The draft plan was released by Nambucca Valley Council’s Manager of Development and Environment, Daniel Walsh, at last Thursday’s council meeting.

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The plan will be exhibited concurrently with draft amendments to the Nambucca Local Environmental Plan 2010 (LEP 2010), with changes proposed to ‘permitted with consent’ activities in rural zones.

The issue of intensive blueberry farming has been a flashpoint for the community in recent months and many councils along the Mid North Coast have sought to put measures in place to protect surrounding properties, waterways and prevent land use conflicts.

In the Nambucca Valley, locals formed the Nambucca Environment Network (NEN) to campaign on the issue.

Currently Nambucca Valley Council is in the process of changing its governing document, the LEP 2010, to make horticulture developments permissible on RU1 and RU2 zoned land only with approval.

The Draft DCP Controls stipulate exactly how approval would be given for horticulture developments.

They nominate sizes of buffer zones, vegetation zones and other requirements that would be necessary to gain approval to carry out horticulture in the rural zones.

Over the next month, the public are invited to make submissions and comments in relation to the two documents.

It is expected the incoming council would decide upon them by December of this year.

“There will be a second exhibition period for the Draft DCP Controls later this year after we receive submissions and finalise LEP amendments,” Daniel Walsh told NOTA.

“So essentially the public will get two bites of the cherry in terms of deciding what these controls should be,” he said.

According to this version of the Draft DCP Controls, horticulture developments will need to be located a minimum of 80 metres from adjoining lots which are used for a different land use.

This separation must include a vegetation buffer of at least 40 metres width, designed according to specific native shrub criteria.

A water management plan would also be required with the application for approval and developments would need a separation of 40 metres from water courses.

By Ned COWIE