The Coalition unveiled its land use policy recently, and is tipped to announce soon its royalties for regions scheme for returning a percentage of mining royalties for infrastructure investment.

The land-use policy involves drawing up regional plans to resolve conflicts between industries including viticulture, mining and horse breeding. During a ‘‘transition period’’ of up to a year, tougher assessment requirements would apply to exploration licences and residents would be given a say.

Most stakeholders said the policy was a positive step but reserved their judgment until the details of the regional plan are known.

But the Hunter Valley Protection Alliance said it was concerned that exploration in winegrowing areas wasn’t ruled out under the policy, leaving the alliance ‘‘completely underwhelmed’’.

Alliance chairman Graeme Gibson said AGL’s exploration licence PEL 267, which encompasses Broke, would expire in January 2012 and the exploration area would need to be reduced for the licence to be renewed.

Mr Gibson said the alliance had emailed Upper Hunter Nationals MP George Souris to urge that a Coalition government tell AGL to exclude Broke Fordwich and Pokolbin from its exploration area in the future.

Asked yesterday of the alliance’s concerns, Mr Souris declined to comment.

He also declined to comment on how he considered the Coalition’s policy would apply to areas such as Broke.

Independent Upper Hunter candidate Tim Duddy said yesterday he believed coal seam gas exploration should be stopped until further research into the industry’s impacts was done.