Narrabri Shire Growth Management Strategy Final 081209 and... · Narrabri Shire Growth Management...

Narrabri Shire Growth Management Strategy

EDGE Land Planning December 2009 167

Industrial Development

The current General Industrial and Light Industrial zonings are considered to be appropriate at the present time. They are shown on map 8.3. As can be seen there is a General Business Zone on the western side of the town and this is where there are a number of heavy industrial uses like the Cargill Processing Plant. There is a Light Industrial zone along the Newell Highway in the centre of the town as well as on the southern and western edges of the town. These will be reviewed by the proposed Employment Lands Strategy. There are a few anomalies with the existing industrial zoning where land has been zoned Industrial when the uses are more commercial than industrial. These are considered to be minor. They are as follows: The land at the corner of Maitland and Fitzroy Streets is currently zoned Light

Industrial but the uses are a motel and machinery sales. There is also the Narrabri RSL Club which is zoned as Special Uses It would be more appropriate for this land to be zoned as Mixed Use.

The land bounded by Denison, Logan and Eleanor Streets is currently zoned as industrial but the land use survey has shown that it is mostly residential use with on industrial type use (a truck related business). This is not in keeping with the residential use of the area and should be changed to residential.

The old Narrabri Mill site located on Logan St between Bowen and Eleanor Streets is currently used as a grain handling facility which is causing conflict with the surrounding properties which are residential and a school. This site is operated for the storage and handling of grain which is delivered by trucks. This causes noise and dust which is not considered to be appropriate for such a residential area. Photo 8.9 shows the site and the surrounding uses.

Photo 8.9: Old Narrabri Mill Site Date of Photo: August 2006 The recommended changes for the Industrial zoning in Narrabri are shown on map 8.7. All of the other Industrial zonings – both light and general industrial.



Map 8.7: Recommended Changes to Industrial Zone – Narrabri



The future of industrial development in the town of Narrabri will be assessed in the proposed Employment Lands Strategy which is a recommendation of this Strategy. However, the Council wishes to identify in a strategic sense the direction of Industrial development for the town. There is not much flood free industrial land available in the town and an assessment has been made of the most appropriate area. There are 2 sites that have been identified. Firstly, the land to the west of the existing General Industrial Zone along Yarrie Lake Road and Culgoora Road. The second area is along Old Turrawan Rd between Avon Street and the existing Light Industrial zone at the intersection with the Kamilaroi Highway. They are shown on map 8.8 and have a number of locational advantages for being an investigation area for industrial development are as follows: Adjacent to the existing general industrial zone On a sealed road which has good access to the Newell and Kamilaroi Highways Located adjacent to the railway line Minimal residential and rural residential uses in the area Presence of other industrial uses Former Council tip site is in the area Flood free land

All of this will have to be further investigated by the proposed Commercial and Industrial Lands Study.

Flooding

The main constraint for the development of Narrabri is the flooding of the Namoi River. This basically cuts the town into 4 separate areas. The flooding characteristics have been discussed in chapter 7. The land currently zoned as Rural 1(d) Floodway is considered to be the main floodway within the town and is shown overlayed on the flooding aerial photograph from the 1998 flood which was estimated to be a 5% AEP flood on Map 8.9. It should be noted that most of the town is inundated in a 1% flood. However it needs to be recognised that the flooding is only fast flowing in the floodway and that there is normally 2 – 3 days warning of an impending flood. This gives residents the ability to move assets to higher ground and lessens the impact of the flooding. Currently the floodway generally reflects the existing zone titled Rural 1(d) Floodway, which is shown on map 8.8. Under the newly adopted standard LEP Instrument, there is no provision for such a zone. It is necessary however, to ensure that the intent of the zone is carried forward in the new LEP. The floodway zone covers a mixture of public and private land. This consists of houses and some commercial and light industrial type uses. The floodway zone has been effective in educating the community about the severity of flooding in the town. However, as there is no provision for such a zone in the standard LEP, this presents a significant issue for the future management of such lands.



Map 8.8: Industrial Investigation Land at Narrabri



There are 3 options for dealing with this issue:

Make representations to the Department of Planning to create a new zone in the Standard LEP that reflects the current Rural Floodway Zone;

Use the underlying land uses to zone the land (commercial, residential, rural residential, etc) and create an overlay which relates to the current floodway zone with a clause which has similar restrictions as the floodway zone.

