The Interaction of Land Use Planning and Regional Industry Development

This paper raises the issues surrounding government land use planning in the context of regional industry development. These issues have been identified from recent survey and interviews with companies in the Moorabbin Project - a regional industry development project being conducted in the Moorabbin area. The paper is presented in the context of growing recognition at all three levels of Australian government of the need for regional economic development. The issues identified in the Moorabbin Project suggest that land use planning environment in a region has a significant impact on both the efficiency of companies and on the ability of a region to sustain company growth and hence job creation. This impact is demonstrated to have links to a range of perceptions about the region in the minds of the owner/managers, which inturn influence investment decisions in growing companies. There are other influences like the tax treatment of the costs of moving a company which are a very real cost barrier in the minds of decision makers. The project also indicates that the dynamics of company growth and movement is influenced by property ownership. The paper concludes with comments on the implication of these issues on government planning and areas for further research.