an ongoing issue for the future of the LGA as the population ages. The type of housing that is needed for older people includes town houses and villas (medium density housing) as well as purpose built retirement villages. These should be located in towns that have sufficient size as well as transport access to Taree where most of the medical facilities are (Hospitals) There is also a need to improve the health care system as it relates to the provision of geriatric medicine.

It would, therefore be appropriate for the Council to develop a specific strategy which is aimed at identifying areas that would be suitable for the construction of senior’s housing – medium density as well as purpose built retirement villages. This strategy would also encourage the provision of medium density housing with good access to the medical facilities in Taree.

4.5.2. Accommodation

The Issue

Like many rural areas, Greater Taree has a low proportion of units/semi detached dwellings and rental housing. The NSW Department of Housing manages some 800 properties in the LGA but waiting lists remain high, exceeding three years. Community housing manages an additional 83 properties and also has a waiting list. The LGA also has a significant number of residents living permanently in caravan parks with 505 long terms sites located in Taree, Nabiac, Harrington, Hallidays Point and Manning Point. Ten retirement and aged care facilities are located in the LGA. Appropriate, affordable housing for both rental and home purchase has been identified as a key social issue together with the need for supported accommodation for older people/people with a disability and crisis accommodation for men.

Council's Current Response

Council has prepared a Community Plan which provides a direction for the next 4 years to 2009. This plan addresses the issues associated with the provision of accommodation.

Options and Direction

There are a number of caravan parks that currently are zoned as rural but that adjoin urban areas and if these are to be rezoned for residential development, it is more than likely that the caravan parks will not survive. The Council should, therefore, institute a policy of not rezoning existing caravan parks to residential because they provide a form of low cost housing that is in short supply in the LGA.

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4.5.3. Medical, Learning and Support Services

The Issue

This is a major issue for the growing retirement centres of Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point where there are limited facilities and services available. Very often, appropriate land for these services has not been identified as part of the land development process.

Council's Current Response

Council has prepared a Community Plan which includes an action to encourage health services to locate in multi-purpose centres. However, it does not make any link to the actual areas where these are needed nor to how they can be funded.

Options and Direction

Council should be proactive in supporting the establishment of both public and private medical, learning and support services in these communities potentially through the identification of land, zoning incentives and/or provision of suitable space for lease.

4.5.4. Unemployment

The Issue

At the 2001 Census, Greater Taree had an unemployment rate of 12.2% which was lower than in 1996 (14.3%) but higher than the NSW average of 7.2%. Currently the unemployment rate is 7.1% (as at September 2004 and obtained from the small area labour market reports prepared by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations available at www.workplace.gov.au). This again is higher than for NSW which was 5.5% for the same period. Primarily males aged 20-24 years old appear to be the most significantly disadvantaged group. With a significant level of unemployment coupled together with a growing retiree population, it is evident that the provision of additional employment opportunities is essential. The labour force should continue to expand to better service the increasing aged population as well as the working population.

Council's Current Response

The Council's Economic Development Strategy and the Economic Planning Group’s Business Plan as well as the Twenty Twenty Vision Strategic Plan all have objectives to provide more employment in the LGA.

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Options and Direction

A strategy to encourage more employment in the key areas of retail, manufacturing and health and community services will help to reduce the unemployment rate in the LGA. This will encourage more young families to the area which will also help to reduce the unemployment rate.

4.5.5. Education Facilities

The Issue

Greater Taree has a higher proportion (62.9%) of residents leaving school at a younger age than NSW and a lower proportion of residents (6%) with graduate qualifications than the NSW average (13%). Educational opportunities are provided through the North Coast Institute of TAFE which has a campus at Taree while most of the young people leave the area to attend university.

Council's Current Response

Council's Community Plan makes a recommendation to investigate the further utilisation of the University of New England facility Taree.

Options and Direction

The opportunity exists for the Council to lobby for the provision of an outreach campus of an existing university to locate in Taree. This would enable some students to have greater access to student services such as assignment drop off or library / computer access, as well as the ability to attend lectures via video links. This would not need to be a large facility but one which would have a high level of technology to enable students to study whilst staying in Taree and work part time.

Links to educational opportunities need to be further developed and consideration of distance education with outreach support services and improved technological access to education services and support.

4.5.6. Transport

The Issue

The scattered settlement pattern in Greater Taree has resulted in poor provision of transport services for the majority of the population. This is not a unique phenomenon as most people living in rural parts of NSW are transport disadvantaged. However, it is important to consider future development strategies which will improve the current situation.

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The northern railway line runs through the LGA but the services are very limited for passenger travel. This is because of the use of the Brisbane to Sydney, Grafton to Sydney and Casino to Sydney XPT services. A search of the Country Link timetable on the internet (www.countrylink.info) shows that there are trains from Wingham to Taree at 12.25pm, 5.00pm and 9.30pm and trains from Taree to Wingham at 6.23am, 11.07am and 4.30pm. The cost of the ticket is $5.00 each way and it takes 11 minutes. This means that if someone wants to use the train to travel from Wingham to Taree and back in the one day they have to do it in the early afternoon and wait for 4 hours for the return journey. The timetable to get to Newcastle from Taree shows trains leaving Taree at 9.55am arriving in Newcastle at 1.25 pm and leaving Taree at 3.05 pm and arriving in Newcastle at 6.35 pm. The trains run from Newcastle to Taree leaving at 10.00 am arriving at Taree at 1.30pm and leaving Newcastle at 2.30pm and arriving at Taree at 6.00pm. This means that if a person wanted to travel to Newcastle and back in the same day they would only have 1 hour in Newcastle. Therefore, the use of trains for passenger travel into and out of the LGA is limited, especially for same day travel. Reliance therefore has to be made on the bus network.

The bus network within the LGA consists of school buses as well as a limited number of commuter bus trips during the day. These run from Taree to the main towns and some of the smaller centres. However the timetables are limited. There is also a long distance bus services from Taree to Newcastle/Broadmeadow. The timetables do allow for same day return journeys.

Council's Current Response

The provision of transport is a key part of the Community Plan. The Council has set up various groups to deal with this issue. They also operate a community transport service.

Options and Direction

The lack of public transport is a major issue for the future sustainability of the LGA. The only real option is to use buses as the rail timetables do not allow for interurban trips without having long wait or having to stay overnight.

One of the major problems with bus transport in rural communities is that there are often not sufficient paying passengers for the distance travelled to make it viable. Concentrations of population which are easy to service are an important requirement for bus transport. For older people and people with a disability this access to bus transport and quality pedestrian and cycle facilities within each town/village is important. This includes the provision of dropped kerbs, road crossing facilities and bus stop infrastructure (eg shelters, seating, timetable information and lighting) with all facilities to meet access guidelines and be suitable for motorised scooters.

For these reasons, development should be limited to those settlements which have are already served by transport networks and which have good access to Taree. There should also be more use of community transport options.

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There is also the potential to introduce a localised rail service that could use the railway for both inter town transport as well as tourism.

4.5.7. Provision of Community Services and Facilities

The Issue

This is a major issue for the LGA and in particular the growing settlements of Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point where there are limited facilities and services available currently and for the proposed new town of Brimbin (which will be discussed in detail later in this chapter) where new facilities and services need to be provided as part of the development process. The State and Federal governments provide a range of services to Greater Taree and it is essential that all agencies plan ahead to address the needs of the LGA particularly in areas of high growth and population change. Currently, all NSW Government Regional Managers meet to discuss issues of concern and improved coordination within the Mid North Coast. This committee is an appropriate forum through which forward planning for service delivery should be undertaken.

Council's Current Response

The Council currently provides facilities and services to existing communities and levies developer contributions for the provision of facilities for additional facilities that are required by new subdivision.

Facilities may deliver a range of services including Council library and information services; cultural and arts programs/events; community meeting space; services for older people and people with a disability; youth services and services for children and families.

Services are provided by Council and other organisations such as State Government (Department of Community Services) as well as funded by the Federal Government (Home and Community Care). Services are also provided by non government organisations such as St Vincent de Paul and others.

Options and Direction

The provision of facilities for these services is a key component to the successful delivery of the range of services. By providing appropriate multipurpose community facilities, Council will facilitate the establishment of both public and private community services. These services will be able to use / lease space in these facilities and provide local services for the community.

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4.5.8. Public Open Space and Recreation Facilities/Services

The Issue

It is essential that all communities have access to quality open space and recreation facilities and services. As highlighted in section 2.3, natural features and high levels of environmental quality are significant features of the LGA which are readily enjoyed by residents and visitors to the area. To maintain and enhance these qualities, future development must ensure that appropriately located public open space and recreation facilities and services are provided to meet community needs.

The provision of areas for passive recreation.

Council's Current Response

Council currently provides and maintains recreation facilities for the existing residents and also levies development contributions for the provision of additional facilities.

An Open Space and Recreation Facilities plan has been prepared for Hallidays Point, however, there has not been one prepared for the entire LGA.

Options and Direction

An appropriate and effective level of open space and recreation facilities are essential for the development of sustainable communities. An Open Space and Recreation Facilities Plan is a document that outlines the long term recreation facilities and sporting opportunities for an area. There is a need to prepare one for the entire LGA. Greater utilisation of the Manning River has been identified as a key strategy for the LGA and this includes its greater use for public recreation. There is considerable potential for constructing boating facilities to allow for more boating access to the river. This is discussed in more detail in section 4.8.

Also the Taree central business district has the potential to “front” the Manning River and provide improved public access and connection. This could result in an upgrade of the public open space system along the riverfront to provide a wider range of recreational and leisure activities. There is a need to consider the access directly from the riverside walkway to the commercial uses that front it. This concept is not new and there have been plans prepared in the past, what is needed now is the implementation of these plans and an action plan that is costed and that has a construction timeframe. This is also discussed in more detail in section 4.8.

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4.6 Heritage Resources

The Issue

The heritage values of the Greater Taree area are important both from the aboriginal perspective as well as the European settlement of the area.

It is important to recognise that the aboriginal people have occupied the area for a great deal of time and that there are a number of areas significant to the aboriginal culture within the greater Taree Local Government Area.

European settlement in the area occurred in the early to mid 1800s and there are number of significant buildings and areas still remaining. Significant areas for Heritage include Wingham, Taree, Tinonee and Harrington. The maritime history is also significant with Old Bar and Harrington having a rich maritime history. Photo 4.8 shows 2 buildings in the Wingham Heritage area. The early settlers cleared a lot of land for agriculture and this has created the modified landscape which is interspersed with the native vegetation that combines to create a unique landscape that also deserves preservation.

Photo 4.8: Heritage buildings in Wingham Date of Photo: August 2004

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Council's Current Response

The Council and the Local Aboriginal Land Councils of Purfleet-Taree and Forster, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Conservation, have developed the Greater Taree Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Planning Consultation Protocol in an effort to formalise the consultation process to ensure full consideration of Aboriginal heritage values occurs within the Planning and Development frameworks of the Council. The Protocol aims to improve long term protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage within the Greater Taree LGA and achieve a range of outcomes which includes:

Formalising the consultation procedure on planning matters between Greater Taree City Council and the Local Aboriginal Land Councils of Purfleet Taree and Forster, as well as the Department of Environment and Conservation. Greater communication between Aboriginal individuals, communities and Council Heightened awareness within Aboriginal Communities of the planning process. Heightened awareness within Council of the range of Aboriginal Heritage values and interests through training and awareness seminars. Greater understanding of constraints faced by both Aboriginal People and Council and the pressures under which both operate. A strategic approach to identification of potential cultural heritage management issues within the planning context and integrating appropriate new ideas and concepts. Fostering forward planning that can integrate heritage considerations early in the planning process. Introducing standards of heritage assessment which meet with both statutory and community needs. Implementation of a Precautionary Principle whereby if there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent potential degradation.

Council has a list of over 300 heritage items which are currently protected by the provisions of the current LEP. These lists were derived from previous heritage studies of the area.

Council has also prepared a draft Heritage Strategy which has the following objectives

to encourage the retention of heritage places supporting and initiating research and investigations into the City’s history and heritage. provide support, assistance and encouragement to those who own/manage heritage places. Encourage community appreciation of the City’s history and cultural heritage and active participation in its conservation.

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The strategy’s implementation is aided by the establishment of a Strategic Heritage Advisory Committee.

Options and Direction

There is a need for a considerable amount of research to be carried out, particularly into the aboriginal community and settlement of the area.

One of the outcomes of the Heritage Strategy is to provide education of the community about the amount and status of heritage resources of the LGA. This can include publications, seminars, workshops and awards. There is also a need to protect the heritage resources once they have been identified. This will include planning and corporate documents. One key aspect is the listing of heritage items in the LEP. Finally, there is a need to support the heritage resources by establishing a heritage advisory service, local heritage incentives and other planning mechanisms.

4.7 Infrastructure

The Issue

The availability and adequacy of infrastructure, particularly water and sewage, is a key concern for the future sustainability of the settlement pattern within the local government area.

Water and sewerage within the local government area is supplied by MidCoast water. It should be noted here that the supply system also covers the northern parts of Great Lakes Shire. The water supply is pumped from the Manning River to a holding dam (Bootawa Dam) located south of Wingham. The following settlements are served by a reticulated water scheme:

Lansdowne Taree Coopernook Wingham Crowdy Head Diamond Beach Harrington Redhead Manning Point Blackhead Old Bar Tallwoods Wallabi Point Krambach Cundletown

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MidCoast Water have advised that there is sufficient capacity within the existing extraction licences to supply the future projected population of the LGA for the next 20 years. It is also noted that there is capacity beyond this timeframe. To ensure that the supply is managed in a sustainable fashion, MidCoast water have adopted a demand management strategy which encompasses regulation, education and participation with the community to ensure that the water supply is used in the most efficient manner. The use of water sensitive urban design principles for residential development also helps manage the demand on the water supply system.

Sewerage is treated at a number of sewage treatment plants which are connected to the following towns:

Taree Coopernook Hallidays Point Lansdowne Wingham Manning Point Old Bar Tinonee Harrington Cundletown

A number of the smaller settlements rely on onsite water and effluent disposal, which can cause some problems. Onsite effluent disposal can cause pollution of surrounding waterways because of the limited amount of land for disposal of that effluent. Onsite water collection can run out in times of low rainfall.

A Telstra fibre optic cable runs through the LGA, basically following the line of the Pacific Highway. It diverts to the main street of Taree to provide coverage of the major businesses in the LGA. This is a very important piece of telecommunications infrastructure as it allows businesses to have the ability to transfer data in a faster fashion than the existing telephone lines. It will become more significant over time and has the ability to attract businesses that will use this infrastructure. Broadband internet access is something that is more commonly required for businesses, Councils, Government Agencies, health and educational institutions as well as for personal use. It is currently available in the main towns of the LGA – Taree, Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point, however it is limited to an average distance of 3.5 km (line distance) from the exchange, so it is only available to a selected area of the town and not all residents.

Solid waste disposal is covered by a regional waste strategy which encourages reuse and recycling. The Council operates a landfill site on the Bucketts Way west of Purfleet and their main aim is to reduce the amount of waste going to this landfill site.

The provision of community and recreation facilities and services is a key piece of infrastructure for a developing area like Greater Taree. There is a need to ensure that there is sufficient recreation areas as well as community facilities to serve both the existing and future populations.

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Council manages a large number of roads within the Local Government Area, some of which are unsealed and in a poor condition. There is a need to ensure that the road system is utilised to its maximum capacity and that development occurs in areas that have good access and preferably sealed roads. There are a large amount of roads and bridges that need to be continually repaired and upgraded. The current state of a number of bridges is undesirable and there will need to be a considerable amount of money spent on replacing these.

The Main northern railway line traverses the LGA and goes through Mount George, Wingham, Taree, Lansdowne, Moorland and Johns River. The railway line is used for freight as well as passenger trains. This has been discussed in section 4.5.4.

Options and Direction

Infrastructure is required for sustainable settlements and where there is inadequate infrastructure, further development should not occur. However, it is an expensive commodity and should be funded by all levels of Government. The Council should lobby the State and Federal Governments to help in the provision of infrastructure.

The provision of a sustainable supply of water and provision of sewerage reticulation has implications for the future settlement pattern of the LGA. There is a need to ensure that the location of new settlements or the expansion of existing ones has regard to the existing infrastructure of MidCoast Water so that there are not any adverse impacts on the existing reticulation and capacity of both the water and sewerage systems. There is also some potential to have reuse capabilities in any new subdivision or major new urban release.

There are a number of settlements in the LGA that do not have reticulated water or sewerage. The provision of fully reticulated sewerage is a costly undertaking and one that MidCoast Water has stated it does not intend doing. One option is the use of constructed wetlands that can be a low cost and low maintenance option for providing sewerage reticulation to small towns and villages.

Broadband Internet should be available to all residents and there is a need to prepare a strategy to investigate the issues and options to provide this infrastructure. As a starting point, the existing exchanges in the urban areas could be upgraded so that all new subdivisions have access to broadband internet.

The provision of open space and recreation facilities needs to be addressed and this can be done by the carrying out of an Open Space and Recreation Facilities Plan. Such a plan has been prepared for the Hallidays Point area and one should be now prepared for the entire LGA. This and the Social Plan will provide information for the review of the current Development Contributions Plan (Section 94 Plan) which will be needed for the developing areas of the LGA.

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One facet of infrastructure that is absent from the Greater Taree LGA is adequate public transport. There is a need to prepare a transport strategy that will investigate the options for public transport to be provided in the LGA. This strategy should consider bus, train as well as community transport options for the LGA – both internal and external.

4.8 Economic Activity

The Issue

The Economic Profile, prepared by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation, found in general that the LGA has a robust and growing economy which is highly diversified. It is also projected to continue to grow with the following sectors being significant over the next 15 years:

Service sector - Health and Education Construction Industry Manufacturing Tourism Agriculture

This economic activity will be partly driven by the population increases expected as part of the ‘sea change’ phenomenon and partly because of the locational advantages of the area for manufacturing as well as tourism.