Retrofit one of the existing zones within the standard LEP. It should be pointed out that the section 117 Directions issued pursuant to the provisions of the EP&A Act, state that draft LEPs should be consistent with the Government’s Floodprone Land Policy and the principles of the Floodplain Development Manual 2005 and to ensure that the provisions of an LEP on floodprone land is match the flood hazard and the potential of flood impacts. It goes on to make the following specific provisions:

1. A draft LEP shall include provisions that give effect to and are consistent with the NSW Flood Prone Land Policy and the principles of the Floodplain Development Manual, 2005 (including the Guideline on Development Controls on Low Flood Risk Areas).

2. A draft LEP shall not rezone land within the flood planning areas from Special Area, Recreation, Rural or Environmental Protection Zones to a Residential, Business, Industrial or Special Area Zone

3. A draft LEP shall not contain provisions that apply to the flood planning areas which: a) permit development in floodway areas, b) permit development that will result in significant flood impacts to

other properties, c) permit a significant increase in the development of that land, d) are likely to result in a substantially increased requirement for

government spending on flood mitigation measures, infrastructure or services, or

e) permit development to be carried out without development consent except for the purposes of agriculture (not including dams, drainage canals, levees, buildings or structures in floodways or high hazard areas) or exempt development.

Each of the options outlined above will be discussed separately below. It is noted that the standard LEP does not contain an appropriate zone that deals specifically with flooding. However, there are a number of towns throughout the State that have similar flooding issues to Narrabri as well as similar zones in their LEPs that restrict development in the floodways. Examples are Maitland, Forbes and Tamworth. Such a zone would cover the floodways where the water is fast flowing and where any future buildings would be considered to be inappropriate (which is the same as the existing Rural Floodway zone for Narrabri). This will have the effect of advising the community of the flooding issue by keeping the zone that currently exists.



Map 8.9: Flooding in Narrabri



The second option is similar to a zone but allows the Council a bit more flexibility by including the flooding restrictions in a clause that would be specific to Narrabri. It would zone the land commercial for the commercial uses and residential for the residential uses. An overlay would be placed on the same land as the existing floodway zone that would have the same restrictions as the existing zone. The disadvantage of this approach is that the actual zoning does not reflect the fact that the land is in a floodway, however, there is the option of including an objective in the Business and Residential zone referring to the issues associated with building on flood prone land. The third option is to try to ‘fit’ the existing zones contained in the Standard LEP Instrument. The zones which have a resemblance to the current Environmental Protection – Floodway zone are: E2 Environmental Conservation – Generally intended to protect land that has a

high conservation value. E3 Environmental Management – Generally Intended for land that has

environmental or scenic values or hazard risk permitting a range of development including dwelling houses.

W1 Natural Waterways – Zone intended for waterways that are to be protected due to their ecological and scenic values.

The provisions of the Standard LEP do not allow the stated objectives to be amended, which would have to be done to give the best effect to the land use controls in the floodway. Having regard to this, it is not considered that any of these zones is considered appropriate for use in replacement of the existing Rural Floodway zone. Further, in considering Council’s approach to the future management of floodway lands the provisions of the Section 117 Direction outlined above must be taken into account. Therefore, it is considered that there is a need to provide specific land use controls for the floodway as well as floodprone land. It is noted that the Standard LEP does not have a good match for the current floodway zone and therefore it will have to be an overlay with a Primary Production as the underlying land use designation. There should be a special clause to replicate the current zone provisions which are outlined below:

Zone No 1 (d) (Rural (Floodway) Zone) 1 Objectives of zone: The objective is to establish a series of obstacle-free floodways, these floodways being a vital component of the flood mitigation programme for the Town of Narrabri. Permissible land uses within the zone are those which can be carried out without obstructing the floodway or resulting in extensive damage in times of flood. 2 Without development consent: Nil. 3 Only with development consent: Agriculture (except feed lots, piggeries, poultry farming, stock homes and any other intensive keeping of animals); drainage; extractive industries; open space; public utility undertakings; roads. 4 Prohibited: Any purpose other than a purpose included in item 3.



