Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
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Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
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| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary Roadside Grazing Permits Policy | 1. Objective: To facilitate roadside grazing, while managing environmental, safety and liability risks. To state Council’s policy in respect to temporary roadside grazing permits, which are issued by the Local Rural Lands Protection Board. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | NSW | Cessnock | Regional |
| The 2018 Active Women and Girls’ Strategy | Provide resources which support physical activities at home, such as exercise programs, health and diet information, pedometers and diaries to track activity and maintain motivation | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The 2018 Active Women and Girls’ Strategy | Identify improvements to facilities, child play areas and basic amenities such as lighting, seating, access to toilets and water fountains. | Health and Wellbeing | Access to safe drinking water | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Actions to encourage smaller ancillary dwellings behind existing dwellings – similar to the laneway dwelling concept but without the need for direct access to a lane – might also be contemplated. In NSW special regulations are enacted within that State’s affordable housing framework for smaller accessory dwellings (‘granny flats’). A ‘proof of concept’ approach (outlined in Direction 2) could also be used to encourage the laneway and ancillary dwelling types. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Consideration should be given to the development of design guidelines for larger apartment and mixed use developments to offer direction with regard to design quality, amenity and affordability issues. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Implementation Key Actions Short – medium term Engage with State Government and other key stakeholders to provide leadership in addressing the provision of social and affordable housing opportunities in Ballarat Continue to engage with the private sector and State Government on opportunities for pilot projects of social and affordable housing Supporting Actions Ongoing Continue to encourage the provision of affordable, diverse housing opportunities across the municipality | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | In terms of leadership opportunities for Council, there are opportunities for ongoing focus on: Utilisation of existing dwellings – facilitate partnerships between housing service providers, real estate agents and other housing stakeholders to deliver programs that enable better utilisation of current housing stock Planning policies and strategies – utilise planning system measures to facilitate efficient housing markets and increase affordable (including social) housing supply Social housing provision – demonstrating strong leadership through the provision of resources to facilitate effective local partnerships to create new social housing solutions Community information – leading the provision of relevant, high quality information to both assist housing stakeholders to access information about housing need and trends and improve planning. City of Ballarat will continue to engage with the State and Federal Governments, and private sector, to improve access to social and affordable housing opportunities. Pilot projects will be actively encouraged in Ballarat. Private sector proposals where the pilot could demonstrate a viable long-term business model for housing provision will be of particular interest. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Plan for Affordable and Diverse Housing Appropriate for an Ageing and Changing Community Initiative 3.13 – Support a structure to the city and make land use planning decisions to enable ageing in place, enable excellent access to public transport and support the viability of providing the services needed for an ageing population There is a strong need to plan ahead for an ageing population. Ballarat’s population is expected to include over 25,000 seniors by 2040. The age of the population has implications for the provision of services and facilities, housing needs and the economy. The City of Ballarat values the philosophy of ‘Positive Ageing’ and strives to create an environment across our city that reflects these values in our culture, services, planning and built environment. The Council Plan and Positive Ageing Strategy have been developed to assist in achieving this outcome utilising the principles from the World Health Organisation’s Global Age Friendly Cities Guide. This guide suggests: ‘In an age friendly city, policies, services, settings and structures support and enable people to age actively by: Recognising the wide range of capacities and resources among older people Anticipating and responding flexibly to ageing-related needs and preferences Respecting their decisions and lifestyle choices Protecting those who are most vulnerable Promoting their inclusion in and contribution to all areas of community life’26 The City of Ballarat is inclusive of all people, respectful and inclusive of all diverse groups within the community. Active ageing is a lifelong process, and an age-friendly city is not just ‘elderly friendly’. Some of the areas Council and the Ballarat community have achieved or are working to enhance include the following: Built spaces in our local environment which are free of