800 lot Broulee ‘Agrihood’ proposes rezoning
By Alex Rea
A planning proposal for an 800 Lot Subdivision at 207 Broulee Road is on the Agenda for Tuesday’s Council Meeting.
The proponent refers to the proposal as an ‘Agrihood’ called ‘The Farm’.
Council first received the proposal on 10 August 2023 to rezone the 126.7 hectare site from RU1 Primary production to C4 Environmental Living to facilitate an estimated 800 dwellings.
An ‘Agrihood’ is described by the proponent in the planning proposal and supporting documentation as: “a unique community that integrates agriculture into a residential neighbourhood.”
“Australia’s leading wellness community with the implementation of ‘agri-hoods’, a clustered housing model and the world’s leading technology to drive sustainability.
“While this is exemplified in the construction of homes and landscape infrastructure, the desire to embody a lifestyle of sustainability and connection cannot be separated from food production and consumption and interactions with nature and others. Food and farming are often the reasons that we come to community gardening, however, the connections that are developed between the individual, their community, and their environment are some of the most powerful benefits.”
One of the community groups which was cited as showing support for the proposal was the South Coast Health and Sustainability Alliance. President Kathryn Maxwell said “I did not provide any written or oral endorsement of this proposed development. In my role as President of SHASA, I said this proposed development was unsuitable, due to biodiversity values of the site and excess development of Broulee. This proposal makes a mockery of the Eurobodalla Local Environment Plan.”
Council staff recommend in the report: THAT Council
Resolves not to support the Planning Proposal proceeding to Gateway Determination, for the following reasons:
• Inconsistency with regional and local strategies, State Environmental Planning Policies and Ministerial Directions.
• The feasibility of significant infrastructure required to achieve the proposed future development is not demonstrated from a financial and environmental perspective.
• Mitigation of potential adverse effects on the biodiversity and conservation of threatened species, ecological communities and their habitats and the surrounding Illawong Nature Reserve is not demonstrated.
• Preliminary work on the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy has identified housing supply and land zoned for future residential development exceeds the projected population needs past 2041.
• The proposal will divert the necessary critical infrastructure, funding, staging, sequencing, and delivery of housing away from the existing nominated growth areas and is therefore not in the public interest.
Notifies the proponent of Council’s determination in accordance with section 9 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021.
The independent planning consultant report states that while the philosophy and the principles that support the characteristics of ‘Agrihoods’ are commendable, the location of the proposed site for this new type of development is inappropriate and the characteristics of the proposal in this instance are uncertain.
The report to Council concluded that:
“The values and concepts presented in the planning proposal are commendable, however there is not enough information provided for any certainty that a sustainable residential community would be achieved.
All development is required to promote sustainable living and all subdivisions must provide for a liveable, sustainable and climate adapted public realm.
The planning proposal does not demonstrate strategic or site-specific merit and therefore it is recommended that Council does not support it.”