TELSTRA will respond to Moyne Shire’s questions about why the telecommunications giant abandoned its plans to build a new tower near Koroit.
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Moyne Shire approved the 55-metre monopole in March, but a group of concerned residents opposed the project due to its proximity to Tower Hill and took the issue to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Rather than fight the matter at VCAT, Telstra announced it would not proceed with the project.
Telstra is yet to state why it chose not to go to VCAT, but a spokesperson told The Standard that “when we receive any request for additional information (from Moyne Shire) we will provide it and explain accordingly”.
The Tower Hill monopole was intended to maintain and improve mobile phone coverage because of interference from digital TV and radio networks.
Telstra told Moyne Shire not building the tower meant “mobile and emergency radio coverage in the area will be compromised as a result”.
“The Tower Hill site was assessed as the most appropriate to retain existing coverage, and improve service reliability for all telecommunications users,” Telstra area general manager Steve Tinker told The Standard.
“Other locations assessed in the area were not suitable to achieve the same coverage outcomes, and may have meant less coverage for existing customers.”
At this week’s council meeting, Moyne Shire approved a similar tower at Winslow, however a Telstra spokesperson said that “will not prevent a degradation of coverage that will occur” without the Tower Hill monopole.
“For Telstra customers (in the Tower Hill area) the impact over the coming years will be a degradation in coverage, particularly customers who may live at the periphery of our coverage reach, and call reliability,” the spokesperson said.
“The Winslow mobile base station is required to alleviate congestion to Telstra’s existing sites at Tower Hill and Panmure, as well as better service Telstra customers in the Winslow and Woolsthorpe areas.”
Peter Swainger from the residents’ group opposing the Tower Hill monopole said he believed the Winslow tower meant “the need for a base station on Tower Hill has gone, and a less intrusive monopole solution should be looked at around the district”.
