On the other is a cattle farmer who says his farm can be so noisy it disturbs the serenity.

There are two more poultry farms across the road that produce loads of chicken manure.

And in the middle of all of this is a proposed housing development with plans for about 38 homes on two acre blocks.

Farmers Peter Manuel and Jeff Abela say giving the Nelsons Plains development the green light would threaten their future on the family farm.

They think their new neighbours won't be happy about the smell of chicken manure, the arrival of trucks in the middle of the night, the sound of tractors and machinery and the high-pitched mooing bovines that can go on for days - to name a few.

They are worried the complaints will force them out and say they have a right to farm and contribute to the food bowl.

Developer Hilton Grugeon pointed to existing rural residential development close to the Seaham Road site, and also across the road from it. He noted three separate odour reports found there would be no impact.

"I'm saying it's right opposite, and right next door, over the fence, not three suburbs away," Mr Grugeon said.

Mr Manuel pointed out his driveway lies between the site and the existing lots. He joined Mr Abela in rejecting the reports on the grounds that the smell varies greatly during the lifecycle of the birds.

"The new residents won't know what they're buying into until they've built their house and invested half a million dollars, or a million dollars and they're living there," the poultry farmer said.

"They won't know what odours and noise there is going to be and they won't like it. They'll be complaining to the council and knocking on our door and making our lives miserable."

The majority of Port Stephens councillors last week voted in favour of sending the rezoning plan to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for a gateway determination.

Since then a rescission motion has been lodged and will be put forward at the council meeting on Tuesday.

The developer needs the land rezoned to proceed with the plan.

Cr Giacomo Arnott put forward motions to defer the decision - and reject the plan - at the August 25 council meeting but neither was successful. He was only supported by councillors Ken Jordan and John Nell.

Mr Grugeon said Port Stephens needs the development, and it would give the area a significant boost to the economy.

"The chicken industry has very strict, clear state government guidelines that say half a kilometre from a chicken shed.

"That having been said, many of the homes that are there today are inside that half a kilometre and even a preschool is only 100 metres - not 500 metres - away from the chicken shed and the parents still keep dropping their kids there every morning and picking them up every afternoon.

"We are not proposing one home within the half kilometre. It's a big improvement to what's already there."

Mr Manuel said 11 homes would reside along part of his boundary.

He said contaminated run-off from the subdivision would ruin the pristine quality of his dam water, which he relied upon to nourish his animals.

"The run-off comes off that paddock and into the dam, what am I going to do when it's coming off people's roofs and backyards and there's chemicals in it," Mr Manuel said.

"My cattle yards are close by and the weaner calves and their mothers will be blaring to each other."

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