AGENDA - Sunshine Coast Council
AGENDA - Sunshine Coast Council
AGENDA - Sunshine Coast Council
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Strategy and Planning Committee Agenda 16 February 2011<br />
Issues<br />
Visual Amenity<br />
• Obtrusive to the nearby<br />
properties and streets; and<br />
• Will extend beyond the<br />
existing vegetation canopy.<br />
Height<br />
• No height requirement for the<br />
zone in the Infrastructure<br />
Uses Code, indicating that<br />
the tower is inappropriate in<br />
the zone; and<br />
• Three times the maximum<br />
height allowed of 8m within<br />
the Locality Code.<br />
Health & Safety<br />
• Inconclusive science on the<br />
issue; and<br />
• Precautionary standard of not<br />
constructed within a 300m<br />
radius should apply.<br />
Community Need<br />
• Insufficient demand in the<br />
locality to warrant the need;<br />
and conversely<br />
• Supportive of improved<br />
services to assist small<br />
business and emergency<br />
services.<br />
Alternative Sites<br />
• This proposal is too close to<br />
homes<br />
• Other suitable sites include:<br />
o <strong>Council</strong>/State Land<br />
o Existing Quarry Site<br />
• More evidence required for<br />
indentifying opportunities for<br />
co-location.<br />
Reduction in House Prices<br />
Comments<br />
neighbouring premises and is an incompatible use.<br />
Agreed. Notwithstanding that a telecommunications<br />
tower needs to be above the canopy height to achieve<br />
reception, there is limited vegetation between the<br />
proposed tower and nearby premises.<br />
No conditions can be applied to assist in screening the<br />
development from this neighbour, and the proposal will<br />
adversely affect the visual amenity of this Rural<br />
Settlement zoned allotment.<br />
Agreed. No height limit is specified for the Rural<br />
Residential Zone, as the Infrastructure Uses Code does<br />
not envisage the use within that zone.<br />
The associated code outcome requires towers to be<br />
visually integrated with their setting and not visually<br />
dominant or obtrusive. The proposed tower does not allow<br />
for adequate screening between it and the adjoining<br />
premises. Therefore, the proposal does not meet the<br />
requirements of the Code in relation to height.<br />
The cumulative radiofrequency and electromagnetic<br />
energy summary for the tower, indicates the proposed<br />
tower will emit a maximum electromagnetic energy level<br />
which is 0.45% of the Australian Radiation Protection and<br />
Nuclear Safety Agency’s regulated acceptable maximum<br />
radiation levels. The proposal, therefore, does not raise<br />
any significant concerns in relation to the health effects of<br />
radiofrequency and electromagnetic energy emissions.<br />
There is a recognised need for this type of infrastructure<br />
within the area. The application material and the positive<br />
response for the tower during the notification period<br />
indicate the need for the improved network reception<br />
within the locality. <strong>Council</strong>’s Economic Development<br />
Branch also indicates that this area has been identified<br />
within the Connecting the <strong>Coast</strong> Project as requiring<br />
further telecommunications infrastructure.<br />
As part of the application, Telstra included their site<br />
selection decision making. This included 9 sites<br />
surrounding the subject site, with none of the sites<br />
investigated outside the Rural Settlement Zone (See<br />
Attachment 3). Most of the alternative sites were rejected<br />
by the applicant because a lease could not be negotiated<br />
with the owner or the site had poor coverage<br />
performance. It is agreed that further alternate sites<br />
should be investigated by the applicant.<br />
No details were provided to substantiate that the tower<br />
will devalue property values in the general area, though it<br />
is agreed that the tower’s impacts on nearby premises are<br />
significant and could potentially affect those property<br />
values.<br />
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