Planning Controls in Salinity Management
Abstract
Land use planning lies primarily in the realm of Local Government. The broad planning principles that try to balance private rights and use, maximising value from land resources, promoting development and protecting against adverse change apply equally to salinity management as to any other issue.
However, there are a broad range of issues to consider before launching into the development and application of planning controls for salinity related issues. Some key questions that need to be determined include:
- What type of salinity problem occurs in the municipality (dryland or irrigation)?
- What regional and state government salinity management programs are there and what are they doing?
- How would planning regulations be of value in helping to manage salinity?
- What commitment would the council be able to give to new planning regulations?
Shepparton Irrigation Region, planning controls that are designed to complement the surface drainage component of the regional salinity management plan were developed in the first half of the 1990’s. These have been operating for over six years. The new Victorian Planning Provisions allow for the management of dryland salinity through the use of overlay controls that relate to management of recharge and discharge areas of the landscape.
This paper will discuss the questions listed above and describe the results of the experiences gained in the Victorian planning system and in the Shepparton Irrigation Region. This paper can then hopefully help some councils to decide whether they want to apply planning controls for salinity management.