PLANS for a 60m mobile phone tower have sparked concerns for the future of a Kiewa Valley town, with residents fearing it will drive down property prices and make the community “like the western suburbs of Sydney”.
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Tangambalanga locals Brian Torpy and Caitlind Kerr are upset Telstra is planning to build the tower on low ground on the edge of their town, about 300m from the Kiewa-Bonegilla Road.
“Basically the valuation of the property will drop and I’ve spoken to quite a number of real estate agents and they’ve said ‘mate you’ll have trouble selling’,” Mr Torpy, who has a $380,000 home overlooking the proposed site, said.
“I rang a couple of real estate agents yesterday and they had properties up for sale and the buyers just pulled out when they knew there were towers next to them.”
Ms Kerr, who is part of Indigo Council’s I86 youth action committee, said she planned to raise it with the shire.
“Having lived in Melbourne and having family near the western suburbs I just see it as first a light industrial area is coming and now they’re putting a Telstra tower in, so apart from the health of the residents which are predominantly the elderly or the aged it’s also going to be an eyesore and put property values down,” Ms Kerr said.
Mr Torpy, a catering manager, said plans were afoot for a community meeting next Tuesday with flyers handed out in a bid to attract 200 people.
“We’re growing but this will stop the growth dramatically,” he said.
“We appear to be going down the road of industrial, so we’re going to be like the little western suburbs of Sydney and yet we’ve got a beautiful picturesque area.”
Mr Torpy said Indigo Council had extended submissions on the development until April 9 and he expected a large number of objections and a petition to be lodged with the shire.
Ms Kerr, a social work student at La Trobe University, said she had concerns about the radiation emitted from the tower which would be visible from her home in the town centre.