barriers to enhance the mobility and independence of people with disabilities, both younger and older Safe, secure neighbourhoods allowing children, adolescents, adults and older people to enjoy being outdoors, exploring and enjoying their neighbourhoods in confidence, being able to participate in physically active leisure and social activities Families experiencing less stress when their older members have the community support and health services they need The community at large benefiting from the participation of older people in paid and volunteer work. Ballarat Strategy does not outline specific actions for dealing with an ageing population. This is because the changing demographics and forecast population growth and change in Ballarat towards 2040 underpin all policy directions and initiatives, not just particularly related to ageing. Instead, the Strategy directs decision-making towards a universally accessible Ballarat, with diverse housing that can accommodate people with changing needs. It is important to note that if an area is accessible and safe for an ageing population, it is usually safe and accessible for all. That is why initiatives throughout this strategy support universal accessibility. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Support Affordable and Community Housing Engage with State Government and other key stakeholders to provide leadership in addressing the provision of social and affordable housing opportunities in Ballarat Continue to engage with the private sector and State Government on opportunities for pilot projects of social and affordable housing Continue to encourage the provision of affordable, diverse housing opportunities across the municipality Plan for Affordable and Diverse Housing appropriate for an Ageing and Changing Community Continue to plan for an ageing population, and the significant implications this has for land use planning and the built environment | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Support Affordable and Community Housing Initiative 3.12 – Provide local leadership to achieve social and community housing outcomes for Ballarat, including pilot opportunities There is clear evidence housing directly impacts on an individual’s health and wellbeing, with housing playing a critical role in health, education, employment and safety outcomes. Across the municipality, the provision of affordable housing promotes community diversity and cohesion, supporting our vision for the City of Ballarat as a safe and wellserviced city that provides access to opportunities for all citizens and creates healthy, connected communities. Generally, housing affordability across Australia has declined to the point where it is ranked one of the lowest in the world. Rising house prices has led to stronger demand for rental properties both increasing rental costs and displacing lower income households from more affordable accommodation. A shortage of affordable rental properties has increased demand for both social housing and housing support services. As this demand significantly exceeds supply, both locally and across Australia, the number of people who are homeless or living in severely overcrowded conditions or marginal housing continues to grow. Given current housing shortages, combined with predicted population growth, there is an immediate need to extend the diversity of housing stock and increase the availability of affordable dwellings in Ballarat. The housing affordability challenge is complex one. Based on the 2011 Census only 4.9% of Ballarat’s dwellings stock is defined as ‘social housing’ (1,890 dwellings). This suggests a gap in the provision of social housing in the City of Ballarat of between 1,360 and 3,850 dwellings (based on a need of 8.5 to 15 per cent of total stock).25 If no additional social housing is added, this gap could increase to between 3,770 and 8,110 by 2040. There will need to be a stepchange increase in the amount of social and affordable housing provided in Ballarat over the coming period. Providing social housing is primarily the responsibility of Federal and State governments. However, local government land use planning can provide for affordable housing. The City of Ballarat also recognises that through a strong understanding of local community need, and its planning and service delivery functions, local government is well placed to play a more substantial part in addressing gaps in the local housing market. This is evidenced by international and local trends. Council’s role therefore includes: Provision of strong leadership in setting the housing agenda Utilising planning system measures to facilitate efficient housing markets and increased affordable (including social) housing supply Facilitating and initiating partnerships that bring together stakeholders to collectively address housing issues Information provision to promote understanding of housing need and facilitate informed debate about future housing solutions. Working in partnership to provide affordable housing has been a recent emerging trend in Australia. This includes both partnerships between all levels of government as well as working with the community housing sector and private developers to boost the availability of affordable housing supply. Lack of funding capability, coupled with the scope of Council’s involvement in facilitating affordable housing, necessitates strong partnerships in order to reduce the gap between housing supply and current and future demand. | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Support Affordable and Community Housing 