Clean up the Aireys exchange, resident urges

AN AIREYS Inlet property owner has urged Telstra to “lift their game” and make one of the telco’s exchanges near his house less of a bushfire risk.

Telstra says the site of the Aireys Inlet Exchange, at 19 Bambra Road, is one of several thousand in the telco’s maintenance program across Australia.

Rob Pollard said that as a property owner in a bushfire zone, the Surf Coast Shire and the CFA required him each year to maintain his property in a state that would reduce the risk of bushfires.

“I also recognise the need for regular maintenance and mowing of the nature strips along Bambra Road, as do other nearby residents.

“I also do my best to maintain the appearance of my property so that it is safe for the public and pleasing to the eye.

“The property at 19 Bambra Road is in a sorry state with overgrown foliage adjacent to the buildings, gutters full of dry matter and weeds and buildings that are in general disrepair.

“The site has a derelict building in the front, which is an eyesore and open to anyone, including children, to enter.

“The gate to the property is mostly left open and it is generally an unsafe place prone to bushfire and other dangers.”

He said Telstra had recently been awarded a planning permit to build a new satellite dish at the rear of 19 Bambra Road and “obviously have long term plans to use the site”.

“Given these plans, I would hope that the Surf Coast Shire would require Telstra to improve their management of the property and make it safe and more appealing to the eye.

“This would, as a minimum, include the removal of the redundant and derelict shed at the front and the removal or improved maintenance of undergrowth and bushes.

“As a major utility, Telstra should be setting the standard in general property maintenance.”

He said he had written a complaint to the shire and the CFA in the hope that one of them “will put some pressure on Telstra to lift their game”.

In response to questions about the Aireys Inlet Exchange asked by Times News Group, Telstra regional general manager Jenny Gray said the telco had 7,000 sites nationally with a regular grounds and infrastructure maintenance program.

“We will organise for our grounds management team to visit our exchange at Aireys Inlet and clean and clear anything necessary. We will also conduct an assessment of the buildings on site.

“Locals can also report any issues they have about our facilities on our website.”