With community consultation and a planning team comprising telecommunications companies, an independent town planning consultant, as well as various design, technical and health advisers, the City of Melville has developed a Telecommunications Network Strategy.
The Strategy aims to overcome problems associated with an ad hoc approach to assessing applications for telecommunications infrastructure facilities. This provides residents with the assurance that design, location and perceived health issues are considered by Council.
“What Council did was undertake a comprehensive study involving all the telecommunications companies in the area, as well as the appointment of a planning consultant,” said Melville City Council’s Executive Manager of Development and Neighbourhood Amenity, Craig McClure.“The team then worked together to develop a three to five year telecommunications plan for high impact facilities within the area.”
Council has involved the community in the planning process by holding frequent public meetings and addressing community concerns.
“The planning process ensures a more structured approach to resolving the various issues involved in facilitating a telecommunication service to residents,” he said.“This will reduce the time delays involved in assessing individual applications for mobile phone towers and minimise the cost of such investigations to the community and carriers.”
One of the outcomes of the planning process is that telephone towers will be constructed so as to provide room for additional infrastructure benefits for the community such as viewing platforms. The towers will also be built to reflect the surrounding locations.
For further information, contact Craig McClure on (08) 9364 0603.