3.12 – Provide local leadership to achieve social and community housing outcomes for Ballarat, including pilot opportunities Plan for Affordable and Diverse Housing Appropriate for an Ageing and Changing Community 3.13 – Support a structure to the city and make land use planning decisions to enable ageing in place, support excellent access to public transport and the viability of providing the services needed for an ageing population | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | 2: Developing a Network of Complete Local Neighbourhoods Complete Neighbourhoods include a Range of Housing Options, Shops and Supermarkets and other Neighbourhood-serving Commercial Services; Public Open Spaces and Recreational Facilities; and Access to Frequent Public Transport. The term ‘complete neighbourhood’ refers to a neighbourhood where one has safe and convenient access to the goods and services needed in daily life. This includes a variety of housing options, supermarkets and other commercial services, quality schools, public open spaces and recreational facilities, affordable active transport options and daily services. An important element of a complete neighbourhood is that it is built at a walkable and bikeable human scale, and meets the needs of people of all ages and abilities. The concept is based around recognising human needs and behaviours. Land use planning should enable residents, whether urban or rural, to access as much of their daily needs as possible in their local communities. In Ballarat, complete neighbourhoods will have: A discernible centre Most houses within a 10 minute walk of the centre A variety of housing types A variety of shops and offices should provide daily needs, including incidental food shopping A primary school close enough so most children can walk to school Small playgrounds or open space accessible within 10 minute walk (or less) of all homes The streets within the neighbourhood as a logical, safe, legible and connected network People focussed places, with high amenity and trees and gardens Space for neighbourhood meeting places, community centres or places for public events Access to transport. | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Facilitate Better Access to Local Services and Facilities Initiative 2.1 – Work towards all urban residents being able to access most of their daily needs within 10 minutes walk or cycling from home Today, most Ballarat properties are close enough to parks, businesses, frequent public transport, schools and other amenities to safely and easily walk or bike to meet their daily needs. By 2040, in a larger city, all Ballarat urban residents should be able to safely and easily walk or bike to services and amenities. The street system and built environment will make walking and biking preferred ways of accessing local destinations and the public transport system. Access to daily needs within 10 minutes walk or cycle can be achieved through the following: Compact City Form There is a need for housing growth patterns to reinforce the 10 Minute City: The CBD has the highest levels of access to public transport, jobs and services, but contains less than 300 residents. A step-change in inner city housing in the CBD offers enormous potential for significantly more people to live in this prime location (refer Initiatives 1.7 and 1.8) Infill development is being encouraged within 400m of public transport, with active encouragement of development in Convenience Living Corridors within 200m of the future frequent public transport corridors (refer Initiatives 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3) Unplanned and dislocated greenfield developments have long-term costs to the community and can result in poorly connected services if not properly planned in appropriate locations with access to key services such as the public transport network. Criteria are to be adopted to consider future applications for greenfield development – based around the compact form, transport accessibility and opportunity to develop complete neighbourhoods (refer Initiative 3.7). Strategically located sites, with an unclear land use future, have been identified. Some may have the opportunity for large-scale housing development, in well-located areas which uphold the ’10 Minute City’ principle (refer Initiative 3.4). Complete Local Neighbourhoods The term ‘complete neighbourhood’ refers to a neighbourhood where one has safe and convenient access to the goods and services needed in daily life. This includes a variety of: housing options; supermarkets and other commercial services; quality schools; public open spaces and recreational facilities; affordable active transportation options and daily services. An important element of a complete neighbourhood is that it is built at a walkable and bikeable human scale, and meets the needs of people of all ages and abilities. Ongoing implementation of the Ballarat Activity Centres Strategy, including opportunities to rezone land and change planning controls will support greater diversity in local centres (refer Initiative 1.4 and 1.5). | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Initiative 1.4 – Support improved vibrancy and vitality in local activity centres by continuing to implement the Ballarat activity centres strategy Most of Ballarat’s shopping and services are located in Activity Centres. These are typically local shopping precincts which include a supermarket, supporting shops and community services. The Ballarat Activity Centres Strategy 2011 (BACS) currently guides the development of these