27 Apr 2010

Farmers to allow Transpower on land for pylon upgrade

12:30 pm on 27 April 2010

Some South Canterbury farmers are giving up their protest and will let Transpower on their land to upgrade power pylons this week.

The national grid operator needs access to the farms to upgrade the line that supplies much of the power to Christchurch and says it has a legal right to enter properties to do maintenance.

Farmers want compensation for having the pylons on their land, which they say cost them about $5,000 a year.

Transpower tried to complete the upgrade two weeks ago, but the farmers took advantage of their legal right to delay it for a fortnight.

However, farmer Miles Anderson says he will let Transpower on his property on Thursday.

Mr Anderson says farmers have run out of legal ways to keep Transpower off the land and breaking the law would send out the wrong message to the public.

Farmers are still negotiating with Transpower and hope that an agreement can be reached, he says.