Macedon Ranges council to vote on controversial planning changes

The proposal led to widespread fears among farmers the council's proposed rezoning, under the Rural Land Use Strategy (RLUS) would take away the "right to farm".

Read more: Farming zone fears on the fringe of Melbourne

They told council the rezoning would would severely restrict their rights, including having to seek permits to continue agricultural activity.

Now the council is due to consider a planning department report, recommending that the RLUS be shelved.

The report will be presented at the council's monthly general meeting, on Wednesday evening.

"Due to feedback from the community and landowners, the current unresolved status of the state government's Planning for Melbourne's Green Wedge and Strategic Agricultural Land (MGWSAL) project and a number of potential risks to successfully progressing some components of the draft RLUS [the report recommends] council resolves to not progress the current RLUS project," Strategic Planning and Environment manager Rob Ball said in the report.

He cited a "level of uncertainty" from the state government, over its MGWSAL project.

"As the State government had been progressing the MGWSAL project it was reasonably anticipated that the outcomes of this project would be known prior to council making a decision about the draft RLUS," he said.

"At the time of writing this report the MGWSAL project had not been approved by the state government.

"It is unknown whether post the State election this project will be endorsed by the State government and relevant minister and if endorsed what changes to the draft released for community consultation will be included."

RMIT University Associate Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning Andrew Butt said resolving the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land review ought to be an "absolute priority" for incoming Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny.

"I can see why the council would want to do that, to avoid making the wrong decision, in the absence of any information," Assoc Prof Butt said.

"The issue has dropped off [the agenda] this year, but I think it's vital that the incoming planning minister takes this up again

"It's crucial for the food bowls around Melbourne, as well as landscapes like the Macedon Ranges."

Read more: Disappointment over Melbourne's agricultural land protection plans

There was pressure on all councils, around outer Melbourne, from urban growth.

The Green Wedge review had been in progress for more than four years and needed to be put at the top of the agenda, he said.

"It's more important than the constant tweaking and reforming process that has dominated the planning portfolio, over the last year or so, this is actually something of substance for the city and the region."

There was no clear sense of the government's position on strategic agricultural land.

Macedon Ranges Agricultural Alliance president James Walsh, who runs cattle at a property on Pipers Creek, said it had been a very long road but he was "relieved and delighted" at the recommendation.

The alliance has 26 members, covering an area of more than10,500 hectares of the shire.

"It's extremely important to protect farmland, especially in southern Victoria, given the state of the climate crisis and the potential for our northern food producing areas to dry out," Mr Walsh said.

His property would have retained existing land use rights, but they would have expired after two years of inactivity.

"If we had to destock, and we had to press pause for couple of years, when we stepped back in, we would have ask council for permission to conduct all the on-farm business activities."

He said he was in the process of renovating pastures and increasing carrying capacity.

"That's challenging, in the current climate, when the price of everything has rocketed - but - at the end of the day, you don't need the additional stress of having this as well."

He praised the council's planning department for listening to land owners and the assistance of the Victorian Farmers Federation.

"The valuable lesson is they need to engage at grassroots level, with the actual farmers and landowners, as opposed to going on a five or six-year-old campaign to get to a rural land use strategy then informing them what they are going to do," he said.

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Daniel McKenna, who runs sheep on a property to the north of Kyneton, said the council's claims of extensive consultation were "a load of garbage".

"None of the affected farmers was consulted," he said.

The changes would mean 200 hectares of the Pastoria East property would be reclassified as having a conservation zoning, he said.

Apart from land values, the changes would have had a major impact on tax status and seeking finance to upgrade, he said.

'Any change in our farming practices would be at the discretion of some bureaucrat, who knew nothing about agriculture - at the moment it might be okay, but the next batch of bureaucrats in the council might have a different interpretation of what is meant by conservation," Mr McKenna said.

"There are no farmers on the council, they are very much pro-tourism and anti-farming - they believe farming is contraindicated to conservation.

"They don't believe that we live in an environment that has been managed for thousands of years."

There were already vegetation, fire, significant landscape and water catchment overlays on the farm - "this further zoning as conservation duplicates that and allows for closer settlement," he said.

"There are already people talking about subdividing their land; we already have that pressure from the south of us, where there are lifestyle people with their dogs and cats and bushfires."

Earlier this year, the government said more details would be released in coming months.

A spokeswoman said the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land review project included stronger planning protections for agriculture in the green wedge/peri-urban area.