There is a need to ensure that appropriate land is available for economic development and growth in the LGA. This includes ensuring that the primary production areas are preserved as well as providing new areas for large-scale industrial development. It is noted that a lot of new manufacturing development has occurred as a result of relocation of the principals of the firm because of lifestyle reasons and that they will bring their firm with them. It is also necessary to utilise the existing infrastructure in a positive manner. The presence of fibre optic cables, a major freeway and a railway line running through the local government area mean that the required infrastructure is in place.

So it can be seen that the economy of the LGA is robust and diverse. There is a need to encourage the retention of the existing businesses whilst also attracting new businesses.

There are 3 components of the economic activity that will be discussed in detail and they are as follows:

Tourism Industrial / Employment Land Home Based Businesses

They will be discussed separately.

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Council's Current Response

The Council's Twenty Twenty Vision Strategic Plan has identified the economy as one of its key themes. The objective and strategies are as follows:

OBJECTIVE To enhance the level of economic activity and job creation throughout the Manning Valley, and to further develop Taree as a regional centre.

STRATEGIES

Work with the community and relevant organisations in monitoring, updating and implementing economic development initiatives. Research and maintain the economic profile of the area. Identify value added opportunities in respect of existing and potential business enterprises. Promote the development and utilisation of Council owned land. Identify opportunities for regional specialisation. Ensure the availability of sufficient land for industrial purposes. Research options to preserve the agricultural base of the area and promote the agricultural advantages. Ensure that planning and decision processes facilitate economic development opportunities. Encourage the establishment of a broad employment base for those seeking local employment with an emphasis on youth. Pursue opportunities for skills development and further education. Pursue funding opportunities linked to investment and the economic growth of Greater Taree. Produce quality promotional material to market the advantages of the area. Encourage quality commercial and industrial development that is compatible with community amenity. Encourage private sector investment. Promote a robust and lively economy focused on local business and employment. Consider the establishment of incentives for sustainable economic activity. Provide community awareness of the benefits of economic development.

The Council's Economic Development Strategy (titled Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy) has identified the following mission for the Council in the economic development area:

To increase local jobs and incomes and to improve local economic assets, working with all stakeholders to position the Manning Valley for sustainable economic development.

Four objectives have been developed which seek to:

attract investment, facilitate development,

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plan and coordinate economic development, and positioning the Manning Valley to service national and international markets.

The key industries that Council is focusing its efforts to attract investment are:

Primary production (farming, forestry and fishing); Food and beverage manufacturing; Machinery and equipment manufacturing (including boat building); Tourism; Retail; Business services; and Education and health services

In order to implement the strategy, the Council has established an Economic Development Planning Group which has produced a business plan. The Group has identified 7 key areas or objectives on which it will focus its energies over the coming 3 years. They are as follows:

Effective promotion and positioning of the Manning Valley; Marketing – identifying and meeting the needs of the customer; Reinforce health services; Encourage niche food production, organics, etc; Improve education and training; Encourage river front development; and Facilitate the appointment of a coordinator to attract major and minor junior sporting events to the region.

All of these key areas have an impact on the conservation and development strategy and vice versa.

4.8.1. Tourism

The Issue

The unique natural features of the Manning Valley which range from the steep land and escarpments in the west to the wide open river landscapes and beaches in the east as well as the variety of national parks, nature reserves and state forests provide a high quality tourism destination.

Tourism is a major industry for Greater Taree and one which has the potential to grow significantly. This will be related to the coast as well as the rural hinterland as it is both of these assets which makes the area so attractive and a drawcard for tourists to visit and stay in the area.

There is, however, a lack of infrastructure for the tourism in the area. There is no facility for higher than 3 star accommodation. Nor is there an adequate resort type of development to host any large conferences. It is noted that there is the Meridian facility at Old Bar, however this is a small scale centre. It is considered

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that the provision of high standard accommodation and the ability to host large conferences is necessary for the tourism industry to lift its contribution to the local economy.

Council's Current Response

The Council has established the Manning Valley Tourism Board, which is Council’s tourism policy setting body. It is made up of two councillors, the Tourism Manager as Executive Officer and six industry / community representatives.

The board have prepared a strategic plan which has the following vision for tourism in the area:

Tourism is seen by the vast majority of residents of the Manning Valley as the most dynamic force of the full economic development for the Valley and a major contributor to the success of all Manning Valley communities and stakeholders.

In order to achieve this vision, it has noted the following key elements in its Strategic Plan:

Gather support for the notion of “visitor focus” within the Manning Valley and a corresponding high standard of customer service in all business and community activities in the Manning Valley Involve the elected officials and permanent officers of the Greater Taree City Council in tourism and its value to the community Pay consistent attention to the internal tourism environment by developing “hubs” of localised “experiences” that might be attractive to inter and intra-locality visitors alike; and Have a consistent, definitive and positive branding image for the Manning Valley

Options and Direction

The built infrastructure to support this tourism is lacking. There are no large scale motels within the region that would cater for the high end of the tourism market. There is a need to develop a four star motel and resort complex in the area. There is also very little use of the Manning river as a tourism resource and the infrastructure to utilise this is needed. There is also a need to establish more motels, restaurants and cafes to cater for the tourists who are coming to the area to stay.

Rural based tourism is also one aspect that can be improved. This can include agricultural based as well as ecotourism. The agricultural tourism can include farmstays and bed and breakfast as well as dairying and other forms of agriculture. There is some scope for ecotourism to be developed in the bushland parts of the LGA which can promote a conservation philosophy and be used as an education al resource for residents and tourists alike.

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It is important to provide facilities for tourists. This includes toilets, picnic and passive recreational areas as well as shopping and accommodation. One key aspect of tourism is to ensure that the tourist has an enjoyable stay and has adequate levels of facilities. These facilities are lacking in some areas. If there adequate facilities within the area, tourists would say longer and spend more money that is contributing to the local economies. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies that will provide for the realisation of the Manning Valley Tourism Board’s strategic plan as well as encouraging the establishment of better tourism accommodation and tourist activities in the area.

Council has a proposal to create a tourism precinct at Diamond Beach which should be reinforced by this strategy.

4.8.2. Taree Regional Commercial Centre

The Issue

The Taree CBD plays an important role as a regional commercial centre. It is also integral in the retail hierarchy of the LGA.

Council’s Current Response

Council currently recognises the role of the commercial centre in its LEP, management plan and the Twenty Twenty Vision document.

Options and Directions

The current amount of land available for retial use is limited and there is a need to investigate the commercial centre to assess its current adequacy in terms of mix of uses, urban design as well as any potential for expansion or rationalisation of the commercial centre.

There is also a need to establish a retial hierarchy which looks at the centres in the LGA as well as the regional context.

4.8.3. Industrial / Employment Land

The Issue

Greater Taree has a strong manufacturing sector and this is predicted to continue. Anecdotal evidence from Council's Economic Development Manager and local real estate agents is that there is a constant amount of inquiry for large sites where large scale industrial uses can relocate to.

The main industrial zone in the LGA is in Taree. The extent of the zone is shown on map 4.5. There are also a number of existing industrial uses scattered throughout the Taree urban area. There has been a considerable interest shown in bulky goods retail uses, however there is insufficient land available for these uses to be built on.

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Map 4.5: Industrial Zoning in Taree

The land use survey has shown that the existing supply of industrial land is low with only 8 vacant lots that can readily be developed. There are a number of lots that are zoned industrial but are covered in dense native vegetation in the Kolodong Road area, which is a constraint to development (this can be seen on Map 4.5). There is a need therefore to establish new areas for employment generating developments that require large sites.

Land is available to the north of Taree that has good access to the Pacific Highway as well as being located alongside the main northern railway line. This area is known as Brimbin and is seen as being suitable for future manufacturing development

There is an existing commercial hierarchy in the LGA which has Taree as the main commercial centre with Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point being on the second level. All other settlements in the LGA are on the third level of the commercial hierarchy. The growth in Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point over the past 5 years and the projected growth of these settlements over the next 15 – 20 years means that there is a need to establish this commercial hierarchy and to limit the types of uses that are permitted to locate in each area.

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Commercial uses in the CBD of Taree are also in demand and there is not a lot of land available. Anecdotal evidence from the local development industry is that there is demand for land to house large retail uses in the Taree CBD but there is a lack of suitably zoned and vacant land.

Increased economic development is required to ensure that the future population of the LGA has adequate employment. Consistent with Council’s Manning Valley Economic Development Strategy this Strategy seeks to provide for the increasing needs of Greater Taree for a match between population growth and employment opportunities.

Council's Current Response

The Council has identified land at South Taree to be rezoned for bulky goods retailing. It has also identified land to the north of Taree

The Council has also considered the issue of future industrial land in the vicinity of Taree – especially for bulky goods retailing. It is in the process of preparing an LEP to rezone land at Taree South.

Options and Direction

Currently however Taree itself is constrained in its ability to provide available land for light and heavy industrial uses.

As part of the Local Environmental Study undertaken for the proposed new town of Brimbin, the demand for industrial and commercial land was investigated.

This land has the potential to provide for identified potential industries which may be attracted to Greater Taree including food and beverage manufacturing; machinery and equipment manufacturing (including boat building) and construction and building industries.

There is a proposal to establish a bulky goods retailing area at Taree South which will allow for this type of use. Therefore, it is recommended that the future industrial uses be as follows:

Light Industry and Bulky Goods to be located at Taree South as this has good accessibility to the population. Heavy Industry to be located at Brimbin as this is a greenfields site with good access to the railway as well as to the Pacific Highway.

Taree should retain its role as the regional commercial centre and this is where all of the higher order shopping facilities should be located. This includes Discount Department Stores and bulky goods retailing. These uses should not be permitted to locate in the second order commercial centres as it is considered that this will diminish the regional role of Taree in the commercial hierarchy. The commercial centres hierarchy should mirror the settlement hierarchy and this will be discussed in more detail in chapter 5. It should be noted that this project did

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not entail any detailed investigation into the commercial areas floor space needs and no detailed analysis of the commercial needs for the future were carried out. Consequently, there is a need for an investigation into the commercial areas of Taree as well as Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays point to establish a commercial hierarchy and set floor space limits on the sustainable size and identify expansion opportunities.

Map 4.6 shows the land that has potential for use as future industrial development.

Map 4.6: Potential Future Industrial Land

4.8.4. Home Based Businesses

Home based businesses are an emerging employment trend in Australia. They provide an important employment opportunity for people living on rural land on within 2 – 3 hours driving distance of the metropolitan area of Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong. Home based businesses can cover a wide variety of uses ranging from trucking businesses to small home based industrial uses to home office based businesses such as consultants. Small start-up businesses require cheap premises, good exposure, efficient access to complementary services and spatial flexibility. (Morris and Kaufman 1996 p 5)

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One of the major issues with home based businesses is that, generally they are not provided for in planning instruments. There is a need to recognise the value of home based businesses to the Greater Taree economy. Baulkham Hills LEP 1991 provides a good definition to allow home based businesses to develop. It is as follows:

home business means a business (excluding health care) carried out, or partly carried out, in a dwelling or within the site area of a dwelling, by the permanent residents of the dwelling, where: (a) the business involves employment of not more than one person, at any one time, in addition to the permanent residents, and (b) the business does not occupy a total floor area of more than 50m 2 , and (c) the business does not: (i) interfere with the amenity of the locality by reason of pollution, or (ii) involve exposure to view from any public place of any unsightly matter, or require the provision of any essential service main of a greater capacity than that available in the locality, or (iv) involve the exhibition of any notice, advertisement or sign (other than a non-illuminated notice or sign, which would fit within a rectangular figure 1.2m in length and 0.6m in height, that is exhibited on that dwelling or land to indicate the names and occupations of the residents of the dwelling), or (v) result in a significant increase in traffic, and (d) the goods made or produced in the building, room or rooms, as a result of the business are not displayed or sold from the property, and (e) there is a maximum of one home business per dwelling.

A form of this definition may be appropriate for Greater Taree. From a business location point of view, some rural areas lend themselves to limited trucking and building type businesses, where there is space to locate a shed and parking area for trucks and equipment. Insufficient development standards and controls in the past however have allowed these businesses to locate in inappropriate areas or have allowed an unacceptable intensity of activity to occur on certain sites. While it is appropriate that a certain level of home based businesses be encouraged to establish in the rural areas, they need to be adequately controlled both by definition and by specific standards that set a threshold to the use, ensure protection of the environment and amenity of the locality, and give certainty to local residents about what level of non-residential activities are permissible and appropriate.

There is a need to investigate the existing home based businesses in the region to explore their needs. It would be appropriate to do this in conjunction with Great Lakes Council. There is an existing network of home based businesses in the Forster – Tuncurry area which could be used to prepare this study.

The challenge therefore to achieve a sustainable future is to provide a range of housing types as well as employment opportunities to encourage a diverse range

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people into the LGA and not just rely on an ageing population. This will be discussed in more detail in chapter 5.

4.9 Growth Management

Managing the growth of the Greater Taree LGA is an important aspect of this Conservation and Development Strategy. The previous sections have outlined the social, environmental and economic issues and options for the future and this section will deal with the growth of settlements and the management of the modified rural landscape.

Growth management is the essence of good planning. It is about ensuring growth that occurs is managed so that it happens in an effective and efficient way as well as maintaining and conserving the resources for future generations. Hence it must be sustainable. However, it is not just about providing for more subdivision and housing. It is about managing the social and economic implications of future growth in a responsible manner while raising the awareness of the need to protect and preserve the environmental values of an area.

Growth management is the mechanism by which the growth of an urban area is controlled. One of the biggest issues to be tackled is the balance between vertical and horizontal growth management. Vertical growth management is loosely called urban consolidation and horizontal the containment of urban sprawl. In an area like Greater Taree there are many constraints to horizontal growth management and in some areas, there is the possibility of increasing the density by encouraging smaller lots and or more medium and high density development. High density development should be encouraged in Taree and this could be located on the periphery of the commercial area.

There is a need to ensure that growth management occurs in a wider strategic context. Therefore, the growth management of Greater Taree has to consider the impact on and of other areas outside the LGA. This includes economic, social and environmental impacts and the links to Port Macquarie to the north, Gloucester to the south west and the settlements in Great Lakes LGA.

4.9.1. Population Growth and Change

The Issue

There is a movement of people out of the metropolitan area into coastal locations as well as inland parts of NSW which have good access to the Greater metropolitan area of Newcastle Sydney Wollongong. The growth in the Greater Taree LGA since 2000 has exemplified this trend, with an average of 560 people moving to the area each year since 2000 and this trend is expected to continue.

The data in chapter 2 has shown that much of this growth has occurred since the last census and so there is no data available showing the age of these new people as well as where they have relocated from. A survey of 10 Real Estate Agents from across the LGA was carried out to provide some anecdotal evidence of the age of the incoming population as well as the places they have relocated from. This survey has found the following about the new residents:

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The age of new residents is a mixture of retirees and young families. There are more young families moving to Taree and Wingham than coastal locations but a significant number of young families are moving to the coastal locations. Most of the new residents are from outside the LGA with Sydney and the Central Coast / Hunter regions being the main source regions. A significant number of new houses are sold to people relocating from within the LGA as well as the northern parts of Great Lakes Shire.

There is a national trend in the movement of Australia’s population. This has been described by Bernard Salt, in his recent book titled The Big Shift, as the third Australian culture – the move to the beach. This has been a trend that has increased in the last 20 years of the 20th century. “The thing that most drives Australians to a particular location is the values that are held by the community. And of course, in the later decades of the 20th century, Australian values changed to embrace a beach lifestyle.” (Salt, 2003, p 5) People are now retiring or moving to towns for lifestyle reasons rather than purely for work. “ … with the advent of telecommuting many will continue to spread out from the city in search of a sea change in places very much like Victoria’s Barwon Heads.” (Salt, 2003 p 27) “As if pushed and pulled around the continent by the land itself, Australians have more recently advanced along the length of the eastern seaboard, creating settlements based on new concepts of leisure, lifestyle and retirement.” (Salt, 2003 p 21) 19% or nearly 1 in 5 Australians now live in a provincial coastal town. This is summed up by Murphy and Burnley who have recently published a book on the issue titled Sea Change – the move from Metropolitan to Arcadian Australia as follows:

"The bald figures suggest a powerful trend. Over the past 35 years in Australia, more than a million people left the five mainland state capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide) and other metropolitan areas for smaller places. During this period, over 450,000 more people left metropolitan Sydney alone than moved to it from other parts of Australia. Two-thirds of these Sydney folk relocated to rural areas and small towns close to the metropolis, or to other inland and especially coastal localities with the balance moving interstate." (Burnley and Murphy 2004, pp2 – 3)

Greater Taree exemplifies this trend, as can be seen from the population increase over the past 5 years in particular.

The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources has recently released a set of population projections for the next 26 years (to 2031) for individual Council areas and on a regional basis to 2051. The report states that “… the population growth in NSW over the next 30 years to 2031 is expected to be largely concentrated in Sydney and coastal areas of the state …” (DOP 2004a p6).

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“The Super-region Coastal NSW … is expected to grow at a faster rate than the rest of NSW. Most of this growth is expected to be in the older age groups as retirees migrate from Sydney and inland NSW. The median age is expected to increase from just over 40 to over 50 years in Coastal NSW between 2001 and 2031.” (DOP 2004b p1).

The report goes on to state that within Coastal NSW, the Mid North Coast region will have the largest population increase. The Mid North Coast also has the biggest gains through internal migration of any region in NSW. The proportion of persons less than 15 years old is to decrease from 21.4% in 2001 to 14.3% in 2031 and the proportion of people over 65 years is to increase from 18% in 2001 to 35% in 2031. The median age is to increase from 41 to 55 over the period. The dependency ratio (the number of ‘dependents’ under 15 and over 65 years per 100 of the population aged 15 to 64) is to increase from 65 to 97.3. Greater Taree is projected by DOP to reflect the regional trend, with its dependency ratio changing from 66 in 2001 to 99 in 2031. Having regard to the population age breakdown and to the future of the economy as outlined in chapter 2, this dramatic increase in the dependency ratio, as it applies to Greater Taree is questioned. It is considered that although the number of older people will increase, there is unlikely to be such a decrease in the number of young people and children. This is further evidenced by the fact that the LGA has a higher proportion than NSW of 5 – 14 year olds, slightly less for 0 – 4 and 15 – 19 and same for 40 – 44 year olds. It will be necessary to see what the trend is at the next census (to be held in 2006), before this can be verified.

