Proposed phone tower raises child health concerns
Thu 25 May 2006
Nicole O'Halloran, Journalism
A mobile phone tower set to be built in Kawana Waters has caused conflict in the Caloundra City Council as it does not comply with a section of the City Plan.
Division Five Councillor, Gordon Wallace, said Caloundra City Council had given approval for Telstra to build a 20 metre mobile phone tower on Technology Drive in Warana, just 150 metres from a child care centre.
“The City Plan states you can not have a mobile phone tower within 500 metres of a school because electro magnetic emissions are dangerous to people’s health,” Cr Wallace said.
“Kids cannot object themselves so that is why it is in the plan. It is there for a reason and should not be ignored,” he said.
Caloundra City Mayor, Don Aldous, said there was not a problem as the tower met the terms stated in the Kawana Waters Planning Area Code and the Telecommunications Tower Code.
“The location of the proposed tower is not considered to be an issue with respect to national safety standards for emissions,” Cr Aldous said.
Telstra Countrywide Sunshine Coast technical manager, Ian Hunter, said the electro magnetic emissions (EME) would not harm any children and the issue had been taken up with the child care centre.
“The EME issue was raised at a presentation for the council as part of the approval process and the child care centre has been informed and they seem quite happy,” Mr Hunter said.
The manager of the Kidamindi Child Care Centre and Preschool did not wish to comment on the situation.
Mr Hunter said the emissions from a mobile phone tower were so low that AM and FM radio emissions were thousands of times more powerful and the tower would actually lessen EME in the area.
“The further away a mobile phone is from a tower means that the phone needs more power to operate and so the EME is stronger. If there are more towers in the area then EME is lower,” Mr Hunter said.
Mr Hunter said the tower was a positive issue and would provide many benefits to the area.
“The tower will provide a better depth of coverage and will increase data transfer speeds for Telstra’s new 3G network coming up,” Mr Hunter said.
The location of the tower was not the only issue causing conflict but also the height of the tower.
Cr Wallace said the 20.7 metre high tower did not comply with the Planning Area Code.
“The tower is legally over height but there are other power towers in the area that are the same height so it has not been seen as an issue,” Cr Wallace said.
Cr Aldous said it was established in a recent court case between Council and Telstra that the height for these structures was to be as prescribed in the Telecommunications Tower Code instead of the Council’s Planning Area Code.
Telstra has not yet set a date when the mobile phone tower will start being constructed.
“People can take Telstra to court before construction starts and I might even have a look into it myself,” Cr Wallace said.
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