Development Application part 2 of 2 , Planning report/Plans MCU12/0036

                                          Planning Report



2             Proposal

2.1           Proposal Details
The     proposal       involves   a   Material   Change of Use   application (Impact Assessment)     to   install   a

telecommunications facility over part of Lot 3 on RP147678, located at 4 Garnet Street, Cooroy and known
as the      existing Telstra Cooroy Exchange. The proposed facility will be referred to by Telstra as the Cooroy
facility.

The development will comprise:

      25 metre high monopole;

      Three (3) CPX310R, Telstra Panel antennas (2.63m long) attached to the top of the monopole via a
      triangular headframe (note that there is provision for a further nine (9)antennas as indicated in the plans;
      and

      Conduits and cable tray for feeder cables.

Associated equipment will be enclosed within the existing Telstra Exchange building on site. Access to the
proposed facility for maintenance is proposed to be via the existing entrance to the Telstra exchange off
Garnet Street. The proposed site layout and elevation plans are included in Appendix 1.



2.2           Construction and Maintenance Activity
The proposed telecommunications facility upgrade will be installed over a period of approximately 5 weeks.
The following construction activities will occur at the site:

      Site set out;

      Truck delivery of materials;


      Pouring Concrete Foundations; and

      Installation of telecommunications equipment (antennas).

The  proposed development will be ’unmanned’ once constructed, with              routine maintenance conducted
infrequently.


2.3           Investigations of Co-location

2.3.1         Identification of the Requirement for the Facility

The cellular mobile phone network is based on the use of small low powered intelligent two way radio
transmitters (mobile phones) that are interconnected over radio channels to the telephone network via a
series of mobile base stations.

The nature of the base stations is such that reliable communication is limited mainly to "line of sight" of the
mobile.       Whilst    some   buildings and foliage can be penetrated, radio signals cannot penetrate more
substantial objects, such as hills.      As a general rule, the higher a base station is elevated and the taller a
base station structure is, the greater its range of coverage.

Due to the need to re-use the frequencies within the network to support traffic from a large number of users,
the signals from the base stations must be restricted from travelling too far into the coverage area of adjacent
base stations. Otherwise users experience interference and poor call performance, and potentially call drop-
outs.

Telstra use a number of methods to identify those parts of the network that require improved coverage,
capacity and call performance. These methods include drive surveys, statistical measures, computer
modelling of coverage and the evaluation of customer complaints. When an area within the network is
identified as providing poor service and performance, investigations are undertaken to determine the
measures required to rectify these service and performance deficiencies.




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