Greater Taree’s growth rate, whilst declining from 1991 to 1996, has had a considerable increase since then. DOP has projected that the area will have an average annual growth rate of 0.2% to 2031 and a population increase of 130 people per year from 2001 – 2006 and then 90 per year after 2007. This equates to a projected population of 47,460 people in 2031. The data provided in chapter 2 points to the error in these projected figures. They have been based on growth before 2001 when the LGA was not experiencing high growth. However, as pointed out in chapter 2, Greater Taree has grown by an average of 560 people per year since 2000. The Council has engaged Hirst Consulting Services to undertake a review of population data and future population to the year 2020. It has been estimated that the population will be between 60,407 and 69,530 people – based on the implementation of the Council’s current growth strategies. This figure does not include the proposed new town at Brimbin. It is forecast that this will add an additional 8,000 dwellings or 18,000 people.

The population pyramid also shows that there are a number of people in the age group of 15 to 30 who will leave the area for university and job opportunities. However there is also anecdotal evidence that these people are moving back into the area after working in the metropolitan area in search of a lifestyle choice as well as job opportunities. This is more so for people who can work from home and who don't necessarily need to be in an office every day. The proximity to the metropolitan area also means that they can live in Greater Taree and be in the metropolitan area - in either Newcastle or Sydney within 2 to 3 hours drive.

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However this change in the population is creating a downturn in the housing occupancy rate with a number of the newer houses being occupied by one or two people. The Census figures show that this has decreased from 2.6 in 1996 to 2.47 in 2001 and is projected to go lower. The implications are that the projected number of houses will increase over time whilst housing less people per house, thus requiring more dwellings for less population than was required in the past.

Council’s Current Response

The Council have responded to this change in the population by preparing detailed strategies for the towns that have capacity for growth. These include Taree, Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point. The Council have also prepared a strategy to deal with the rural residential development. The adoption of the Environment Management Policy in 2000 and the preparation of the Environmental Management Plan have highlighted the Council’s desire to ensure that development considers and is in harmony with the environmental qualities of the area.

Options and Direction

The current level of population growth is expected to continue and there is a need for the Council to ensure that this growth is planned for in an effective and efficient manner. The economy of the LGA is also expected to continue to grow which will provide an employment base for the incoming population.

The people moving into the LGA are a mixture of older people as well as some middle-aged and young people with children. However there is an increasing trend for retirees to move to the area which places pressure on the provision of services and facilities for an ageing population. There will also be a need to provide a wide range of employment opportunities for this incoming population.

Having regard to the amount of young families moving to the area as well as the positive economic outlook, it is questionable whether the region and in particular Greater Taree, will have such a significant decrease in younger people (less than 50 - 55 years old), as predicted by DOP. This matter will need to be addressed after the 2006 Census of Population and Housing to see if there have been the changes as predicted by DOP.

When considering the future of Greater Taree, we must ask the question ‘do we need to grow?’ In order to answer this it is necessary to consider the following points which have been discussed in chapter 2:

historical growth patterns, capability of the land for further development potential to provide employment in the area provision of facilities and services to the population.

The historical growth patterns show that there has been growth in the population, particularly over the past 5 years and this is predicted to continue as the area is becoming more sought after as a place to live.

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The capability of the land for future development is positive with a number of areas having land that is ideally suited to new development and this can be done with a minimum of adverse impact on the environmental qualities and landscape character of the LGA.

The locational factors of Greater Taree need to be considered. The Pacific Highway runs through the LGA and it is only 3.5 hours drive from the outskirts of Sydney and 2 hours drive from Newcastle. It is on the northern railway line which provides a good freight transport option. There is good health, educational, recreation and other infrastructure in the area as well.

There are significant employment opportunities in Greater Taree with continual inquiry for relocation of employment from the metropolitan area as the employers also chase the sea change outlined above. The LGA also has good levels of infrastructure (road, rail and fibre optic cabling). There is a hospital as well as secondary and tertiary education facilities.

So in answer to the question why grow? there is a need to consider that the area is part of the national trend in growth and therefore there is a need to respond to it. This response can be to provide for further managed growth or not to allow for any more growth and ‘put up the no vacancy sign’. The no growth option would be considered if the area had significant environmental constraints and no existing economic base to build on. Such an area runs the risk of being an ageing dormitory area with a lot of people who do not work because they have either retired or are unemployed. These people will require a great deal of social and health infrastructure. The main reason to allow an area to grow is if it has existing infrastructure in place, has a growing and diverse economy and has land that is capable of being developed.

Greater Taree has the employment opportunities for additional population growth as well as having the required infrastructure in the form of adequate water and sewerage supply, health and education as well as transport and access. It has a vibrant and diverse economy with a large regional centre. There is capacity for further housing in the coastal locations of Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point as well as in Taree and Wingham. In addition, the Council is currently investigating the construction of a new town north east of Taree at Brimbin which will cater for a population of approximately 18,000 to 20,000 people. This will be discussed in more detail later in this section. For these reasons, it is considered that Greater Taree has the capacity and capability to grow. In addition, it has good access to the metropolitan area of Newcastle and the lower Hunter. The town of Taree is also the major regional centre for the northern part of Great Lakes LGA and parts of Gloucester Shire.

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4.9.2. Housing Demand

The Issue

Housing demand is measured by previous population growth and in an area like Greater Taree the demand is forecast to continue in accordance with the current nationwide trend for people to move to coastal LGAs in close proximity to the metropolitan area. However, when considering the issue of housing demand, one must also consider if the area should in fact grow. This question is dealt with in Chapter 5 suffice to say that Greater Taree has a vibrant and diverse economy to provide jobs for the prospective residents as well as suitable land for growth to be accommodated in a sustainable fashion, transport and telecommunications infrastructure as well as capacity in the water supply system to cope with future demand.

The past population growth of the LGA has been discussed in section 2.2 and figure 2.2 has shown this graphically. It can be seen that the whole LGA has experienced significant population growth over the past 5 years but that for the 10 years prior (1990 – 2000) the growth was not as high. This can be explained by a lack of supply of housing in those times and should not be seen as an indicator that the area was not sought after for housing because there was still growth in the workforce. Figure 4.1 shows that the main areas of growth in the period 2000 to 2004 were the main towns of Taree, Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point. This shows each year’s dwelling growth as a percentage of the total growth for the 5 year period. It is significant to note that despite some yearly fluctuations, overall each of the towns has grown

45.0%

40.0%

35.0%

30.0% l a t

o 25.0% T

f 20.0% % o

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0.0% 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year

Harrington Hallidays Point Old Bar Wallabi Point Taree Wingham

Figure 4.1: Dwelling Growth in Main Centres Source: Council Property Information

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Future population scenarios have been prepared by Hirst Consulting Services and are based on the implementation of the existing strategies that have been adopted by Council and DOP as well as the zoned unsubdivided land in Taree and Wingham being developed. The potential populations and dwellings for the 3 coastal strategies (Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point) are shown in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2: Strategy Dwelling and Population Figures

Strategy Additional Additional Total Total Dwellings Population Dwellings Population Harrington 900 2,565 1,600 3,300 Old Bar – Wallabi Point 2,000 4,920 3,300 8,100 Hallidays Point 770 2,000 1,485 3,800 Source: Relevant Strategy and ABS Census Information

The population scenarios are based on the occupied dwellings as well as the total potential dwellings (being the occupied private dwellings plus the unoccupied private dwellings). The population scenarios are shown in figure 4.2 and the dwelling growth is shown in figure 4.3.

90000 78,413 80000

70000 65,766 57,236 68,124 60000 n 51,044 57,142 o i 50,555 t 50000 a l 45,031 49,969 52,324 u 41,619 42,410 42,943

p 40000 48,151 47,613

Po 30000

20000

10000

0 1991 1996 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Year

Low Medium High

Figure 4.2: Future Population Scenarios 2001 - 2020 Source: Hirst Consulting Services

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35,000

30,000 30,630

26,611 25,690 25,000 19,939 22,358 22,321 s

g 20,000 20,439 18,809 19,748 19,519 lin l

e 16,759 17,679 18,599

w 15,000 D

10,000

5,000

0 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Year

Low Medium High

Figure 4.3: Dwelling Growth Scenarios 2001 - 2020 Source: Hirst Consulting Services

The projected dwellings for each of the settlements are shown in table 4.5 and Figure 4.4 shows the projected dwelling growth in the main towns (Taree, Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point. It can be seen that there will be no more dwelling growth in Taree and Wingham after 2010 and in Harrington after 2015. This means that if the LGA is to continue to be a location for housing and economic growth, there will need to be new residential areas established. This can be done by merely expanding on the existing urban areas as has happened in the past, or a new town can be established in an appropriate location. This is discussed in detail in chapter 5.

So it can be seen that there is currently demand for residential development in Greater Taree and that this demand is both on the coastal area as well as the inland areas. However, over the next 15 years, the supply of residential land will run out if the current levels of demand continue. The question of whether there should be more supply of residential land to meet that demand is a significant issue and is discussed in chapter 5.

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7,000

6,000

5,000 s

g 4,000 llin e w

D 3,000

2,000

1,000

0 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Year

Taree Wingham Old Bar Hallidays Point Harrington

Figure 4.4: Dwelling Growth Scenarios for Main Towns Source: Hirst Consulting Services

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Table 4.3: Dwelling Projections

2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Population Population Population Population Population Population Population Population Population Population Settlement Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Scenario Taree 6,076 6,619 6,173 6,738 6,581 7,163 6,831 7,413 7,081 7,663 Wingham 1,770 1,919 1,831 1,985 1,841 1,995 1,841 1,995 1,841 1,995 Old Bar 1,207 1,377 1,334 1,521 2,210 2,487 3,188 3,496 2,922 3,246 Hallidays Point 715 948 866 1,141 1,298 1,640 1,779 2,211 2,011 2,481 Harrington 708 898 862 1,075 1,340 1,590 1,513 1,804 1,544 1,835 Cundletown 609 643 618 653 618 653 759 803 825 873 Tinonee 255 278 271 295 271 295 271 295 271 295 Lansdowne 144 152 149 157 149 157 149 157 149 157 Coopernook 137 142 142 147 142 147 260 269 260 269 Wallabi Point 116 136 124 145 124 145 124 145 124 145 Moorland 105 114 108 117 108 117 108 117 108 117 Manning Point 128 162 129 163 129 163 129 163 129 163 Johns River 48 55 48 55 48 55 48 55 48 55 Mount George 54 78 54 78 54 78 54 78 54 78 Krambach 51 60 51 60 51 60 51 60 51 60 Brimbin 210 241 222 255 658 755 3,707 4,255 7,193 8,255 Total Urban 12,333 13,822 12,981 14,585 15,621 17,500 20,757 23,361 24,075 27,251 Total Rural 4,426 5,051 4,698 5,354 4,628 5,350 5,285 6,149 6,277 7,699 Total LGA 16,759 18,873 17,679 19,939 20,248 22,858 26,043 29,510 30,832 34,950

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4.9.3. Housing Types

The Issue

In an area like Greater Taree there is a wide variety of housing choice and opportunities available. This can be classified into 3 basic categories as follows:

Urban Living Rural Residential Living Farming Housing

Urban Living

Urban Living is where people live in settlements on lots ranging in size from 500 m2 to 6,000 m2. This type of housing has 3 densities as follows:

High Density Housing – High rise residential buildings between 3 and 10 stories and above in a residential area. There are some examples of 3 storey walk up flats in the area that were constructed 10 or so years ago, but nothing taller exists at present. Medium density urban - Townhouses and villas and other forms of multi- unit housing on 1 lot that ranges between 1 and 2 stories in height in a residential area. Photo 4.9 shows an example of this. Low density urban - Single detached houses and dual occupancies on 1 lot that range between 1 and 2 stories in height in a residential area with lot sizes up to approximately 500 m2 to 6,000 square metres, the majority being in the vicinity of 800 to 1,000 square metres. Photo 4.10 shows an example of this at Hallidays Point.

Photo 4.9: Medium Density Urban Housing at Harrington Date of Photo: August 2004

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Photo 4.10: Low Density Urban Housing at Hallidays Point Date of Photo: August 2004

In an area like Greater Taree, there is a need to encourage a mixture of all three forms of urban living. However, this has to match the local constraints of each centre. For example, medium density housing should only be provided in an area where there is a sufficient level of service and size as well as reticulated water and sewerage systems in place. Similarly, high rise housing should only be provided in and surrounding the regional centre. There also should be a mixture of high rise with some medium density living opportunities in and surrounding the Taree town centre

Rural Residential Living

Rural Residential Living is where people live on a rural lot outside or adjoining the urban areas and use the land for primarily residential purposes. The main source of income is not from a pursuit carried out on the land. On larger lots it is sometimes called ‘hobby farming’. They also can have varying degrees of vegetation cover ranging from totally cleared to mostly covered in native vegetation. Experience from other areas has led to these being classified into 2 categories which are distinguished by their location in relation to the urban settlements:

Rural Fringe - Single detached houses and dual occupancies on lot sizes of approximately 4,000 square metres to 2 hectare and which are laid out in an estate. This estate usually joins a residential area or is in close proximity to a residential area. In the Greater Taree context, these have an average size of 1.5 ha with a minimum of 8,000 m2 and if they are connected to reticulated sewerage systems, they can be 4,000 m2. This form of rural residential living can be called ‘rural residential estates’ in the Greater Taree Context. Rural Lifestyle - Single detached houses and dual occupancies on lot sizes of between 1 hectare and 40 to 100 hectares which have a predominantly residential use of the land and which do not join a township or village and are scattered throughout the rural landscape.

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Photos 4.11 and 4.12 show the 2 types of rural residential housing in the Greater Taree LGA. Some of the rural residential estates are connected to reticulated sewer and it is these areas where lot sizes of 4,000 m2 are found. The majority of these lots however, have onsite effluent disposal.

Photo 4.11: Rural Residential Estate housing Date of Photo: September 2004

Photo 4.12: Rural Lifestyle housing Date of Photo: September 2004

These rural residential living lots are “… inhabited by an essentially urban population … in these pleasant homesteads dotting the landscape … the new country residents are commuters and weekenders rather than farmers.” (Auster and Epps, 1993, pp 77-78)

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Rural residential development has both positive and negative impacts. It has to be said that the negative impacts outweigh the positive ones.

On the positive side it provides for a lifestyle choice for a number of people. It also provides for a place of business for residents who run home offices and for tradespeople who need land to store plant and equipment as well as supplies. It can also contribute to the local economy. Anecdotal evidence is also that the newer purchasers of rural residential lots have a higher income and more time to devote to the local schools and community groups.

The negative impacts can be broken into financial, community and environmental. These impacts become more problematical as the lots get smaller.

There have not been any recent studies into the costs of providing rural residential development in Australia. However, a study in the United Kingdom compared clustered and dispersed growth. This found that overall, the annual costs would be one third higher for the dispersed settlement pattern than a concentrated one. The study also found that, in terms of public costs, a scattered settlement pattern is 395% more expensive for capital and 236% for ongoing costs than a concentrated one.

There are community costs associated with rural residential development. They include the provision of services and facilities to the areas that are normally located some distance from towns and villages.

The environmental costs associated with rural residential development are related to the initial development and ongoing use of the land. During construction of a rural residential area, especially rural fringe development, there can be clearing of native vegetation and soil erosion and land degradation.

The ongoing impacts of rural residential development stem from the onsite effluent disposal, soil and water management and domestic pets. Most rural residential development has onsite effluent disposal and this can be a concern if there is not a large enough area of land available for disposal. There is also a concern about the cumulative impact of having a large number of onsite systems in one area as can occur with rural urban fringe. There can be impacts on adjoining bushland from the nutrients coming off the site as well as from weeds. Native wildlife can be eaten by domestic pets.

The building of houses in the rural area can have an impact on the landscape, especially when the land is hilly. The introduction of a number of new buildings can detract from the landscape quality of an area.

Rural residential development can also cause rural land use conflict if it is located in close proximity to intensive agricultural, mines and quarry uses. Siting the house too close to the agricultural uses can cause this.

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In a majority of cases, the people who buy a rural residential lot are not aware of the issues associated with it as outlined above. Issues such as the need to service the on site effluent disposal system and the impact of pets on wildlife and weed eradication are common ones where the people don’t fully understand.

It can be seen therefore, that rural residential development creates a demand on the services provided by the Council and other Government agencies and that its negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts.

Farm Housing

Farm Housing where people live in single detached houses and dual occupancies on rural land which is used for a productive agricultural purpose which provides the major source of income for the property owners. Photo 4.13 shows farm housing.

Photo 4.13: Farm Housing Date of Photo: September 2004

Council’s Current Response

Council has encouraged a mix of housing types to be developed in the LGA through the current LEP and DCP as well as the strategies it has prepared for the growth of Harrington, Old Bar, Hallidays Point, Taree and Wingham.

The Council has also prepared a Rural Residential Strategy and Release Program in 2000 and amended in 2002. This provided for future rural residential estate development. Council has since determined that it does not want to see any more rural residential estate type developments, focussing instead on the growth of selected villages.

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Options and Direction

The consultations showed that in certain areas, (especially Harrington) that the public did not want to see any high density housing. However, if the only form of housing to be provided is low and medium density, then the towns will have to sprawl. The ‘size’ of a building is a function of its height, bulk and scale. A taller building can be made to blend in by altering its bulk and scale in relation to the surrounding built form. It would be appropriate to investigate the provision of high density housing in and around the Taree CBD.

