LOCAL PROVISION TOWONG PLANNING SCHEME 21.04 OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 21.04-1 AGRICULTURE Overview Annual rainfall varies between 650-950mm, together with the climate is suitable for growing a wide range of agricultural products. The Shire has significant high quality agricultural land such as the Mitta River Valley and the flood plain areas along the Murray River located in its northern sectors. The Shire’s agricultural production exceeds $47 million per annum and supplies 37% of the Agricultural produce from the Ovens and Murray Region. Significant water resources are held within the Hume and Dartmouth Dams, which supply water for agricultural and urban communities from Towong to Adelaide. This level of production is very significant for the Ovens and Murray Region, given that it is produced from only 208,853 hectares or 31% of the total land area of the Shire. Towong Shire leads all other municipalities within this region in terms of value for all categories of agricultural production. AGRICULTURAL TOWONG $ TOWONG OVENS MURRAY PRODUCTION REGION % % Cattle 22,303,626 46.80 37.1 Milk production 17,593,670 36.92 21.8 Pastures & Grasses 2,960,887 6.21 5.9 Wool 1,879,611 3.94 3.2 Sheep & lamb 1,175,272 2.47 2.5 slaughtering Pigs slaughtering 1,467,826 3.08 2.4 Other 278,387 0.58 27.1 Total G.V.P. 47,659,279 100 100 These figures are formed by the addition of the former local government areas. Source: Agriculture Victoria, 1995 The natural resources of the Shire, including soil and climate provide opportunities for further development of agricultural and horticultural products. The Murray, Mitta and Tallangatta river valleys all have high quality agricultural land that supports significant agricultural industries. The agricultural resource base is significant in terms of its importance to both Towong Shire and the Ovens and Murray Region and therefore must be supported. Investment in agricultural best practices need to be encouraged and certainty given to these land uses and, their value to the community. Diversification into other agricultural land uses also needs to be encouraged and further developed. Action in both of these areas will assist in broadening the economic base of the region. The potential of the agricultural areas to produce a wider range of product also needs to be further investigated. The broadening of the economic base can also be assisted by the encouragement of niche industries that can take advantage of processing local agricultural products. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.04 PAGE 1 OF 16 8 JULY 1999 LOCAL PROVISION TOWONG PLANNING SCHEME Issues • Protection of high quality agricultural land. • Use of agricultural land for non-agricultural, rural living or hobby farming purposes that conflict with established agricultural and horticultural land uses. • The need for diversification of the economy from commodity to value adding products. Objectives • Ensure that the use and development of rural land is both compatible and complementary to agricultural activities. • Encourage agricultural diversity and promote opportunities for new farming enterprises. • Facilitate more intensive use and diversified use of rural land for higher value products, including horticulture, intensive animal husbandry and agroforestry. • Encourage the expansion of timber production on cropping and grazing land in areas where road infrastructure can be provided. • Protect water quality and water catchments of rivers and watercourses. Strategies • Retain and support high quality agricultural land in the Mitta, Murray, Corryong, Cudgewa, Thowgla and Tallangatta valleys. • Undertake a study to clearly identify those areas of high quality agricultural land. • Facilitate more intensive use and diversified use of rural land for higher value products, including horticulture, intensive animal husbandry and agroforestry which are compatible with surrounding farming practice. • Strengthen existing LandCare and catchment management practices and ensure that the North East Regional Catchment Strategy is implemented. • Encourage the use of LandCare principles within the planning process to rectify soil erosion and vegetation loss. Planning scheme implementation Apply the following zones, overlays and local policies: • Rural Zone for all existing rural zones and adopt a 40 hectare subdivision minimum to prevent the fragmentation of larger rural lots. • Environmental Significance Overlay to protect high quality agricultural land along the Mitta, Murray, Corryong , Cudgewa and Thowgla valleys. • Rural Floodway Overlay to identify land within the 1 in 100 year flood. • Fire hazard policy to ensure that new uses and development do not increase the risk of fire and to ensure that that appropriate fire services to habitable buildings are provided. • Steep land policy to ensure that the development of land does not lead to erosion or environmental damage. • Soil removal policy to ensure that productive soils are protected and managed. • Rural housing policy to ensure the maintenance of agriculture and environmental conditions are not unduly affected by housing in rural areas. