The Beagle Editor, One of the election promises made by the Mayor’s CAA group last year was about getting some sort of resolution to the Rural Lands Strategy. Firm statements were about that during the run up to the 2016 Council election. The mayor and councillor need to give some sort of detailed explanation about that now.
In March and August this year I advised Beagle readers that during the last Council term from 2012 till recently the Eurobodalla Council had been involved in developing a Rural Lands Strategy, in other words a Rural Lands Development Plan. The Plan was expected to be developed to a standard to meet NSW State Government's requirements for rural lands and likely development ideals in the Eurobodalla Shire. The past Mayor and present Mayor along with some council staff, and land owners in the shire were part of a committee working on the Strategy along with outside advisers and some State Government advisors apparently. After the approximate four year effort a plan or strategy was adopted by the Council however it required the State Government's support so that it could be signed off on and become part of the local rural lands development strategy and fit into the state requirement for rural lands future development plans, that met living and food production requirements of the NSW State Governments future rural lands plans. It seems though our council didn’t really meet the requirements of the state government in relation to a rural lands future development and food production ideals. That’s why the state government hasn’t signed of in support of what was presented to it in relation to the Shire’s Rural Land Strategy. The NSW government is apparently attempting to develop a Rural Lands Development Strategy that can be applied state wide complimenting other states ideal and plans with Rural Lands. Many matters are linked in various ways to the NSW Governments Rural Lands Development Ideas, “Climate Change” modelling and the likely effects are influences that are considered as well. In the lead up to last years council election Councillor Innes indicated if she got re elected she’d attempt to get some sort of direction or resolution from the State Government about the ESC’s proposed rural lands strategy. She attended a meeting in Sydney earlier this year with the minister responsible in an attempt to resolve the matter for the shire’s residents, who are affected by the proposed strategy or development opportunities in rural areas of the Eurobodalla Shire. Nothing seems to have occurred as a result of that trip to Sydney in an attempt to sort something out for the shires residents. Perhaps the mayor or the local member can make a public statement about the matter?
Allan Brown Catalina Related article: Still no movement on the Rural Lands Strategy by NSW Planning after a year July 5, 2017 Editors Note: In April 2014 - As part of the Rural Lands Strategy project, Council released mapping of high conservation value vegetation in Eurobodalla. They sent a letter to all rural land owners to let them know that this mapping can be viewed and how to request a site inspection to validate the mapping. Six land owners have requested inspections to validate the vegetation on their properties On 27 May 2014 Council considered the Rural Opportunities and Constraints Report and Maps at the Ordinary Meeting. In June and July 2014, Council held a series of Policy Directions Workshops with rural landowners and other interested community members. On 28 July 2015 Council adopted the Policy Directions Paper. Council considered 61 submissions received during the exhibition period as well as suggestions that participants made at the Policy Direction Workshops in June and July 2014. From 16 October to 27 November 2015 the draft Rural Lands Strategy was on public exhibition On 23 February 2016, at the Ordinary Council Meeting Council adopted the Rural Lands Strategy. Source