Rural Residential Estate development in Greater Taree has been governed by the Rural Residential Strategy and Release Program which is the document that initiated the most recent Rural 1(c1) zonings. The location of these estates is shown on map 4.6 which highlights the scattered nature of them. This document was endorsed by DOP in 2000 and reviewed and amended in 2002. The construction of dwellings on these lots has mirrored the total dwelling trend for the LGA as detailed in chapter 2. Figure 4.5 shows that there has been an increasing take up since 2000. There have been a total of 165 dwellings constructed on rural residential estate lots in the 5 year period from 2000 to 2004 which is an average of 33 dwellings per year.

Map 4.6: Rural Residential Estates

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70 58 60 s

g 50 n i

l 42 el 40 Dw

31 f 27 o 30 er b m

u 20 N 7 10

0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year

Figure 4.5: Rural Residential Dwelling Take up Source: Council Property System

Analysis of the land yet to be subdivided has shown that there are a total of 361 potential lots that have not yet been created. Table 4.4 shows the subdivision potential by location. The land use survey has shown that there are 187 vacant lots already subdivided but not yet built on. This is a total of 548 potential lots. If an annual demand of 30 is applied being the average, there is an 18 year supply of rural residential estate land. It is noted that there is land that has been included in the Hallidays Point Strategy for rural residential estates and this has a potential yield of 173 lots and if this is included in the calculations, the supply is extended by 6 years.

Table 4.4: Potential Rural Residential Estate Lots

No. of Location Lots Old Bar 78 Taree 43 Purfleet 40 Tinonee 42 Wingham 72 Harrington 19 Coopernook 27 Oxley Island 24 Johns River 16 Total Zoned 361

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Rural residential development is very prevalent in the LGA. Rural residential estate development is not all adjoining the urban areas of the LGA and in fact a large amount of it is scattered around the landscapes surrounding Taree, Wingham, Old Bar and Hallidays Point. Map 4.5 illustrates the scattered nature of the rural residential estate development within the LGA. The scattered nature of the development causes some issues which are as follows:

Distance from urban centres and services Impact on road infrastructure Potential for water quality degradation from on site effluent disposal Intrusion into vegetation areas and wildlife linkages Scattered form of housing

The distance from urban centres and services is considered to be a major problem with the continuation of this form of housing. The already scattered nature of the subdivision pattern means that it is difficult for those with transport disadvantage to get to the urban centres for shopping and entertainment as well as for health services. This issue is of most significance for aged and young people who don’t have access to a car and rely on other forms of transport.

For these reasons as well as the amount of supply, it is not considered that there is a need to create any more rural residential estate housing areas. The option of back zoning some of this land has been considered because there have not been any subdivision applications forthcoming as well as being land that has some slope constraints and is either close to or has some vegetation located on it. This is particularly so in the land to the north west of Tinonee and Old Bar. If these are taken out, it reduces the supply of unsubdivided land from 361 to 248 lots which when added to the 187 vacant lots gives a total of 435 lots. At a rate of 30 dwellings per year, this amounts to a 14 year supply which when the additional land at Hallidays Point is added creates a potential supply of 20 years, which is considered adequate.

There is potential to refocus the rural residential development to be surrounding some of the existing villages as this will provide a mix of living opportunities as well as not promoting scattered development. These villages would be the ones with a satisfactory level of services and facilities. These are as follows:

Lansdowne Coopernook Tinonee Krambach Harrington Old Bar Hallidays Point Taree Wingham

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4.9.4. Changing Nature of Settlements

The Issue

The changing population is having an impact on the various settlements within the LGA. As outlined in chapter 2, there is a great variety in the makeup and location of the settlements within Greater Taree. Taree is the regional centre and this will continue. However the relationship of the surrounding settlements to the regional centre needs to be considered. There is a large population increase in the December and January period as the area becomes inundated with holidaymakers mostly using the coastal villages and caravan parks.

It is the coastal settlements of Harrington, Old Bar and Hallidays Point that are changing in the most dramatic fashion. This change in population brings with it a whole new urban design makeup. The older style quaint coastal village housing is being replaced by contemporary project homes as the people moving in to the area want a larger and more modern house. It can be said that the new housing is out of character with the existing fabric of the area. This is illustrated in Photos 4.14 and 4.15.

Photo 4.14: Traditional coastal Village housing Date of Photo: August 2004

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Photo 4.15: Project Home style housing Date of Photo: August 2004

The accessibility of the settlements is also of paramount importance particularly those that are growing. There is a need to provide access to the employment areas as well as emergency services, shopping and recreational facilities that are provided in the regional centre of Taree. This has implications for the road infrastructure which is of paramount importance for the future of the settlement pattern of Greater Taree.

Council’s Current Response

The Council has prepared strategies to deal with the provision of new housing to meet the demand for living opportunities in the LGA. These strategies address the accessibility and provision of services for the settlements. However, it has not done much to address the changing nature of the settlements, particularly the urban design aspects.

Options and Direction

One way to deal with the changing nature of the settlements is to preserve some of the more significant coastal houses as heritage items, with appropriate incentive funding. The traditional coastal village part of the settlement could also be separated from the newer more contemporary housing thereby preserving the integrity of the older parts. This has happened in Harrington and Old Bar to an extent. In Black Head and Red Head, the older housing stock seems to be used for holiday lettings, which in itself helps to preserve the older buildings as they become more valuable as a tourist feature of the area. One incentive that could be applied is the ability to change the use of these older buildings to a commercial use for restaurants or accommodation if it can be proved that this will aid in the conservation of the buildings. This is similar to the heritage provisions of the current LEP. If there is reluctance to have the buildings heritage listed there is scope to have the clause apply to the existing properties.

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There is also an opportunity to create urban design guidelines or to list some of the properties as heritage items or even to nominate certain parts of coastal villages as heritage conservation areas. This could be explored in the case of the commercial area and surrounding streets in Harrington

4.9.5. Settlement Hierarchy

The Issue

In order to ensure that growth is sustainable, there is a need to address how the settlements in the area relate to themselves as well as how they relate to the other settlements in the wider region. The challenge is to provide adequate accessibility to services and facilities, emergency services, shopping and recreational facilities that are provided in the regional centre of Taree. This can be done by implementing a settlement hierarchy.

A hierarchy of settlements can be identified which is based on the facilities and role that each settlement plays rather than purely population size. One thing that categorises a settlement is the shopping facilities that are available. There are three basic shopping trips:

Convenience shopping relates to the daily shopping needs of bread and milk as well as newspapers and emergency purchases not done at other times. Weekly shopping is for the basic food and household shopping needs and is usually done in a chain supermarket. Comparison shopping is the shopping trips done for larger items of household and personal items such as whitegoods, furniture and clothing.

In addition to the shopping facilities, the presence of other uses and facilities such as offices, government departments, health and educational establishments, and sports grounds also help to delineate the settlement type.

The establishment of a settlement hierarchy also allows for the effective and efficient provision of services and facilities to those settlements that have the appropriate levels of service.

Council’s Current Response

The Council has not officially adopted a hierarchy of settlements as a policy. However, it has an established hierarchy of settlements which recognised that Taree is the regional centre with the next order of settlements being Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point, Hallidays Point and Wingham. These towns have all had strategies prepared for them. The rural villages study has outlined a loose hierarchy for those villages that have the capacity to expand.

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Options and Direction

There is a need, therefore to identify and adopt a settlement hierarchy / structure which takes into account the functionality of the settlements and their relationship to each other as well as their locational constraints and opportunities. This hierarchy will also ensure that the settlements which have the most ability to provide services and facilities to the new population are those that will grow.

A four-order hierarchy is recommended which has the following components:

Regional Centre This provides a wide range of employment, entertainment and recreational opportunities, a full range of local services and higher order services such as Hospital and TAFE College as well as a high school and major indoor recreation facility. It also has the Council administration and regional offices of State Government departments. It has a large mixed commercial area providing service, retail and office uses with a large chain supermarket and a discount department store. It caters for convenience, weekly and comparison shopping. It draws its catchment from Greater Taree as well as the surrounding Local Government Areas. Town. This provides a range of local services and variety of employment opportunities in tourism and retail but relies on the Regional Centre for other opportunities. It has shopping facilities for weekly and convenience needs. Village. This provides only for convenience needs and typically has only a general store / post office. Rural Locality. This is an area which has a small number of houses but no shopping facilities. There may be a community hall and or a church.

The settlement hierarchy proposed is shown in figure 4.6 and Map 4.7.

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Figure 4.6: Proposed Settlement Hierarchy.

Regional Centre Taree

Harrington, Hallidays Point (Diamond Town. Beach, Red Head, Black Head and Tallwoods), Old Bar – Wallabi Point, Wingham

Coopernook, Crowdy Head, Village. Cundletown Elands, Hannam Vale, Johns River, Krambach, Lansdowne, Manning Point, Moorland, Mount George, Tinonee,

Rural Bobin, Burrell Creek, Croki, Dyers Locality. Crossing Killabakh Oxley Island Village, Rainbow Flat, Upper Lansdowne, Wherrol Flat

It should be noted that the settlements in the hierarchy have relationships in both directions. A higher order centre relies on the lower order centres for population and patronage and vice versa.

Photos 4.16 to 4.19 show Taree, Old Bar, Coopernook and Burrell Creek which all form part of the settlement hierarchy.

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Map 4.7: Recommended Settlement Hierarchy

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Photo 4.16: Taree the Regional Centre Date of Photo: September 2004

Photo 4.17: Old Bar a Town Date of Photo: September 2004

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Photo 4.18: Coopernook a village Date of Photo: September 2004

Photo 4.19: Burrell Creek a rural locality Date of Photo: September 2004

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4.10 Settlement Growth

The Issue

The form of urban development is an important component of the sustainability of an area. As outlined earlier, there is a need to provide a balance between the vertical and horizontal growth. This includes the need to have compact settlements that do not use a large amount of land, which is an unsustainable form of growth. Sprawling urban development is not considered to be conducive to the settlement pattern for the LGA which is currently one of settlements set within a landscape which consists of a mixture of natural and modified landscapes. It is also necessary to recognise the physical constraints to development and these can be used to provide a break in the urban form to ensure that the settlements don’t become one fluid sprawling urban area with no separation.

Council's Current Response

The Council has been planning for the growth of the settlements for a number of years by preparing and implementing the various strategies as follows:

Urban Development Strategies for Taree, Wingham, Harrington, Old Bar – Wallabi Point and Hallidays Point, Rural Residential Strategy and Release Program, Rural Villages Study and the Rural Rural Lands Study and Development Strategy

Options and Direction

The City of Greater Taree could be called a city of rural towns and villages and this could be one of the major growth management philosophies. That is not to allow urban areas to sprawl over the countryside but to determine the absolute limits to growth and then to plan and build a new town that has adequate access to the regional centre of Taree.

The following sections will discuss the constraints to settlement growth as well as outlining those settlements that it is considered appropriate to grow.

4.10.1. Constraints to Settlement Growth

The Issue

There are a number of constraints to the growth of the settlements within the Local Government Area. These include low-lying areas, significant vegetation, rivers and other waterways, steep land and natural hazards such as flooding, bushfire acid sulphate soils, riverbank erosion and highly erodable soils.

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In order to ensure that a settlement is sustainable it should not have any adverse impacts on its social, economic and environmental aspects. This means that it should provide for an adequate level of social services and facilities so that the residents can enjoy an adequate quality of life. It should also provide a broad base of economic activity as well as not causing pollution of surrounding waterways by ensuring that domestic effluent is disposed of in an acceptable manner and there is not any significant impact on biodiversity. It should not be in an area susceptible to natural hazards such as on flood prone land or bushfire prone land.

The growth of a settlement can be both within the existing boundaries (infill development) and an expansion of the existing boundaries. In order for it to be sustainable, the growth should be a combination of both of these.

Having regard to this as well as the matters discussed in previous chapters, it is considered that the major issues for the potential of an area to expand are as follows:

Capacity for social services and facilities to grow; Existing form and character; Diverse economic base with a range of commercial and retail uses; Provision of reticulated water and sewerage; Provision of adequate access to the higher order centres (road and public transport); Impact on scenic landscape amenity of the surrounding land; and Presence of unconstrained land surrounding the settlement (no areas of native vegetation and biodiversity habitat, no floodprone or bushfire prone land, no steep land, etc)

The provision of social facilities and services is crucial for the future of a settlement. People should have access to schools, hospitals, community services and facilities.

The existing form and character of settlements in the LGA is one of small scale settlements that don’t necessarily sprawl over the landscape. This is one of the unique characteristics of the LGA and contributes to the country town / village atmosphere that was one of the desirable futures expressed at the community consultation. This is also one of the inherent but unstated growth management philosophies which can be gleaned from the existing strategies that have been adopted by the Council.

A diverse economic base is necessary to ensure that the area has sufficient capacity to generate employment. There should also be a sufficient range of shopping facilities within reasonable distance of travel.

Water and sewerage reticulation is considered to be necessary. A reticulated water supply allows the residents to have access to a regular and reliable supply of potable water. Provision of reticulated sewerage is considered to be necessary for urban development because of the adverse environmental impacts of onsite effluent disposal on small areas of land.

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Settlements should have adequate access to the higher order centres and this includes by road and private vehicles as well as by public transport – buses and trains. This access should also not be greater than a 30 minute travel time to ensure that there is not too long a drive to the regional centre.

The landscape setting of a settlement is important. This creates the character of the settlement and adds to its appeal as a living area as well as its tourist potential.

The capability of land to have residential development includes a number of matters. The main constraints are considered to be flooding, slope and presence of native vegetation / bushfire risk. These have been mapped and are shown on map 4.8 for the Harrington, Coopernook and Lansdowne areas; Map 4.9 for the Old Bar and Hallidays Point areas and Map 4.10 for the Taree and Wingham areas.

Map 4.8: Physical Constraints – Harrington, Coopernook and Lansdowne

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Map 4.9: Physical Constraints – Old Bar, Hallidays Point

Map 4.10: Physical Constraints – Taree and Wingham

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It can be seen therefore that there are some significant constraints to the expansion of the settlements. This is particularly so for Taree and Wingham as well as the coastal settlements of Harrington, Old Bar and the Hallidays Point settlements (Diamond Beach, Blackhead, Red Head and Tallwoods).

As a general statement, it can be said that all of the settlements have some level of constraint for future large scale development. The physical constraints for each settlement are outlined below:

Lansdowne is constrained to the south and east by the railway line and to the north by waterways. It has some land to the west that is flat and cleared of vegetation. Coopernook is constrained by the floodplain of the Manning River to the south and has relatively unconstrained land to the north, west and east. Harrington is constrained by the Manning River to the south and east as well as the floodplain of the Manning River to the west. It is surrounded on the northern side by native vegetation of the Crowdy Bay National Park. Manning Point is constrained by the Manning River to the north and the floodplain to the east. There is some unconstrained land to the southwest and vegetation to the east and southeast are a constraint. Old Bar has constraints to the north being native vegetation and the Manning River and the ocean to the east. It is relatively unconstrained to the west and south. Wallabi Point has constraints all around it being native vegetation and the ocean. Diamond Beach is constrained to the east by the ocean and to the west by the rural residential estate. It has relatively unconstrained land to the north and south. Red Head is relatively unconstrained from the edges of the residentially zoned land. Black Head has some constraints to the west with some vegetation. Tallwoods Village has slope constraints and vegetation to the north, west and east. It has relatively minor constraints to the south. Taree is constrained to the and north east by vegetation and the Dawson River. To the west there is some steep land as well as vegetation. The floodplain of the Manning River constrains growth to the south, southwest and southeast. Cundletown is located on high ground between the Manning River and the floodplain of the river and this is the major constraint. Taree South is constrained by the floodplain of the Manning River to the north and west and vegetated land to the south and east. Wingham is constrained to the north by steep land and watercourses. To the west and southwest there is steep land and to the south and southeast the floodplain of the Manning River is a constraint. Tinonee has steep and vegetated land to the south and watercourses to the west with the floodplain of the Manning River and watercourses to the north and east.

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Council's Current Response

The Council has recognised these constraints in the development of the various strategies outlined above. The implementation of these strategies has considered them and lessened the impact of development on them or avoided them in total.

4.10.2. Growth Options

The Issue

The information provided in Chapter 2 as well as the analysis of the environmental, economic and social potential of the LGA has provided the basis for the future growth of the LGA. The dwelling demand and subsequent population growth are also an indicator that the LGA can and will grow in the future. There are 3 growth options that have been identified and they can be described as follows:

All settlements growing and Taree and Wingham joining together; Only the coastal settlements growing but in a larger fashion than exists at present; or Limited coastal growth with the focus of new growth to be on a new town to be established.

Each option will be discussed below.

Option 1: All settlements growing.

This option would involve the growth of all centres and is shown graphically in Map 4.11. Taree would grow to the north and would merge with Wingham which would also grow to the north. Old Bar and Wallabi Point would merge together and Old Bar or would grow in a westerly direction. Harrington would grow to the south and west. Diamond Beach, Redhead and Blackhead would merge with Tallwoods village.

This option would see larger areas of sprawling urban development both inland as well as on the coastal areas. It is not considered that it would be conducive to the landscape character of the area and be in keeping with stated desires of the community. The sustainability of this settlement form is questioned, particularly from environmental perspectives.

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Map 4.11: Growth Option 1: All settlements growing

Option 2: Coastal Growth

This option envisages growth along the coastal strip only with limited infill development in Taree and Wingham. It is a variation on the first option, providing growth in the areas where with the coastal lifestyles. It is depicted in Map 4.12.

This option would see the massive coastal development which would not be conducive to a sustainable pattern of development.

Map 4.12: Growth Option 2: Coastal Growth

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Option 3: Limited expansion with new urban area

This option would involve minor expansion in Wingham and Taree with limited development in Harrington. Old Bar and Wallabi Point would also have growth as would the Hallidays point area including Diamond Beach, Redhead, Blackhead and Tallwoods village. It also envisages a new town to be established to the north of Taree at the Brimbin locality. This option is shown on Map 4.13 and is the Council's current development option. It is discussed in more detail in section 4.10.3.

