By Briar Sinclair
A PEAK planning tribunal has approved a telecommunications tower near a childcare centre and schools in Williamstown North.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last month overruled a Hobsons Bay City Council decision to refuse a permit for the Hutchison 3G Australia tower to be built off Champion Rd.
Council refused the tower based upon unreasonable detriment to amenity and proximity to sensitive uses.
The tower will be located about 120 metres from Willy Kids Child Care Centre, 250m from Williamstown North Primary School and 200m from Bayside College’s Williamstown campus.
When completed the tower will stand 25 metres tall and have three 2.7 metre high antennas on top of it.
VCAT member Tonia Komesaroff said it was understandable objectors were concerned about the level of electromagnetic radiation emission from the tower.
“It is acknowledged that there is significant community concern relating to the health impacts of the facility, however the Australian Standards have been developed to address this,” she said in her report.
Ms Komesaroff ordered Hutchison to supply a report detailing actual levels of radiation at the closest house to the tower, Willy Kids, Williamstown North Primary School, Bayside College and Williamstown High School within six months.
The report is to confirm compliance with the Australian Standards of electromagnetic radiation.
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency sets limits of human exposure in the frequency range 3kHz to 300GHz.
Ms Komesaroff addressed the visual impact the tower may have on the skyline and ruled no existing trees could be removed without the consent of the responsible authority.
“This is one of those cases where one is forced to ask oneself if not here, where?” she said.
Hutchison will use the tower to fill a black hole in coverage to its third generation network, which requires more towers than earlier network generations.
Hutchison media and community relations manager Liz Rex could not say when the tower would be built or when it would be working, but said the company had no plans to build any new infrastructures in the area.
“The VCAT decision stated that there was no evidence before the commissioner to suggest that Hutchison would not comply with the Australian Standards,” Ms Rex said.
“Hutchison is working closely with Council, as it has done previously, in the process of completing the site.”
Williamstown North Primary School principal Neil Sproal said the school submitted an objection to VCAT in relation to the tower going ahead.
He noted VCAT’s order to monitor the electromagnetic radiation emission levels to the school.
“Certainly our school will be keen to see what the outcomes of those are,” Mr Sproal said.