It should be noted that uses that currently exist in the zone have existing use rights and can remain unaffected by these provisions. There also should be a clause in the LEP to enable the control of development in land that has not been mapped but is considered to be flood prone. In such cases it is normal practice to require the submission of a flood study for the individual site and the presence of a clause in the LEP will allow flooding to be considered when assessing development applications. It is considered to be of such significance in the local context that a specific clause is needed to back up the general provisions of section 79C of the EP&A Act (the heads of consideration for assessing development applications). There is land in Genanagie Street that has been assessed as part of the Narrabri Supplementary Floodplain Management Study prepared in 2002 by Osborn Land & Max Winders & Associates. The land is shown on map 8.10. This study found that all of the existing houses in the area that are located below the 1% AEP flood level or with a minimum freeboard above that level could be raised. It also found that the construction of a 800 m2 flood mound on each of the existing vacant lots would have “a negligible impact on flood behaviour in the adjacent residential areas or elsewhere in the town. Thus flood impact is not a constraint on the construction of rural housing in this area.” (Osborn Lane & Max Winders & Associates p23). However, the report did stress that the safety of residents and emergency personnel during flooding is the major issue in the formulation of strategies for the management of flooding in the area. The Study made the following recommendations for future development in the Genanagie Street study area: The owners of existing houses which are located below or slightly above the 1%

AEP flood level should be encouraged to raise their houses to satisfy the habitable floor level requirements of the existing Council policy.

Future development will be limited to the construction of rural housing on 800 m2 flood mounds on some of the existing lots. No flood mounds are to be constructed within the area where flooding exceeds 1 m depth in the 5% AEP design event. This land is shown on map 8.11 which has been taken from the Study.

No subdivision of existing lots is to be permitted. The land is considered to be appropriate for rural residential development as it is close to the Town of Narrabri and is in an area with other rural residential uses around it. It is not in an area that is to be targeted for future residential development and is considered to be a unique area as there are no other similar areas immediately adjoining the town which could be built on in such a manner. This is also consistent with the provisions of the NSW Flood Prone Land Policy and the Floodplain Development Manual 2005. The development of this area will have a negligible effect on the surrounding land and it has merit for development. It would be appropriate therefore to permit a dwelling house to be constructed on each of the lots shown in map 8.11. This will be done by a special local clause in the draft LEP.



Map 8.10: Existing Floodway in Genanagie Street Area



Map 8.11: Recommendations for Genanagie Street Area



There are 2 lots at the corner of Genanagie Street and Manning Street that are partially zoned as Rural 1(d) Floodway and part Residential (the area affected by the flooding zone has a total area of approximately 1,350 m2 and there are dwellings constructed on both lots and both lots have an area of approximately 1,700 m2 each). Consideration can be given to removing the Floodway zone from these 2 lots as part of the preparation of the draft LEP.

Summary of Narrabri Designations

In summary it is proposed to have the following land use designations in the town of Narrabri: General Residential Local Centre Mixed Use Light Industrial Infrastructure Public Recreation Floodway Overlay

These are to become zones in the proposed LEP but because this Strategy does not alter the zoning of the land, they will be referred to as designations. In addition, it is considered appropriate to identify investigation areas for residential and industrial designations. These are all shown on map 8.12. It is acknowledged that there is currently no provision for a floodway zone in the Standard LEP, so this will be dealt with by an overlay with an appropriate special clause. It should be noted that this Strategy only shows the major changes to the land uses – it does not provide the detailed zonings for current public uses or open space areas. It is Council’s intention to retain those existing areas as they are. The detail of the new zones for all land will be shown on the draft LEP which will be one of the actions of this Strategy.



Map 8.12: Proposed Land Use Designations for Narrabri



Rural Residential

The analysis done of the current supply and demand for the land zoned as Rural 1(c) showed that there was significant excess capacity, as well as having a slow take up of subdivision and dwelling house construction. For this reason, it is recommended that changes be made to the current zones. Provision has been made for the rural fringe / large lot residential and rural living / rural small holding styles of development. The recommended changes are shown on map 8.9 and are as follows:

Create a new Rural Small Holdings zone at Eula Creek Road and Kaputar Road intersection. This land has an area of 310 ha which will yield approximately 39 lots which should satisfy the demand over the next 5 years.