This option is seen as beneficial because it allows for the existing development pattern of relatively small self-contained urban centres linked to the regional centre of Taree. It also provides for residential growth with the development of a new town within close proximity to the regional centre of Taree.

There is also a need for more land for major industrial uses and the land to the north east of Taree along the railway line has been recommended as the location for this. It is considered to be a good use of the services and facilities that will be provided for this industrial area to also locate a new urban area here that would be a north eastern expansion of Taree having regard to the flooding and vegetation constraints in the immediate vicinity of the existing urban area.

It is noted that this growth option reflects the pattern of growth outlined in the Hunter Urban Settlement Strategy prepared by DOP in 1994. This has been outlined in chapter 1.

Map 4.13: Growth Option 3: Limited Expansion and New Urban Area

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Council's Current Response

The Council have adopted the concepts contained in option 3 and have been working on implementing them through its strategies outlined earlier.

It has also adopted the concept of developing a new urban area to be a north east expansion of Taree at Brimbin and is working towards its implementation. It has carried out a number of studies and investigations that will be used in discussions with Government Agencies for the implementation of the new urban area.

4.10.3. New Settlement Area - Brimbin

The Issue

The continued growth of the LGA is expected to be maintained and there are constraints to the direct expansion of the existing towns as has been outlined in the previous sections. A settlement hierarchy has been proposed which will make the best use of the existing services and facilities. This leaves the question of where the growth will be provided when the existing urban areas become full. It should be pointed out that the lead time for the development of a new urban area is between 5 and 10 years. The growth of settlements should also be planned so that there are a number of areas that can accept the growth over the period of growth that is anticipated so that one area is not filled up too quickly. Bearing this in mind as well as the constraints to growth of the existing urban areas, it would be prudent for the Council to adopt its long term growth option and work towards its implementation over the coming years so that there is not a lack of supply but consistent demand.

The recommended long term growth option has been outlined in the previous section.

The Council has identified land to the north of Taree as a location to be investigated for the development of a new town. This area would also be a major industrial area with approximately 450 hectares of land available for such a use. It also proposed to have 8,000 residential allotments and associated commercial and community facilities. The proposal includes a boating facility with access to the Dawson River as well as potential for a golf course. It is estimated that the development of Brimbin will provide a population in the order of 18,000 to 20,000 people. Whilst it is acknowledged that the area to the north east of Taree was identified in the Hunter Coastal Settlement Strategy by DOP in 1994, it should be pointed out that the estimated future population within the area was 5,000 people.

The site is located approximately eight kilometres north of the Taree CBD and lies between the Dawson River and the main north coast railway line. Map 4.14 shows its location and photo 4.20 shows part of the area.

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Map 4.14: Brimbin Locality

The concept of development in the Brimbin locality had its genesis with the Taree Wingham Urban Growth Plan which was adopted by Council in 1991. This plan designated the Brimbin area for industrial development. It was noted in 1991 that the existing industrial areas in Wingham and Taree and constraints for further expansion to allow for major manufacturing and other industrial type uses. This is still the case.

The site is a mixture of cleared land with significant vegetation in the west and south western parts. There are some significant threatened species located within the vegetative areas.

Photo 4.20: Brimbin Locality Date of Photo: September 2004

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The site is well served by infrastructure. Water, electricity and telephone services all pass through the site to service the villages and rural hinterland to the north of Taree. The main sewage treatment plant for Taree is located to the south of the Brimbin locality and this plant has capacity to treat additional development contained within the proposal. The main northern railway also runs through the site.

There are 2 existing industrial developments located immediately to the south of the site. These are Goninans engineering works which has been located on the site for more than 20 years and is a major industrial manufacturing enterprise building tractors and railway bogies. The other one is Ridleys agricultural feed mill which produces stock feed for the local area as well as other parts of the north coast.

The current development strategy for the north east expansion of Taree was commenced in 2000 when consultants were engaged to prepare an environmental study for the proposal. This was completed in 2002. A more detailed investigation was carried out in 2004 with a local environmental study baseline environmental assessment as well as an impact assessment report being prepared.

The site is therefore considered to have potential for investigation as a new urban area. It will be needed for development once the other settlements within the local government area are reaching their capacity. It is envisaged that the process for development of this site will take in the order of 5 to 10 years. It is necessarily therefore to identify it as a strategic site and then carry out the detailed investigations which will clarify the land to be developed. Map 4.15 shows the detail of the proposed area.

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Map 4.15: New Settlement Area - Brimbin Strategy Plan

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As stated previously, there is a need for more land to cater for the increased demand for large tracts of land to accommodate relocated manufacturing and other employment generating uses. The Brimbin proposal also includes a significant area of land to be used for large employment generating uses.

The Council has carried out some investigations into this issue and has prepared a draft Local Environmental Study as a precursor for the rezoning of the site. The applicant has provided some information on the issue which is shown as Appendix 2.

As a general statement, it can be said that the establishment of a new settlement area is an integral part of this Conservation and Development Strategy. It is acknowledged that there are some issues surrounding the vegetation significance and impact on the Dawson River from having development adjacent to this. These issues need further investigation and discussion to come to a resolution. However, it is still considered that such a new town would provide a new urban area that does not cause problems with the sensitive coastal areas.

4.10.4. Settlements to be Expanded

The Issue

The expansion of towns and villages should be based on the capability of the town or village to cope with the expansion by way of facilities and services provided in the town or village. The hierarchy outlined in section 4.9 is based on the facilities and services provided in each town and village. This is summarised in table 4.5.

It follows therefore, that the towns are the areas that should be expanded, because they have the best levels of service for the future residents and it does not require a large injection of funds to bring services and facilities up to standard. There are also proposed to be some expansion around selected villages within close proximity to the regional centre of Taree.

The existing settlement growth is one of outward expansion with limited examples of higher density development. The community consultations found that there is not much community acceptance of higher density living especially buildings of 3 storeys or more. This leaves the horizontal form of growth the only option acceptable to the community which in turn has the potential to lead to sprawling suburban development. This is evident in surrounding areas and is starting to occur in Taree itself. One option is to set a limit on the size and spatial extent of the towns and villages within the LGA (with community input) and when these are reached, plan and build a new town that has good access to the other towns and villages as well as to the regional centres. The settlement hierarchy can be used to determine the limits by only allowing the nominated ‘towns’ to grow thereby ensuring that growth will only occur in those settlements that have the capacity. Strategies can be prepared for each of these towns to identify the limits to the growth. This is in fact what the Council have been doing – they have prepared the strategies for the towns.

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Council's Current Response

Council has prepared a number of strategies outlined above to provide for the growth of settlements.

Options and Direction

The information provided in chapter 2 has revealed that there are a number of settlements which are constrained for future growth for the following reasons:

impact on waterways (lakes, creeks and ocean); locational and access considerations; heritage and or country town character; native vegetation; topography; floodprone and bushfire prone land; scenic landscape quality; lack of facilities and services.

Growth is best managed by providing a mixture of expansion at the edges and medium to higher density living. This is not to say that all of the settlements have to have this mixture. It may be appropriate for some higher density development to be allowed in Taree. This matter needs to be discussed with the local community.

In line with the settlement hierarchy and the constraints to development the following settlements and areas have been identified for future residential growth. This growth ranges in size from minor growth of settlements like Lansdowne and Coopernook to large scale residential expansion of Old Bar and the proposed new town at Brimbin.

The urban expansion areas are as follows:

Taree Coopernook Wingham Krambach Hallidays Point Brimbin Old Bar Wallabi Rainbow Flat Point Cundletown Harrington South Tinonee Lansdowne

It should be noted that the Council already has adopted strategies for the following towns:

Taree Wingham Harrington Old Bar – Wallabi Point Hallidays Point Cundletown

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Each area has been mapped and below is a description of the expansion along with the relevant map. It should be noted that the rezoning process will have to be done and this will investigate the details of each area specifically.

These sites will need to be rezoned and the process for undertaking this will have to investigate a number of issues such as

Ecology Drainage Traffic Generation Provision of services and facilities Proximity of development to waterways and vegetation areas

A process will be established to facilitate this rezoning. It is therefore important to recognise that this document will not rezone the land, rather it discusses the issues in broad context and the detailed investigations will consider the local issues.

In addition, the impact on Council's current development contributions plans (Section 94 Plans) will have to be assessed. This should be done by a review of the current plans taking into consideration the proposed expanded settlements.

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Table 4.5: Facilities and Services Provided in each Settlement

Cundletown Elands HallidaysPoint HannamVale Harrington JohnsRiver Krambach Lansdowne ManningPoint Moorland MountGeorge OldBar Taree Tinonee WallabiPoint Wingham Coopernook CrowdyHead

Service and Facility

Government Offices Hospital Council Administration Centre Primary School High School Shopping Centre General Store Post Office Oval Community Centre / Hall Clubs / Hotel SES, Fire Ambulance Water Reticulation Sewer Reticulation

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Taree: 2 areas of urban expansion as well as back zoning from residential to rural residential estate. The first urban expansion area is west of Kolodong Road at the intersection with Hallstrom Avenue and the second area for urban expansion is on the eastern side of Taree north of St Joseph's Drive between Mudford Road and Kanangra Drive. The land to the north of Wingham Road between Woola Road and Cedar Party Road has significant areas of vegetation on it as well as being slightly hilly. The land is currently zoned residential, however it is considered that its capability is for a larger lot size and therefore a rural residential estate designation has been recommended.

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Map 4.16: Taree Strategy Plan

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Taree South: proposed industrial zone. The land to the north of Bucketts Way and West of Manning River Drive as well as some land to the south of Bucketts Way has been recommended for industrial zoning to allow for bulky goods and light industrial uses to occur.

Map 4.17: Taree South Strategy Plan

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Wingham: urban expansion. Three areas had been recommended for urban expansion. The first one is on the northern side of Wingham Road on the eastern approaches to the town. The two other areas are located on the western side of the town north of Murray Road.

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Map 4.18: Wingham Strategy Plan

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Harrington: urban expansion and rural residential. The urban expansion is to the west of Shearwater Crescent and a further area north of High Street and east of Scott Street. There is proposed to be a small conservation area adjoining the proposed urban expansion in the Shearwater Crescent area. The rural residential area is proposed for the southern side of Manor Road south of Christies Lane.

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Map 4.19: Harrington Urban Expansion Strategy

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Old Bar – Wallabi Point: urban expansion as well as some back zoning from rural residential estate to rural. The urban expansion area is to the west of the existing town and south of the existing urban area. There is also proposed to be a district centre and located as part of this new urban area to the west of Harrowgate Lane on Old Bar Road. Land to the south west and north of the Wallaby point is also to be rezoned to allow urban expansion. Land between Red Gum Road and Manning Point Road on the northern side of Old Bar Road has been zoned for rural residential estate development for some time however this land has not been subdivided and is recommended for rezoning to rural because it is not considered appropriate any more.

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Map 4.20: Old Bar – Wallabi Point Strategy Plan

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Hallidays Point: proposed urban expansion as well as some rural residential estate. There is proposed to be some minor residential expansion to the north and south of Diamond Beach as well as the land between Redhead and Blackhead. Land to the south of the existing Tallwoods village but north of Blackhead Road is also proposed for urban expansion. Land has also been set aside for seniors living to the north of Blackhead Road between Tallwoods village and Diamond Beach Road as well as to the south of Blackhead Road in the vicinity of Pacific View Drive as well as to the south of Diamond Beach Road adjoining the urban area at Hallidays point. There is also proposed to be some service industrial land in this vicinity. The proposed rural residential land extends to the west of the existing rural residential estate at Panorama Drive.

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Map 4.21: Hallidays Point Strategy Plan

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Lansdowne: urban expansion is proposed to the north of Croki Street between Campbell Road and Warrens Lane. There is also urban expansion to the west of Tinonee Street along Taree Street and Central Lansdowne Road.

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Map 4.22: Lansdowne Strategy Plan

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Coopernook: urban expansion is proposed in 2 areas. The first is in the south of the town on the hill to the west of Macquarie Street and West Street. The second area is to the northeast of the existing urban area adjoining the residential development in Bangalow Street.

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Map 4.23: Coopernook Strategy Plan

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Cundletown: urban expansion and a bulky goods/business Park as well as some land for further investigation. There is also a bypass route proposed to the north of Cundletown. The urban expansion is proposed to extend from the existing urban area to the vicinity of the bypass route. Immediately adjoining the bypass route the land requires further investigation because of its potentially low-lying status. On the northern side of the proposed bypass on the eastern side of the town there is proposed to be an area set aside for bulky goods and a business Park. There is also proposed to be an area set aside for conservation which has vegetation situated on it. The school which is located on the northern end of Princes Street is to be zoned as special uses (school).

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Map 4.24: Cundletown Strategy Plan

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Tinonee: urban expansion and back zoning from rural residential estate to rural. The urban expansion area is on the western side of the town in the Ridge Road, Coffee Street and View Street areas. That is to the west of the town in the Alpine Drive area and south of Bishops Lane has been zoned for rural residential estate development for some time however no development has occurred and therefore this land is to be back zoned because it is not considered appropriate any more.

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Map 4.25: Tinonee Strategy Plan

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Krambach: urban expansion. The village of Krambach is proposed to be expanded in a southerly direction as well as an easterly direction.

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Map 4.26: Krambach Strategy Plan

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Rainbow Flat: Village. Areas of the nucleus of a village at Rainbow Flat to the north of the Lakes Way at the intersection with Godfrey Hill Road. It is proposed to create a small village here.

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Map 4.27: Rainbow Flat Strategy Plan

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4.11 Rural Land

The Issue

Agriculture in coastal locations like Greater Taree is changing. There are a large number of part time farmers and also there is a trend to intensification of the agriculture. However, it is the rural landscape that draws the new residents to the towns and villages as well as contributing to the tourism potential of the area.

In Greater Taree, where one of the traditional agricultural activities has been dairy farming, this is currently under threat because of the deregulation of the dairy industry and the decreasing returns for the relatively smaller herds in relation to the larger ones elsewhere. However, there is a noticeable trend for the herds to get larger whilst the number of farms gets smaller. Agriculture is also turning to niche products and there is a start of an organic agriculture cluster in the area. Agritourism is also starting to take a grip on the area with a regular farmers market being held in Wingham which is becoming more successful each month.

There are a large number of part time farmers in the area who own properties of 40 to 50 ha and who have cattle as their main agricultural output but also derive the major source of their income from an outside source. To this extent they can be called rural residential users of the land. This is borne out by the results of the land use survey which shows a high proportion of rural residential use in the rural parts of the LGA. This is leading to a fragmentation of the area and the abundance of rural residential users can lead to rural land use conflict with the more intensive farming operations. The land use survey conducted as part of this project has found that the majority of land uses (number of holdings) within the rural areas is rural residential. Figure 4.7 shows the results of the land use survey. Appendix 3 details the land use survey methodology and definitions of the uses.

Vacant 6.6% Extensive Agriculture 27.8% Extractive Industry 0.0%

Intensive Animals 0.0%

Intensive Plants 0.1% Rural Residential 48.8% Native Vegetation 15.8%

Public Use 0.8%

Figure 4.7: Land Use Survey

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It can be seen that the highest land use in the rural areas is rural residential (48.8%) which is defined as the use of rural land where the landowner does not derive their main source of income from the productive use of the land. Extensive Agriculture is the next highest land use with 27.8 % of rural holdings being used this way. There are 15.8 % of holdings that are covered by native vegetation and 6.6% that are vacant. The rest of the land is used for public uses, intensive plant, intensive animal and extractive industries.

The rural lands are already very fragmented and figure 4.8 shows the current holding pattern within the LGA.

25.00%

20.00%

15.00%

10.00% % of Total

5.00%

0.00% < 0.8 0.81 - 3.01 - 8.01 - 18.01 - 38.01 - 42.01 - 98.01 - 102 + 3 8 18 38 42 98 102 Holding Size

Figure 4.8: Rural Land Fragmentation

It can be seen that the majority of the holdings are less than 38 ha. This equates to 78% of all holdings in the rural areas. This fragmentation limits the potential for large extensive agricultural holdings. However, it does not limit the potential for more intensive forms of agriculture to be practiced. Currently there are not many intensive forms of agriculture in the LGA, but the climate and soils are suitable for this type of agriculture. However, this intensive agriculture would have to include appropriate buffers to ensure that there are not any incidences of rural land use conflict.

When the land use is cross referenced with the holding size it provides a picture of the size of the holdings for each land use category. Figure 4.9 shows the land use by holding size.

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40.00% 35.00% 30.00%

l 25.00% Tota

20.00% f

% o 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% < 0.8 0.81 - 3.01 - 8.01 - 18.01 - 38.01 - 42.01 - 98.01 - 102 + 3 8 18 38 42 98 102 Holding Size

Extensive Agriculture Native Vegetation Rural Residential Vacant

Figure 4.9: Land use by holding Size

This shows that the rural residential uses are mostly in the lower holding size ranges and extensive agriculture is on the larger holdings. However, there is a significant amount of rural residential uses on land with a size of greater than 8 ha. There are 60% of all rural residential uses on land with a size of less than 8 ha and 40 % on land with a size of greater than 8 ha. This will have a significant impact on the potential for agriculture to be established, particularly intensive forms because of the potential for rural land use conflict to occur. This means that if more intensive forms of agriculture are to be proposed, there will need to be appropriate guidelines to address this with the location of the agriculture in relation to the adjoining residences.

One of the flow on effects of this trend to rural residential use is the increasing cost of the land. This is causing the productive value to become less as the residential value increases. This in turn is having an impact on the ability of those productive farms to remain sustainable as the costs outstrip the returns. One significant cost to the farmers is the Council rates, which on a per ratepayer basis are higher than those people living in the urban areas. It is noted that people living in rural areas have less access to facilities and services than those people living in urban areas which leads to an imbalance in the equitable provision of services.

