Publication Date
6-1988
Series Number
72
Publisher
Department of Agriculture, Western Australia
City
Perth
ISSN
0729-3135
Abstract
In the past, resource planning by Government authorities in Western Australia has been concentrated in urban areas. The rural areas were referred to as non-urban and planning outside of country townsites was confined to special rural zones. These zones were determined by the State authority (Town Planning Department) and were intended to limit the extent of farm fragmentation so as to control servicing costs and possible conflict.
The new State Planning Commission is expected soon to introduce the requirement of rural planning strategies for Local Government Areas where demand for land subdivision is high. The strategies will be based on physical, social and economic information and will be compatible with regional and State planning strategies. These Local Governments will have responsibility for the implementation of their own rural planning strategy.
The impending change in planning procedure for rural land has promoted the issue of agricultural land protection in this State. The protection of good agricultural land has previously been included in policy statements. Now, prime agricultural land will need to be identified and protected from non-agricultural uses.
This report discusses a range of issues that are considered to be significant to the concept of prime agricultural land in Western Australia. It concludes with a definition of prime agricultural land which should assist in the planning procedure.
Number of Pages
29
Keywords
Soil classification, Land capability, Land use, Western Australia
Disciplines
Agriculture | Natural Resources and Conservation | Soil Science
Recommended Citation
Read VT (1988) 'The concept of prime agricultural land: a Western Australian perspective', Resource management technical report 72, Department of Agriculture, Western Australian Government.
