Telstra Tower DA @ Wombarra

Telstra Mobile Phone Tower D.A. - Wombarra, NSW, Australia. DA 2008/490

THE FACTS

Update September 2008: Residents are still awaiting the release of alternative site submissions.

Update June 23, 2008: Telstra/Council met with local residents to discuss further options for placement of this installation within the confines of Lot 100. More updates shortly.

Telstra has submitted a development application to Wollongong City Council to construct a 31.5 meter tall Mobile Phone Tower and associated equipment shelter (requiring 24/7 airconditioning and protected with a 1.8 meter high, 3 strand barbed wire perimeter fence) in a sensitive environmental and residential area at Wombarra within 10 meters of residential property. While the jury is still out on the health issues (The BioInitiative Report), residents who live in the area consider that there are major environmental issues regarding this proposal.

Resident submissions for or against this proposal closed on May 14, 2008. Please contact Wollongong City Council on 4227-7111 for further information.

Update April 26 @ 12.21PM: Projected visual impact. Residents put up a helium balloon on the proposed site @ 31.5 meters to demonstrate its visual impact. In the last photo you can make out a child standing under the "Tower"

The Impact of the Tower as seen from the South East. Existing Mobile Phone Tower can be seen to the far left on top of the escarpment..

Taken from the South East. Ajacent to the railway line.

Here are the facts and the controversial issues identified so far......

Map Location:

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Application Data:

Application Details: Lodgment Date: 8/04/2008. Development Application Application Number: DA-2008/490.
Applicant Details: Telstra Coporation C/O CPS Global.
Address: Lot 100, Pit Road, Wombarra (Old Colliery Site @ 40 acres). Proposed Tower placement is within 10 meters of residential property to the South of Lot 100 and within 100 meters of residential property East and West.
Google Map reference: Telstra Mobile Phone Tower location (Proposed).
Proposal: Telecommunication Facility - erection of 29 metre monopole, installation of three panel antennas to an overall height of 31.43 metres, and installation of equipment shelter and associated cabling.
Cost:$240,000.
Landowner approval given: Yes.
Prior Consultation with the Community: None.
Additional 3G Tower sites planned at: Coledale, Austimer.
Further information: Please contact Wollongong City Council.Council will carefully consider all submissions from residents whether for or against, and from Telstra and the Landowner of Lot 100. There is a Development Application process to be followed.
Seacliffbridge.com URL: http://seacliffbridge.com/telstratower.html

DA Content, Commentary and Submission:

Telstra's Environmental Summary Statement and Visual Impact Projection (see below): As provided by Telstra in its submission to council. These shots were taken approximately 60 meters from the proposed site......

Existing Mobile Phone Tower Infrastructure is already in place above the proposed site at Maddens Plains (see below). Telstra must either utilize existing infrastructure, or locate it more responsibly and appropriately on another part of the 40 acres available in Lot 100, to minimize the additional impact in an area that is environmentally sensitive.

Existing Mobile Phone Tower above the site provides Mobile Phone services to Wombarra.

Development Application Commentary and Submission
We ask Telstra to address the following

Existing adequate mobile phone coverage at Wombarra: Telstra's current mobile phone coverage map shows adequate mobile phone coverage in the Wombarra area from the Maddens Plains Tower facility. Pit Road currently receives superior carrier service from Telstra. Not only that, Telstra has in the past two years improved ADSL landline services to the area. Is there a substantial community demand for these wireless and mobile Telstra-branded 3G services in the area, and is this robust enough to allow us to disregard the negative impacts of this facility on a sensitive environment?

Precautionary Principle: This proposal is totally out of character with the surrounding environment. There is potential for visual degradation of the site, potential mast failure danger to the railway corridor during extreme flood conditions and/or failure of the Wombarra Drainage Tunnel, and the existence of instability in the area (the Scarborough Fault). Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that Lot 100 is 40 acres in size, why haven't other sites within the boundaries of Lot 100 been considered, away from residential housing and human activity, and with a minimal impact on the environment? This is a proposal that is placed absurdly close to residential property - young families, retired and disabled residents. This is not responsible placement or development.

NOTE: Federal, State, and local Government regulations need to be tightened and uniformly applied to ensure that new mobile tower facilities be located no closer than 300 meters to RESIDENCES as is the current standard for siting these facilities near "sensitive" locations such as schools and aged care facilities.

Residential Intensive v's Residential Non Intensive? Please explain what constitutes a "residential intensive" area and how that is relevant to this proposal. This facility will be located in a environmentally significant area therefore does not meet basic regulatory requirements.

Noise levels: Please provide the actual proposed 24/7 air conditioning noise levels in technical terms. It would be located as close as 10 meters to residents for heavens sake, where the ambient background noise is very low indeed!

Is this DA for another site? Does this DA refer to the proposal at Wombarra or at Unanderra? There is "template" feel already about this DA!

Improved Neighbourhood Amenity and maintaining neighbourhood character: This facility fails to meet the Wollongong City Council DCP in the sense that it does not integrate with existing neighbourhood characteristics.

Change in designated land use: Will this Development Application be referred to the State Government for adjudication? This is a probable change of land use and existing zoning.

Contaminated land at the site: This is the old coal mine site at Wombarra, a controversial site in the sense that the previous owner did not fully restore it as required prior to selling it. Please provide a statement, as required, as to the contaminated status of this land.

Previous surveys indicate land instability: Please provide further information with regards to the siting of the facility in relation the "Scarborough Fault Line" and the Wombarra Drainage tunnel portals and infrastructure. Should the Wombarra drainage tunnel fail, major flooding would impact on the stability of the immediate area and also threaten the adjacent railway line. So could the mast.

DA Photo Montage: The DA is VERY misleading in this respect, as the photo montage contained in this DA is staged to lead us to believe that the installation will be screened by (360 degree) natural mature vegetation (this landscape feature is always changing by the way). The "helium balloon" test has disproved the theory that it can only be clearly seen within the boundaries of the subject site.

There is no effective "screening" for those residents living south and parts of the south east of this proposed facility. These are the most potentially affected properties in relation to Lot 100, due to their visual exposure and unreasonably short distance to the Tower (10 meters).

Summary:

As stated previously, there is proof that there are some very significant views into the site; that the mast will be within partial/full view of residents and visitors to the area.
It is apparent that this facility would be located in an area of questionable land stability.
Given that Lot 100 is a substantial landholding, and that there are other other cleared and very suitable allotments (therefore site alternatives) within Lot 100 that would minimize the impact on the environment and residents, we demand that Telstra look further afield. Low impact facilities should be considered.
There has been no prior community consultation. Telstra should meet with residents as soon as possible to hear their concerns and address them.
This proposal would introduce an overtly harsh urban feature to the detriment of the area's unique character and pristine escarpment vistas.
Telstra clearly wants this to be out of sight out of mind, which it clearly can't be at the proposed location.

Online Documentation:

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