After numerous deferrals, it was D-Day for amendments to the Nambucca Environmental Plan (LEP) and the Nambucca Development Control Plan (DCP) relating to horticulture in the R5 large lot rural residential zone, the erection of dwellings within the rural and environmental protection zones and the removal of vegetation in the Pearl Estate at Valla.

The public exhibition period ended on August 31 with only a single submission relating to Pearl Estate received.

Cr Anne Smyth said transparency was needed in the case of land clearing at the Pearl Estate and moved an amendment requesting applications for future vegetation removal come to the council for determination and not simply the General Manager.

The motion was lost 4:3, with Cr Rhonda Hoban putting a further amendment to deal with part of the suggested changes, those being Pearl Estate and also horticulture in R5 zones.

“We need to at least signal to residents that horticulture in this zoning is permitted with a development application, even if we don’t have the details of what will be required,” Cr Hoban said.

Cr David Jones said that without any detail the amendment was ‘Orwellian’.

“This doesn’t get us very far at all – if the councillors don’t want horticulture regulated then you should say so,” he said.

Cr Hoban countered that after eight months of arguing she thought the councillors had agreed to regulation in R5 with buffer zones the remaining sticking point.

“At the last meeting we had a resident saying that a blueberry farm had just popped up on his doorstep! This is pressing.”

The amendment was passed, 6:3 with councillors Jenvey, Jones and Ballangarry in the negative.

Cr Jenvey said in her view the decision was obfuscation, Cr Jones said it offered no progress. Cr Smyth said she only voted in favour to protect the Pearl Estate vegetation.

Cr Brian Finlayson said he was not clear about the potential “for great impact to growers and developers” when it came to possible restrictions in R1 and R2 rural zones; he was glad to see that part of the matter deferred.

Cr Hoban hailed the vote as ‘significant’ because the requirement for a DA had been ‘nailed down’.

“How is that not a positive, rather than argue over the size of buffer zones?”

Cr Smyth requested that all R5 residents be notified of the change: “It concerns me when rules are changed and people don’t know.”

After the meeting the General Manager, Michael Coulter, said the decision on DAs for the R5 zone was consistant with other Mid North Coast councils except for Kempsey.

“They require DAs for horticulture in all rural zones,” Mr Coulter said.

He said provisions for buffer zones did already exist in the DCP.