5.3.14 Soil health.
5.3.14.1 Desired environmental outcomes
Avoidance of land management practices that adversely affect soil quality and health.
5.3.14.2 Methods
The effects identified in Part One of this study relate to changes in fertiliser input, and cultivation methods with land use changes. These impacts would be difficult to manage through regulatory methods, particularly where less intensive land use and therefore less fertiliser input resulted. It would be very difficult to justify (and implement) a requirement to apply fertiliser to the land.
Rules in regional or district plans could regulate the application rates of fertiliser, where an increase in fertiliser use was causing an effect on soil health so that the application was permitted subject to a number of conditions, and would require consent if these conditions were not met. The disadvantage of this approach (as with rules on application of pesticides) is that it is likely to be difficult to enforce, and landowners may be unaware of the requirements.
Where these effects are identified as an issue, education and information provision about land use practices may be the most effective means of managing these effects. This is likely to be more of a regional council function (relating to its responsibilities for soil conservation). A regional policy statement could contain objectives and policies relating to this issue.
Industry groups such as Federated Farmers or MAF Policy itself, could also take responsibility for disseminating information about these issues, and suggesting good practices to avoid adverse effects such as soil compaction.
5.3.15 Neighbour effects - noise
The scope of this study is limited to the emission of noise from activities located on subdivided sites. This may be an issue where subdivision results in a mix of rural residential and intensive horticulture activities, for example vineyards. Noise from the horticulture or viticulture activities (bird scarers, tractors, trucks) may impact on adjacent rural residential dwellers. The study has not considered the situation of subdivision occurring within and around existing horticultural sites.
The concept of reverse sensitivity acknowledges that it is not only the generators of effects such as noise (e.g. horticulture and agriculture) that are creating an effect. An adverse effect is also created on those activities by the more sensitive rural residential activities that are located adjacent. The effect is a limiting of the ability of these horticulture and agricultural activities to operate efficiently , and in a climate of long term certainty of rules.
This issue is relevant to this project in circumstances where subdivision of rural land leads to a mix of intensive and rural residential activities on those smaller sites. Examples can be seen on Waiheke Island, Marlborough and Hawkes Bay, where land a mix of intensive horticulture such as grapegrowing and rural residential lifestyle has developed.
5.3.15.1 Desired environmental outcomes
A range of activities enabled in the rural environment, with the effects of noise from those activities managed in a way that recognises the working nature of the rural environment whilst ensuring that the health and well being of rural residents is not significantly adversely affected.
5.3.15.2 Methods
Noise on land is managed by district councils under section 31(d) of the RMA. There are two main approaches to address the "neighbour" effects of noise (and other neighbour effects such as spray drift). These are:
- the traditional zoning method which limits the types of activity and effects generated that can locate in a particular area; and
- permitting mixed uses with the underlying concept of "a right to farm". This approach would permit a number of different types of activities including residential, but with performance standards that recognised that the area is a working rural environment. These performance standards might therefore be less stringent than would be expected in a purely rural residential environment
Examples of methods and performance standards which could be applied in areas of mixed use are:
- setting policies in the district plan that make it clear that it is a working environment;
- separation distances of residences from boundaries (yards). This tool implies a responsibility on the part of the rural residential dweller to locate their dwelling where it will be least affected;
- setting noise limits at the boundary of rural and rural residential zones, and within rural zones that reflect the expectations of greater noise emissions in rural areas;
- requirement of adoption of the best practicable option to minimise noise from agricultural machinery where maximum noise limits can not be complied with (rather than requiring a resource consent);
- rules or performance standards for specific noisy activities where these are identified as an issue for a particular area (such as bird scarers and hail cannons for vineyards and orchards). These could include times of operation, adoption of best practicable option, buffer zones between the noise device and residential dwellings;
- education and information provision to rural residential dwellers about the incidence of noisy activities in a rural environment.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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