Phone tower stoush steps up

By Jo Kennett

TWEED SHIRE Councillor Reece Byrnes was in Pottsville last week collecting signatures for a petition demanding council approves a telecommunication tower, but Mayor Chris Cherry says the petition would be better directed at the telcos, who have refused to provide the required documentation needed for approval.

Optus, Telstra and Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) proposed installing a phone tower at 1126 Pottsville Road, (near the Pottsville Ambulance Station) which council knocked back in June.

The mayor said the telcos were asked by council to submit the required documentation or move the tower 18 metres, both of which they declined to do. Council also offered alternate sites, including on council land.

After the latest reception problems in the area, Cr Byrnes said “the decision by the Mayor Chris Cherry, Deputy Mayor Meredith Dennis, James Owen, Rhi Brinsmead, Nola Firth and Warren Polglase to block the monopole tower at Pottsville is a major setback for the community.”

“Many residents have reached out to me, expressing frustration with dropped calls, unreliable internet connections, and limited access to emergency services,” Cr Byrnes said.

“Residents are also demanding that they have consumer choice when it comes to telecommunications.

“That’s why I recently launched a petition calling on my fellow councillors to step up and approve the tower.

“My team and I have been in Pottsville getting signatures and talking to locals about their frustration with this decision. Already, in just over a week, we are ap- proaching over 1,000 signatures.

“When the mayor teams up with the Greens, Liberals and Nationals to block important infrastructure like this – it puts lives and livelihoods at risk.

“I’m calling on the mayor and my fellow councillors to put away the ideology and start listening to Pottsville locals when it comes to phone and internet reception.”

However, the mayor rejected Cr Byrnes’ claims, saying that the problem lies with the telcos.

“The council report was very clear; the telco was given the choice to either move the tower 18 metres or submit the required documentation to keep it in the location they had,” Cr Cherry said.

“They chose not to do either of these things so council had no choice but to refuse it.

“Why wouldn’t they just do that? I have advised Cr Byrnes that a petition to the telcos would be a lot more powerful as it is in their hands as to whether this problem is solved.”

Cr Cherry said she had personally met with the telcos after the meeting and advised that they could request a review of this decision by providing the required documentation but council has not received it.

“Meanwhile, we have received a different development application for a 112-site caravan park that covers the same flood-prone area, so that seems to indicate the telcos are not pursuing this site any further.

“When I met with representatives from the telecommunications companies, they indicated that the reception in Pottsville has been a known issue since 2008 and they have been struggling to find a suitable location.

“We requested they bring back the site