A phone tower planned for Sebastopol will go ahead after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal sided with Telstra on Thursday.
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The City of Ballarat, represented by town planner at the tribunal, had argued the tower hurt the Spencer Street area’s amenity, with houses nearby.
Telstra, represented by a barrister and team of experts, told VCAT it was in an already industrial area and therefore would not cause any homeowners distress.
Senior VCAT Member Jeanette G Rickards agreed with Telstra.
“The proposed facility is to be setback from Spencer Street, is well setback from the residential properties ensuring that it will not dominate the area, nor impact on the liveability of residents in the nearby area,” she said in the statement.
At the June council meeting officers recommended councillors approve the project because it was needed to keep up with service demands but councillors rejected this and passed a motion saying the tower would “(be) inconsistent with the objectives set out in the Code of Practice for Telecommunications Facilities in Victoria 2004, in regards to visual impact”.
