Residents have claimed a small victory in their fight against a mobile phone tower at the Brookside Recreation Reserve.
Councillors last week agreed to go back to Vodafone to see if an alternative location for the tower could be found.
Caroline Springs resident Seamus Ryan, who heads the campaign for the tower’s relocation, told Star Weekly he was “pleasantly surprised” by the outcome, calling it a “step in the right direction”.
Caroline Springs and Brookside residents have been up in arms against the 30-metre mobile phone tower which received a planning permit last August.
They claim neither Vodafone nor Melton council sufficiently informed them about the permit application.
Mr Ryan said while last week’s council decision was “not an overall victory”, it proved “people getting involved does make a difference”.
A petition of more than 1400 signatures was tabled at last week’s council meeting.
It called for the cancellation of a lease between the council and Vodafone, or for the tower’s relocation to a less “community-sensitive” site.
Officers recommended that councillors “note the petition and take no further action”, as council had “no power to unilaterally break the lease”.
But Watts ward councillor Lara Carli moved an alternative recommendation that the council talk to Vodafone about relocating the monopole, with “a report to come back … on other appropriate sites and associated costs”.
Her recommendation was seconded by Cr Renata Cugliari and supported by councillors Bob Turner, Nola Dunn and Myles Bentley.
Cr Sophie Ramsey was absent, and Cr Kathy Majdlik declared an indirect conflict of interest, removing herself from the chambers.
Taylors Hill tower amendment
Meanwhile, a planning application by Vodafone for a mobile phone tower at a Taylors Hill reserve, commonly known as the Melbourne water tank reserve, was heard at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal almost two weeks ago.
Vodafone amended its initial application, reducing the height of the tower from 25 metres to 17 metres and relocating it 45 metres south of its proposed site.
At last month’s meeting, officers recommended that council write to VCAT stating it no longer objected to the issuing of a permit.
But Cr Carli, supported by councillors Cugliari, Dunn, Bentley, Turner and Majdlik, successfully moved to advise VCAT it did not support the amended plans or any plans to build a tower at that location.