The impact of the changing agriculture, increasing rural residential use and increasing residential value of the land means that farmers are turning to subdivision as the easy alternative rather than continuing to farm.

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As stated above, the rural landscape is heavily fragmented and has some environmental sensitivity, as discussed in chapter 2. It contains 30% of the population and is mostly rural residential in usage and this use ranges in size of holding. The fragmented ownership and scattered nature of the rural residential usage places a strain on the existing infrastructure, especially the roads and bridges. It is estimated that rural residential uses have a traffic generation rate of between 4 and 8 movements per day which is placing a strain on this infrastructure. There are also potential water quality issues emanating from the onsite effluent disposal systems. However, there is a demand for this type of lifestyle and there is a need to determine if more opportunities should be created by providing more subdivision of land for rural residential estates. Council has stated that it does not wish to create any further rural residential estate development such as the type currently being produced because of the scattered nature of it.

Council’s Current Response

The Council has recognised the role that agriculture has to play in the LGA in its Twenty Twenty Vision Strategic Plan. This has been included under the economy Strategic Theme.

The Council has also recognised the role of agriculture and the preservation of the rural lands in its current LEP. It also prepared a Rural Lands Study and Development Strategy in 2001, which highlighted the importance of the rural lands of the LGA.

Options and Direction

Agriculture is still an important component of the local economy and landscape and there is a need to preserve it. The preservation of rural landscapes includes providing areas to locate the 3 productive components of rural land which are as follows:

source of food and fibre, living areas, and biodiversity resource.

The policy response needs to address the following three components in tandem, rather than isolation. It can be done by the following 3 mechanisms:

planning policy financial incentives; and education

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Planning Policy

This entails placing restrictions on the use of the land by way of an LEP. It is the principal method for controlling the development of land. It is a system where land is designated for a principal use and uses that are considered not to be suitable or compatible with the principal use are prohibited. There is also the ability to require uses that are considered to cause some impact on adjoining land to submit a application for use of the land, which is then assessed having regard to a set of published assessment criteria contained in a LEP or DCP.

In the rural context, there should be a minimum number of zones. Good quality agricultural land should be set aside in one zone and the lesser quality land should be zoned differently. There should be a zone for rural residential uses and this may cover the 2 types or only one, depending on the specific circumstances. There should also be a zone covering the small villages that are located in the rural landscape. Areas of significant native vegetation should be protected by a zone as well. It is often the case that the areas of vegetation are steep land that provides a scenic backdrop to the area and this issue can also be covered by the zone.

Controls can also be placed on the use and subdivision of the land. The subdivision controls relate to the minimum area required to construct a dwelling house on the land as well as to prevent fragmentation of the land to ensure that there are still productive holdings remaining. Controls are placed on land uses to ensure that they do not cause pollution or loss of amenity to surrounding landowners.

Incentives

This can take three forms: density bonuses for specific uses, purchase of development rights or transferable development rights.

Incentives can include an increase in the density for a particular use in exchange for a conservation and / or enlargement of, for example, a wildlife corridor, as is done in Cessnock with tourist accommodation in the vineyards area. They are based on a specific land area which is usually a zone.

Monetary compensation takes two forms. It works on the basis of ascribing a ‘credit’ to the property based on a certain land area. Firstly, Purchase of Development Credits involves a farmer selling the development credits of the farm to a government or non-government organisation. In return a covenant is taken out over the land to ensure that the land is only used for agricultural purposes. The purchase of development credits can also be used to require soil and water cycle management to be undertaken on the property. The property is inspected at regular intervals to ensure that it is being used properly. Transfer of Development Credits occurs where land is declared to be in a preservation zone and is to be kept for agriculture. The development credits to this land can be purchased by developers who wish to gain an increase in the development potential of land declared to be in a development zone. It can also be purchased by a Government body which will act as a bank and sell the credits to developers and use the proceeds to purchase more credits. Both of these methods exist in the United States and are not in use in Australia for rural land.

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Of the two, Purchase of Development credits is the more successful. Both are applicable to the Australian situation with the issues of Transfer of Development Credits already in existence for heritage sites in the City of Sydney, however it is not permissible under the provisions of the EP&A Act, but occurs as an agreement dealt with outside that act. Therefore, the advice of DOP is that this option is not permissible at the present time. However, it is considered that it should be investigated as one option.

Council rates are one of the largest single fixed costs for farmers. Rate charges are based on the value of the land. As rural land value increases this has a corresponding impact on rates. The farming community has borne this cost, without a commensurate increase in the value of production. This can have the effect of marginalising financial returns on agricultural production. It is significant to note that as a proportion of the amount of money paid in rates, the farmers pay much more than the people living in the towns and villages and receive a lower standard of services because of their relative isolation. One way to compensate the farmers is to offer a rate rebate. Presently the Council offers a rate rebate for farmers. However, these rebate amounts are insufficient to reassure agricultural producers. A more effective rebate would be between 10% and 25% of the current rate. The subsidy would be borne by the Council and the difference recouped by proportional increases in the remaining rate base. Alternatively, the State Government could fund the rate rebate. To qualify for such a rebate, the farm should be in an agricultural zone, which would signify the importance of the area.

Education

Education has been shown to be useful in overcoming misconceptions about the idyllic rural life that is often sought rural residential landowners. One form of education is known as ‘Right to Farm’ whereby ordinances are issued that flag potential land use conflicts with potential buyers. Ordinances can also remove the right for surrounding rural residential dwellers to sue for nuisance caused by farm activities including noise, odour and dust.

Right to farm legislation is practiced in the USA and basically allows farmers to have a right to continue farming as long as they are carrying out ‘good management practices’ even if there is a loss of amenity for surrounding rural residential uses. In Australia, the farmer would have to have the right to override the environmental pollution legislation, particularly in relation to noise control. This is a good concept in theory but in practice it has proven difficult to implement, as it does not provide a solution for both sides of the problem. The farmer is able to continue operating but the surrounding rural residential users have not solved their amenity issue.

It is noted that Tasmania has Right to Farm legislation, but its effectiveness as a tool to preserve agricultural land has been questioned because it doesn’t override the environmental pollution legislation. Western Australia has a system of mediation for rural land use conflict.

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Another option is to promote the role and values of agriculture for the local community and the landscape. This can be done by promoting local farmers markets like the one in Wingham. There can also be a more tangible link made between the farmers and local restaurants with the restaurants being encouraged to promote and use locally grown produce. There is also the possibility of farmers growing the produce that the restaurants use and selling directly to those restaurants. The link can also be made to the fresh food and nutrition values of having fresh food available to the community. Community gardens can also be promoted in the urban areas. These can be constructed on Council land by locals who can then grow food for themselves. There is usually a management committee that overseas the operation of the gardens. All of these things can be used to help promote the roles of agriculture and fresh food supply locally.

Review of Current Zoning

In any strategic review of a Local Government Area, there is a need to consider the rural lands in as much detail as the residential land.

A methodology based on a combination of existing land use, lot size and physical features as well as proximity to services and infrastructure has been applied to the rural land. Consideration also needs to be given to the preservation of future land use opportunities.

The first step is to categorise the physical features into areas of similarities. Then designations are considered which bring policy considerations to bear on the land units.

Landuse surveys and holding size analyses have been used to identify land with common features as a foundation for future zoning. The landuse survey is used because it provides an overview of the existing landuse pattern within an area and therefore gives an indication of the predominant landuses which should be conserved. It is important to consider the size of the holdings within an area because the existing fragmented lot patterns contribute to rural land use conflicts and the ability of the area to be protected from such rural landuse conflicts.

The methodology used identifies a series of land units as the basis for the land use designations. These land units are areas, which are contiguous, have similar characteristics and are generally homogenous in nature. These characteristics can be topographical, the abundance of vegetation, the similarities in landuses, land tenure, landscape character or the like. They have also been based on an understanding of the issues affecting the rural lands as well as a review of planning policies of other local government areas. Comments from the community were also taken into consideration. Particularly those outlined in the community consultation report. In particular is the desire of the community for lifestyle and conservation of vegetation and the natural features and environmental qualities of the area. It is important to note that these units are based on the existing land uses and landforms.

The methodology is described in Appendix 3.

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There are 5 land units that have been identified. They are as follows:

Agriculture Agricultural Landscape Native Vegetation Rural Living Urban

The land units are outlined on map 4.28 and are discussed below.

The agriculture designation is based on the current valley agriculture zone and is basically in the rich alluvial floodplain of the Manning River and tributaries. Photo 4.21 shows the agriculture land unit on Oxley Island.

Photo 4.21: Agriculture Land Unit Date of Photo: September 2004

The agricultural landscape unit is the land that, whilst not being high quality agricultural land, is still adequate for grazing and is also covered with scattered native vegetation and has undulating topography. The commonality of landuses therefore is a mixture which contributes to the landscape character. Thus the land unit has been called agricultural landscape. Photo 4.22 shows the agricultural landscape land unit.

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Photo 4.22: Agricultural Landscape Land Unit Date of Photo: September 2004

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Map 4.28: Rural Land Units

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The rural living land unit is found on the land that is zoned for Rural 1(c2) Rural Farmlets zone. It is mostly near Taree and east of the Pacific Highway. Photo 4.23 shows the rural living land unit at Pampoolah.

Photo 4.23: Rural Living Land Unit Date of Photo: September 2004

Urban land unit is the current urban areas within Greater Taree. It includes the existing industrial, commercial, open space and residential zones. Photo 4.24 shows the urban and village land unit at Lansdowne

Photo 4.24: Urban and Village Land Unit Date of Photo: September 2004

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The native vegetation land unit consists of National Parks, State Forest and private land that is covered by native vegetation. These are areas where there is a significant amount of vegetation which also provides habitat and linkages for the movement of wildlife from one area to another. Photo 4.25 shows the native vegetation land unit.

Photo 4.25: Native Vegetation Land Unit Date of Photo: September 2004

These land units can be converted into land use designations and then ultimately zones in the proposed new Local Environmental Plan.

The land use designations that flow from the land units are shown on map 4.29.

The current zones for the rural land are as follows:

Rural 1(a) General Rural Rural 1(b1) Rural Valley Agriculture Rural 1(b2) Rural Upper Catchment Rural 1(c2) Rural Farmlets

They provide a good basis for the future zoning of the land, however it is considered that they can be rationalised. The term ‘valley agriculture’ gives a connotation that it is small pockets of land along a valley floor. It is, however the most productive and best agricultural land in the LGA and should be called ‘Agriculture’ to provide a connotation that it is a place where agricultural usage is the main objective. The general rural and rural upper catchment zones are ostensibly the same land use and landforms with the main difference being one is on the plateau and the other forms the backdrop to the coastal plain. It is considered that this area provides some agriculture but also is where a lot of the rural residential usages is and it also provides a landscape for the area and is significant for this as well as being used for agriculture. The land use survey has shown that there is a number of rural residential uses in this area as well as some holdings of 100 ha and more which cannot be called ‘farmlets’. This zone is also on some of the high class rural land.

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It is considered therefore that there should be a rationalisation of these zones to create a new zone that can be called Rural lifestyle farming and will cover the rural residential uses on lot sizes of 20 ha and less, which has been identified as the rural living land unit.

The information on the vegetation is not clearly defined as to its significance to enable detailed zoning to be implemented. The existing national parks and state forests are however, sources of significant native vegetation and as a start, these should be zoned as such and therefore the designations apply to those areas only. There is a need to carry out more investigations into these areas so that they can be appropriately protected in the future. It should also be noted that the existing environmental protection and state forest and national parks zones are to be retained.

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Map 4.29: Rural Land Designations

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The issue of an appropriate minimum size for subdivision within the LGA is one that needs to be addressed. There are 2 options for this. The first is to have no further subdivision of rural land. This would have the impact of allowing the current holding pattern to remain and would not create an additional demand on the roads and bridges in the rural areas which are currently under stress from the amount of traffic and in need of repair. The other option is to allow subdivision by setting appropriate minima which will reduce the impact on roads and bridges as well as allowing for land to be used for intensive forms of agriculture. It has already been noted that it is more likely that more intensive forms of agriculture will be started than extensive agriculture. Currently there are 2 subdivision minimas in the rural areas. In the rural 1(a) and 1(b1) zones the minimum is 40 ha and in the rural 1(b2) zone the minimum is 100 ha as this land is on the plateau and is not as heavily fragmented as the land in the valleys and lower coastal plains of the LGA - the rural 1(a) and 1(b1) zones. Analysis of the holdings and potential for subdivision scenarios has been carried out and is presented in table 4.6.

Table 4.6: Subdivision Scenarios

Current Subdivision Scenarios Zone Holdings 20 ha 40 ha 80 ha 100 ha 1(a) 3,898 2,826 670 122 75 1(b2) 1,403 279 36 4 0 Sub Total 5,301 3,105 706 126 75 1(b1) 667 422 128 27 15 Total 5,968 3,527 834 153 90

When discussing the implications of this analysis, it is assumed that there will be a dwelling house on each lot created. It can be seen that if all of the land within the rural areas was subdivided into 20 ha lots, there would be an additional 3,527 lots in the LGA with the majority of these in the coastal plains and valleys of the LGA. Having regard to the current land uses in this range, it is probable that a number of these will be rural residential uses rather than intensive agricultural ones that would be suited to this form of agriculture. It is noted that in the 1(b1) zone, the number of additional lots would be 279. This matter will be discussed in chapter 5. If the current subdivision minima of 40 ha was applied to the entire LGA there would be 834 additional lots in the area. If the status quo is maintained of 40 ha for the 1(a) and 1(b1) zones and 100 ha for the 1(b2) zone, there would be an additional 721 lots. If the subdivision minimum was to be increased to 80 ha for all zones there would be an additional 153 lots. If the 1(a) and 1(b2) zones were to be increased to 80 ha and the 1(b1) zone reduced to 20 ha there would be an additional 428 lots in the LGA.

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The issue of subdivision minimas is tied to the land use zoning. Having regard to the fact that intensive agriculture is to be promoted in the LGA and the relatively small amount of subdivision that will occur it is recommended that the former 1(b1) zone which is now called the Agriculture Designation, should have no further subdivision but a minimum are of 40 ha to have an intensive agriculture use plus a dwelling house. The rest of the land which is the combination of the 1(a) and 1(b2) zones and now called Agricultural Landscape designation should be given an 80 ha subdivision size.

It is considered therefore that the future of agriculture in the LGA revolves around part time farming by people who have a lifestyle as well as potential for intensive plant uses. The climate and good productive soils make it suited for soil based intensive agriculture.

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Chapter 5: Recommended Strategy

5.1 Introduction

This chapter provides the vision and strategy components of the Conservation and Development Strategy. It can be seen as the recommendations for actions to be carried out to ensure that Greater Taree has a sustainable future.

The strategies and actions

5.2 Vision

The vision for the future of Greater Taree has the following components:

A City of rural towns and villages:

set in a mixture of natural and modified landscapes responsive to the desires of the community providing a prosperous economy ensuring that development addresses the social, economic and environmental impacts

The preparation of a set of specific strategies will help to achieve the stated vision of the Council.

This vision can be achieved by the adoption of the conservation and development principles, objectives, implementation strategies and policy actions that have been provided in this document.

5.3 Conservation and Development Principles

The conservation and development principles have been developed based on the discussion in the previous chapters. They provide a set of statements that should be adhered to by the Council in its decision making processes – strategic and operational.

The principles can be drawn up and these can be grouped into two broad headings:

Environmental Opportunities and Constraints Social and Economic Factors

Underlying all of the issues are the philosophies of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) and Total Catchment Management (TCM). It is shown graphically in figure 5.1. The figure illustrates the interconnectedness them and the fact they all must be considered in relation to each other and cannot be considered in isolation.

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ESD embodies the three concepts of:

Environmental conservation Social equity Economic prosperity

All three are interrelated and have to be considered as such. The environment in which we live has to be treated carefully so we can ensure it is left in a good state for the future generations. However, for there to be future generations, we must have settlements in which to live – be they urban areas or rural residential or in houses scattered throughout the countryside. If we are going to live in an area, there also must be a market economy. There is a need to find the balance between these three so we can have a sustainable future and can leave an intact environment to the future generations.

Conservation Environmental and

Opportunities Social and Development and Economic Strategy Constraints Factors

Figure 5.1: Issues and Themes for Conservation and Development Source: Sinclair 2002d

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The principles have been grouped into the two categories and are as follows:

Social and Economic Environmental Opportunities Factors and Constraints

Growth Management Water Catchments Land Use Planning Ecological Management and Community Services and Biodiversity Quality of Life Scenic Landscapes Economic Growth Heritage and Culture Infrastructure Natural Hazards

The principles have been derived from planning principles to ensure sustainability and respond to the matters outlined in the previous chapters. The headings are self explanatory and are considered to cover all of the matters to ensure that the future of Greater Taree is sustainable. They should be adhered to in all Council decision making – both strategic as well as operational.

