Juliet Price (left), with children Catherine Hawkins, 8, Ava Ware, 8, Monica Hawkins, 7, and Sophie Hawkins, 10, putting up signs in protest of a cell tower. Photo / Paul Taylor
Juliet Price (left), with children Catherine Hawkins, 8, Ava Ware, 8, Monica Hawkins, 7, and Sophie Hawkins, 10, putting up signs in protest of a cell tower. Photo / Paul Taylor
Work on a controversial cell tower in Havelock North has come to a halt pending a meeting with network provider Spark and disgruntled residents.
But those concerned with the placement of the tower, outside a residential property on the corner of Te Mata Rd and Durham Dr, vow to continuefighting until it is moved elsewhere.
In the meantime, Spark is warning that if the cell tower doesn't go ahead, "it is possible that some customers' experience of live streaming the Rugby World Cup may be affected".
The meeting will be held on Thursday with the residents' action group, which was formed on Sunday in response to the issue, along with Hastings District Councillors Damon Harvey and Malcolm Dixon, who have been supporting those concerned since they were made aware last week.
Harvey said: "We will get a better understanding of why they selected that site, were there or are there alternative sites and is there any possibility of the tower being moved to another site."
Harvey said the aim of the meeting is to take some of the "heat" out of the issue.
A contractor and a security guard at the site of a new cell tower by network provider Spark on Te Mata Rd. Photo / Warren Buckland
Tensions came to a head on Monday afternoon, when a man, working on the site, and the adult son of a resident became involved in a physical fight. Harvey was among those who intervened and broke up the fight. Police were called to the scene soon after the incident.
A police spokeswoman said they responded to a report of a disorderly behaviour.
"The informant mentioned several people involved in an altercation but when police arrived they could not locate anyone." She said police are not investigating further.
1 Durham Dr resident Stephen Fookes wasn't aware work had been put on hold when Hawke's Bay Today spoke with him on Tuesday afternoon but said he was "delighted".
He said their fundamental goal was to ascertain information on the process, as well as the environmental risks; namely, radioactivity.
"If we've got the opportunity to get clarification on all the points that we need to, then I think the group would make a decision as to whether they should persist and go on, or whether we except or whether there's an alternative," Fookes said.
Ultimately, he believes everything "hinges" on the meeting.
On Tuesday evening, a number of residents, including children, had put up signs on neighbouring fences. Melanie Ware said people around New Zealand are "not happy with how Spark is carte blanche doing this without consultation with anyone who cares about our community".
A Spark spokeswoman said they will make a decision about their next steps after Thursday's meeting. They reiterated the fact that Spark "adhered to the TCF Guidelines process for notifying immediately adjacent residents".
They aim to complete the construction and installation of the cell tower by the end of September, to "accommodate the expected demand for data usage during the Rugby World Cup".
"While the Rugby World Cup is a catalyst for this investment, we are seeing unprecedented growth in demand for data across the board, and our analysis shows that Havelock North requires the proposed new infrastructure/upgrades, irrespective of the Rugby World Cup," she said.
"Ongoing development of sites like that in Havelock North are vital to us being able to deliver the services that our customers expect. If we are not able to complete the work in Havelock North in advance of the RWC, it is possible that some customers' experience of live streaming the Rugby World Cup may be affected."
Residents reported two contractors working on the site from around 5.40pm to 7pm. They claimed one said they had been sent from Wellington to do specialised work.
A Spark spokeswoman confirmed this was the case but said they were not working, instead they were checking to ensure the site was safe after an electrical cable was damaged on Monday.
She said the outer layer of the electrical cable was nicked when a water pipe at the site was damaged. The cable is linked to the street lights.
"It has been made safe and they are going to isolate the problem [on Wednesday]."
