A 30-metre Optus tower in Waratah aimed at fixing coverage issues in the area has been recommended for approval.
The proposal to build a 5G tower at 91-115 Turton Road, will be assessed by Newcastle councillors on July 16. The tower would sit behind Waratah Village Shopping Centre, on the corner of Wallace Street and Coolamin Road.
The proposed facility would provide Optus and Vodafone 4G and 5G services to Waratah, Waratah, Waratah West, Georgetown, Mayfield and Mayfield West.
The development application said the tower would also reduce coverage issues in those suburbs and provide capacity relief for other nearby telecommunications facilities.
The matter has been referred to councillors for a decision due to a proposed variation to the height standard of 135 per cent. The development would reach 33 metres, eclipsing the development standard of 14 metres.
Height was raised as an issue in the single submission lodged in relation to the proposal. Other concerns included the notification process, traffic, consideration of alternative sites, power availability and soil testing.
Documents lodged with the application state existing telecommunication facilities in the area were assessed for co-location and upgrades, however none were appropriate.
Other sites were also considered for a new tower, but were ruled out for reasons including access difficulty, local significance of the sites and lack of screening.
A 40-metre telecom tower was approved on Molycop land at Mayfield West in 2019, however the landowner later withdrew their interest.
The proposed site was chosen due to minimised visual and environmental impact, vegetation to provide screening, the site meeting design and construction criteria and secure land tenure being attainable.
