Central Coast Planning Panel meet over East Gosford mobile tower

The Central Coast Planning Panel has made its first decision for the coast, approving a 25m mobile phone tower.

Artists impression of a proposed 5G mobile tower in East Gosford.

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A proposed Telstra 5G mobile tower above East Gosford Shopping Centre has become the first DA approved by the Central Coast Local Planning Panel.

The Panel held its first meeting last week to consider the DA for the tower at 103 Victoria Street which had received more than 20 objections relating to the size and health impacts on local businesses and residents.

The panel was introduced by the State Government to take contentious and significant DAs off Central Coast Council’s hands.

The unconfirmed minutes of the panel meeting state the tower has been given the green light, with the applicant required to pay a contribution for the loss of one carparking space.

Aerial view of where the tower is proposed.

At the meeting on June 11, Bendigo Bank East Gosford branch manager Michael Bell addressed the panel on behalf of the business community saying the overall feeling was that the tower was proposed in the wrong location.

“Local business owners will be sitting under this tower for 10 hours a day,” he said.

“We already have a tower here, what are the implications of two towers? There’s a school across the road that has not been consulted. This is a big concern here at East Gosford.”

Mr Bell also highlighted councils’ recent decision to refuse a telecommunications at Alan Davidson Oval in Wyoming.

The tower will be directly above these shops.

Mark Cavanagh from Aurecon Australia Pty Ltd, which submitted the DA on behalf of Telstra, said the maximum electromagnetic energy (EME) levels for the proposal were 5.21 per cent.

“100 per cent EME levels is considered safe,” he said.

“It is well below the level of safety set by the Australian Government and their authority.”

He said the tower would also have no impacts on future development in the area.

The panel thoroughly drilled Mr Cavanagh on EME levels as well as potential impacts on future development and parking.