Silver Fern Farms fears a proposed rezoning to residential housing next door to its Hokitika site will lead to future conflict with neighbours.
The comments were made during a submission on the proposed Te Tai o Poutini Plan, which combines the Westland, Grey and Buller district plans.
The TTPP proposed a residential zone near some of the Silver Fern site's boundary.
During the plan hearings in Greymouth on Tuesday, the company raised concerns that the expectations of future residents may conflict with their use of their site.
Residential and industrial zones right next to each other, with a 24/7 meat processing business, "are primed to be incompatible with each other," consultant for the company Steve Tuck told the hearing.
"There's going to be a conflict there, no doubt".
Silver Fern Farms raised concerns about the potential 'reverse sensitivity' impact - a planning term referring to the adverse effects of a land use change.
The company asked for amendments to the plan to ensure its current land use, north of the Seaview subdivision, is not affected by unintended consequences.
Commissioner Paul Rogers asked if the amendments Silver Fern sought would take a 'manage' or 'avoid' approach, when it came to future interpretation in the plan.
"Avoid is quite directive. Management is different… when we're getting into implementing the plan, you can imagine Silver Fern Farms seeking to object to a development," Rogers said. He asked if it should simply be just 'avoid'.
"That's quite directive and quite clear, where you want to avoid reverse sensitivity effects," Rogers said.
Tuck said having a 'management' provision would be valuable as part of any consent conditions or rezoning.
Rogers said they needed to be considering "further down the track" once a new residential development was put in.
"For people moving into the area, they may be able to get sleep but when they have the BBQ outside and planes are flying overhead, that's around the decision around 'manage or avoid'."
People may not think the management tools are sufficient, and complain, he said.
Tuck said it would come back to where the plan would "draw the line" but he viewed 'avoid' as "too restrictive" in scenarios no-one could foresee.
"We see on the West Coast a need for housing. A blanket 'avoid' requirement potentially butts up against this and makes that very difficult to achieve… people need to meet in the middle around what is reasonable."
Silver Fern's submission said their key issues were the "reverse sensitivity effects" of residential zones immediately adjacent to the general industrial zone at their site.
The TTPP proposed a general residential zone immediately south of the Silver Fern Site boundary.
Additionally, some land about 310m south of the site is proposed to be a medium residential zone.
The proposed general residential zone boundary is about 55m from the site boundary and about 105m from the nearest part of Silver Fern Farms' processing plant.
"Silver Fern Farms is concerned that the proposed residential rezoning of land encroaches on the site and raises a real prospect of adverse reverse sensitivity effects impacting the efficient and effective functioning of the site."
By Local Democracy Reporter Brendon McMahon
Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air
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