Reduce the size of the Kaputar Road / Old Gunnedah Road zone by taking out the land that is vegetated to the north of the Kaputar Road. This land will become part of the Primary Production designation.

The Jacks Creek Road area to the east of Tuppiari Road is to be back zoned because of the high amount of vegetation in the area which makes it bushfire prone and therefore unlikely to be subdivided. This land will become part of the Primary Production designation.

Backzone the Kaputar Road existing rural residential zone because it has not been subdivided despite being zoned for some time. It is to be considered for future rural small holdings (10 ha).

The draft Growth Management Strategy recommended that a significant part of the land in Jacks Creek Road – Gun Club Road – Highfields Lane area be changed to 10 ha minimum as an interim measure to allow the subdivision to occur in a more sequential manner. However there was a desire by the people who live in the area to be able to subdivide to 2 ha as they could do under the current controls and they said they had planned to do so in the near future. This was noted as well as the need to establish a functional road pattern through the Jacks Creek Road – Gun Club Road – Highfields Lane areas. The proposal to change the zoning was abandoned in order to develop a road pattern through the area. This will ensure that the land is subdivided in the most efficient manner. The road layout should be included as part of the Councils DCP which will have to be prepared to compliment the LEP. There is a need to provide for the future expansion the Rural Small Holdings 10 ha designation along Kaputar Road. The land to the east of the proposed area has been analysed and found to be capable of 10 ha subdivision. It is appropirate to include a designation of Rural Small Holdings 10 ha Investigation which is to include land shown on map 8.13. Analysis of the dwelling yield has been carried out and this land will yield a total of 75 additional dwellings being a mixture of subdivision of lots greater than 20 ha and dwelling entitlements to be provided for lots less than 10 ha. This relates to a supply of between 25 and 39 years, which is considered to be adequate. The land in the Rural Small Holding Investigation designation will be rezoned in a subsequent LEP subject to the demand for the land in the proposed Rural Small Holding 10 ha designation. The Namoi CMA provide the following comments on salinity issues:

Northeast of Narrabri



This area lies within the Groundwater Flow Systems, comprising Pilliga Sandstones, Permo Triassic Sedimentary Rocks and the Upper Narrabri Formation (LP). The Permo Triassic Sedimentary Rocks are sandstone derived and outcrop through the surrounding sediments. These areas are significant recharge areas with management aimed at the maintenance and enhancement of native vegetation on recharge areas as they have predominantly shallow soils, and strategic planting of native vegetation. Consideration needs to be given to management of water from buildings and septic systems. Roof water should be collected in tanks and used for watering. Need to avoid rubble pits for drainage and ensure suitable septic systems where there is no leakage into the soil. Vegetation cover needs to be maintaining with water use efficient lawns and gardens as soils are predominantly shallow and have low water holding capacity. The area dominated by Upper Narrabri Formation (LP) which lies further northeast comprises shallow sedimentary clays. There are surface expressions of salinity within these areas. As above management needs to be associated with management of recharge, however if salinity discharge areas occur, management needs to be associated with on-site management using suitable perennial species and vegetation. Consideration needs to be given to management of water from buildings and septic systems. Roof water should be collected in tanks and used for watering. Need to avoid rubble pits for drainage and ensure suitable septic systems where there is no leakage into the soil. Vegetation cover needs to be maintained with water use efficient lawns and gardens as soils contain salts at depth and these may be mobilised if the soil becomes saturated. South of Narrabri This area lies within the Groundwater Flow Systems, comprising Pilliga Outwash and Pilliga Sandstones. The material consists of porous sandstone sediments with clay lenses and a duplex soil. There is some localised salinity in this area, and areas of sodic soil where erosion has occurred. Consideration needs to be given to management of water from buildings and septic systems. Roof water should be collected in tanks and used for watering. Need to avoid rubble pits for drainage and ensure suitable septic systems where there is no leakage into the soil. Vegetation cover needs to be maintained with water use efficient lawns and gardens as soils contain salts at depth and these may be mobilised if the soil becomes saturated.

