![Hepburn Shire mayor Brian Hood is urging farmers in the council area to have their say on the proposed agricultural and rural land strategy. Pictures supplied Hepburn Shire mayor Brian Hood is urging farmers in the council area to have their say on the proposed agricultural and rural land strategy. Pictures supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7f5GEYimwWveccZe67yRBS/a9456a8c-b221-4208-8341-69961ea6e25c.jpg/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A Victorian central highlands shire is urging farmers to have their say on what one small scale berry grower has described as a "blunt approach" to protecting valuable agricultural land.
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Hepburn Shire has released its agricultural and rural settlement strategy, aimed a providing a "comprehensive planning and action framework" for land outside the main settlements.
Mayor Brian Hood said the shire's proximity to Melbourne made it "a very attractive place to live, particularly for 'so-called' lifestyle properties".
"Unfortunately, Hepburn's planning regulations are well and truly out of date, they have been neglected for some time," he said.
"The council was determined to update them, particularly in the towns, to reflect the sort of planning regulations we would like to see on behalf of the community, while making sure we have proper managed controls over growth."
It comes as two state parliamentary committees looks at protecting agricultural land in Victoria's peri-urban areas and there is an increasing focus on food security issues.
One of the key aspects of the shire's draft strategy is a proposal to require a planning permit to establish a dwelling on a Farming Zone lot smaller than 80 hectares in area.
It also proposes a new Rural Activity Zone, for mixed farming and tourism, to the south and north of Daylesford and around Eganstown, Creswick and Clunes, with a 40ha minimum subdivision size.
"We are looking for input from farmers, because they know the land better than anyone else, they are working on it day-in and day-out - we need to know what is important to them," Cr Hood said.
Fine wool and prime lamb producer Stuart Robinson, Clunes, said the strategy appeared to be a positive move, in strengthening planning controls in the farming zone.
He said he had been asked to give his input into the strategy, after he raised concerns about a proposed rezoning of land near his property.
"Around the Hepburn Shire there is a bit of confusion, because there is quite a large area of the farming zone that has been cut up into smaller blocks and people are building houses there."
He said it needed to be made clearer that "prime agricultural land in the shire should be saved for farming."
"The proposal in the strategy is certainly indicating there will be greater input sought and there will be (zoning) clarification for farming land that has houses all over it," he said.
But Forest Hill Farm co-owner Ben Wills, who runs a berry and garlic "micro-farm" at Newlyn, said the current planning scheme didn't need to be changed.
"It (the strategy) appears to be a bit of a blunt approach," Mr Wills said.
"It comes across as somewhat of an attack on small scale agriculture, I think it pays a bit of lip service to the small scale and artisanal sector but it doesn't adequately value the contribution to the local economy as well as the quality of life for residents," Mr Wills said.
"Its also short sighted in terms of the growing awareness, across all sectors of the food system, for the need for more resilient food supply chains and the role of local and hyper-local food production and supply."
He said he was sympathetic to the issues around people building "trophy homes" on rural, prime agricultural land with no real intention of farming and the subsequent impact that had on food production.
He said it appeared the strategy suggested unless primary producers were focussed on scale, efficiency and technological advancement "you are not a real farmer".
Mr Wills said the minimum lot size was a key concern as it could make it harder for small producers to build houses for their own use on small blocks.
"It says the valid place for small and artisanal businesses is in the rural living zone, where I am currently, but it says other things that undermine that," he said.
"It suggests the majority of the rural living zone should be in what amounts to the poorer quality agricultural land in the shire, around Clunes and Allendale."
But he said his biggest "bugbear" was a proposal to put a "blanket ban" on people practicing agriculture within one hundred metres of a neighbouring dwelling.
"Some of these lots, including my own, are relatively small and that effectively wipes out a significant percentage of my productive space," he said.
Under the current rules for the rural living zone, agricultural enterprises were allowed, as long as they didn't have an impact on the neighbours' "quality of life".
"This type of thing limits your willingness to invest and move your business into more of an established phase," he said.
"I invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the place where I am because the current planning scheme supports what I am doing, I am in a rural living zone that allows for low impact agriculture."
Upcoming sessions on the strategy will be held at Newlyn on Wednesday, May 22, from 6pm at the Newlyn Recreation Reserve, followed by presentations at Trentham, Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon, Clunes and Daylesford.
For further information, go to https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn