Swan Valley residents fighting phone tower plans on two fronts

RESIDENTS in the Swan Valley are fighting plans to build two telecommunication towers.

City of Swan councillors will vote tonight on two applications – one for an Optus tower on Great Northern Highway in Middle Swan and an nbn tower on Hardwick Road in Millendon.

Millendon resident David Hughes has spent more than a year fighting the nbn 30m tower, which would be installed behind his property.

The application for the tower was refused earlier this year, but the decision was appealed in the State Administrative Tribunal.

Mr Hughes claimed information given by Nbn Co had been incorrect and misleading.

“We don’t want any tower – (it) will be better placed at the City of Swan tower on Weir Road, but they haven’t said why that option won’t work.”

He said fighting the tower had caused him stress and had taken up much of his time.

“I’m sick of it, I am too old to do this,” he said.

“I’m a Vietnam veteran and my daughter had to read out my deputation for me at the meeting on Wednesday night because it makes me too emotional to speak about what is happening.

“If it goes ahead, it’s going to cause hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to my property, which I’ve had for 40 years. It isn’t fair they can do this.”

An Nbn Co spokeswoman said they were always willing to work with the council and relevant communities to reach an outcome to deliver broadband to the region.

“We always consider options to co-locate our facilities on existing towers and there are many examples within WA where we were able to do this and meet coverage requirements,” she said.

“However, in this instance, the existing tower on Weir Road wouldn’t meet coverage requirements,” she said, adding that they had reduced the height of the proposed tower from 40m to 30m.