SOUTHERN TASMANIA REGIONAL LAND USE STRATEGY
Economic Infrastructure and Resources
STRATEGIC DIRECTION NO.5
STRATEGIC DIRECTION NO.6
IMPROVING OUR ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORTING OUR PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES
Southern Tasmania is highly dependent upon the State’s three
northern ports for exports and imports and Hobart airport
for movements of passengers and time sensitive products.
Efficient and cost effective intrastate road and rail linkages to
and from the sea and airports are vitally important, particularly
in this modern era of 24 hour 7 days a week freight logistics.
This includes recognising and protecting key infrastructure
corridors and assets within planning schemes and minimising
land use conflicts. The identification of future infrastructure
corridors needs to be done on a long term timeframe.
Along with improving traditional forms of economic
infrastructure, critical to our long term economic future is
developing a strong Intelligent Communication Technology
network, an essential element being the roll-out of the National
Broadband Network to urban and rural areas. This network
will support greater connectivity for rural communities
and increased opportunities for telecommuting and ‘new
economy’ employment
Important to our economic prosperity is maintaining a strong
strategic approach to industrial zoning and providing for
adequate industrial land supply to meet demand in locations
that maximises road, rail and air linkages.
cheaper ordinary goods will be in our retail outlets.
Freight movements are predicted to continue to rise
significantly into the future. The importance of improving our
rail network to relieve the pressure on our highways from large
trucks will subsequently also rise. In addition to economic and
safety issues, creating a modern and efficient rail network will
significantly reduce our carbon emissions.
An assessment of available industrial land and its rate of
uptake has revealed a looming shortage within the next four
to five years. This revelation itself is testament to the regional
approach, as a municipality-by-municipality assessment
would not have uncovered this finding. The shortage does
not relate to large-scale heavy industry but to local industry
that services the local economy. A search for appropriate
land for conversion to industrial use is therefore a strong
recommendation within the strategy
Similarly, the continued expansion and improvement of our
Intelligent Communication Technology network (broadband,
etc) is seen as crucial for our future direction.
RATIONALE
Southern Tasmania exists in a global economy. It is vitally
important that its connections to the rest of the world
and its ability to compete with the rest of the world are
continually improved.
The significance of Southern Tasmania’s contribution to the
value of the State’s and nation’s primary production is limited
to a few key areas: aquaculture, forestry and niche agricultural
commodities. Notwithstanding this, all forms of primary
production are critical to the economic and social health of
our smaller regional towns and villages, assisting in creating
high levels of employment and economic self-sufficiency.
Supporting productive industries through appropriate land
use planning responses is important not only in maintaining
the vitality of individual communities, but in protecting those
regional characteristics which make Southern Tasmania an
attractive place to visit.
RATIONALE
Too much of Southern Tasmania’s productive resources have
been lost through inappropriate, ill considered and short
sighted land use planning decisions in the past.
and the potential for new irrigation schemes all have the
ability to make once non-viable farming titles viable again.
Similarly the forestry sector is now subject to global influences
and change that will likely lead to significant structural
changes at the local level in Southern Tasmania, which may
reassign the relative value of different components of the
forest resource. The key in such an environment is to keep
options open and to be prepared for change.
Our aquaculture and wild fish industries are amongst our
most productive and wealth-creating sectors. They rely on
maintaining and improving our high quality water resources.
Our productive resources are also critical for our tourism
industry. Not only do they provide significant opportunities
for visitor experiences but poor management of our
productive resources can detract from the desire to visit
Southern Tasmania.
We have spread low-density rural-residential development over
landscapes that once contained viable agricultural enterprises.
Even simply locating a dwelling adjacent to farmland reduces
the farmer’s ability to farm due to the overriding requirement
to respect residential amenity ingrained in law. Sprinkling
dwellings on small lots through rural landscapes results in
land use conflict as many ‘urbanites’ come with the urban myth
that the countryside is always peaceful and sweet smelling. In
fact, primary industry is exactly that: an industry; and from
time to time noisy, smelly and dusty activities take place.
Not only must we remain ‘viable’ on a day-to-day basis, but we
need to position ourselves so that we can take advantage of
opportunities as they arise.
Protecting productive agricultural resource goes hand-inhand with creating denser, more efficient and sustainable
urban areas and towns. The continual splitting of agricultural
titles into smaller parcels has hamstrung many farming
districts and stymied much potential future wealth creation.
Our high dependency on the northern ports due to the
economics of sea freight means our road and rail links to
the north are particularly important. The more efficient we
can make the movement of freight from north to south, the
The world is changing with regards to agriculture, and
previously unrealised opportunities continue to arise. New
crops, new markets, the loss of other agricultural districts due
to climate change, the continued rise of the worlds population
Regional policies with particular relevance to this strategic direction are:
Regional policies with particular relevance to this strategic direction are:
Water Resources, Physical Infrastructure, Land Use & Transport Integration, Tourism,
Strategic Economic Opportunities, Productive Resources, Industrial Activity, Activity
Centres,
Biodiversity & Native Vegetation, Water Resources, The Coast, Physical Infrastructure,
Land Use & Transport Integration, Tourism, Strategic Economic Activities, Productive
Resources, Industrial Activity
(Refer strategy document and background reports for further details)
(Refer strategy document and background reports for further details)