Understanding the Swan Hill Rural City Council
Draft Rural Land Use Strategy
Swan Hill Rural City Council has released the Draft Rural Land Use Strategy and is encouraging community
members to get involved and provide feedback. This document provides information on the strategy, explains
how and who it affects and how to provide feedback.
What is a Rural Land Use Strategy?
A Rural Land Use Strategy (RLUS) is a policy document prepared by councils to guide land use and
development in rural areas. The Swan Hill Rural City Council RLUS is the first of its kind for the municipality.
In order to develop the Draft RLUS, Council undertook a review of rural areas to recognise and highlight
trends in agriculture and emerging rural issues and opportunities, including:

Impacts of climate change and changes to irrigation policy

Fragmentation of agricultural land

Increased desire for rural lifestyle and hobby farming

Increasing scale of farms

Increased on farm value adding and processing

New markets for agricultural produce and changing consumer preferences
The RLUS sets out a planning policy that responds to these issues and opportunities, as well as providing
guidance on how planning permit applications to change rural land use, or to develop rural land, will be
assessed in the future.
What land is being considered?
The RLUS considers all land currently in the Farming Zone in the Swan Hill Rural City Council municipality.
Development of the Rural Land use Strategy
The development of the RLUS is undertaken in five stages:
1. Background report (September 2015 – November 2015) and targeted stakeholder consultation
(November 2015)
2. Rural Residential Strategy (September 2015 – December 2015)
3. Draft RLUS (December 2015 – March 2016)
4. Exhibition (April 2016 - May 2016)
5. Final RLUS (June 2016)
The Stage 1 Background Report and Rural Residential Strategy details analysis that informed preparation of
the strategy and can be found on Council’s website.
Swan Hill’s Rural Areas
Agriculture
Agriculture plays a significant role in the economy and has exhibited positive growth over the last decade.
Horticulture and grain production are the most important sectors and these support a significant local and
regional food processing sector.
The municipality’s agricultural competitive advantages include affordable land with productive soils, state-ofthe-art irrigation infrastructure, location in the southern connected Basin and access to secure water supplies,
proximity to major international and domestic markets, transport connectivity to Capital cities, access to a
residential workforce and local value chain. This has attracted significant recent investment and positions
Swan Hill Rural City Council to capitalise on opportunities in emerging international markets and demand for
new products.
Issues impacting agriculture to be addressed by planning policy include:

Increase in the size of farms and business scale

Intensification of production, with a small proportion of farms generating most of the agricultural output

Fragmentation of rural land, particularly development of dwellings on small rural lots
Rural Residential
In parallel with the review of rural land, a Draft Rural Residential Strategy was prepared. The purpose of the
strategy was to investigate and establish the current supply and demand for rural living and identify candidate
locations for rezoning for rural residential purposes. Maps showing the proposed candidate area are on page
four of this document.
Tourism
Swan Hill Rural City Council has a number of established tourism assets including the Pioneer Settlement,
Lake Boga and recreation and holidays on the Murray River. Emerging opportunities include promoting
accommodation choices linked to nature-based trails, heritage values of Aboriginal culture and history and the
Murray River.
New Vision for Swan Hill’s Rural Areas
Council is considering a strong new vision for the rural areas to underpin development of the Draft Rural Land
Use Strategy. The new vision encompasses the following statements:


The rural areas will be highly valued by the municipality’s community for its contribution to the local
economy and social fabric.
The municipality’s rural areas will have contributed to economic growth, building on strengths in
agriculture, food processing and manufacturing.

Economic growth has promoted prosperous rural towns and small settlements that offer attractive lifestyle
choices.

New investment in rural-based tourism has been attracted based on Swan Hill Rural City Council’s natural
and cultural heritage assets.

Careful planning has ensured that this vision has been achieved while minimising rural land use conflict,
protecting and enhancing environmental values and minimising risks to human safety and the built
environment.
What will change?
Farming Zone
The Farming Zone applies to most rural land in the municipality and is primarily concerned with providing for
agricultural production and avoiding land uses that could limit future farming. The Draft Rural Land Use
Strategy recommends that the Farming Zone be retained where it currently applies. The following two
Schedules to the Farming Zone will be introduced:


Farming Zone – Schedule 1 – Broadacre farmland and private irrigation diversion areas
Farming Zone Schedule 2 – Gazetted irrigation districts
The only proposed change to the minimum lot size is to increase the minimum area below which a permit is
required for a dwelling from 20ha to 50ha within the gazetted irrigation districts. This will allow Council to
ensure that a new dwelling is genuinely required for an agricultural purpose and not for a rural residential
outcome and to break the link between subdivision and dwelling.
The following table summarises the minimum lot size schedules:
Minimum lot size subdivision
Minimum lot size below which a
permit is required for a dwelling
Farming Zone - Schedule 1
100ha
100ha
Farming Zone - Schedule 2
20ha
50ha
Local Policy – Rural Dwellings
The Draft RLUS recommends the introduction of a local policy to provide further guidance on new dwellings in
the Farming Zone and will:

Discourage dwellings not associated with or required for the agricultural use of the land.

