A GROUP of North Batemans Bay residents is urging Eurobodalla Shire Council to move the location for a proposed National Broadband Network tower further away from their homes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They are concerned about health risks, noise and the effect on property values.
The 40 metre-high NBN tower, officially called the telecommunications monopole, is proposed for the corner of Batemans Road and Ironbark Range Road, in the Bendandarah State Forest.
A development proposal is before the council, and today is the closing day for submissions regarding the monopole, which would be 300m from the nearest residence.
Crystal Lane resident Ralph Holmes said he and nearby residents were informed by mailouts from the council just over two weeks ago, and believes residents have not been given enough chance to have their say.
“I believe they wanted to get it through while people are on holiday,” he said.
“The whole town needs to know, because they will be appearing elsewhere.
"I don’t mind it being built, but not so close to homes.
"There are better places for it to be, but I believe NBN just wants to save money.”
Batemans Road resident Mary Randall said there had not been a thorough consultation process.
“A lot of people around here are not happy,” she said.
“I hope our council is progressive enough to reconsider the location.”
Feared radiation from the tower was a major concern for the residents.
Ms Randall said the risk would increase if phone companies added their dishes to the tower.
“I have spoken to NBN Co and they haven’t denied it,” she said.
Mr Holmes is concerned about the noise the tower's air conditioning unit would make.
“Because of the valleys around here, the noise carries strongly,” he said.
Of major concern to the group is the reduction in property values.
Mr Holmes received a letter from a Batemans Bay real estate agent stating that the value of their property would drop by 20 per cent if the tower was in view.
Ms Randall said the NBN had asked permission for it to be built on their property, but she had refused, only to have the proposed location close to their properties.
The Bay Post/Moruya Examiner contacted the NBN for comment, but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
The residents aren’t giving up hope on a good outcome.
“We are counting on our councillors to protect us,” Ms Randall said.