An analysis of the potential lot yield to determine supply and demand has been undertaken and this is provided in table 8.4. Table 8.4: Rural Residential Lot Yield – Narrabri

Area Name Number of Lots

Lot Yield

Growth in

Years (Low)

Growth in

Years (High)

Supply in

Years (Low)

Supply in Years (High)

Large Lot Residential Kaputar Road 167 268 5 10 54 27 Highfield Lane 17 77 5 10 15 8



Gun Club Rd 49 349 5 10 70 35 Total 233 694 5 10 139 69

Rural Small Holding Eulah Creek Rd 40 ha 18 18 2 3 9 6 Kaputar Road 10 ha 7 22 2 3 11 7

Total 31 76 2 3 38 25



Map 8.13: Proposed Rural Residential zoning – Narrabri



The land to the east of McKenzie Street is zoned Rural 1(u) which is the result of a spot rezoning to allow the land to be rezoned to allow for subdivision to 1.2 ha. This land has been designated as Large Lot Residential The draft LEP 2005 has been referred to in chapter 1. It is noted that the recommended zone boundaries of that draft and the preceding one (draft LEP 2003) were not backed up by any analysis or justification. The map for the area around Narrabri is shown as map 8.14. The following points can be made about the location of some of the zone boundaries and the reasons for not including them in the current recommendations:

There is too much supply of land zoned both rural 1(c ) and 1(b); The land proposed to be zoned rural 1(b) to the south of Narrabri to be

accessed from Tuppiari Rd an Oakdale Ln is in excess of 9,000 ha and is considered to provide too much supply;

The land proposed to be zoned rural 1(b) between Old Gunnedah Road and the Kamilaroi Highway, around McKenzie St and Gananagie St is floodprone;

The land at Boundary Road, to the south of town is already subdivided into 10 ha lots and would not benefit any development potential from being included. It is also considered to be surplus to the current zoned supply of land.

The smaller proposed rural 1(b) zone to the north of the urban area are all smaller than 30 ha and it is not known why they were recommended to be changed. Some of them also have dwellings located on them. More importantly, there are cotton farms located adjacent to the northern boundary of Narrabri and rural residential development would lead to rural land use conflict and a potential detrimental impact on the cotton farm.



Map 8.14: Draft LEP 2005 Rural 1(b) and 1(c) zones – Narrabri



8.3.4. Boggabri

Issues for Development

The main issue for the future development of Boggabri is flooding as the Namoi River and Cox’s Creek cause inundation of the land to the south and east of the village. This has been discussed in Chapter 7. The location of these 2 waterways is shown on map 8.15. The main part of the town is relatively flat with some sloping land to the south which is the flood prone parts. On the western side of the railway line the land slopes upwards to a high point between Caloola and Clark Roads as can be seen from map 8.15. The land use surrounding the town is a mixture of extensive agriculture, irrigated plants and some rural residential uses. As can be seen from map 8.15 the irrigated cropping uses are to the east of the Namoi River (which is also the floodprone land) and the extensive agriculture use is on the land to the west and north of the town. This is in line with the topography of the land. There is some rural residential development along the Kamilaroi Highway to the east of the town as well as along Grain Valley Road on the south west of the town. A quarry and piggery are located on Caloola Road to the west of Boggabri. Photo 8.10 shows the town of Boggabri with the surrounding land uses.

Photo 8.10: Boggabri and Environs Date of Photo: August 2006



Map 8.15: Land Use Surrounding Boggabri



There are 3 existing rural residential zones to the west of Boggabri as can be seen from map 8.15. The land use of these 3 existing rural residential zones is as follows:

Caloola Road North. This land has recently been subdivided but not yet sold and is used for extensive agriculture in conjunction with the surrounding land.

Caloola Road South. This lot has a piggery located on it which is likely to cause rural land use conflict and is considered to be an inappropriate use for this area. It is understood that this piggery is closing in the near future. On the northern side of Caloola Road there is a quarry. This is also an inappropriate use as it is likely to cause dust and noise issues which are not considered conducive to a residential area. This use should be protected by appropriate buffers.

Hill Street. This land has been subdivided and is currently a mixture of rural residential and vacant land.

Photo 8.11 shows the rural residential zone in the foreground as well as the piggery and the gravel extraction. The town of Boggabri and the other rural residential zone are shown in the background. This also illustrates the distance from Boggabri of the existing rural residential zone.

