$35m in land sales pave way for Transpower pylons

Several landowners in the path of Transpower's planned pylons from Waikato to Auckland have sold their land to the company, and many more are in negotiations.

Despite not yet having regulatory approval for its pylon project, the national grid operator has been quietly buying the land it needs.

As of yesterday afternoon, Transpower had bought 21 properties for $35 million.

Most are lifestyle blocks, and the sellers are predominantly at the Auckland end of the planned 400,000-volt transmission line.

A further 77 landowners are at varying stages of sale discussions.

It is understood that some of the people in negotiations have previously opposed the pylon project.

Transpower's national grid general manager, David Laurie, yesterday discussed the purchases at an energy conference in Wellington, and said the sales offered some certainty to people who were in the path of the pylons.

The purchases total just 4 per cent of the entire land required for the project, but if discussions under way with other landowners succeed, that figure would reach 21 per cent.

Transpower has faced a barrage of criticism since it put forward a plan to build pylons between Whakamaru and Otahuhu to upgrade Auckland's energy supply.

Angry landowners last year held protests against the proposal and had testy exchanges with Transpower staff at public meetings.

Transpower's plan was rejected in an Electricity Commission draft decision, but a new version is likely to be submitted to the regulator soon.

Transpower spokesman Chris Roberts said yesterday that much of the land purchased had been rented back to the sellers or to other people.

He said "case managers" had been making contact with landowners to check whether their circumstances had changed.

In some cases people now wanted to talk about selling, while others were less polite.

"We don't attempt to proceed with those who make their views clear that they don't wish to talk with us," Mr Roberts said.

Transpower would sell the properties if the project did not go ahead.

Steve Hunt, spokesman for the Hunua branch of New Era Energy, a group formed to oppose the $600 million transmission line project, said a handful of neighbouring property owners had sold.

One couple sold their lifestyle block for double the money they had bought it for three years previously.

Another sale was due to a marriage split.

"I spoke to the woman yesterday, it was an additional pressure and they wanted to sell so they had no options," he said.

An elderly couple sold and were gone within days.

"It was just too much stress, they sold, settled and had gone extremely suddenly.

"Obviously they didn't feel comfortable with the whole thing."

Another couple adamantly opposed to the powerline plan were expecting their first child and so decided to walk away.

- Additional reporting by Anne Beston