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The cellphone tower near Vicki's home - Source: ONE News -
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There are a few things that make me really anxious.
Teenagers out drinking and driving. Phone calls in the middle of the night. And the fear of coming home one day to find a cellphone tower standing tall and proud next to our house.
It happened to an Auckland couple last year. They arrived back from holiday to find a 2degrees cellphone tower next to their house in Torbay. They never had a chance to have a say. Nearly a year on, the cellphone tower is still there. They're still unhappy.
What got me thinking about this again are the residents in Waltham in Christchurch who didn't get told about plans to build a probation centre in their neighbourhood. One or two people right next door apparently got letters from the Corrections Department, but the Christchurch City Council didn't think it needed to let anyone else know. You can't help feel sorry for folk who are happily mowing their lawns one day, then trying to stop the biggest probation centre in the country, the next. It's a worry and for me, a cellphone tower would be as well.
To be fair, they're not as controversial as they once were. There used to be protests all the time. There's now around 3,000 cellphone towers round the country and they're popping up in all shapes, sizes and disguises.
I've just discovered a Vodafone cellphone tower about 80 metres from our back fence that I bike past every day and never noticed. It's dark green, surrounded by trees, and at a glance looks like an old fashioned street light. Even more astounding, it's been there for eight years!
In New Zealand we've apparently got more cellphones than people, and if you've got a mobile you'll know how annoying it is if the coverage is patchy. So it's a catch 22.
Yes, I have a cellphone and yes, I use it - but not all that often. Having said that, I'm convinced the re-sale value of my house would drop if a cellphone tower suddenly appeared on the council walkway adjoining our property.
But the big question is, would anyone have to tell me about it? Would I get the chance to lodge a protest and have my say? Because the walkway is council land, the phone company has to get permission from the council. But my understanding of the situation is no one is legally obliged to tell me - because the cellphone tower wouldn't be on my land. And that makes me nervous.
These days phone companies don't always have to apply for resource consent for a cellphone tower because they're now a "permitted activity" under the Resource Management Act. And to complicate matters even further, it's sometimes up to the council to decide whether people living nearby should be told, not the phone company.
Talk to Vodafone or Telecom and they'll tell you there are voluntary "community engagement guidelines" to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises. So if they're planning a cellphone tower near your house, they'll let you know. Telecom, Vodafone, Whoosh and Kordia have all signed up to these guidelines, but 2degrees hasn't. It says it doesn't like the way the telcos organisation generally is run, so it's not part of the group, so it can't sign up. Having said all that, it says it still operates by the guidelines.
So if you live next to a park, a council reserve or a road, could a cellphone tower end up nearby without you knowing? Despite all the assurances I feel uneasy. If you believe the telcos the answer is "no" because they or the local council should let you know in advance, and there will be "consultation".
Ask the Torbay couple if they think registering their opposition would've made any difference.
They say "probably not".
What do you think about the regulations around cellphone towers? Share your thoughts on the messageboard below.
Add a Comment:
Post new commentPlanning1 said on 2010-05-12 @ 10:30 NZDT: Report abusive post
Most cellphone masts that are now a 'permitted activity' are those in the road reserve, and are permitted under the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunications. there are standards bough in in Oct 2008 to standardise telecommunication facilities in the road reserve, an area which is generally used for all sorts of services, such as power, stormwater, street lighting etc. When they first go up, as with anything new people notice them, but
katrina1 said on 2010-05-11 @ 16:29 NZDT: Report abusive post
Councils must have certain information on LIM reports, I would have thought cellphone towers would be included, however I was wrong in assuming. We purchased a property without noticing a cellphone tower on the reserve next door and it was not highlighted in the LIM report (which we checked over thoroughly). However a microwave transmission frequency from TVNZ was included. Is this not a similar thing?
Tigermoth said on 2010-05-11 @ 14:32 NZDT: Report abusive post
Telecom built some cell Towers on our neighbours roof on Mt Eden Rd. They then cleverly covered them with panels to blend them in with the old 2 storey building they were on. Now they just look like Chimneys. We were never consulted on it, and no one would no they were even there.