Councillors to consider approval of controversial new Wagga phone tower

Council staff have recommended councillors approve the 30-metre-high telecommunications mobile phone base station at 13 Sycamore Road, Lake Albert.

The project would see the installation of a 30-metre monopole to support the installation of four 5G panel antennas and other associated equipment.

A report to council said the entire facility would not exceed 33.2 metres above the ground.

If approved, the facility would be owned by Indara Group and host Optus telecommunications equipment providing 4G and 5G mobile services to the people of Lake Albert.

But the project by applicant Ventia Pty Ltd has not received the same support from members of the community, with council noting the project drew 18 public submissions, all of which were opposed to the proposal.

Among objections raised include concerns about the visual impact on the area.

"The tower is ugly and will degrade the properties around our area," one resident wrote.

They also raised concerns that radiation from the tower would impact a neighbour's honey business.

Residents said there was already a tower close by and argued this one isn't needed.

Another resident said the tower would have a serious impact on land values in the area if it goes ahead.

"It will have a negative impact on all property prices in the area," they said.

One such concerned Lake Albert resident is Glen Gaudron. He lives adjacent to the proposed site and has previously taken serious issue with the project.

In March 2023, plans to build the tower were first announced, drawing an immediate outcry from residents including residents Mr Gaudron and Shane Davies amid fears the tower could stymie future developments in that part of Lake Albert.

That proposal placed the tower just metres from the end of Mr Gaudron's driveway, adjacent to Sycamore Road.

However, Ventia withdrew their application in June 2023, prompting relief from residents.

But the elation was somewhat short-lived, after the applicant reintroduced plans to build the tower at the same property in late 2023.

This time, the plans revealed the tower would be installed about 100 metres back from Sycamore Road, but this was still far from good enough for Mr Gaudron, who, an Optus customer himself, says he already has great reception in the location and threatened to cut ties with the telco if the proposal goes ahead.

"If this goes ahead, I won't be with Optus anymore," he said at the time.

Mr Gaudron has now reiterated that threat as he expresses frustration with the council over their recommendation to approve the project, and it appears he's not the only concerned customer.

"There's other residents out here who won't be staying with Optus either [if this goes ahead]," he said.

While investigations into the proposed site found the land is subject to storm water flooding, those impacts were assessed as satisfactory to proceed with the project.

Mr Gaudron again raised concerns Optus did not properly assess other possible sites for the base station to be located.

An Optus spokesperson previously said it did consider a reservoir site as an alternative location for the tower but found it to be inadequate, noting it "would not meet radio frequency objectives."

He also took issue with Optus over claims the natural environment will hide the tower and believes it could have a detrimental impact on land values - which could be substantial in the near future given the prospect of future subdivisions.

"In the future...there's a fairly strong possibility that subdivision will occur [around here]," he said.

After assessing the application and taking feedback into account, council staff opted to recommend with the project's approval.

Council staff gave several reasons for doing so, including that the application is compliant with state environmental planning policy and telecommunications guidelines.

Staff also found the project was consistent with its local environmental plan and also its development control plan.

The impacts of the proposed project were assessed as acceptable, subject to recommended conditions of consent.

The site was also considered suitable and in the public interest.

But despite council staff's positive recommendation, Mr Gaudron does not believe it's a done deal yet and hopes councillors will see the light.

He recalled when council rejected a tower on Birch Road, Lake Albert in 2012, due to deciding its location was inappropriate - a decade before the Lake Albert Manors subdivision on that road was released.

The fate of the project is now in the hands of Wagga's councillors who will vote on whether to approve or reject the tower project on Monday night.