To ensure that there is a balance between conservation and development for the future of Greater Taree so as to ensure its sustainability, the following principles have been identified:

Growth Management

Embody the concepts of Ecologically Sustainable Development; Provide a choice of living opportunities and types of settlement; Establish and adhere to a settlement hierarchy; Limit expansion to those towns that have the capacity for growth and provide for growth of selected villages; Set a limit on the growth of towns and then plan a new town that are in areas that are accessible to the regional centre.; Promote the provision of housing and support services for the growing aged population but only in locations which provide / have the potential to provide appropriate and effective services; Provide for a range of lifecycle groups to support and maintain the community; Avoid development in areas of conservation significance;

Land Use Planning

Develop a land use framework that provides certainty for the residents. This includes a new Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plan and policies and guidelines; Allow for there to be flexibility in the implementation of land use policies; Ensure that there is sufficient land stocks to meet the residential, commercial and industrial / manufacturing needs of the community; Establish a retail hierarchy that retains the regional significance of the Taree CBD whilst allowing for appropriate levels of retail use in other centres in accordance with the settlement hierarchy;

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Community Services and Quality of Life

Ensure that settlements have access to an appropriate level of community services and facilities

Economic Growth

Provide for a diversity of employment opportunities which capitalise on the economic strengths of the Manning Valley; Develop strategies to retain the existing businesses; Ensure that the current diversity of economic activity continues; Build on the industry sectors that have been identified as the drivers of the future economy; Encourage a wide range of agricultural and other complimentary rural uses such as tourism having regard to environmental impact; Target job opportunities and education that allows for the retention of young people in the community;

Infrastructure

Ensure that there is appropriate infrastructure provided to the towns and villages as outlined in the settlement hierarchy; Coordinate with MidCoast Water to ensure that reticulated water and sewerage is available to the towns in the settlement hierarchy; Provide for facilities to allow access to the Manning River; Plan for population growth to minimise the impact of development on the road system; Ensure that where necessary, adequate upgrading of roads, recreation and community facilities occurs in association with development; Coordinate with the relevant Government Authorities to ensure provision of Police, Ambulance, Health and Education services and facilities in association with development;

Water Catchments

Embody the concept of Total Catchment Management, including the actions in the Lower North Coast Catchment Blueprint Protect the water quality of the Manning River and its tributaries; Where possible, improve the water quality of rivers, creeks and lakes;

Ecological Management and Biodiversity

Enhance and maintain the ecological integrity of the LGA Protect and conserve the biodiversity of the region Ensure that habitat of flora and fauna is conserved

Scenic Landscapes

Protect the integrity of both modified and natural landscapes Ensure that development has regard to the natural values and features;

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Heritage

Preserve the heritage and culture of Greater Taree

Natural Hazards

Recognise the impact of natural hazards on the future settlement pattern.

5.4 Strategies

The strategies listed below outline the matters that need to be considered when looking at the future of the City of Greater Taree. They incorporate objectives, implementation strategies and policy actions.

The strategies have been grouped into the two categories outlined in Chapter 5 and are as follows:

Social and Economic Environmental Opportunities Factors and Constraints

The implementation strategies contained in this section expand on the objectives and state how they are to be achieved and point towards the policy and actions that are required to carry out the strategy. The policy actions outline the detail of the strategies and provide an indication of what work is required.

This section is laid out so that it is easy to identify what actions are required for the strategies which are outlined. The following chart shows how it is to be read.

The timeframe has been selected to allow them to be built into the State and Local political processes and are broken into three sections:

short term which is nought to two years, medium term which is two five years, and long-term which is five years and beyond.

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Objective Implementation Policy Action Outlines the Strategy Outlines the work that broad things Identifies what has needs to be done to that have to be to be done to achieve the objective addressed. achieve the and implementation objective. strategy.

Responsibility Timeframe

Details who is Outlines the timeframe

responsible for in which the Policy

doing the work. Action is to be

implemented

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5.5 Social and Economic Factors

5.5.1. Growth Management

Objective: Provide for coordinated, effective and sustainable growth of urban and rural areas.

Responsibility Time- Implementation Strategy Policy Action frame 1. Promote a balanced 1.1 Adopt the conservation and development principles Council Short term approach to growth that outlined in section 5.2 of this document and ongoing provides for sustainable 1.2 Provide a mix of housing opportunities which includes growth management. urban, rural residential surrounding specified settlements and farm housing. 1.3 Investigate the potential for high rise housing in the Taree CBD 2. Prepare a hierarchy of 2.1 Adopt the settlement hierarchy as follows shown on Map Council and Short term settlements based on 4.7 Government Villages and Rural Agencies Localities. Regional Centre Taree Towns Harrington, Hallidays Point (Diamond Beach, Red Head, Black Head and Tallwoods), Old Bar – Wallabi Point, Wingham Villages Coopernook, Crowdy Head, Cundletown, Elands, Hannam Vale, Johns River, Krambach, Lansdowne, Manning Point, Moorland, Mount George, Tinonee, Rural Localities Bobin, Burrell Creek, Croki, Dyers Crossing Killabakh Oxley

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Responsibility Time- Implementation Strategy Policy Action frame Island Village, Rainbow Flat, Upper Lansdowne, Wherrol Flat 3. Ensure that the provision 3.1 Review the population projections in the light of the 2006 Council Short term of services is responsive Census of Population and Housing to the needs of the 3.2 Gather data on the people who are moving into the area. people who are moving This to be done after the 2006 Census of Population and in Housing. 4. Ensure that land is 4.1 Prepare a land release monitor for residential and rural Council Short term released in an effective residential land. and ongoing and efficient manner. 5. Provide for the economic 5.1 Prepare Strategies for the economic and social growth for Council and Short term and social growth of the the urban and rural lands of Greater Taree. Government and ongoing rural areas and in Agencies particular, maintain and enhance rural job opportunities. 6. Ensure that the Council 6.1 Investigate the adoption of a sustainable city concept. Council Short term adheres to the concept 6.2 Prepare an ecological footprint for the Greater Taree of sustainability in its Local Government Area decision making and 6.3 Prepare a set of indicators of sustainability and utilise the actions. State of the Environment Report to measure and report on these indicators

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5.5.2. Land Use Planning

Objective: Develop a land use framework that will give a level of certainty to the people who live in the Greater Taree

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame 1. Develop a new suite of 1.1. Adopt the following land use designations for the rural Council and DOP Short term land use designations. area as outlined on map 4.29:

Agriculture Agricultural Landscape Rural Residential Estates Rural Lifestyle Village Native Vegetation

1.2 Prepare a draft LEP to formalise these as statutory zones for the rural area. 2. Allow for urban 2.1. Prepare a draft LEP and DCP to facilitate the rezoning of expansion of specified the land identified in maps 4.15 to 4.27. towns and villages 3. Include in each land 3.1. Prepare a set of desired future character statements for Council Short term use designation a set each of the land use designations which address the of desired future following matters: character statements 3.1.1. Agriculture which will provide the protect and conserve the productive potential of basis for the objectives agricultural land, of each zone. minimise the incidence of rural land use conflict encourage the productive and efficient use of land for agricultural purposes, control subdivision of land having regard to the efficient

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame use of the land for agricultural purposes, enable other forms of development associated with rural activity to be carried out where they are in keeping with the rural character of the area and where they minimise potential interference with the agricultural use of the land, prevent development of inappropriate traffic-generating uses along main road frontages, prevent development that is inappropriate, having regard to the risks of bush fire, flooding, soil erosion, land instability, quality of access and the provision of utility services and community facilities, protect the natural and scenic resources of the Greater Taree local government area. Protection and improvement of water quality and the maintenance of environmental flows Preservation and enhancement of native vegetation, including habitat linkages. Maintenance of large holdings. Buildings to blend into the landscape. Develop land to its capability Protection of the amenity of existing residents.

3.1.2. Agricultural Landscape enable the continuation of traditional forms of rural land use and occupation, and ensure that any development is of a type and intensity that is appropriate to the characteristics of the land, the rural environment, the standard of public services and amenities available to the development and the costs of

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame upgrading those services, and ensure that development is carried out in a manner that does not adversely affect water quality, and prevent development that is inappropriate, having regard to the risks of bush fire, flooding, soil erosion, land instability, quality of access and the provision of utility services and community facilities, and protect the natural and scenic resources of the Greater Taree local government area. Protection and improvement of water quality and the maintenance of environmental flows Preservation and enhancement of native vegetation, including habitat linkages. Maintenance of large holdings. Buildings to blend into the landscape. Develop land to its capability Protection of the amenity of existing residents.

3.1.3. Rural Lifestyle

Preservation of the open rural landscape and its cultural heritage values. Maintenance of large holdings. Buildings to blend into the landscape by having ‘earthy’ colours and low scale buildings. Protection and improvement of water quality and the maintenance of environmental flows Preservation and enhancement of native vegetation, including habitat linkages. Protection of the amenity of existing residents.

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame Screening from public places. Protection of the amenity of existing residents..

3.1.4. Rural Residential Estates

Protection of the amenity of existing residents. Uses to be compatible with residential living areas. Buildings to blend into the landscape Protection and improvement of water quality; Preservation and enhancement of native vegetation, including habitat linkages. Prohibit intensive agricultural pursuits. Screening from public places. Protection of the amenity of existing residents.

3.1.5. Village

Retain rural village character. Ensure that new dwellings respect the character of surrounding dwellings. Ensure new residential development has regard to the scale and form of existing development Protection and improvement of water quality and the maintenance of environmental flows

3.1.6. Native Vegetation to identify and protect natural habitats for conservation purposes, with particular attention being given to the protection of forest ecosystems, and to protect significant forested viewscapes within the

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame Greater Taree local government area, and to prohibit development that is likely to have a detrimental effect on the habitat or landscape, and to enable development that would not have a significant detrimental effect on the habitat. preserve the integrity of the native vegetation for its own values as well as habitat conservation. recognise areas of significant threatened species. protect areas of significant habitat. Provide for sustainable landuses such as ecotourism identify linkages to be protected and enhanced. limit clearing of land and construction of buildings in close proximity to the edges of the zone. 4. Ensure that residential 4.1. All Local Environmental Studies for residential and rural Council Short term and rural residential residential development must address a set of rezonings are carried development criteria. . out in a sustainable manner 5. Identify minimum lot 5.1. Adopt the following lot size minimum for the corresponding Council Short term sizes that will enable land use designation: the continuation of the Agriculture 20 ha use. Agricultural Landscape 80 ha Rural Residential Estates average 1.5 ha with minum of 8,000 m2. If connected to reticulated sewerage, 4,000 m2 Rural Lifestyle 6. Ensure that there is 6.1. Prepare a Retail Strategy and Hierarchy for the City which Council Short Term adequate land assesses the need for shopping and commercial available for the community facilities together provision strategies which industrial and identify the size, location, timing, function and commercial needs management based on best practice planning criteria.

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame 6.2. Prepare an Employment Lands Strategy which addresses the need for adequate provision of employment lands in the City. 7. Ensure that there is 7.1. Provide for tourist accommodation and resort style Council Short Term adequate provision for development and for small-scale bed and breakfast tourist facilities accommodation and tourism activities in Rural zonings which are consistent with the environment capacity of the area 8. Ensure that the urban 8.1. Prepare a set of urban design guidelines to ensure that the design of new buildings design of new houses is sympathetic with the surrounding is in sympathy with the residential area. surrounding residential character 9. Prepare management 9.1. Prepare a Development Control Plan to provide effective Council Short term guidelines for land uses and appropriate land use management guidelines for rural in rural areas. land. .

5.5.3. Community Services and Quality of Life

Objective: Ensure that residents have adequate access to and equity for the provision of services and facilities.

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame 1 Assess the adequacy of 1.1 Carry out a survey and consultation program with the Council and Short to the services and facilities people living in rural areas to ascertain their needs. This State medium provided to the people is to be done in conjunction with the Community Plan. Government term who live in Greater 1.2 Consistent with Council’s Community Plan 2004 – 2009, Taree. identify sites and funding mechanisms for Council

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame multipurpose Centres in Harrington, Hallidays Point and Old Bar. Ensure proposed centres meet best practice planning criteria for appropriate location and function. 1.3 Liaise with Community Services to ensure development opportunities are identified with appropriate service providers 1.4 Review capacity and zoning of existing commercial centres in Harrington, Hallidays Point and Old Bar to ensure medical centres can be established 1.5 Permit medical practitioners to operate from home offices in all residential zones. 1.6 Consistent with Council’s Community Plan 2004 – 2009, identify sites and funding mechanisms for Council multipurpose Centres in Harrington, Hallidays Point and Old Bar. Ensure proposed centres meet best practice planning criteria for appropriate location and function. 1.7 Prepare a Social Plan for Brimbin which in addition to other social issues yet to be identified also assesses the need for public community facilities together provision strategies which identify the size, location, timing, function and management based on best practice planning criteria. 1.8 Prepare a Open Space and Recreation Facilities Plan for Old Bar, Harrington and Brimbin which assesses the need for public open space and recreation facilities for residents, workers and tourists together with provision strategies which identify the size, location, timing, function and management based on best practice planning criteria. 2 Ensure that there is 2.1 Consult with local land owners in Harrington, Old Bar Council and

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame adequate levels of and Hallidays Point to identify appropriate sites within State service for senior living the urban areas for seniors living developments. Government developments 2.2 Seek exemption from the proposed Seniors Living SEPP Agencies to ensure a more planned approach to the provision of large serviced retirement villages in non-urban locations. 2.3 Develop and adopt an Adaptable Housing DCP which requires 1 adaptable housing unit per 20 dwellings. As part of the DCP process, provide information to the local development industry on the need for adaptable housing and specific building requirements of the DCP. 2.4 Require developers to contribute towards shared pedestrian/cycle networks in all urban areas.

3 Improve the delivery of 3.1 Improve the amount of aged accommodation, public Council, State services and facilities to transport, youth employment opportunities. and Federal provide for an adequate Government and quality of life for the Community residents 4 Recognise and support 4.1 Develop plans to ensure that the cultural diversity of the Council, State Short to the cultural diversity of Greater Taree is preserved and fostered. and Federal medium Greater Taree. Government and term Community 5 Monitor the provision of 5.1 Prepare a set of Quality of life indicators which can be Council and Short to services and facilities for measured and used to assess the level of service State medium the people who live in provided to the people of rural areas. This is to be done Government term rural areas to ensure in conjunction with the Community Plan. that they are receiving adequate level of service.

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5.5.4. Economic and Employment Opportunities

Objective: To provide for economic development opportunities that are in keeping with the character of Greater Taree

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame 1 Ensure that the Council's 1.1 Implement the Economic Planning Group’s Business Plan Council Short term actions and policies are 1.2 Focus economic development on the key sectors of and ongoing in accordance with the Retail, Manufacturing, Health and Community Services Manning Valley and Education. Economic Development 1.3 Develop a strategy to increase employment in the key Strategy sectors outlined above 2 Encourage tourism to 2.1 Provide more tourism infrastructure for the area, Council Short term become a key sector of including basic needs such as toilets, picnic and and ongoing the economy recreation areas, 2.2 Prepare strategies to attract more accommodation providers to the area targeting the large resort style of development. 3 Ensure that the manning 3.1 Undertake a study on the feasibility of constructing Council Short to River is a focus of boating facilities at Taree, Old Bar and Harrington medium economic activity including identifying appropriate sites; options for public term and private usage; potential for public open space provision and consideration of issues such as river landscape, riverbank quality, traffic generation/parking and pollution. 3.2 Prepare a CBD Riverfront Masterplan which focuses on providing improved public access to a high quality public riverfront through the redevelopment of existing private properties. 4 Improve the skill level of 4.1 Lobby for the establishment of a university campus in Council and Short term the community Taree community 5 Better utilise the river as 5.1 Establish a fish Co-op at Taree Council and Short term

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame a source of economic 5.2 Maintain the Harrington entrance of the Manning River community and ongoing development but do not interfere with the natural processes by artificially opening the entrance at Old Bar 5.3 Provide public access and boating facilities at Taree, Harrington, Manning Point and Old Bar 5.4 Encourage river based tourism 5.5 Encourage the businesses in Taree CBD to have direct access to the riverfront from their properties. 5.6 Implement the already prepared masterplan for the river front at Taree 6 Provide support for home 6.1 Prepare a strategy to provide support for home based Council and Short term based businesses within businesses in the LGA Department of the LGA 6.2 In conjunction with Great Lakes Shire, carry out a study State and into the needs of home based business in the region. Regional Development 7 Ensure that the City of 7.1 Prepare strategies to address the range of economic Council Short term Greater Taree addresses drivers of the economy as outlined in chapter 2. the best economic 7.2 Prepare a Retail Hierarchy study and commercial study drivers for the future of Taree 8 Continue to promote and 8.1 In conjunction with Regional Business Enterprise Council, and Short term support the existing services, Chambers of Commerce and Progress Government and ongoing businesses Associations advise the existing businesses of relevant Agencies opportunities and provide updates on best business practices, funding opportunities, etc.

5.5.5. Infrastructure Requirements

Objective: Provide an adequate level of infrastructure for the people who live and work in the Greater Taree LGA.

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame 1 Provide for adequate 1.1 Liaise with MidCoast Water to ensure that all towns have Council and Short term water and sewerage an adequate level of water and sewerage infrastructure. MidCoast Water infrastructure in association with development 2 Provide adequate levels 2.1 Develop best practice planning criteria for public Council and of service for public transport services (including bus, bicycle and pedestrian State transport facilities) for all new developments and require Government developer contributions for an integrated public Agencies transport network linking the regional centre with towns and villages. 2.2 Investigate the feasibility of park and ride infrastructure at Hallidays Point, Old Bar, Harrington and Wingham. 2.3 Focus urban development on the established towns and villages with development outside these areas required to provide a viable public transport strategy as part of the rezoning process. 3 Request the State 3.1 Request the NSW Regional Coordinator for the Government Service Hunter/North Coast or Regional Managers to assess the providers to have an need for additional facilities and services as a result of adequate level of service this Strategy and provide information on expected new for the towns and infrastructure required; timing and location of additional villages throughout the requirements; and potential implications for Council City . planning 4 Provide development 4.1 Prepare a plan to ensure that there is adequate levels of only in areas that have access to each of the towns in the settlement hierarchy adequate road access 5 Ensure that the most 5.1 Adopt a policy of not permitting subdivision of rural land Council and Mid Short to appropriate sewage less than 1 ha unless it can be connected to a Coast Water medium disposal system is reticulated sewerage system. term

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time-frame provided for all land in the rural areas 6 Utilise the Manning River 6.1 Investigate the provision of boating facilities at Taree, Council Short term and tributaries for access Harrington, Manning Point and Old Bar and tourism 6.2 Investigate the development of a second breakwater at Harrington 7 Ensure that there are 7.1 Develop and implement action plans for the rural Council and Short to adequate Community villages and centres to ensure that the appropriate Government medium facilities to house the levels of infrastructure are provided. This is to be done Agencies term required level of social in conjunction with the Community Plan. services. 8 Ensure that Recreation 8.1 Develop and implement action plans for the rural Council and Short to facilities are adequate to villages and centres to ensure that the appropriate Government medium serve the needs of the levels of infrastructure are provided. Agencies term residents of rural areas.

