About 70 locals in Gisborne’s Seymour Rd are fighting a 15m tower going up outside a home – and some have even blocked work from progressing at least three times.
They say they are frustrated that the local council and the company involved did not consult them.
Some believe the structure could have health impacts, although Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora notes that research shows exposures that comply with current limits do not cause health effects.
The council’s response is clear-cut. There are no rules that prohibit cell towers in residential areas, and no notification or consultation is needed.
The Seymour Rd tower is the second of three being built in Gisborne this year.
The company involved, Fortysouth, says the towers will provide improved mobile connectivity, better coverage and more capacity to meet the demand for mobile services. It will also ensure the community has resilient services in case of emergencies and natural disasters.
Factors considered in choosing sites include district planning rules, safety and avoiding interference with other sites, multi-storey buildings and terrain such as hills and trees. Power and the fibre network are other considerations.
Fortysouth says it shared plans with neighbouring Seymour Rd properties before submitting its council resource consent application, and again before construction.
It’s a similar story in Tauranga.
Residents in Bethlehem feel like “guinea pigs” as a 5G tower is set to go up outside their homes.
One says he and other residents feel as if their voices “do not matter” and he has organised a petition that has 75 signatures. Another believes residents’ rights were being stripped away, saying: “We won’t stand for it.”
Connexa, the infrastructure company involved, points out that it is a permitted site and the new tower will help ease the strain on other overloaded cell sites, improving service for customers. Resource consent and consultation were not required in this case.
In March, a proposed 5G tower metres from a retired couple’s house angered residents in Tauranga’s Greerton suburb.
Earlier examples include West Auckland and Hastings and, in a case involving private land, in Pirongia, near Hamilton.
The case for putting up towers in residential areas that are considered the best location is compelling.
Many New Zealanders rely on cellphones and companies need to respond to increasing demand.
The best location can’t always be in a commercial or industrial area or the outskirts of town. Sometimes, unfortunately, it’s right outside someone’s home.
There is also a fair argument that many properties have critical infrastructure, such as power poles, bus stops and street lights, outside them.
But residents also have a strong case. No one wants to look out their window at a tower.
People have every right to feel concerned about their health, despite the reassuring line from officials. It’s an understandable reaction.
Some home owners will rightly be worried that a tower will drive down property prices.
They also have the right to protest and speak out, although blocking work, as happened in Gisborne, is not acceptable.
The current Government is targeting red tape and regulation, and so it should be. No one wants unnecessary bureaucracy holding up progress, innovation and technology.
However, cell-tower installation rules seem to favour technology companies and feel clinical and cold.
Just because companies have the legal right to put a tower outside someone’s home doesn’t make it morally right.
We’re talking about people’s lives and wellbeing.
The process needs reviewing. It needs to include formal consultation and better communication. It also needs more compassion.
Of course, that might not change the outcome in a particular case or please the residents involved, but it might make them feel like they have at least had a proper say.
Yes, this is a classic case of Nimbyism. But wouldn’t anyone feel this way if it were them?
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