Plans have been revealed that could see a cellphone tower erected in a popular Wanganui park.
The proposal to erect a cellphone tower at Victoria Park sparked angry debate among Wanganui District councillors at yesterday's property and infrastructure committee meeting.
Telecommunications company Two Degrees Mobile has asked council for permission to lease a small part of the park, which is owned by the council.
Two Degrees burst on to the New Zealand mobile communications market using television advertisements featuring comedian Rhys Darby.
It is understood the Two Degrees facility would sit about 80 metres from the nearest residence and would consist of a mast to elevate transmission antennas as well as equipment cabinets at the base of the mast.
The site was intended to be just tall enough to "see" over the trees to provide coverage to Springvale and St John's Hill.
The size of the compound was to be kept to a minimum, but was likely to be at least 20 square metres.
Yesterday, Wanganui District Council deputy properties manager Greg Morris was peppered with questions from councillors, who wanted to know more about Two Degrees' plans.
Mr Morris said he understood Two Degrees wished to erect several towers throughout Wanganui.
Councillor Sue Westwood was the most outspoken opponent of the tower, and asked if Two Degrees had given detailed plans for the tower to council.
"We need to know exactly what the facility is before we agree. It's incumbent on us that we request them to show us what they have planned," she said.
Mr Morris said the company would not draw up final plans if they did not have approval for the facility.
Wanganui District Council chief executive Kevin Ross said councillors could decide to put in a clause that they grant the lease subject to approval of Two Degrees' final plans.
Mr Morris said cellphone towers, such as the one proposed by Two Degrees, were likely to become more common, as the telecommunications market grew.
"If we want good cellphone service in Wanganui we need cellphone towers."
In response to a question from Councillor Jack Bullock about whether the tower could instead be built next to the existing Vodafone tower on Dublin St, Mr Morris told councillors that cellphone towers from different companies could not "co-locate" because the different frequencies would interfere with each other.
He said telecommunications companies had the unrestricted right to build cellphone towers on any road corridor.
These comments provoked angry responses from several councillors.
Deputy Mayor Rangi Wills said council should build towers and charge companies to use them.
But Councillor Clive Solomon said Two Degrees was "an excellent company" and welcomed their plan to build a tower in Wanganui.
"I hope Two Degrees don't think we are some archaic city who don't want to move forward. Yes, they can come here and put their towers wherever they want."
He warned his fellow councillors he did not want to "hear any more nonsense about this".
Two Degrees will still have to apply for and receive resource consent for the tower, which is a separate application to applying for a lease.
Councillors eventually approved the recommendation that the lease be granted, with the addition of the approval clause suggested by Mr Ross.
The decision will be forwarded to the full council meeting on May 30 for ratification.
Two Degrees in bid to put phone tower in city park
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