Northland councils request more details from Tegel on massive chook farm

More information is being sought from Tegel on its application for a broiler chicken farm in Arapohue. Photo / Supplied

More information is sought from Tegel on its proposed broiler chicken farm in Northland, including evidence of job creation and an assessment of odour.

The Northland Regional and Kaipara District Councils have requested further information from the poultry giant on its resource consent application, which was filed late last year.

Tegel wants to set up a broiler chicken farm at Arapohue, just outside Dargaville, with a capacity to stock up to 1.3 million chickens and employ 28 people.

Independent commissioners will be appointed during KDC's June meeting and the council has booked the Lighthouse Function Centre in Dargaville for hearings on August 8.

Only 17 of nearly 5000 submissions KDC and NRC received were in support of Tegel's plan.

In its resource consent application, Tegel claimed tens of millions of dollars would be injected into the local construction and contracting industries when the farm was to be set up.

But NRC and KDC said no details or technical evidence was provided to justify those claims.

Both authorities said a number of submitters opposed to a broiler chicken farm raised issues relating to the positive and adverse economic effects on the local community and
wider region.

They have requested assessment reports on the economic benefits, noise and vibration from earthworks, flood control work, odour, alternative locations or methods, and cultural impact.

The territorial authorities said a number of submitters have also raised concerns about the effects of the proposed activity on Kapehu Marae and its urupa.

In her submission, marae chairwoman Margaret Mutu asked KDC not to consider Tegel's application in the absence of a full cultural impact assessment report to be prepared by the marae and University of Auckland.

She said no quarrying should take place within 150m of the marae or the urupa and dust from the quarry should not be permitted to reach within 100m of both places.

"The submission from Margaret Mutu has identified adverse cultural effects that are likely to be deemed significant adverse effects on the environment. On this basis, a consideration of alternatives is required," the councils wrote to Tegel.

A noise report prepared for Tegel by Marshall Day Acoustics in September last year did not provide any noise assessment of quarry operations.

"This assessment is required to determine whether the proposed quarry operations will comply with the noise limits in the Kaipara District Plan and to determine the extent of potential noise and vibration effects of the quarry operations on the nearest sensitive receivers."

Those opposed to the chicken farm have held a number of public meetings and protests in Kaipara in March, as well as making submissions to both councils.

They are mainly concerned about the stench and a change in landscape that could potentially devalue their properties.