areas. It is embedded in the Ballarat Planning Scheme to require certain types of developments to occur in certain commercial locations across the city. The objective is to maximise economic vibrancy and sustainability. Activity centres are managed in the following hierarchy: Principal Activity Centre Major Activity Centre Large Neighbourhood Activity Centre (LNAC) Ballarat CBD Wendouree Glenelg Highway (Proposed) to develop into Major Activity Centre over time, staged in line with demand growth in the Ballarat West Growth Area catchment Sebastopol (formerly Sebastopol North) Midvale Buninyong Neighbourhood Activity Centre Lucas (to develop into LNAC over time) Carngham Road (Proposed) Sebastopol South (formerly Sebastopol) Redan (formerly MaxiFoods) Alfredton East Northway Miners Rest Pleasant Park Bulky Goods Retail Centre Wendouree | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Initiative 3.2 – Actively pursue more housing developments within 200 metres of public transport and within walking distance of local activity centres | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Plan Ballarat to ensure residents don’t have to travel far to get to jobs, shops, schools and services | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Platform 1: The ‘10 Minute City’ Supporting Complete, Liveable Neighbourhoods within a Compact City The ‘10 Minute City’ concept in Ballarat reflects community aspirations to maintain existing levels of access to destinations and services even when the city grows over time. It supports the ability for all residents of Ballarat to be able to do more of their day to day shopping, accessing of services and business in local neighbourhood centres. It also promotes the improvement of walking and cycling connections in local neighbourhoods so residents find it easier to move around and reduce the need to use the car for short-journeys. More than just a benchmark, it is a way of guiding decision-making which influences the shape, form and function of the Municipality. It will help guide growth and change in Ballarat so in 2040 it is a place which has: 1 Compact city form – new housing has developed in a pattern focussed on supporting a compact, efficient and productive city 2 Complete local neighbourhoods – residents can predominantly access their day to day needs in local centres, reducing the need to travel 3 Land uses and precincts supporting jobs, productivity and efficiency – businesses are able to connect, share knowledge, access workers and markets through a city structure designed for the future economy 4 High quality local connections – safe, accessible and permeable neighbourhoods encourage walking, cycling and public transport as convenient transport options. High amenity public spaces encourage people to use them, with widespread health and safety benefits 5 Supporting the economic transition to the jobs of tomorrow | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | The ‘10 Minute City’ concept in Ballarat reflects community aspirations to maintain existing levels of access to destinations and services even when the city grows over time. It supports the ability for all residents of Ballarat to be able to do more of their day to day shopping, accessing of services, and business in local neighbourhood centres. It also promotes the improvement of walking and cycling connections in local neighbourhoods so residents find it easier to move around and reduce the need to use the car for short-journeys Ballarat is currently a ‘10 Minute City’. At nonpeak times it is possible to reach most areas from the centre of town within a 10 minute drive by car. Access to local shops, schools, services and facilities are also very good. That level of accessibility is valued by the community. The challenge over the next 25 years is to maintain accessibility as the population swells by over 60,000 people and congestion increases, even with upgrades to existing infrastructure. The ’10 Minute City’ concept seeks to support complete, liveable neighbourhoods within a compact city, based around: Compact city form Complete local neighbourhoods Land uses and precincts supporting jobs, productivity and efficiency High quality local connections. The concept does not mean all areas outside 10 minutes from the CBD are forgotten. Far from it. This principle is equally as relevant to the rural and township areas of the Municipality as it is for the urban centre. Improved ability to move around township and rural areas supports a more inclusive and active community. Greater diversity of services and businesses in suburban locations also brings those services closer to the hinterland areas, potentially reducing the distance required to drive to access them. The essence of the ’10 Minute City’ is that the community currently enjoys being able to move across the city with ease, and with limited impact of congestion. This principle supports rural and hinterland residents who also indicated through Ballarat Image they wanted to continue to be able to easily move through the city for their daily business, even when the population is significantly greater than today. The concept also doesn’t mean development stops at an 8km ring from the CBD. Rather, it highlights the relative merits, constraints and opportunities for Ballarat as a compact city, when making decisions on growth and change. 