5.6 Environmental Opportunities and Constraints

5.6.1. Water Catchments

Objective: To ensure that the quality of surrounding waterways is not adversely affected by development.

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame 1. Consider the cumulative impact of 1.1 Establish a set of Catchment Health Indicators Council and, Short development on the catchment. by which the cumulative impact of development DOP & DEC Term can be measured and managed. This is to be done in conjunction with the State of the Environment Reporting.

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame 1.2 Investigate the potential for water reuse Council & throughout the LGA MidCoast Water 2. Ensure development does not 2.1 All development is to utilise the principles of increase the sedimentation load in water sensitive urban design Council On- surrounding water bodies. going 3. Ensure new development is 3.1 All development to be located an appropriate Council On- located so it does not have a distance from waterways and develop means of going detrimental impact on nearby protecting riparian zones. water bodies. 4. Ensure Domestic and other forms 4.1 On-site effluent disposal is to be in accordance Council On- of Effluent Disposal does not have with a DCP dealing with On-site Sewage going a detrimental impact on water Management for each rural living precinct and quality. the NSW Environment and Health Protection Guidelines for On-site Sewage Management for Single Households.

5.6.2. Ecological Management and Biodiversity

Objective: To ensure that the ecological integrity of the rural lands are enhanced and maintained.

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame 1 Recognise and understand the 1.1 Utilise the conservation significance levels Council and Short biodiversity values of Greater mapping to determine land to be preserved. Government term Taree. 1.2 Consider the implementation of environment Agencies in and protection zones and other measures to protect partnership with ongoing these significant biodiversity areas the community 1.3 Establish a land use and management approach

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame consistent with State, regional, local biodiversity goals, including Regional Vegetation Management Plans and Catchment Blueprints (and the yet to be prepared Catchment Action Plans) 2 Preserve the existing biodiversity 2.1 Identify and protect significant linkages of Council Short habitat on private lands. native vegetation. term 2.2 Investigate the potential of excluding domestic animals from key sensitive areas of biodiversity significance 2.3 Endorse the draft Koala Plan of Management 2.4 Develop a black spot animal mortality program 3 Increase awareness and 3.1 Prepare guidelines for tree / vegetation Council and Short involvement in identifying, evaluation including use of the 8 part test for Government term protecting and enhancing significance under the provisions of the Agencies and biodiversity. Threatened Species Conservation Act (for DA ongoing Assessment). 3.2 Utilise the State of the Environment Report to assess and report on the loss of biodiversity over time 4 Encourage the State Government 4.1 Request the Hunter and Central Rivers CMA to Council and Short to continue to investigate and prepare a regional biodiversity study and Government term identify the biodiversity values of strategy Agencies in and Greater Taree City partnership with ongoing the community

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5.6.3. Scenic and Landscape

Objective: Ensure that development has a minimal impact on the scenic and cultural landscape of Greater Taree

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame 1 Incorporate the preservation of 1.1 Ensure that dwelling houses and outbuildings in Council Short landscape into a development rural areas are classified as local development term control plan. under the provisions of the Environmental and Planning and Assessment Act. ongoing 1.2 Develop guidelines for the siting and design of buildings in the rural landscape.

5.6.4. Heritage and Culture

Objective: To preserve the rural heritage and culture of Greater Taree.

Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame 1. Ensure that the heritage 1.1 Implement the Council’s Heritage Strategy resources of Greater Taree are 1.2 Provide an incentive mechanism to allow protected heritage items to be used for alternate uses. 2. Protect and enhance the 1.3 Prepare guidelines to ensure that the heritage Council Short recognised heritage values. values of the landscape are preserved and not term harmed by development and incorporate these into a LEP and / or DCP.

3. Identify the Aboriginal Heritage 1.4 Carry out an assessment of the Aboriginal

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Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility Time- frame significance of Greater Taree Heritage of the City, in consultation with local Aboriginal groups, with the aim to prepare planning guidelines to ensure that it is protected. 4. Promote and support the rural 1.5 Publish information on heritage items and Council Short culture of Greater Taree include in community and tourist information term 1.6 Support cultural and tourist activities which promote rural heritage eg local shows, agricultural days, heritage tourist trails etc 5. Provide incentives to protect the 1.7 Encourage landowners to carry out a heritage Council heritage values. curtilage study and conservation plans of historic homesteads including homestead gardens.

5.6.5. Natural Hazards

Objective: Recognise the impact of natural hazards on future land use and settlement.

Time- Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility frame 1. Ensure bush fire risk is considered 1.1 Ensure that all future rezoning of land adheres Council and Short in all future settlement areas. to the principles of Planning for Bushfires 2001. Government term 1.2 Provide information on the Bushfire regulations Agencies covering Greater Taree. 1.3 Provide information on the Emergency Services Disaster Management and Response Plan. 2. Ensure that land degradation is 2.1 Do not allow development to occur on land Council and minimised. where vegetation clearing will result in Government unacceptable levels of erosion using the highly Agencies

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Time- Implementation Strategy Policy Action Responsibility frame erodable soils mapping as a guide. 2.2 Ensure developers and residents are aware of best land management practices erosion and sedimentation control and thus minimising erosion. 3. Minimise the potential for acid 3.1 Ensure that development avoids areas of acid Council and sulphate soils to cause a hazard sulphate soils. Government 3.2 Incorporate the Acid Sulphate Soils draft LEP Agencies provisions into the proposed LEP and DCP. 4. Identify the flooding of land as a 4.1 Implement the findings of the Floodplain Council and constraint to future development. Management Plan for the Manning river Government 4.2 Ensure that localised flooding is taken into Agencies account when assessing DAs for dwellings that have access over watercourses. 4.3 Identify flood prone lands within the City and particularly those areas where flooding poses a significant risk to new development or productive land management. 4.4 Identify areas where flooding could be exacerbated by inappropriate development in the locality or upstream. 4.5 Provide information on the Emergency Services Disaster Management and Response Plan.

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Chapter 6: Conclusion

The Greater Taree Local Government Area has a mixture of natural and man made landscapes that provide an environment which is sought after as a place for living as well as recreation. The area is growing rapidly and the Council wants to ensure that the growth is managed to preserve as much of the environmental attributes as possible for the future.

In order to do this, the Council have prepared this Conservation and Development Strategy. The existing social, environmental and economic aspects of the LGA have been described. The various issues that have to be considered to ensure that the future is sustainable have been discussed and options have been explored to come up with a preferred strategy for the LGA.

The justification for the growth of the LGA has been given as a growing population with a robust and growing economy and having adequate levels of infrastructure and land capability for future growth.

The basic growth option chosen is one of limited growth of the coastal towns and Taree and Wingham with a new town proposed to be built at Brimbin.

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Bibliography

Auster, M and Epps, R (1993)

Burnley, I and Murphy, P (2004) Sea Change – Movement from Metropolitan to Arcadian Australia, UNSW Press, Sydney

Bossel, H. (1999), Indicators for Sustainable Development: Theory, Methods and Applications, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada.

Briggs, G, & Whitehead, R, March 2000, Agricultural Buffers and Land Use Planning, NSW Agriculture, Tocal, Paterson.

Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (2003) Industry Structure Database, Department of Transport and Regional Services, Canberra.

Burnley, I and Murphy P (2004) Sea Change – from Metropolitan to Arcadian Australia, University of NSW Press, Kensington.

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (2004a) NSW Statistical Local Area Population Projections 2001 – 2031, 2004 Release, DOP, Sydney

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (2004b) NSW State and Regional Population Projections 2001 – 2051, 2004 Release, DOP, Sydney

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (2005) Floodplain Development Manual – The Management of Flood Liable Land, DOP, Sydney

Faullding, M, Kelly, AHH, Bateson, P, Donovan, I, (2001) Biodiversity Planning Guide for NSW Local Government, Edition 1, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville

Greater Taree City Council (2004), Greater Taree Community Plan 2005 – 2009, Greater Taree City Council, Taree

Greater Taree City Council (2004) State of the Environment Report, Greater Taree City Council, Taree

Gurran, N, Squires, C and Blakely, E (2005) Meeting the Sea Change Challenge: Sea Chamge Communities in Coastal Australia, Report for the National Sea Change Taskforce.

Heather Nesbitt Planning (2002) Hallidays Point Open Space and Recreation Facilities Plan, Greater Taree City Council, Taree

Jackson (2004) LGSA ageing projections

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McHarg, I.L. (1992) Design With Nature, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Morris, W and Kaufman, J, (1996) Mixed Use Developments – New Designs for New Livelihoods Information Paper, Queensland Department of Tourism, Small Business and Industry, Brisbane.

NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (2003) NSW State of the Environment Report 2003, NSW DEC, Sydney.

Salt, B (2003) The Big Shift – Welcome to the Third Australian Culture, Second Edition, Hardie Grant Books, Melbourne NSW Rural Fire Service and Planning NSW (2001) Planning for Bushfire Protection, NSW Government, Sydney

Organisation on Economic Cooperation and Development (1999) Coherence in Environmental Assessment, OECD, Paris

Sinclair, I.W. (1999a), What is Sustainable Agriculture, in New Planner, Number 38. Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I.W. (1999b), What Rural Land, in New Planner, Number 39. Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I. W. (2000), From Strategy to Plan – Planning for Rural Land in Australia, Paper presented to the American Planners Association Conference, New York City April 2000.

Sinclair, I. W. (2001a) Incentives as a Planning Tool, in New Planner, Number 46, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I. W. (2001b) Rural Residential Development, in New Planner, Number 47, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I. W. (2001c) Rural Residential Development Impact, in New Planner, Number 48, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I. W. (2001d) Lifestyle Living, in New Planner, Number 49, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I.W. (2002a) Bushfire Risk in New Planner, Number 50, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sinclair, I. W., (2002b), Growth Management and Rural Land, Paper presented to UNSW Planning Law and Practice Short Course, Kensington.

Sinclair, I.W., (2002c) Preserving Rural Land in Australia, Paper presented to Joint Royal Australian Planning Institute / New Zealand Planning Institute Conference, Wellington.

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Sinclair, I.W. (2002d) Smart Growth or Smart Living in New Planner, Number 51, Royal Australian Planning Institute (NSW), Sydney

Sustainable Seattle (2000) Sustainable Seattle Website, www.scn.org/sustainable

Therivel R., Wilson E., Thompson S., Heaney D &Pritchard D., (1992) Strategic Environmental Assessment, Earthscan Publications Ltd., London,

Williams, J., Hook, R.A. & Gascoine, H.L. (1998) Farming Action Catchment Reaction – the effect of dryland farming on the natural environment, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

World Wildlife Fund, United Nations Environment Program and the Global Footprint Network (2004) Living Planet Report 2004, World Wildlife Fund, Switzerland.

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Appendix 1: Population Scenario Methodology

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This brief review was undertaken to assist Council and its consultants in the tasks of identifying improvements which could be made to the Taree Demographic Profile, developing a range of Development Strategies for settlements within the City, and establishing a Population and Development Monitor.

The simple intent was to incorporate post-census residential development and projected residential development to 2020 in one data source based on the results of the 2001 Census. The idea was not to produce an answer so much as to develop a suggestion as to how such a data source might work.

To begin, existing profiles were critically examined, with the following results:

The 2004 Demographic Profile divides the G.T.C.C. Area into 8 Social Catchment Areas (SCAs). The Profile also identifies 20 localities. The boundaries of these localities do not correspond exactly with the boundaries of the SCAs. The localities appear to comprise either a township or settlement, and surrounding rural areas (as a separate locality). Table 2.2 of the 2004 Demographic Profile refers to 17 “Areas”. In the cases of some of the smaller settlements, the ‘areas’ appear to correlate with the localities – e.g. Lansdowne “Area” is the same as the Lansdowne locality. However, in the cases of the larger areas the associations are not as clear. Demographica’s population projections are based on 1996 Census Data. Their 2001 estimated population for the LGA is 2,370 persons more than the ABS 2001 ERP. As all projections appear to relate back to their 2001 estimated population, the estimates for 2006 onwards appear to be similarly skewed. The most obvious problem in Demographica’s methodology of population projection is the assumption that each SCA will continue to accommodate the same proportions of population as were in each of these catchment areas in 1996. For example, in 1996 SCA 1 ‘accommodated’ 17.6% of the population of the LGA. According to Demographica’s methodology, in 2016, SCA 1 will still ‘house’ 17.6% of the LGA population. This methodology does not appear to take into account the Development Strategies or any development- approval/dwelling-commencement information. Furthermore, the method of ‘breakdown’ of the SCA data into the 17 “Areas” has not been documented. A cross-check with the CD’s listed in Tables 2.1 and 2.2 of 2004 Demographic Profile, and the ABS 2001 concordance list of CD’s, indicates that 4 CD’s were not included. In addition, one CD was actually listed twice. The 2001 total population as detailed in Tables 2.1 and 2.2 is the ABS Census count. This is different to the ABS ERP for 2001 for the LGA which is in fact 1,795 persons more than the Census count. The information in the final version.xls spreadsheet is an aggregation of all CD’s in the G.T.C.C. Area. In each case, the SCA, Locality and “Area” of each CD have been identified.

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Then, a simple spreadsheet was constructed, into which all the pieces of data regarding past, present and future residential development (and population), could be entered. The spreadsheet assumed the following :

2001 ERP for each CD calculated as a proportion of the total census count (for GTCC) against the total ERP for GTCC. The 2001 total population estimate is an Estimated Total Population Potential (ETPP) in that it is an estimate of the total population potential of each area based on the total number of private dwellings (i.e. – occupied and unoccupied). In this way, the demand for services by the potential population can be estimated.

For all subsequent years, the estimated number of additional lots has been factored in using the 2001 estimate as a base.

Proportion of OPD/Unoccupied dwellings assumed to remain constant, i.e. – same as 2001. Proportions of dwelling types same as 2001 proportions. Occupancy rates assumed to remain constant at 2001 rates. No allowances made for the effects of migration. Where development strategy areas extend across CD boundaries, a proportion of the development has been ‘assigned’ to each of the relevant CDs. Where development is staged, assumption made that that part of the development strategy area closest to existing urban development will be developed first. No allowance made for redevelopment of existing urban land for medium density housing. 2001 – 2005 dwelling increase in each CD has been taken from detailed counts provided by Council staff. 2006 – 2020 dwelling increase in each CD has been taken from detailed estimates of “supply” provided by Council staff. There is no provision for a separate locality of Crowdy Head, as distinct from the Crowdy Head Rural Balance, because there is only one (very extensive) CD which covers all that area. Therefore only sixteen of the seventeen ‘Areas’ or ‘Localities’ could be listed in this preliminary analysis.

The result is contained in a draft spreadsheet called “Final Version.xls”. It is intended that the data contained therein be used as the basis for future analysis by Council officers and consultants in furthering the aims of the project relating to the Profile, the Strategy, and the Monitor.

Because of the critical nature of the assumptions regarding possible future development potentials in strategic areas, the following lists the assignment of dwelling/lot potential by strategic site, by future time period, into relevant census CD’s:

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Appendix 2: Brimbin Details

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Appendix 3: Land Use Survey Methodology

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A component of this strategy has been the carrying out of a land use survey of all of the land within the LGA. The purpose of the land use survey is to gain an indication of the land use trends.

The preparation of a land use survey is one of the most important components when zoning rural land. Each parcel of land within the rural areas and each lot in the towns and villages has been inspected and given a land use code. This has been entered into Council’s Property Information database and mapped using a GIS.

The categorisation of the land uses to be surveyed has been identified. The land use has been categorised into primary and secondary land use categories. The primary land use categories are as follows:

Rural Residential Intensive Plants Intensive Animals Extensive Agriculture Vacant Commercial Extractive industry Public Use Village Native Vegetation

Definitions of each use which were used for the purpose of identifying the land uses are as follows:

Rural Residential means a house on a lot that is greater than 1 ha generally, and is in a rural environment where the main source of income is from other sources than agriculture use of the land. Intensive Plants means the growing of vegetables and ornamental plants for commercial gain using the application of irrigated water and includes market gardening, protected cropping structures, orchards, vineyards, and other similar uses. Intensive Animals means the rearing of animals using a feeding method other than natural grazing and includes poultry and piggeries mainly. Extensive Agriculture means the growing of plants using natural rainfall or the rearing of animals using grazing as a feeding method. It also includes the growing of fodder crops and irrigated pasture. Vacant land is land that is mostly cleared of native vegetation and which does not have any dwellings or other structures on it. Commercial uses are uses that are used for a commercial or industrial type of use and which do not have any dwellings associated with them. Extractive Industry means a use that extracts material from the land and includes sand and clay mining and quarrying of sandstone and other stones.

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Public Uses mean a use that is commonly used and or operated by a public authority or associated body. It includes community facilities, golf courses and Government owned uses of the land Village includes a cluster of houses on small lots in the range of less than 1000 m2 and up to 4000 m2 and which have a general store or other commercial uses in close proximity Native Vegetation means a lot that has no dwellings or structures on it and which has the majority of the land covered in native vegetation.

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Appendix 4 – Methodology to Assess the most appropriate Land Use Designation for Rural Land

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The following method is used to identify the land units and designations discussed in chapter 3.

1. Data Gathering Land Use Survey Lot size analysis Slope mapping Fauna And Flora Study / Vegetation cover Soils mapping Drainage and Catchments Agricultural land classification Landscape features Water quality and quantity

2. Identify Constraints Urban expansion areas Rural residential areas Intensive agricultural uses Land use conflicts Native vegetation areas Water courses Steep land

3. Identify Land Units

Similar topographic features Clusters of land uses

4. Assess Agricultural Potential

Identify high class land Rank areas for land uses Identify lot sizes and land uses

5. Consider the Appropriate Zone

Agriculture Agricultural landscape Native Vegetation Rural living Rural residential estates

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