Orchardists and grapegrowers erecting "frost fans" - big motorised turbines to mix warmer air into plantings in frost-prone regions - should be required to pay a levy to compensate neighbours losing sleep, says a Marlborough man.
Michael Hyson, of Waihopai Valley, said he was not against the windmills that whirred loudly
outside the bedrooms of some rural residents at 3am on frosty mornings, but that a "compensated sleep disruption levy" would go some way to helping neighbours.
The turbine blades operating at maximum revolutions have been compared to the sound of an Iroquois helicopter, and the "frost fans" have caused controversy in some North Island orcharding areas.
They have been popping up in Marlborough since grapegrower David Bryce erected several in his vineyard nearly 10km from Renwick in 1996. The motor-powered blades pull warmer air from the inversion layer and mix it with the cold air at ground level to stop frost settling on vines over about a 6ha area.
In the North Island, avocado and kiwifruit orchardists in the Katikati area have invested heavily in the giant fans to protect against frosts but have had to fend off complaints from neighbours that the noisy fans were operating throughout the night.
Residents as far as several kilometres from the fans complained to Western Bay of Plenty District Council. Orchardists have said most of the complainants were "lifestylers" from the cities who had no idea of the importance of certain rural practices to the sustained economic wellbeing of a district.
That council initially wanted anyone operating a fan to consult neighbours within a 1km radius of the machine. But it later drew up new guidelines to allow fans 400m from the nearest neighbouring dwelling, between 10pm and 7am any night of the week, so long as the noise of the fans did not exceed 55 decibels.
In the South Island, Winegrowers spokesman Stuart Smith has rejected the concept of paying neighbours whose sleep was disturbed by the fans. He said anyone in a rural area should be prepared for rural noises, including cows bellowing and windmills whooshing.
Mount Riley Wines is building a windmill on a Waihopai Valley vineyard 106m from Mr Hyson's home.
Mr Hyson said: "I have no grudge against these people looking after their crops but there is a cost. Protect your grapes. That is excellent. But don't come into my bedroom. Not at three in the morning."
He and his family had not been consulted or notified about the machine, despite the fact it could be a health and safety issue for them.
- NZPA
Orchardists and grapegrowers erecting "frost fans" - big motorised turbines to mix warmer air into plantings in frost-prone regions - should be required to pay a levy to compensate neighbours losing sleep, says a Marlborough man.
Michael Hyson, of Waihopai Valley, said he was not against the windmills that whirred loudly
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