10 Minute City underlies all elements of the Ballarat Strategy. Parts of the discussion in this section overlap with other sections but highlight the importance of this principle to the management of growth and change in Ballarat over the long-term. | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | The ’10 Minute City’ will support complete, Liveable Neighbourhoods within a Compact City. The ’10 Minute City’ concept in Ballarat reflects community aspirations to maintain existing or improved levels of local access to destinations and services as the city grows over time. Ballarat as a ’10 Minute City’ is achieved by: 1 Making land use decisions so housing growth patterns reinforce a compact city (page 108-109) 2 Developing a network of complete local neighbourhoods (page 62-63) 3 Recognising key precincts for urban renewal and convenience living (page 66-74) 4 Transitioning towards a more sustainable transport network (page 154-155) 5 Supporting the economic transition towards the jobs of tomorrow (page 42-61) | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Agriculture Ensure Ongoing Management of Agricultural Land for Agriculture and Food Security 5.19 – Continue to manage the use of agricultural land to support agriculture and food security 5.20 – Engage with rural councils to identify opportunities for better managing rural interface areas | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Agriculture Ensure Ongoing Management of Agricultural Land for Agriculture and Food Security Continue to apply the Ballarat Rural Land Use Strategy (2010) to the management of agricultural land Review rural land use policy to ensure it continues to appropriately manage agricultural land in alignment with future values and aspirations for the agricultural sector Engage with Rural Councils Victoria and other key stakeholders to identify statewide opportunities for better managing rural interface areas | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | BWEZ Will offer Unencumbered Industrial Land for New Businesses For these reasons BWEZ has been planned as the next growth area for heavy industry. It provides approximately 430 developable hectares of new industrial land with high quality access to infrastructure, transport connections (Western Freeway/ Ballarat Western Link Road/ railway connections), and includes carefully planned buffer and land use transition provisions so businesses can develop in these areas without encumbrance. The land between Ring Road and Western Freeway, which contains significant food-manufacturing plants, such as McCain’s, is another key area that is well serviced by infrastructure, transport and currently separated from sensitive uses. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Council has a significant role to play in supporting township areas to manage change, and protecting the agricultural land which is highly productive and essential to the long-term sustainability of the region. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Ensure Ongoing Management of Agricultural Land for Agriculture and Food Security Initiative 5.19 – Continue to manage the use of agricultural land to support agriculture and food security The rural areas are integral to Ballarat’s rural identity and highly valued for their contributions to the economy, culture, liveability and amenity. There is a fundamental need for ongoing support for policy which enables farming enterprises to continue to operate with limited restriction from sensitive neighbouring land uses, and the ability to acquire additional land to expand the farm business. The Ballarat Rural Land Use Strategy (2010) provides this policy guidance. It was developed over a number of years, with significant stakeholder and industry engagement, and included a thorough review of areas suitable for rural living, core farming, and areas where more diverse rural activity can occur. Some individual landowners may not agree with some of its restrictions, but it was adopted by Council as it provides important protection of agricultural land, natural features and significant landscapes. Farming Zone (FZ) has been applied to most of the rural areas of the City and the main purpose of the FZ is to support farming activity. While within this planning framework there is the potential to subdivide land and to erect dwellings; the purpose of the zone states dwellings should not adversely affect the use of the land for agriculture. In most cases the use of land for a dwelling will require a permit and it should have a clear relationship to the use of that land for farming activity. Council acknowledges subdivision and dwellings in farming areas can potentially restrict the ability to use that land for farming activities and can impact on the ability of neighbouring farms to carry out agricultural production activities. Council has therefore adopted a clear position to manage subdivision and dwellings in the Farming Zone to support ongoing and long term farming in its rural areas. Rural Subdivision It is acknowledged subdivision alone does not necessarily pose a threat to farming, as it can provide the opportunity for consolidation of a farm property and/or divestment of farming assets from one farm enterprise to another. Subdivision can provide farmers with a degree of flexibility in terms of their agricultural operations and their long term planning. City of Ballarat supports subdivision of land within the Farming Zone where it is clearly based on improving a productive farming outcome. In some instances subdivision of land is proposed to adjust existing title boundaries (boundary realignment) or to remove an existing dwelling from the property (a house lot ‘excision’). While house lot excisions can provide the opportunity to consolidate farms and remove unwanted dwellings from the farm property, they also pose a ‘right to farm’ risk to farming operations by introducing a small residential lot into a farming area. Council will continue to consider small lot subdivisions on a case by case basis, but will only support them if they are subject to a Section 173 Agreement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 prohibiting a house and further subdivision on any lot which has been subdivided. