MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have given their approval for a proposal by Telstra to install an equipment shelter next to existing telecommunications infrastructure in Mt Martha, subject to community consultation. Under the proposal, the shire would lease a 30 square metre site to Telstra to install a monopole and equipment shelter at Citation Reserve on Nepean Hwy. The infrastructure would be adjacent to an existing Optus monopole, with Optus’ lease to be varied to allow for the co-location.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the proposal at their 7 May meeting.
A report will come back to council once community engagement is undertaken to consider any submissions received and to determine whether to proceed with the lease agreements – which would both expire in March 2029. The proposed lease area is six metres by five metres, with the site to be fenced to prevent unauthorised access.
The shire’s current rent return on the Optus infrastructure is $39,291.77 annually while the Telstra equipment shelter would yield $19,000 per year in rent. According to a shire report, the lease variation would be aligned with existing lease terms, “ensuring consistent management of telecommunications infrastructure within the reserve”. “The proposal is subject to planning permits, which Telstra is responsible for obtaining prior to the signing of the lease. This report provides an objective assessment of the proposal, including lease arrangements, site suitability, and compliance with relevant regulations,” it said.
The report also noted that the proposal would benefit the peninsula’s mobile phone network during peak holiday seasons, which “is often unable to cope with demand, resulting in communication blackouts”. “The Mornington Peninsula is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in Victoria. The provision of mobile communications enhances the community and emergency services communication capabilities,” it said.
Cr Bruce Ranken supported the plan as a “stronger mobile network coverage matters to our community, particularly for emergency communications to allow and keep residents and services connected during critical events like bushfires”. “By approving the proposed leases, the council is prioritising the community well-being, economic resilience and smart infrastructure management while respecting their environmental and local planning policies,” he said.
Ranken also used the opportunity to call on telcos to invest in the shire’s digital connectivity plan as the Mornington Peninsula “still suffers numerous mobile black spots, in particular the coastal and bushland areas, high demand tourism zones and fringe and semi-rural communities”.
The new telecommunications infrastructure comes amid frustration from Somerville residents and business owners who have been advocating for a decade to improve mobile phone coverage in their area. Last September, Telstra told The News that it was aware of some indoor coverage challenges in some parts of Somerville, and that it was committed to building a new site in southeast Somerville “to uplift coverage in the area and have a project underway to locate the land required to build a new mobile site”.
Telstra regional general manager Jenny Gray last week said, “We continually investigate new opportunities to further expand our mobile coverage in the region”. “In addition to our proposed new site at Mount Martha, we’re also finalising our plans for another site in Somerville and we expect to lodge our application in the next few months,” she said. “We’re looking forward to delivering improved 4G and 5G coverage and performance in the area.”
First published in the Mornington News – 13 May 2025
