Telstra tower challenge

YARRA Ranges Council’s decision to grant a planning permit to Telstra for a 40 metre communications tower in Millgrove is being challenged at VCAT.
Millgrove resident Sheila Goodwin has lodged an Application for Review with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on a number of grounds including that there is a Heritage Overlay on the sawmill site at 3045 Warburton Highway, and that the siting of the pole will degrade the centre of the township and disrupt views through to the surrounding mountains.
Yarra Ranges Council approved the application in March, voting against the recommendation of its planning department.
The permit provides for the 40-metre monopole, headframe and antennas, an equipment shelter and security fencing.
Ms Goodwin, one of a number of objectors to the proposal, lodged her application to VCAT on 14 April.
Telstra has appointed lawyers Ashurst Australia to represent it at VCAT and said it is committed to providing new mobile telecommunications infrastructure that is necessary to satisfy the increasing demand for services.
“The proposed mobile base station site at Millgrove was chosen by Telstra as it best meets the objectives of providing customers’ high quality Telstra Next G mobile voice, video and wireless broadband coverage while taking into account environmental and visual impacts of the facility,” a telstra spokesman said.
No date has been set at this stage for the hearing.