WODONGA residents came out in force yesterday to oppose the erection of a new mobile phone tower behind homes on Willow Rise.
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More than 100 locals gathered on the site of the proposed 25-metre monopole to voice concerns ranging from the impact on their health to property prices, aesthetic values of the area and the potential for further development on the site.
Bianca McKinley has built her dream home less than 100 metres from the proposed site.
Yesterday she was visibly upset when voicing concerns about radiation from the tower.
“I designed that house as a future family home to raise children in and now I’m quite concerned about it,” Miss McKinley said.
Communication towers have been linked with headaches, nausea, memory loss and, in extreme cases, cancer.
“The studies say there’s no conclusive evidence that it causes these effects but there’s nothing that says it doesn’t,” Miss McKinley said.
“I don’t want to be the one that’s the case study.”
Beard Crescent resident Irene Dunstan has lived in the area for 30 years and said she particularly disliked that the public space could be used for private gain.
“It’s public land and here they are taking some of it for private enterprise, it’s just not on,” she said.
One resident questioned the council’s transparency and wanted to know why an advertisement was not placed in the public notices section of local media regarding the proposal, as Indigo Council had done last month regarding a tower to be erected at Tangambalanga.
Wodonga Councillor Ed Foulston was the lone council representative at the meeting and said he had only learnt of the application by Telstra when contacted by concerned residents.
He said he had “no idea” why no advertisements had been placed.
He said there was no application for development but there was an application by Telstra for permission to put in an application for a development.
Cr Foulston said the tower’s primary use would be for broadband, as well as mobile reception and relaying.
“We’ve requested that Telstra come up and speak to us in regards to what their long-term plans are for towers,” he said.
