A council report has found a council has no grounds to block a telecommunications facility that would tackle black spots along the Bendigo regional rail corridor, despite several people’s objections.
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The Mount Alexander Shire Council is set to decide whether to endorse plans for a facility at Railway Street, Chewton on Tuesday night.
The proposed tower and associated works would be built as part of the state government’s $18 million commitment to improving mobile black spots along rail lines.
The application stated that the site was of particular importance to coverage for the Bendigo regional rail corridor and would give additional support for residential and rural areas in Chewton.
There were three objections to the site, one of which was withdrawn during the application process, the council report said.
The objections related to the size and scale of the telecommunications tower within the character of the surrounding area, as well as removal of native vegetation.
Map pin denotes street, not location of facility.
A 35-metre tower with antennas and a parabolic dish is planned for the site.
The application stated the tower needed to be that tall to clear nearby vegetation to cover a set area and maximise signal.
The applicant was only required to give notice for the removal of vegetation, the report said, because the buildings and works were being undertaken by the state government.
The government would be exempt from notification requirements and therefore any concerns about the facility needed to be disregarded by councillors.
Around 0.28 hectares of vegetation would be cleared from the site if plans went ahead.
The facility would sit within an area of significant remnant vegetation, though a report commissioned by the applicants found that would not affect rare or threatened species.
The council report found the site would have minimal impact on existing habitat.