Draft Housing and Settlement Strategy - South Gippsland Shire ...

South Gippsland Housing and Settlement Strategy | Consultation DraftRURAL LIVING ZONE REVIEW ANDRESTRUCTURE AREASPart C: Investigation Areas examines a number of current proposals torezone land to Rural Living (RLZ) in Nyora, Kongwak, Sandy Point, SouthernLeongatha and Yanakie. It also considers the merits and application of theRestructure Overlay to ‘old and inappropriate’ subdivisions in elevenlocations across the Shire, of these 9 are referred to in the Rural Land UseStrategy (RLUS), adopted by Council in August 2011The RLUS identifies that rural areas within the Shire are experiencing a highlevel of fragmentation due to historical settlement patterns and a lack ofrobust planning policy guidance in the past.The RLUS was developed to assist Council in managing furtherfragmentation caused by subdivision of its rural areas for lifestyle residentialpurposes. Poorly managed subdivision can have considerable implicationsfor agricultural production, landscape values, natural resource managementand servicing of populations in outlying areas.The HSS must provide Council with a tool to assist in guiding the appropriatelocations for the lifestyle residential property market. This market is drivingdemand for larger ‘rural living’ and ‘low density residential’ zoned properties(0.4 – 4 ha), particularly in areas of high amenity and environmental valueoutside settlement boundaries.The principles around settlement planning contained in the HSS can alsoprovide a strategic framework for managing the numerous historicalsubdivisions (often called ‘old Crown townships’) that were either neverdeveloped or correspond with the sites of former settlements that havedepopulated. In many cases the development (or redevelopment) of thesesubdivisions to full capacity would present significant environmental,servicing and social impacts; or expose residents to environmental risks.The following principles have been applied to both the Rural Living Zoneand Restructure Overlay Investigations:• avoid the loss of quality agricultural land;• avoid the potential for land use conflicts;• discourage residential development in locations without access to anappropriate range of services and employment opportunities;• recognise that infrastructure and community services cannot beprovided to rural living areas to the same standards as settlements;• ensure that opportunities for population growth are notcompromised by the fragmentation of larger parcels of landadjacent to settlement boundaries;• protect environmental values and natural resources; and• avoid exposure to natural and human induced hazards, such asbushfire, landslip, flooding, and land contamination from pastmining and agricultural practices.The HSS recognises that lifestyle residential properties are an importantcomponent of the residential market in South Gippsland and a significantdriver of demand and change. In light of the overarching policy directionsaimed at consolidating residential growth in key townships and protectingrural land for agricultural purposes the HSS does not support populationgrowth in rural areas. It therefore recommends that the subdivision andrezoning of land for this purpose be strongly controlled.The HSS recommends that the Low Density Residential Zone be used as thepreferred zone for lifestyle residential lots and that these lots should belocated in close proximity to higher order settlements where sewerage andservices can be provided. Investigation of existing Rural Living Zoned landshould be undertaken for rezoning to LDRZ subject to reticulated sewageprovision. Given that the RLUS identified a large supply of lots within theFarming Zone that fall into the lifestyle residential category (4.0 hectares or© planisphere 2013 5