Ensure that the agricultural use has been established on the land prior to the construction of a dwelling on
irrigated land.
Local Policy – Subdivision
The Draft RLUS recommends the introduction of a local policy to provide further guidance on excision of
existing dwellings and small lots in the Farming Zone and will:

Strongly discourage small lot subdivision, unless the balance lot is at least the minimum lot size and is of
a size sufficient to support a viable agricultural enterprise.

Require that the excision of a dwelling be through the re-subdivision of existing lots such that the number
of lots is not increased. Excision through subdivision that increases the number of lots will be strongly
discouraged.
Require the landowner to enter into an agreement under Section 173 of the Act, which prevents the
construction of a dwelling on the residual lot and prevents further subdivision of any lot so as to create
another lot for an existing or future dwelling.
Require the landowner of the dwelling lot to enter an agreement under Section 173 of the Act to
acknowledge that:


-
The area has intensive agricultural uses operating in it.
-
The land and its occupants may experience off site rural activity effects, including noise, sprays
and dust that may cause a loss of residential amenity.
-
Existing agricultural and rural uses in the area have a 'right to farm' or right to legally continue the
use.
Local Policy – Other rural uses
It is policy that in the Farming Zone – Schedule 2 - Gazetted irrigation districts, the following uses will be
strongly discouraged:

Abattoir, backpackers lodge, camping and caravan park, convenience shop, hotel, landscape and
gardening supplies, market, place of assembly, restaurant, residential hotel, service station, trade
supplies, tavern, or any other use not in Section 1 or 2 of the Schedule to the Farming Zone.
Second stage processing of primary produce such as freezing, drying, pickling, canning, cook-chill, juicing,
slicing, shredding, coring, bottling, pasteurising and associated activities such as transport, logistics, storage,
refrigeration should generally be directed to an urban location.
Rural Living Zone and Low Density Residential Zone
Candidate land for rezoning to either Rural Living or Low Density Residential was identified in Swan Hill,
Robinvale and Nyah. Prioritisation and staging of land for rural residential development, in line with growth
projections and demand, will be required as well as detailed site analysis.
Rural Residential Candidate Areas
Robinvale
Swan Hill
Nyah - South
Nyah - North
Where to view the Draft Rural Land Use Strategy
The Draft Rural Land Use Strategy can be viewed at Council’s offices in Splatt Street, Swan Hill and Herbert
Street, Robinvale.
Copies can also be downloaded from Council’s website at www.swanhill.vic.gov.au/draft-RLUS
How to find out more
Information sessions will be held during the exhibition period to explain the proposed changes at the following
locations:
Community group
Wemen Progress Association
When
Mon, 18 April at 6.30pm
Where
Wemen Hall
Woorinen and District Progress Association Wed, 20 April at 7.30pm
Woorinen South Community Hall
Swan Hill and Lake Boga community
Ultima Progress Association
Thurs, 21 April at 7pm
Tues, 26 April at 7pm
Swan Hill Town Hall
Ultima Hotel
Piangil Community Group
Wed, 27 April at 7.30pm
Piangil Community Centre
Bigger Better Beverford
Mon, 2 May at 6.30pm
Beverford Tavern
Robinvale community
Boundary Bend Progress Association
Tues, 3 May at 5pm
Tues, 3 May at 7.30pm
Robinvale Community Centre
Boundary Bend Community Hall
Nyah and District Action Group
Mon, 9 May at 7.30pm
Nyah West Senior Citizen Centre
Council staff will also be available by appointment on the following dates to answer any further questions:

Swan Hill - Monday,16 May at Council’s Splatt Street office

Robinvale - Wednesday, 18 May at the Robinvale Resource Centre
How to contribute
The best way to give us your feedback is by written submission. All submissions will be considered prior to
finalising the Rural Land Use Strategy. Submissions don’t need to be long, but should clearly state which
aspects of the draft Strategy you do or don’t support and the reasons why. Feedback forms will be available at
all information sessions or can be downloaded from Council’s website at www.swanhill.vic.gov.au/draft-RLUS
Deadlines for submissions
All submissions must be received by close of business Tuesday, 31 May 2016. Submissions should be
addressed to the Chief Executive Officer. Submissions can be sent via post at PO Box 488, Swan Hill ,3585,
emailed to [email protected], faxed to 5036 2430 or in person at Council's offices in Splatt Street,
Swan Hill and Herbert Street, Robinvale.
For more information contact Council’s Planning Officer Rachael Blandthorn on 5036 2407.