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Implementation Key Actions Short – medium term Continue to apply the Ballarat Rural Land Use Strategy (2010) to the management of agricultural land Supporting Actions Ongoing Review rural land use policy to ensure it continues to appropriately manage agricultural land in alignment with future values and aspirations for the agricultural sector Engage with Rural Councils Victoria and other key stakeholders to identify statewide opportunities for better managing rural interface area | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Initiative 5.19 – Continue to manage the use of agricultural land to support agriculture and food security | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Initiative 5.20 – Engage with rural councils to identify opportunities for better managing rural interface areas The urban / rural interface is a key challenge for land use planning. It is a difficult and perpetual issue that where urban uses finish and rural uses start, there is conflict. As outlined in Initiative 5.19, stray dogs, rubbish, complaints regarding chemical use, noise and amenity are just some of the issues which make it difficult for farmers in these areas to continue to farm the land. Council is frequently contacted by individuals in this situation, who consider the farmland compromised and conversion of their own land to urban uses the only option. Although potentially improving their individual circumstances over the shortterm, the long-term impact on agriculture and food security is Ballarat gradually chips away at its agricultural base. There is a need to better protect farmers in rural interface areas from the impacts of nearby urban encroachment, so land that should remain a part of the agricultural farming estate can do so over the long-term. Through its membership of Rural Council’s Victoria, City of Ballarat will engage with other rural municipalities across the State to identify mechanisms to better protect farmers in these circumstances. Additionally the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes (ICOMOS-IFLA) has launched an initiative on ‘World Rural Landscapes’ to promote worldwide cooperation for the management of rural landscapes. The City of Ballarat will tap into this initiative to build in world’s best practice in this key area. New and innovative planning controls will then be considered to better manage these areas. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | Rooftop gardens could be providing an increasing proportion of locally sourced food. Ballarat could be a place where urban bee-keeping is the norm, and the urban forest supports the bees to pollinate and support local food security. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | The Ballarat Strategy further develops these regional strategies, and embeds them in local planning policy and local initiatives. Managing interfaces with surrounding shires is extremely important. City of Ballarat will continue to work closely with the neighbouring Golden Plains, Moorabool, Hepburn and Pyrenees Shires on interface issues, which include the following: Regional consistency in the management of infrastructure and services Continuity of sewer connections in interface areas Consistency in waterway and flood management across shire boundaries Rural living interface issues where areas of Rural Living Zone (RLZ) abut areas designated for urban growth Access to regionally important community services for residents outside the Ballarat municipality Inconsistencies in planning controls of agricultural land across shire boundaries Proliferation of small lots with dwellings in farming areas abutting Farming Zone | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |
| The Ballarat Strategy | Today Tomorrow Together | Our Vision for 2040 | The City of Ballarat does not support use of land in farming areas for rural residential use as this has the potential to permanently remove that land from agricultural use and can impact on the ‘right to farm’ existing rural properties. This is often due to differing amenity expectations that residential properties have to farming properties. This can include complaints regarding pesticide spraying and late night harvesting or domestic dogs attacking livestock and the spread of pest species from residential properties to farms. Accordingly, Council will only support the construction of a dwelling in the FZ where it can be demonstrated the dwelling is reasonably required to support and enhance agricultural activity. As rural land is a finite resource, it is imperative for Ballarat over the long-term that land use decision-making does not impact on the ongoing viability of agricultural production. The current controls of the Ballarat Rural Land Use Strategy will continue to be applied over the short-medium term. Over the medium – long term (5-10 years), a review of the Strategy will be required to ensure it continues to uphold its cores values and is responsive to changes in the agricultural sector and community expectations. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Ballarat | Regional |