August 2019 Buloke Shire Rural Land Use & Settlements Strategy PO Box 2706, Cheltenham Victoria | 0408 008 743 | [email protected] Buloke Shire Rural Land Use & Settlements Strategy TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. REGIONAL CONTEXT .................................................................................................................... 3 PART A – RURAL LAND USE ................................................................................................................. 5 3. PLANNING POLICY RELEVANT TO RURAL LAND USE ....................................................................... 6 3.1 GENERAL ...........................................................................................................................................6 3.2 STATE PLANNING POLICY RELEVANT TO RURAL LAND USE .............................................................................6 3.3 WHAT THE MSS HAS TO SAY ABOUT AGRICULTURE ....................................................................................7 3.4 LOCAL PLANNING POLICIES ...................................................................................................................9 4. PARTICULAR PROVISIONS IN PLANNING SCHEME ........................................................................ 12 4.1 CLAUSE 53.08 – CATTLE FEEDLOT .......................................................................................................12 4.2 CLAUSE 53.09 – POULTRY FARM .........................................................................................................12 4.3 CLAUSE 53.16 – PIG FARM ................................................................................................................13 5. BULOKE INTENSIVE LIVESTOCK INVESTMENT GUIDES .................................................................. 14 6. RURAL NATURAL RESOURCES ..................................................................................................... 15 6.1 CLIMATE .........................................................................................................................................15 6.2 LANDFORM ......................................................................................................................................20 6.3 SOILS ..............................................................................................................................................20 6.4 WATER ...........................................................................................................................................26 6.5 VEGETATION ....................................................................................................................................27 6.6 LAND CAPABILITY ..............................................................................................................................28 6.7 LAND QUALITY ..................................................................................................................................28 7. RURAL ACTIVITY AND TRENDS .................................................................................................... 31 7.1 LAND USE PATTERNS ..........................................................................................................................31 7.2 CROPPING .......................................................................................................................................31 7.3 GRAZING .........................................................................................................................................33 7.4 REGIONAL VALUE ..............................................................................................................................35 7.5 AGRICULTURAL TRENDS ......................................................................................................................36 8. PLANNING IMPLICATIONS OF THE RURAL ANALYSIS .................................................................... 37 8.1 PROTECTION OF AREAS OF STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR AGRICULTURE ........................................................37 8.2 THE NEED TO UPDATE THE MSS COMMENTARY ABOUT AGRICULTURE ..........................................................37 8.3 APPROPRIATENESS OF THE EXISTING FARMING ZONE AND SCHEDULED CONTROLS ..........................................37 8.4 OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ...................................................................................39 8.5 INTENSIVE FARMING ..........................................................................................................................39 8.6 RURAL DEPENDENT ENTERPRISES ..........................................................................................................40 8.7 RURAL DWELLING EXCISIONS ...............................................................................................................40 Page | i Buloke Shire Rural Land Use & Settlements Strategy 8.8 RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES ............................................................................................................41 PART B – SETTLEMENTS..................................................................................................................... 43 9. PLANNING POLICY RELEVANT TO THE SHIRE’S SETTLEMENTS ....................................................... 44 9.1 GENERAL .........................................................................................................................................44 9.2 STATE PLANNING POLICY RELEVANT TO SETTLEMENT PLANNING ..................................................................44 10. PREVIOUS RESIDENTIAL STUDIES BY COUNCIL ........................................................................ 45 10.1 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE REVIEW 2009 ..................................................................................................45 10.2 DRAFT RURAL LIVING DEVELOPMENT STUDY 2009 .................................................................................45 11. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................ 47 11.1 THE SHIRE ’S DECLINING POPULATION ....................................................................................................47 11.2 REASONS FOR THE DECLINING POPULATION ............................................................................................48 11.3 IMPLICATIONS OF THE DECLINING POPULATION ........................................................................................48 12. TOWNSHIP STRATEGIES ........................................................................................................ 50 12.1 BIRCHIP ...........................................................................................................................................51 12.2 CHARLTON .......................................................................................................................................52 12.3 DONALD ..........................................................................................................................................54 12.4 SEA LAKE .........................................................................................................................................55 12.5 WYCHEPROOF ..................................................................................................................................56 13. RURAL LIVING OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................. 58 13.1 RURAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS ...............................................................................58 13.2 BIRCHIP RLZ OPPORTUNITIES ..............................................................................................................59 13.3 DONALD RLZ OPPORTUNITIES ..............................................................................................................61 13.4 WYCHEPROOF RLZ OPPORTUNITIES ......................................................................................................61 PART C – FUTURE DIRECTIONS ........................................................................................................... 66 14. FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY ...................................................................................................... 67 14.1 RURAL LAND USE ..............................................................................................................................67 14.2 SETTLEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................68 15. RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO PLANNING CONTROLS............................................................. 69 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................................... 70 APPENDIX A: CLAUSE 21.03-1 ‘AGRICULTURE’ ................................................................................ 71 APPENDIX B: CLAUSE 22.02 ‘RURAL LAND AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE’ .................................. 73 APPENDIX C: VICTORIA IN FUTURE PROJECTIONS FOR BULOKE SHIRE, DELWP ................................. 76 Page | ii Buloke Shire Rural Land Use & Settlements Strategy TABLES TABLE 1: MEAN ANNUAL RAINFALL SUMMARY ACROSS