A MOBILE phone tower proposal in Mount Egerton is in limbo due to a lack of information being provided to Moorabool Council and residents.
Councillors last week deferred a decision on the 40-metre structure, proposed by Sydney-based Crown Castle Australia, and called for increased communication from the company.
Crown Castle, the largest independent tower operator in the nation, builds wireless telecommunications infrastructure, which is then used by service providers. But the company could not confirm which telco intended to use the tower.
To be built on the town’s outskirts on Water Tank Road East, the application drew seven objections, including a petition signed by 37 people.
Concerns included possible health impacts, negative visual aesthetics, and heritage problems that the tower could pose.
Mount Egerton Primary School principal Ben Cook said the tower’s proximity to the school (450 metres away) was “a worry”.
“There have been mixed reports in the media on the health effects, but it would just put people’s minds at ease if it was at least a kilometre away,” he said.
Margaret Smith lives 150 metres from the site and signed the petition.
“They’re not saying who will use it, Telstra, Optus, NBN [National Broadband Network] or international companies,” she said.
“There’s a huge worry in town over the lack of consultation.”
A report presented to the council said the application complied with the Moorabool planning scheme.
But it said there was a lack of clarity over the status of four historic mine shafts close to the proposed site.
A council-funded study into the historical significance of the mines is only partially complete, but the report stated the site could be considered to have heritage value in future.
Mayor Pat Griffin said he intended to refuse the application, which will be heard at the council’s next planning meeting.
“It wasn’t a very compelling proposal,” he said.
“We’d like to know what’s being hung off there before approving it. The permit is for construction and use of a telco tower, but they wouldn’t tell us who would use it.”
The proposal is separate to applications for towers by the National Broadband Network at Yendon, Lal Lal and Gordon, which are expected to be presented to the council within months.
Crown Castle Australia did not respond to requests for comment.
