TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ..................................................................................................i Chapter 1 Introduction..............................................................................................................1 1.1 Background..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose of The Current Study ..................................................................................... 5 1.3 Approach Taken.............................................................................................................7 1.4 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 2 Assessing and Describing the Scenic Values of Meander Valley ...............................9 2.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Issues Affecting the Scenic Values of the Meander Valley....................................... 10 2.2.1 Loss of Native Vegetation............................................................................ 12 2.2.2 Plantation Forestry........................................................................................ 13 2.2.3 Cultural Landscape Management .............................................................. 14 2.2.4 Buildings, Roads and Other Development................................................ 16 2.3 Previous Approaches to Landscape Management in the Meander Valley Council Area....................................................................................................... 17 2.3.1 Visual Management System ........................................................................ 17 2.3.2 Regional Forest Agreement ......................................................................... 19 2.3.3 Tamar Regional Master Planning Authority............................................. 21 2.3.4 Scenery Protection Report – Tony Smibert................................................ 21 2.3.5 Social Values Assessment ............................................................................ 22 2.3.6 Meander Valley Council Planning Scheme 1995 ...................................... 23 2.4 Methodology of the Current Study ............................................................................. 23 2.4.1 Describing and Categorising the Landscape Character........................... 24 2.4.2 Identifying Viewing Types and Significant Viewpoints........................... 28 2.4.3 Identifying Social Value............................................................................... 28 2.4.4 Visual Assessment and Priority Mapping................................................. 34 2.4.5 The Visual Management Matrix for Rural Lands..................................... 38 Chapter 3 Managing Scenic Values in Meander Valley – Three Case Studies ............................41 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................41 3.2 Case Study 1 : Westbury Plains Character Sub-Type................................................42 3.2.1 Sub-type Characteristics...............................................................................43 3.2.2 Frames of Reference for Scenic Quality......................................................46 3.2.3 Significant View Points and Seen Area Mapping.....................................50 3.2.4 Visual Management Priority........................................................................50 3.2.5 Landscape Management Policies for Westbury Plains ...............................57 3.3 Case Study 2 : Gibsons Character Sub-Type...............................................................61 3.3.1 Sub-type Characteristics...............................................................................61 3.3.2 Frames of Reference for Scenic Quality......................................................66 3.3.3 Significant Viewpoints and Seen Area Mapping......................................71 3.3.4 Visual Management Priority........................................................................71 3.3.5 Landscape Management Policies for Gibsons .............................................72 3.4 Case Study 3 : Mole Creek Character Sub-Type ........................................................85 3.4.1 Sub-type Characteristics...............................................................................85 3.4.2 Frames of Reference for Scenic Quality......................................................88 3.4.3 Significant Viewpoints and Seen Area Mapping......................................93 3.4.4 Visual Management Priority........................................................................93 3.3.5 Landscape Management Policies for Mole Creek ........................................93 Chapter 4 Mechanisms to Protect and Manage Scenic Values...................................................101 4.1 Regulative Measures......................................................................................................101 4.1.1 Existing Planning Scheme Provisions.........................................................101 4.1.2 Proposed Planning Scheme Provisions ......................................................103 4.1.3 Assessment Process.......................................................................................106 4.1.4 Other Planning Scheme Controls................................................................109 4.1.4 Other Regulative Controls ...........................................................................109 4.2 Non-Regulative Measures.............................................................................................113 4.2.1 Community Education .................................................................................113 4.2.2 Voluntary Agreements and Incentives.......................................................114 4.2.3 Negotiation between Interest Groups ........................................................115 4.2.4 Adaptation of Existing Management Tools...............................................116 4.2.5 Acquistion...................................................................................................... 116 4.3 Policy Guidelines ........................................................................................................... 117 4.3.1 Industry in the Rural Setting....................................................................... 117 4.3.2 Management of Prime View Locations...................................................... 118 4.3.3 Forestry Operations...................................................................................... 122 4.3.4 Infrastructure................................................................................................. 123 4.3.5 Specific Regional Features-........................................................................... 125 Chapter 5 Recommendations ....................................................................................................129 Appendix 1 Description of the Visual Character of the Visual Units Appendix 2 Criteria for Public Sensitivity Appendix 3 Draft Schedule for the Management of the Scenic Values in Rural Landscapes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY B ACKGROUND The Meander Valley is widely recognised for the quality and diversity of its landscapes and the cultural, natural and scenic values such landscapes hold. These values are important not only to the economy of the region but also for their role in defining the community and what it means to live there. The strong community activism and debate over approaches to the sustainable management of the resources in the Meander Valley in recent years indicates the strength of the community's attachment to these values. The Meander Valley Council is constantly seeking to improve its capacity to sustainably manage its resources and has been investigating a number of planning and management mechanisms (e.g. Natural Resource Management Strategy, Vegetation Management Strategy, Sport and Recreation Strategy). Past consultation processes have identified stakeholder concern with the loss of visual values in the Meander Valley and in particular the limited controls available to Council to protect areas of significant visual value from a range of threats. The major issues affecting the scenery of the municipality have been identified through the research and consultation processes as being: loss of native vegetation generally; the impact of increased plantation forestry; the loss or deterioration of key elements of the Meander Valley area cultural landscape; and the impacts of buildings, roads and other development. There is no formulated or agreed Statewide framework for the identification or assessment of scenic value in Tasmania, nor any models that are known to exist within Australia that have successfully tackled the management of scenic values at the local Council level in rural areas. Council recognised that an agreed framework would give some degree of certainty to all parties to the process and would help ensure that sustainability objectives are being met in a fair and orderly way. The current study has been undertaken for the Meander Valley Council