LOSS OF PRODUCTIVE LAND ISSUES-‐
DRAYTON SOUTH COAL MINE Planning Assessment Commission
DR PETER BACON, CPSS, CPESC, CPAg
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Key points 1. ‘Disappearance’ of previously mapped BSAL from the site.
2. Widespread degradaQon of cropping soils.
3. Development is incompaQble with the AcQons listed in the Hunter Regional Plan 2036.
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3% of NSW is BSAL :land with high quality soil and water resources capable of sustaining high levels of producQvity. Clear criteria need to be met for BSAL
BSAL land in NSW
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1). Loss of Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land ( BSAL)
218 ha of BSAL is within yellow lines
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EIS process and ‘LOSS’ of BSAL • 218 ha of ‘verified’ BSAL were idenQfied in the Gateway ApplicaQon.
• By May 2015 the BSAL was ‘shrunk’ to 78 ha (SLR 2015b).
• BSAL area later reduced to zero on the basis of field inspecQon and adributes such as flooding which are NOT BSAL criteria.
• This intriguing result was ignored by the final assessment report.
• The presence of adequately mapped BSAL would constrain the development
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2). Loss and degradaQon of producQve agricultural land (including CLASS 3 land) with BSAL criteria).
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Poten&ally BSAL land
The soils are highly variable
Class 3 has high cropping capability. Class 4 low cropping Class 5 no cropping 7
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QuantaQve losses:
• 253 ha of ‘croppable’ land. Partly BSAL. • 122 ha of grazing land. • Conversely, Class 5 land, which is ‘unsuitable for agriculture or at best only light grazing’ increased by 379 ha.
‘These are major impacts’ -‐ quote from NSW Dept P&I (2012).
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RelaQon to the Hunter Regional Plan 2036–AcQons
‘10.1 Protect loca=ons that can accommodate agricultural enterprises from incompa=ble development……
10.6 Manage Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land and other important agricultural land as loca=ons for agricultural ac=vi=es and complementary uses’ –BSAL ‘disappearance’ &
LOSS of 253 ha of cropping land? 10
KEY FINDINGS 1. ‘Disappearance’ of BSAL without
adequate explanaQon. 2. Loss of 253 ha of cropping soil (likely
BSAL?). ‘A major impact’ (NSW Gov) , but NOT discussed in the Final Assessment Report?
3. These losses of Ag. land are incompaQble with the Hunter Regional Plan 2036.
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