Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use Planning2.1 makes specific reference to the role ofDAFWA in providing advice or information tosupport consideration of development andrezoning applications for intensive agricultureand SPP 2.5 recognises that DAFWA has thefollowing responsibilities in assisting with theimplementation of the policy:• Where there is a need to assess anagricultural area for its State or regionalsignificance, DAFWA may initiate aprocess with the relevant governmentagencies, the local government, otherstakeholders and the community toidentify such an area.• When reviewing or preparing a localplanning strategy and town planningscheme, a local government may requestDAFWA to assist in the identification ofthese areas.• Agricultural Priority Management Areasidentified within the SPP will be the subjectof further investigation and refinement byDAFWA, Department of Environment andConservation (DEC), local governmentand stakeholders to identify agriculturalareas of State or regional significance thatwould require appropriate zoning in townplanning schemes.• DAFWA will make available land resourceinformation and agricultural industryrequirements to local government(particularly to small local governmentswhere additional assistance may berequired) to assist with reviewing orpreparing local planning strategies andtown planning schemes and identify areasof local significance and suitability foragriculture production for local planningpurposes.DAFWA’s link with land use planning in the pasthas mostly related to the identification andprotection of areas of agricultural significanceand recommendations relating to land suitabilityfor different agricultural land uses and stockingrates for grazing animals. DAFWA has indicatedthat, based on its resources and expertise, itspreference in providing advice on land capabilityand supporting the identification and protectionof areas of agricultural significance is throughproviding assistance for the development ofState wide policy (e.g. State Planning Policy2.5 Agricultural and Rural Land Use Planning)and regional and local planning strategies.DAFWA rarely provides advice on schemeamendments and does not provide advice onsubdivision or development applications, nordoes it provide expert evidence on agriculturalsignificance in the State Administrative Tribunalfor planning appeals. DAFWA has a centralisedland use planning function, provided through asustainability and agriculture land use planningposition in Perth, which supports the regionaloffices in dealing with land use planning matters.Planning applications should be referred to theregional offices in the first instance.DAFWA’s preference is to provide supportand advice on agricultural matters andmapping of priority agricultural areas throughregional and local planning strategies, ratherthan commenting on scheme amendments,subdivisions and development applications.This is contrary to the DAFWA responsibilitiescommunicated through SPP 2.1 for the Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment Policy. ThisState policy currently relies on the DAFWA toprovide mapping regarding priority agricultureareas and to comment on some subdivisionand development applications regardingintensive agricultural proposals. This issue isfurther explored in Appendix 7 which providesrecommendations for modifications to StatePlanning and Development Control policies.DAFWA is currently revising the methodologyused to identify areas of agriculturalsignificance. Information and advice foridentifying areas of agricultural significance inthe Central, Northern Agricultural and SouthCoast regions is not as comprehensive aswhat exists for the South West. The DAFWAhas indicated that its land capability datawhich has been captured at a regional scalerequires clear guidance on its use for land useplanning to guard against inappropriate use.27