Dudley Residents Left in the Dark Over Mobile Outage

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Dudley residents say they have been left without mobile phone service for more than a week due to a service outage in the Telstra network.

3G and 4G outages have reportedly also affected the Mount Hutton, Windale, Redhead and Whitebridge areas.

While the Telstra website says the outage was caused by a technical issue in Telstra's network, reports of when will be back up and running are unconfirmed.

Dudley resident Corey Gleeson says he spoke to a Telstra employee at a local tower this morning - and was told repairs were being conducted on the tower and that it would be fixed later this afternoon.
In the meanwhile, residents have had to make do without a mobile connection.

"With no service, you have no contact with anybody pretty well outside the tower range," said Mr Gleeson. "The moment that you get in your car and get out of the area and connect to another tower, you get bombarded with messages and missed phone calls."

Mr Gleeson is hopeful the service will be fixed soon, but says customers have been "left in the lurch" and without any promise of compensation.

"If I pay for a month's service, and I've had three weeks of pretty high interruptions, I thought that constituted something getting compensated for customers."

The outages are still currently ongoing. Telstra is yet to provide a comment.

Image credit: https://outages.telstra.com.au/

Phone Reception But at What Cost

BY TYLER FARDELL

For Caves Beach locals, good phone reception has always been an enigma. So when Telstra announced it was looking to build a mobile phone tower in the area, it was welcome news for many residents.

However, residents were soon left frustrated by the proposed tower as it was destined to be built within very close proximity to many homes in the area along Scenic Drive.

Lake Macquarie council will tonight vote on whether to allow the development to happen, and there are many opposed to the towers proposed location.

Councillor John Gilbert says the area sorely needs mobile reception, but building the tower here may pose a potential health risk.

"There is evidence that people have contracted diseases and gotten sick as a direct result from proximity to mobile phone towers", he said.

There are several homes within 50 metres of the proposed site and others within a few hundred metres, well inside the exposure radius.

"This is a case of Telstra putting money before people", Mr Gilbert said. "They had the option to build the tower 500 metres back away from houses but that would of cost more money".

The vote is expected to be a very interesting one, with polarizing views of the matter at council, but Mr Gilbert is hopeful the vote will return with no and they can discuss building the tower elsewhere.

The ups and down of the Gateshead mobile phone tower

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

A controversial mobile phone tower at Gateshead was going ahead, then the land owner backed out of the lease to the happiness of residents, but now it seems to have been for naught with Lake Macquarie Council voting to go ahead with it.

Despite concerns from residents, councillors voted 7-4 in favour of the 37 metre high tower proposed for the Bulls Garden Road last night.

Nearby Whitebridge residents say the tower will be ugly and pose a health risk.

It's expected to improve mobile phone coverage for Vodafone and Optus customers in the area.

Image abc.net.au

Proposed residential phone tower on council meeting agenda

BY JARROD MELMETH

A proposed joint Optus and Vodafone tower in Whitebridge is on the agenda for tonight's Lake Macquarie Council meeting.

The tower has been hotly contested by residents who fear health risks from radiofrequency electromagnetic energy and a decrease in land value surrounding the development.

Over 120 public submissions against the proposal have been received by Council, including two petitions and a large number of proforma responses.

According to council documents, the application for the development proposes "the installation of a 35-metre high monopole, with mounted hexagonal headframe bringing the total height of the structure to 37.25 metres," which exceeds the current 15-metre maximum building height outlined in the Lake Macquarie Local Environment Plan.

The applicant company, Visionstream, have submitted a written request to Council asking to vary the maximum building height.

The development application also fails to strictly comply with the 5-metre street setback control under Council’s Development Control Plan.

However, the applicant has proposed planting a landscape screen, to "provide adequate screening of the development at street level."

Lake Macquarie Councillor John Gilbert said a development like this tower has no place in a residential neighbourhood.

"It is okay for them because it is not going right next to their own house or in their own neighbourhood, so of course they have got the "I'm alright Jack" attitude.

"I think that is unacceptable. I think we have got to take into account that every person has a value, every person has a right and every person has a right not to have those things next door to their house, especially when there are so many non-residential opportunities," Mr Gilbert said.

No objection has yet been raised by Council officers in departments such as, Development Assessment and Compliance (Aboriginal Heritage, Erosion/Sediment Control, Landscape/Urban Streetscape, Engineering, Building, Flora/Fauna); Waste Environment and Rangers (Contamination, Health, Noise); Sustainability (Air Quality); and Asset Management (Driveway, Traffic), which hinders predictions as to what the outcome will be.

Mr Gilbert believes the outcome of tonight's meeting is a toss of the coin.

"There seem to be councillors who feel it's okay and there are councillors who are, like me, against the development.

"So, it is really going to depend on what comes out of the discussion at the council as to which way people go.

"I will not be changing my stance, no matter what gets discussed. I'll be doing my best to make sure this does not go through," Mr Gilbert said. 

The proposed location of a 37-metre mobile phone tower. 

Residents Concerned over Mobile Tower.

BY DANIELLE RIES

Residents in Whitebridge are concerned over a new Optus and Vodafone Mobile tower set to be built just metres away from their homes.

Lake Macquarie council will next week decide whether to give the 37-metre tower the green light. Council staff have recommended the $250,000 tower be approved.

The tower is set to provide customers with better phone coverage in the area, particularly incase of emergencies.

Residents in the area aren't too happy asking councillors to 'put themselves in our shoes'.

They are worried about the potential health risks it could have to the community as the tower will look out of place being built alongside Bulls Garden Road and residential areas.

Whitebridge resident Tim Smith told The Newcastle Herald the proposed site "suits Optus and Vodafone, with no consideration given to those who live here".

He also went on to say "they haven't considered the best site. It's directly over the road from land currently being developed- that means it will be less than 100 metres from homes".

An end in sight for dodgy phone reception

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The long awaited Fullerton Cove mobile phone tower is set to be built by the end of next year, hopefully putting an end to dodgy and unreliable mobile phone coverage in the area.

It's been a long time coming, with the project finally recognised as a priority receiving funding under round three of the Black Spot Program after missing out in the first two rounds.

Paterson MP Meryl Swanson confirmed the funding announcement but construction isn't set to begin until the second half of 2018 - another 12 months away.

"It will happen which is great. We received news that the contracts will be signed within the next month, but construction won't start until the later half of next year so there's still a bit of a wait but at least we know the tower will definitely be built and that's good news," said Meryl Swanson.

She says she's fought for residents this far, she won't be stopping now.

"it isn't great that it's 12 months away but at least we know its coming and I will be making sure it comes and I will definitely be keeping the pressure on as I have been for the last 12 months since I was elected and found out about this."