By Kate Taylor<\/p>\n
A 30m tall mobile phone tower that suddenly appeared in Millbrook has, ironically, been revealed to be a testament to a lack of communication. By Kate Taylor A 30m tall mobile phone tower that suddenly appeared in Millbrook has, ironically, been revealed to be a testament to a lack of communication. The Vodafone tower is built on land owned by Victorian Rail Authority VicTrack \u2013 but is located just 100m from Eddie Sullivan\u2019s house. It wasn\u2019t until Eddie returned […]<\/p>\n
\nThe Vodafone tower is built on land owned by Victorian Rail Authority VicTrack \u2013 but is located just 100m from Eddie Sullivan\u2019s house.
\nIt wasn\u2019t until Eddie returned from a holiday that he discovered his new eye-wateringly close backyard feature.
\n\u201cI returned from Perth and saw the pole laid out on the ground,\u201d Eddie told the Moorabool News. \u201cThe next day, it was underway.\u201d
\n\u201cIn my opinion, the tower is intrusive, and unfortunately placed considering the rural aspects of Millbrook. Had consultation taken place, the tower could have been moved a couple of hundred metres east which would not have affected the integrity of the project and would not have had the impact that it has on my property,\u201d he said.
\nThat appears to be the point \u2013 there was never any requirement for council to even notify, let alone consult, anybody about the tower for which they had approved a planning permit application more than a year ago.
\nThe tower was built as part of the state government\u2019s Regional Rail Connectivity Project, so it falls neatly within a clause in the planning laws that states that any tower built with even part government funding is exempt from notifying or advertising its permit application to build the tower.
\nMr Sullivan says that, in his opinion, that clause has been hijacked by the tower\u2019s contractor to give them the ability to build the cheapest version possible, not even consulting about putting the tower further from his home at a likely increased cost.
\n\u201cIf this had happened in a built-up area, there would have been outrage.\u201d
\nThe health effects of the tower\u2019s proximity to Eddie\u2019s house was the main concern of Woodlands Ward Councillor Pat Toohey, when the matter came up before the April 3 council meeting.
\n\u201cWhat about radio frequency emissions? No one is telling us, as a council, if it meets this requirement in regard to Mr Sullivan\u2019s dwelling. The question is \u2013 have we asked if this has been done appropriately, to protect Mr Sullivan from harm,\u201d Cr Toohey asked the meeting. \u201cThere are hundreds of acres out there, rather than plonking it next to his home. We have a responsibility to look after the wellbeing of our community.\u201d
\nEddie Sullivan agrees.
\n\u201cI think that in this day and age, anybody who has a transmission tower built near their residence would have concerns about radio frequency emissions,\u201d Eddie told the Moorabool News.
\nEddie had called for council to investigate the matter and it was the report into that investigation that was tabled at the April 3 meeting and which found no issues to be addressed.
\n\u2018This does not cut it for me,\u201d Eddie said on the night, in response to the report. \u201cI wanted an independent investigation. This is not fair.\u201d
\nIt must be noted that the item was originally listed for the March council meeting but had to be deferred. Why? Because nobody from council had informed Eddie that it was going to be heard.
\nMoorabool Councillors had already voted in November last year to write to the Communications Minister with concerns about that clause and in that letter, the CEO urged the State Government to review the planning considerations for telecommunication facilities and develop a method for tighter planning controls to protect the rights of community members.
\nCouncil received a response from The Minister for Planning in March which reads in part:
\n\u201cI acknowledge your advice about the frustration of some community members resulting from the construction of telecommunications facilities close to dwellings. I am satisfied that the planning provisions are operating appropriately by enabling Victorian communities to benefit from a faster rollout of improved mobile phone coverage and by ensuring councils can assess the design and siting of facilities through the planning permit process.,\u201d it reads.
\nCouncil CEO Derek Madden also wrote to Vodafone and VicTrack at the start of this year asking about relocating the tower to a place that is further set back from adjoining properties, but no response has been received.
\n\u201cNo one took the matter further with Vodafone or VicTrack. How can a report be complete without feedback from these important parties? Surely something could have been done.,\u201d Eddie told the meeting.
\nCr Toohey asked about whether the permit could be revoked, or if the matter could be taken to VCAT on human rights grounds.
\nA council officer advised that while Eddie, or any other affected landowners, are not eligible to take the matter to VCAT, Moorabool Shire Council did have that eligibility legally.
\nThe matter was then taken into confidential business at the meeting and the Moorabool News has since asked council if it will take the matter to VCAT, however a response has not yet been received.
\nCOUSIN COUNCILLOR ALSO UNAWARE<\/strong>
\nIn an interesting twist to the story, Eddie\u2019s cousin who is Moorabool Shire West Ward Councillor Tom Sullivan, was also kept in the dark about the tower.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know myself until I accidentally saw it on Greenlight a council site for planning applications, that\u2019s the only reason I became aware of it,\u201d Cr Sullivan said.
\n\u201cBut outside of that I wasn\u2019t notified of it.\u201d
\nAt that point, Cr Sullivan wrote a letter of objection about the tower.
\n\u201cBecause I am an adjoining landowner, and it mucks up access to our place,\u201d he said.
\nApart from his objection, as well as because of it, Cr Sullivan declared a conflict of interest and stepped away from everything to do with the tower – some months later, it was built quite visibly about 150m away from Cr Sullivan\u2019s house.
\n\u201cWhen you come out the door, well you can\u2019t miss it.\u201d
\nCr Sullivan shares his cousin\u2019s suspicions about why the tower is located where it is.
\n\u201cI think they pursued the cheapest one, because they could have moved it further along the rail line to the west, but I think they just chose the cheapest option, that\u2019s my opinion of course.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"