Land within the Farming Zone is dedicated primarily to the sustainable use of land for agriculture. If you are proposing a subdivision of rural land, you’ll likely need a planning permit.
Minimum subdivision size: 40ha (100 acres).
If you require a subdivision to create smaller lots, there may be opportunities for boundary realignment and house lot excisions, where required to facilitate agricultural activity.
When assessing your application, we consider whether the subdivision will ultimately support or facilitate agricultural activity or whether it will compromise or threaten the productive use of land. We make these decisions based on the information you include in your proposal, including details about the future use of the land.
We also take environmental impacts of the subdivision into account.
Use this guide to ensure your permit application addresses each of the criteria we need to consider.
If you’re unsure about whether you need a planning permit, we can help.
You’ll need:
- A covering letter and an up-to-date copy of title (less than six months old)
- A detailed report
- Full site and subdivision plans
- Supporting information
Use the navigational structure on the top of this page to learn more about the requirements of each of these elements. Note that this is a guide and more information may be required when you lodge your application.
Please note that the materials you submit with your application, including plans, will be made available for public view. Copies may be made to interested parties for consideration and review as part of the planning process under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
It is important that you discuss your proposal with us before you submit your application to avoid potential delays or disappointments during the planning process.
Cover Letter
Outline your proposal with as much detail as possible about the intended use or development. You need to include a covering letter that includes all the details about your intended operation and how you plan to use or develop the land.
Copy of Title
It’s a requirement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Section 47 (1)(d)) that you provide an up-to-date copy of title with any planning permit application. If the application is for a permit to remove or vary the title in any way, or if the permit would breach any covenant, you’ll need to include all of this information in your application.
If you’re applying for an application for subdivision in a Farming Zone, you need to include a report that details:
- How you propose to promote the objectives of the Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS)
- Whether the proposed development is consistent with State and Local Planning Policy
- How the subdivision promotes the purpose of the zone and provides for the ongoing agricultural productivity of land
- Your response should address the decision guidelines of the farming zone, including how agricultural activity is facilitated and detailing any environmental impacts.
You'll need to submit:
- Three copies of site and development plans, at a scale of 1:100 or 1:200 (including one full-colour copy)
- One copy of plans must be A4 or A3 sized (also to scale) for copying
- It would help if you could submit an electronic copy of all plans in PDF format on CD
Part of the application requires you submit a whole farm plan, which demonstrates how the subdivision is designed to address the impact on:
- The property and surrounding properties in terms of ongoing agricultural productivity
- Native vegetation
- Water courses, drainage lines and areas subject to inundation
- Features of architectural, historic or scientific
- The rural landscape
- Effective land management practices and infrastructure provision
- The topography
You’ll need to provide specific plans for the subdivision, detailing:
- The north point
- The boundaries and dimensions of the existing and proposed lots, including total site area and proposed lot sizes
- The location and use of existing buildings, land features and improvements on the site
- Proposed roads within the site
- Main service connection points and easements
- Existing native vegetation
- Existing water courses and drainage lines
- Soil types
- Slopes
- Power supply
The information above is a guide only – we may require additional information. We strongly recommend you engage a licensed surveyor to prepare subdivision plans.
For us to be able to quickly inspect the site:
- Provide a photograph of the site from the street
- Mark the site clearly with a sign showing the street number
- Peg out the location of the development and tape any vegetation to be removed
- If the height of the development may be an issue, erect height poles to indicate the height of the proposed development
- Advise whether access to the site needs to be prearranged (for example, if there are locked gates at the site)