Officially recognised environment conservation zones in the Ballina Shire are to be voted on in November, eleven years after they were first suggested.
Council staff recommended around 700 lots of land across the shire for the C2 Environmental Conservation zoning in 2012, Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said, in response to the former coalition state government’s changes to state planning and environmental regulations.
The council deferred the matter and launched a public consultation process, including letters to potentially impacted property owners.
Cr Cadwallader said many of the lots represented the same owners, meaning around half as many landowners were affected as sites.
Some of the land was used for farming or related activity, she said, sparking concerns from owners about their rights and obligations in the event of a C2 zone application.
The mayor said the public could still have a say on the proposed changes to Ballina’s Local Environment Plan (LEP) via the council’s Your Say section on its website although a submission deadline formally closed on March 31 this year.
Mayor looks to ‘opt-in’ model for environmental protection
More than a decade since the introduction of conservation zones in NSW, the Ballina Shire Council is yet to introduce any.
Greens Councillor Kiri Dicker has previously said the Ballina Shire has the lowest percentage of native vegetation cover of any local government areas in the state.
The council was recently forced to vote on conservation zoning for land in West Ballina after the state planning department rejected a request for an extension on a decision deadline.
Councillors voted in support of the change to the ecologically sensitive flood-prone site at Burns Point Ferry Road, with the department yet to confirm approval.
Cr Cadwallader told The Echo on Thursday the council could consider an ‘opt-in’ model for the zoning, an approach taken by the Kyogle Shire Council further inland that allows owners to volunteer land for the scheme and then apply for government funding to help manage land accordingly.
On-site inspections requested
The mayor said concern over property rights and potential costs to owners of development applications for activities in C2 zones meant the council needed to continue consultation with owners, especially since some reportedly hadn’t received their letters owing to the fact they were absentee landowners.
She said some were worried about the impact of a C2 zoning on their land value but the ‘flipside’ was others ‘might really like the idea that it’s protected and it’s a sanctuary’.
Council staff held a public briefing for councillors and concerned parties on Tuesday.
Cr Cadwallader said the meeting offered ‘more of an understanding of what’s been involved’ in the proposed conservation zoning mapping but there were still some concerns.
The mayor called for council staff to carry out site-inspections before the vote in November to make sure they had an up-to-date on-the-ground understanding of land proposed for C2 zoning.
