A number of Harden residents are voicing their anger at a development application which was put forward to councillors at the June monthly council meeting.
Telstra has made a submission to put up a new communications tower at McLean Oval which has residents living around the area seeing red.
The applicant’s proposal is to replace an existing floodlight pole situated on the eastern side of the oval with a 25m high steel slim line pole accommodating floodlights and panel antennas tightly clustered on top.
There would also be a new ground-based equipment shelter built and underground cables from the shed to the tower laid.
Currently there is a Telstra tower on top of Demondrille Hill but according to Telstra representative Rob Cusack, who was present at last week’s council meeting, the existing facility does not adequately service Harden.
“The new facility will provide better depth of coverage and the local service will be comparable to that of metro users,” Mr Cusack said.
Residents who live in close proximity of McLean Oval were sent letters by council telling them of the development application but Station Street resident Bob Molloy said he felt the letter was a little misleading and uninformative.
“They called it a communications facility, this is a tower which produces radiation, something that can be very harmful to people,” Mr Molloy said.
“Myself and a number of other residents are worried about the radiation and what effect it will have on people’s health especially young people.
“Where they have proposed to put the tower is in close proximity of the high school, local swimming pool and Newson Park, plus it is being put on an oval where kids play almost every day.
“We are concerned about the health and well being of locals. This is only new technology and we don’t know what effect it could have down the track.”
Mr Molloy and his neighbour Michelle O’Hara are very concerned about the health of children saying there is not enough evidence about the dangers of radiation from these towers.
“I just can’t see why they couldn’t find a better location away from where children play,” Mr Molloy said.
In Mr Cusack’s address to the meeting last week he said Telstra had looked at three other options but McLean Oval was best suited.
“We acknowledge people are concerned about public health and the safety aspects of mobile communications facilities,” Mr Cusack said.
“There are technical standards set by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in regards to continuous exposure of the general public and this facility we are proposing is 200 times below those standards.
“The tower operates on radio waves just like radio and television and gives off fewer emissions than a cordless phone, walkie talkie or air conditioner.”
A decision on the development application was unable to be reached at last month’s meeting due to councillors Tony Madden, Tony Flanery, Chris Manchester and Neil Reid declaring a conflict of interest and Councillor Scott Collins being away.
Harden Shire Council general manager Max Kershaw said with four councillors declaring a pecuniary interest it meant there would be not enough numbers to vote on the matter so he has made representations to the department of local government to move the matter forward with the hope it will be reconsidered at the July monthly meeting.
Mr Molloy and Ms O’Hara are hoping councillors will look at the health aspect of this application and the effects it may have on residents and the young people of Harden and vote against it being erected at McLean Oval.
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