Update:
The Local Planning Panel has refused the application.
Original story
A 350+ page report to the Local planning Panel recommends refusing the latest application for a telecommunications tower at Killcare.
The panel will meet on September 5 to consider the proposed development intended to address an identified mobile coverage deficiency within Killcare Heights and surrounding suburbs.
An estimated 1300 registered addresses would benefit and the 32.5M monopole would provide coverage in the area from all three major carriers; Optus, Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) and Telstra.
The former Central Coast Local Planning Panel granted development consent on 15 November 2021 but resident Tony Denny took the matter to the Land and Environment Court arguing the panel did not provide valid reasons for granting consent as required under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and that it failed to consider a section of the Act dealing with bushfire prone land.
The Court upheld the appeal and the development consent DA/57736/2019 was declared invalid and to have no effect.
The site, 37 Wards Hill Road, Killcare Heights, has a site area of 2,908m2, with frontage of about 48M to the eastern side of Wards Rd with two vehicular accesses between Maitland Dr and Stewart St.
It is classified as operational land owned by Central Coast Council.
An above ground reservoir tank 10.90m in height and an ancillary electrical building dominates the site which also contains a number of underground services mains.
The construction of a 32.5m monopole telecommunications tower and communications equipment shelter for ancillary infrastructure would see 23 trees removed.
A total of 98 submissions were received, 64 submissions in support and 34 objections over three submission periods.
The proposal was notified from May 12 to June 9, 2023.
It was re-notified with an extended period from June 2 to June 30.
It was subsequently renotified again from June 30 to July 28, 2023 to enable public comment on a revised Environmental EME (Electromagnetic Energy) Report submitted and to resolve a technical error with Council’s DA tracker.
The detailed report from council staff recommends the panel refuse the application for a number of reasons.
These include insufficient fauna surveys; insufficient information for council to undertake an assessment about visual impacts, insufficient information about Aboriginal heritage significance and inconsistent information between plans and reports on tree removal.
“Moreover, the Panel cannot be satisfied that the potential and likely impact on the identified fauna and flora from electromagnetic emissions from telecommunications towers is acceptable,” the report states.
Site selection is also discussed with another site within the national park “Candidate E” noted as having a coverage of 69.53 per cent over the proposed site which has a coverage of 65.18 per cent..
The amended development application states that Candidate E is not considered suitable because it would require extensive tree clearing and it is located within land zoned C1.
