Dwellings in Farming Zones

The creation of additional lots within a farming zone has the potential to compromise the productivity of agricultural land. For example, residential use may impact on agriculture through the introduction of pets and increased traffic on local roads. Additionally, residential use is often incompatible with farming practices such as the use of fertilisers and pesticides, as well as the noise associated with dawn to dusk farming operations. Additional lots and their associated development may also impact on the integrity of the rural landscapes of the shire and environmental features including waterways, water catchments, habitat and native vegetation. Appropriate physical and social infrastructure and services may also be unavailable.

Subdivision

The minimum subdivision size permitted in the farming zone, in accordance with the Northern Grampians Planning Scheme, is limited to 80 hectares. Council will seek to:

• strongly discourage subdivision that effectively creates lots primarily for rural residential or hobby farm use.
• encourage the retention of large lots in single ownership for the purpose of improving conservation or agricultural management which may require a larger subdivision size.
• ensure that proposals for re-subdivision (such as boundary alignments) demonstrate that the subdivision will result in net environmental and/or agricultural benefits for the site and area.
• ensure that proposals for re-subdivision of lots should not include land subject to flooding or lots otherwise unable to be developed due to location/physical characteristics (rather such lots should be consolidated with adjoining lots).
• ensure that realignments of boundaries which create the potential for additional lots through further subdivision or for the purpose of creating defacto residential lots will not be supported.

New dwellings on existing vacant lots under the minimum lot size

Council seeks to prevent further fragmentation of remnant vegetation or agricultural land as a result of inappropriate residential development in the farming zone. This is done by protecting land of environmental significance from urban uses (particularly the establishment of dwellings and hobby farms) and limiting the social and infrastructure costs of rural-residential land use and development.  More specifically, council will seek to:

• strongly discourage dwellings that increase the extent of residential living more typical of a residential zone.
• strongly discourage any dwelling resulting in the introduction of additional people or infrastructure into an area of environmental hazard such as fire, landslip or erosion.
• strongly discourage use of land for a dwelling where the development of the proposed dwelling is not included as part of the application because this makes proper assessment of the ultimate impacts uncertain.
• strongly discourage dwellings that cannot be efficiently serviced by social and physical infrastructure, at an acceptable and sustainable level. Particular consideration will be given to well-constructed roads, availability of regular waste collection, and proximity to shops, schools, sports, recreation and community facilities.