We've all heard the stories - someone wakes up one morning
and decides they want a sea change or a tree change. "I'll
move to the country," they think, picturing rolling hills,
peace and quiet. In his or her mind they will be Daryl Kerrigan
from The Castle, sitting on the back porch thinking to themselves,
"How's the serenity?". They move into a nice little
house next to a farming property. What isn't typically talked
about is what can happen next - complaints about the hours when
farm machinery is starting up or running until, complaints about
the noises and odours coming from the farming operations, issues
with what is being sprayed on the farm spreading into their
property.
The areas devoted to farming are increasingly coming under
pressure from new residential developments and townships spreading
further out, with considerations regarding the interaction between
residential and farming uses often not being sufficiently thought
out.
