Fact Sheet – What the Draft FNC Strategy Really Means

Preliminary GIS calculations, based on the Department of Planning’s draft Strategy mapping, reveals the following figures:

Undeveloped urban-zoned land in draft Strategy:

The draft identifies 3273 ha of urban undeveloped zoned land as within the ‘Existing Footprint’

Of the 3273 ha undeveloped urban zoned land,

Land with High Constraints* 1810 ha (55.3%)

Land with Medium Constraints** 513 ha (15.7%)

Unconstrained Land *** 950ha (29%)

* The land are known to have very high conservation values and/or severe physical constraints, such as flooding hazard, and this information is documented in public records

** These lands are known to have ecological values and/or moderate physical constraints that would impact on their ability to be fully developed, and this information is documented in public records

*** These lands do not have known ecological constraints, however detailed studies have not been done.

(Note: Iron Gates at Evans Head (18.9ha urban), has been included in the HIGH constraints category total above, even though no detailed constraints mapping appears to have been done in the draft Strategy)

Also at Evans Head - undeveloped urban-zoned 2(v) land at the north of the village (108/1031888 & 2/1012063) is not mapped in the constraints mapping, nor even shown as part of the existing zoned village land in the Draft Strategy.

Some other lands also appear not to have been assessed for their constraints in the detailed maps of the Draft Strategy. Development of zoned land at West Byron and Becton will be on high-constraints land. Hence the total constrained land proposed to be developed under the draft Strategy is likely to be higher.

Land identified in the draft Strategy for urban development:

Note – these lands are currently not zoned urban – they are mainly either ‘rural’ or ‘investigation’

3599 ha of ‘new release’ land

High Constraints 874 ha (24.3%)

Medium Constraints 607 ha (16.9%)

None 2118ha (58.8%)

Not assessment has been done yet on the Employment Lands. There seem to be significant areas for new industrial zones, which haven’t been assessed for biodiversity and physical constraints. This is of major concern, and requires more details to be released by the state government on their values.

A justification should also be provided by the government as to why lands such a large amount of high conservation values lands are identified in the Draft Strategy for urban development.