The construction of milking sheds and other intensive farm buildings, except for wintering barns, will not be permitted within a 12m buffer zone around national grid high voltage power pylons in Central Otago.
A recent decision from the Environment Court has allowed part of an appeal by Transpower New Zealand against an alteration to the Central Otago District Council district plan change, and dismissed the rest of the appeal.
The parties involved in the matter, which included Federated Farmers New Zealand and Horticulture New Zealand, have agreed to resolve the appeal in this manner.
Transpower, which owns and operates the national grid, had appealed to the court against the council's plan change 8 decision last year.
The plan change focused on the national grid and controlled activities near high voltage transmission lines and took effect from September 14.
Environment Court Judge Jon Jackson said milking sheds and intensive farm buildings should not be exempt from the ban on building within 12m of the pylons.
However, wintering barns or buildings for calf- rearing are exempt under the new changes to the district plan ruled by the court.
Federated Farmers South Island regional policy manager Kim Reilly said the decision was a ''win'' for farmers.
''We've been advocating around the country on this topic and started with a 64m buffer zone [excluding building near high voltage pylons] so it's taken a lot of work to get to this stage,'' she said.
The aim was to minimise restrictions, which would minimise the impact on farming practices.
Each district was different but she was confident the exclusion on building milking sheds in Central Otago within 12m of power pylons was ''realistic to work around''.
''That wouldn't be the case in Southland, for example, where there's not as many options as there are in Central Otago.''