Photo 8.11: Boggabri Rural Residential Zone Date of Photo: August 2006

Residential Land

There are currently 2 different residential zones in Boggabri each having different objectives. The 2 zones are shown on Map 8.16 and their objectives are as follows: Residential 2(a): The objectives are:

(a) to allow for low density housing, and (b) to allow within the zone a range of non-residential uses which:

(i) are capable of visual integration with the surrounding environment,



(ii) serve the needs of the surrounding population without conflicting with the basic objectives of the zone, and (iii) do not place demands on services beyond the level reasonably required for residential use.

Residential 2(d): The objectives are: (a) to allow for a variety of housing forms from low density detached housing to medium density housing, and (b) to allow within the zone detached housing, residential flat buildings and motels.

It can be seen that the only difference between the zone objectives is related to density and the presence of compatible non-residential uses. The Standard LEP makes provision for low, medium and high density residential zones as well as a General Residential zone. Having regard to the size of Boggabri and to the desire to create a flexible zoning regime, it is considered that the most appropriate zone is a General Residential zone which will permit medium density housing but that it should be in close proximity to the CBD of the town. This should be one of the objectives of the zone. Therefore, the land covered by these 2 zones should become the land covered by the General Residential Designation. The current minimum lot size for subdivision in Boggabri is 600m2. The analysis of residential lot sizes in chapter 2 has shown that most lots are in the 1,000 to 1,500 m2 range. Analysis of the existing subdivision pattern has shown that the average size is between 1,000 and 1,200 m2 However the Council has decided to have a minimum lot size of 550 m2 for Boggabri to be inline with Wee Waa which is 550 m2.. The impact of this proposed increase on supply and demand can be seen from table 8.5. It can be seen that with the increase in minimum lot size, there is still sufficient supply of residential land. Table 8.5: Boggabri Residential Subdivision Scenarios

Lot Size

Existing Number

of Dwellings

Subdivision Potential

All Vacant Land

(No. of Lots)

Subdi-vision

Potential Vacant Land

Total Potential

Addi-tional Lots

550 sq m 321 438 42 119 557 600 sq m 321 394 42 111 505

Lot Size

Dwellling Growth (Low)

Dwelling Growth (High)

Dwelling Supply

in Years Low

(Vacant Land)

Dwelling Supply

in Years High

(Vacant Land)

Dwelling Supply

in Years Low (All

Land)

Dwelling Supply in

Years High (All

Land) 550 sq m 2 5 60 24 279 111 600 sq m 2 5 56 22 253 101

Source: Council GIS



Map 8.16: Existing Residential Zones - Boggabri



Residential Investigation Areas

The supply and demand figures presented in chapter 2 show that Boggabri has a large supply of residential land. There is between 22 and 56 years of supply of vacant land and when the land with dwellings on it is considered this supply increases to between 101 and 256 years. It is acknowledged that the demand is low (2 dwellings low and 5 dwellings per year high) but if the demand is trebled it still leaves between 7 and 19 years of vacant land and between 34 and 84 years for the subdivision of land with dwellings on it. This is because of the number of large lots in the town, especially in the south west of town around Walton Street and Grain Valley Road where the lots are 2 ha each. Therefore it is not considered that there is any need for any expansion of the current residential zone. However, there will be a need to monitor the take-up of this land to ensure that there is an adequate supply of land to cater for the anticipated growth of the town as the coal industry moves into the Shire. The purpose of discussing future residential land is to allow it to be identified and designated as future residential so that it can be preserved for that and planning commence to carry out the required studies to ensure that it comes on line when it is needed. The most appropriate area for investigation for residential development is the land on the western side of the railway line south of Boston St / Caloola Rd. This land adjoins the existing residential area and has good access to the Kamilaroi Highway and the commercial centre of Boggabri. Although it adjoins the light industrial zone there is sufficient land available to allow for an appropriate buffer distance between the future residential land and light industrial. The land is relatively flat with some slope upwards to the west. It is shown on map 8.17. It is not anticipated that this land will be needed for 20 years or at the earliest 10 – 15 years with a trebling of the current growth rate. However it is acknowledged that there are some large lots along Walton Street and Grain Valley Road that could be rezoned to large lot residential should the owners in this area not want to develop their land for residential development. This may bring on the need for this land earlier. As this is not anticipated to be necessary for 10 – 15 years there is sufficient time to investigate any of the pertinent issues.

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