By Alesha Capone
ARDEER residents have called for plans to install a 25-metre high telephone tower in Forrest St to be abandoned.
Last week’s Brimbank City Council planning committee meeting heard Telstra want to build a “telecommunications facility” at the site, which is between the Western Ring Rd, the Melbourne to Ballarat railway line and West St.
The land is classified as “existing use public open space” and owned by the council.
The closest homes are about 240 metres away from the proposed tower, causing worried residents to lodge seven objections to the proposal.
Some of their concerns were about the health risks of electromagnetic radiation from the tower, properties being devalued, the visual impact and potential impact on the environment.
Resident Anna Parapouras said she thought the phone tower would be too close to houses.
Ms Parapouras said information she has read on the internet recommended 500 metres between houses and such constructions.
“Lots of new families are coming into the area, which means lots of new children will be being born,” she said.
“I have a neighbour with a new baby and she’s not 100 per cent sure of the safety risk.”
Residents and objectors Cameron and Donna also attended the planning meeting to express their concerns about the health problems they think the tower could possibly cause.
“I’m concerned about how close it is to houses. Residents are there 12-14 hours a day and the elderly people for up to 24 hours,” Cameron said.
A town planning consultant spoke at the meeting, on behalf of Telstra, and said the telco needed the tower to help rollout its 3G network, as investigations have revealed poor network performance in the Ardeer/Deer Park area.
She said Telstra’s Electromagnetic Energy (EME) report showed the maximum cumulative level the tower would emit has been estimated at 1.59 per cent.
She said this was “extremely low” considering the Australian Communications and Media Authority technical standard allows EME levels of up to 100 per cent to be transmitted.
Although the council administrators gave the go-ahead for the tower at the meeting, the town planner said Telstra was happy to continue working with residents on their concerns.