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.04 PAGE 2 OF 16 8 JULY 1999 LOCAL PROVISION TOWONG PLANNING SCHEME 21.04-2 FORESTRY AND TIMBER PRODUCTION Overview The Shire of Towong plays an important role in providing approximately 25% of the North East region’s timber from plantations established on both public and private land. Approximately 16,000 hectares of plantations have been established at the Shelley Koetong plantation site. This supplies timber to mills located at Albury-Wodonga, Benalla, Wangaratta, Tumbarumba and Myrtleford. The region also has a large potential for hardwood plantations (such as blue gum) and agroforestry due to the high natural rainfall characteristics of the area. The timber industry is a major national and state employer and generator of export earnings, employing over 1000 people in the North East region, with a product value of $213 million. The flow on effects are significant and taking into account the direct and indirect benefits there are 1900 people employed and the total value of output and flow on to related industries is $353 million. The estimated plantation development for the next 15 years is approximately 30,000 hectares. This production will ensure that adequate resource can be supplied to the major timber industries within the North East region. This production would equate to the utilisation of about 14% of the current land used for grazing purposes. Issues • Establishment of areas to accommodate the proposed future timber plantations. • Road and bridge infrastructure to service plantation and agroforestry development. Objectives • Ensure that the use and development of rural land is both compatible and complementary to agricultural activities. • Encourage agricultural diversity and promote opportunities for new farming enterprises. • Facilitate more intensive use and diversified use of rural land for higher value products, including timber plantations and agroforestry. • Encourage the expansion of timber production on cropping and grazing land, which are capable of providing road infrastructure requirements to this industry. • Ensure roads are constructed, maintained and used in a proper manner. Strategies • Facilitate more intensive use and diversified use of rural land for higher value products, including agroforestry, which are compatible with surrounding farming practices. • Encourage the expansion of timber production and agroforestry within areas that are capable of providing road infrastructure to both plant and harvest those crops. • Allow timber production without a planning permit except in areas that are environmentally significant or have landscape significance. • Encourage the development of agroforestry as a means of reducing environmental problems. • Establish a Towong Regional Plantation Committee to encourage and promote the benefits of timber plantations and Agroforestry. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.04 PAGE 3 OF 16 8 JULY 1999 LOCAL PROVISION TOWONG PLANNING SCHEME • Ensure that suitable road infrastructure is provided for plantation sites and reinforce the Code of Practice of Forest Practice for Timber Production. Planning scheme implementation Apply the following zones, overlays and local policies: • Rural Zone to the land occupied by Hancocks (previously Victoria Plantation Corporation). • Include a schedule within the Rural zone, that a permit is required for timber plantations above 40 hectare in the Overlay areas of Environmental Significance and Significant Landscape. • Timber plantations and timber processing industries policy to assist in the certification of management plans for harvesting. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.04 PAGE 4 OF 16 8 JULY 1999 LOCAL PROVISION TOWONG PLANNING SCHEME 21.04-3 TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT Overview The Shire of Towong is located on the north eastern border of Victoria and New South Wales and occupying an area of approximately 6600 square kilometres. The Shire’s location is significant in terms of being at the headwaters of the mighty Murray River. A number of areas in the Shire, particularly Corryong, relate extensively to areas in New South Wales. The Shire of Towong has an enormous tourist base due to its proximity to the Kosciusko Alpine region, a number of State and National Parks, the Hume, Dartmouth dams and the legend of the “Man from Snowy River”. Seventy percent (70%) of the Shire is public land controlled by either State or National