Milton residents presented a petition signed by 363 people to Shoalhaven City Council on Tuesday, December 20, airing their grievances of the proposed construction of a Optus telecommunications tower.
Fifteen residents representing the Milton Opposition to the Wilfords Lane Tower shared concerns about the consultation process, health risks, location and visual impact of the tower at the 17 Wilfords Lane location.
Milton Opposition’s communication coordinator Marc Clayton said the group are not against towers.
“We are not against telecommunications towers in the area,” Mr Clayton said.
“We just don’t believe Wilfords Lane is an appropriate place to have the tower.”
The consultation process with the Milton community was problematic, with construction now delayed on the proposed site until mid-January 2017.
“We got a notification from Optus in the post to say a tower is being installed,” Milton resident Jo Whitty said.
“People thought it was junk mail and discarded the letter.”
Milton Opposition feel there could be a better location for the tower, noting there are two existing towers within eight kilometres of Milton that are suitable for the Optus antennas.
The visual features of the proposed tower, as well as advancing research into the health impacts of electromagnetic radiation are additional concerns for the community.
