By Oliver Lees
Macedon Ranges council has refused a permit for a new telecommunications tower in Gisborne.
A joint application was submitted by Western Water and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to establish a microwave technology telecommunications tower at 198 Mount Gisborne Road.
At a council meeting on March 24 the application was ultimately shot down with an alternate motion which argued the proposal would cause “unacceptable environmental impacts” given the unique landscape and that the necessity of the project was not properly justified.
Mayor Jennifer Anderson said environmental protection was the council’s number one priority.
“This is a [environmentally] significant site, it doesn’t matter what the purpose of the tower is,” she said.
“It is still a tower and there is still potential damage to the environment.”
Councillors were concerned that the tower’s significant location would affect driver’s view of the ranges as they passed on Mount Macedon Road.
Council also plans to rezone the reserve from public park and recreation land to public conservation and resource.
The tower was proposed as a replacement for an original, larger tower, which was constructed in 1987 but collapsed in a storm in July 2019. The application said the tower would assist Western Water and CFA in the delivery of emergency communications.
Since the tower’s collapse, Western Water has taken over the site where temporary services have been reinstated, albeit at reduced capacity.
Cr Neil was in the minority, arguing that the application represented an appropriate restoration to vital infrastructure.
“There was an act of God that caused this,” he said.
“If the tower hadn’t fallen over, we wouldn’t have had to have this debate this evening.
“The fact remains, though, that it is a critical piece of infrastructure for emergency response and communication.”
Council received nine public submissions objecting to the tower and one in support.
