SPP Amendment - 05/2024 - Agriculture Worker Accommodation & LUPA Regulations

What is this about?

This amendment will improve the ability of rural businesses to construct additional agricultural worker accommodation on their properties.

This is proposed as an interim amendment. This means that the changes take effect for a twelve month period while the consultation and assessment process is carried out.

A change to the Land Use Planning and Approvals Regulations 2014 (LUPA Regulations) is needed to support consideration of this amendment becoming an interim SPPs amendment.

The proposed amendment 05/2024 of the SPPs will apply in council areas where the Tasmanian Planning Scheme is in effect.

Who is involved?

The SPO will start the amendment process. The Tasmanian Planning Commission will assess it, and advises whether it should become an interim amendment of the SPPs.

How long will it take?

It is expected to take approximately twelve months. If approved as an interim amendment, the changes will come into effect immediately.

Background

This draft amendment 05/2024 is part of the SPPs Review Action Group 1 project.

The Tasmanian Government is seeking to introduce improvements for the approval of accommodation for agricultural workers on farms as a priority in the 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future – First 100 Days following the 2024 election. The Government’s 2030 Strong Plan identifies a commitment to:

• Address restrictions that apply to the development of housing on agricultural land, including an option for more than one dwelling on a single title (either temporary or permanent). This will make it possible for short term, modular or transportable housing solutions to be used on farms as agricultural workforce accommodation.

The SPPs are the statewide set of consistent planning rules in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS). The SPPs came into effect on 2 March 2017.
A comprehensive review of the SPPs commenced in March 2022 as part of the 5-yearly statutory review required under the LUPA Act. The scoping consultation for the SPPs Review identified a variety of strategic and technical issues for investigation through 163 submissions.

The SPPs Review work program categorises issues into Action Groups and projects for preparation of SPPs amendments or for issues that require further investigation.

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