2020-04-30 Ordinary Meeting Agenda

ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA                                                              30 APRIL 2020


     5.1. Detracts from the rural and residential visual amenity enjoyed by residents and visitors
          to the area and does not satisfactorily visually integrate with the landscape contrary to
          Overall Outcome 14.37.2 b) and Table 1 of Planning Scheme Policy 23; and
     5.2. Fails to co-locate with the nearby existing telecommunications facility contrary to Overall
          Outcome 14.37.2 c).
6.   The proposed tower, if approved, would be afforded immunity under the Telecommunications
     Act 1997 enabling further extension of up to 5 metres without further reference to Council
     which, if implemented, would further exacerbate the adverse visual and rural amenity impacts;
7.   The visual impact of the proposal on a number of premises in the area, which have direct line
     of sight in their viewshed, is considered significant and unacceptable for those residents.
8.   The applicant’s visual impact assessment fails to satisfactorily assess the degree and extent
     of visual impacts resulting from the proposed development and it is considered impacts are
     likely to be greater than has been currently identified.
The application was referred to Council due to the high public interest in the application, its
inconsistency with the Planning Scheme and the visual impact of the proposal on the surrounding
area. A total of 442 properly made submissions were received by Council in response to the public
notification of the application. All public submissions expressed their objection to the proposal.
The proposal involved construction of a 35 metre NBN tower on land at 244 Tablelands Road,
Cooran located on a knoll in the Cooran hinterland, off Tablelands Road, approximately 100m
upslope of an existing 30 metre telecommunications tower (Refer Location Diagram in Figure 1
below). A visual impact assessment of the proposal was submitted by the applicant and
subsequently peer reviewed by Council’s Visual Assessment Consultant.




                                        Figure 1: Location Plan
In response to Council officer’s concerns around the visual impact of the proposal, the applicant
changed the application following the public notification period, reducing the height of the tower to
25 metres. With antenna attached, the overall height would now be 26 metres. At the reduced height,
the applicant expects to be able to service approximately 247 premises located in Cooran and parts
of Pinbarren, Pomona and Traveston with a direct line of sight to the tower. It should be noted that
without a direct line of sight, a premises may have patchy or no connection to the NBN services
provided by the tower.

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