A proposal to rezone thousands of hectares of Hunter Valley farmland to make it more “environmental” could provide a precedent that would affect farmers throughout the State.
The plan, put forward by Cessnock City Council, would turn 2500 hectares of Hunter farmland, now under existing Rural 1A zoning, into a “buffer” for the Watagans National Park.
Because of the move, the strip of private properties, which stretches from Mulbring to Wollombi, has been dragged into the NSW Government’s efforts to establish a uniform set of land zones across the State.
Cessnock City Council received a whopping 850 submissions about its proposed new Local Environ-
ment Plan (LEP), which contains the zoning reforms.
Mulbring thoroughbred breeders, Mike and Debbie O’Donnell, said the council could have put their land under any of four new “rural” zonings, but instead now had it earmarked for “Environmental 3”.
This would cover 1500ha of arable farmland and 1000ha of sloped country already classed as “protected”.
Full story in The Land January 28.
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