OPTUS says a public consultation process will take place before any site is selected for a proposed 4G base station at Capel Sound.
The company’s corporate affairs advisor Rob Sharpe said the consultation phase was “us consulting on any planned sites”.
“No decision has been made [on a site] and Optus is now assessing alternative locations raised by the community,” he said.
“A public consultation will be undertaken for any site selected and we look forward to working with council and the community to deliver improved coverage and capacity for residents, business and visitors to Capel Sound area and surrounds.”
The issue came to a head last week when concerned Capel Sound residents began campaigning against a proposed Optus mobile phone base station on the northern side of Pt Nepean Road, opposite Violet Street, (“Residents call for phone tower to be put on hold” The News 15/7/19).
The residents would prefer the base station to be 250 metres south on the foreshore reserve opposite 1781-1795 Pt Nepean Road.
They say this would take it away from a bus stop used by school children, residential areas, and the Bay Trail – and mean less vegetation has to be removed in construction.
Their main concerns are the negative health impacts of low level radiation emissions on humans. Phone towers can emit radiation up to 500 metres, with the most dangerous areas within 150 metres. The potentially harmful impacts of the impending 5G service are unknown, but what is known is that radiation is linked to cancer and other health issues.
Optus is looking for new base station sites along Pt Nepean Road, Capel Sound.
“The preliminary stages of consulting involve us seeking council feedback on our consultation plans and proposal, which is in line with the S6 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code 2018,” Mr Sharpe said.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 23 July 2019
