Heat on paprika business

Southern Paprika chief Hamish Alexander wants to extend the company's greenhouse coverage from 10ha to 22ha. Picture / Martin Sykes

A rising star among rural businesses says conflicts with neighbours over use of land could kill its expansion plans, resulting in millions of dollars a year being lost to the community.

Southern Paprika, which has grown export capsicums near Warkworth, north of Auckland, since 1997, faces 30 objectors in its bid for a land-use consent to boost glasshouse coverage from 10ha to 22ha at its Woodcocks Rd site.

Objections focus on the potential impacts on the rural character and neighbours showed the Herald pictures of glare when the sun reflected on the present blocks of glasshouses.

Others complained about workers playing loud music, odour from rotting waste plants and diffused light.

The Rodney District Council insisted on a publicly notified consent process because the glasshouses would cover 24 per cent of the site instead of the 10 per cent permitted in the general rural zone by the District Plan.

But Southern Paprika managing director Hamish Alexander told planning commissioners on Friday that the zone was meant for sustainable productive purposes and was not a countryside living zone.

Rural-residential subdivisions were spreading in the zone and creating a problem when new residents expected landowners to keep the picturesque rural outlook or to freeze development.

However, few rural lifestyle blocks produced an economic return.

Glasshouses gave a higher return from the land than cattle.

"I feel there has been too few considerations by the council to protect our rights as a horticultural producer," said Mr Alexander.

Intensive production in glasshouses was the way of the future and major glasshouses over more than 10 per cent of a site would become common in the countryside.

He said that declining his application or tagging a consent with unreasonable conditions would signal that rural-based businesses were no longer acceptable in the general rural zone.

"If we cannot expand in a reasonable manner within this zone and on its current site we will not be expanding within Rodney District."

Mr Alexander showed a supporting letter from Rodney MP Dr Lockwood Smith saying the region was the capsicum capital of New Zealand.

"More than 80 per cent of the country's $25 million a year capsicum exports are handled by two growing operations in Rodney," said Dr Smith.

The Rodney Economic Development Trust said the expansion plan would boost jobs from 80 to 120, placing the business in the top 10 highest employers in the area.

Council development planner Nicola Smith said the proposal was on an abnormal scale and intensity for the zone but landscape architects believed the operation could be screened from neighbours' views.

Neighbour Dean Blythen, of the Streamlands hereford cattle stud, said the neighbourhood was a mix of farms and smaller lifestyle blocks.

"We worry about our property valuations going down ... "

The commissioners reserved their decision.

Southern Paprika

* Grows capsicums in two glasshouses each 5ha in size.

* Employs 80 staff and pays wages of $2.2 million a year.

* Wants to build two 6ha glasshouses, adding 40 staff.

* Needs a land-use consent from the Rodney District Council.

* Argues its adverse effects on the environment are minimal.