This municipality sought an audit of the planning permit application processes and procedures and a separate review of fifteen (15) planning permit applications involving dwellings in the Farming Zone.

The review of these applications was to assess whether recent decisions relating to dwellings in the Farming Zone were consistent with the policy framework in the Mitchell Planning Scheme which seeks to retain rural land in agricultural use and to discourage rural residential development that is not linked to agricultural production.

Thirty seven (37) recommendations were made to improve the planning permit processes and procedures. These recommendations have been implemented.

The assessment of dwellings within the Farming Zone examined a number of key features, being:

• Lot sizes
• Whole Farm Management Plans
• Requests for further information
• Officer assessment against the SPPF, LPPF and Farming Zone
• Permit conditions
• Compliance with permit conditions.