2014-07-22 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                           22 JULY 2014


 The development should be located on the        The infrastructure is designed to serve the rural
 western side of Pomona Kin Kin Rd, as the       areas outside of Pomona, Cooran and Pinbarren,
 development is to serve Cooran residents.       which will not be serviced by broadband to the
                                                 node/premises. The applicant has explored the
                                                 options of three alternative sites located to the west
                                                 of Pomona Kin Kin Rd. The applicant indicates that
                                                 the elevations on the western side of the road are
                                                 20m below the proposed development’s height, and
                                                 require a much larger tower (50m), located closer to
                                                 Rural Settlement zoned land and is technically less
                                                 feasible, being further away from the targeted
                                                 residents.
 Maintenance of the driveway to access the       The development proposes to access the site via
 site.                                           Mountain View Road. Currently, there is only one
                                                 household located at the end of the road, whom also
                                                 maintains this reserve. Conditions are recommended
                                                 for the applicant to provide an access driveway from
                                                 the end of the existing driveway, be responsible for
                                                 the maintenance of the road during construction
                                                 phase and share ongoing maintenance of this portion
                                                 of the road.
 Support the proposal for increase in internet   Noted
 speeds.
 Devalue surrounding properties.                 The proposal does not compromise the existing
                                                 visual amenity of the area.
 Request the tower be painted green to blend     A condition may be imposed for the tower to be
 into the environment.                           finished in colours that blends in visually into the
                                                 landscape.
 All trees should be maintained and further      A condition may be imposed for a subsequent
 landscaping requested to screen the tower.      landscaping plan to be approved, which will depict
                                                 existing   trees    for    retention   and    provide
                                                 supplementary planting for visual screening.
 Health impacts.                                 The summary indicates the proposed tower will emit
                                                 a maximum EME level from the tower, which is
                                                 0.021% of the Australian Radiation Protection and
                                                 Nuclear Safety Agency’s (ARPANSA) regulated
                                                 acceptable maximum radiation public exposure
                                                 limits.
5     Conclusion
The proposed development is for a 31m high tower to be erected at Grahams Road,
Pinbarren for the establishment of the fixed wireless network infrastructure of the National
Broadband Network (NBN). The site is located within the Rural zone and the proposed
Infrastructure use as a Service & Utility Type 3 Tower is identified as an inconsistent use
within the zone.
Despite the inconsistency with the zone, the application has been assessed against the
provisions of The Noosa Plan and does not raise any significant planning concerns. The
tower does not pose an unacceptable risk to public safety. The proposed location is set
amongst existing vegetation and is an acceptable distance away from neighbouring
properties and the major road network, so as not to be visually dominant or obtrusive.
While the proposed use raises a conflict with the Mary River Catchment Locality Code, it is
considered that the following grounds are sufficient to support the proposal:

    The telecommunications facility will provide coverage for the NBN fixed wireless
      network, allowing for the delivery of higher speed data to households in the area; and




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