New mobile phone towers could soon rise at four parks in Perth’s northern suburbs, with some proposed sites less than 50m from nearby homes.
The City of Wanneroo is considering leasing sections of city-managed reserves in Alkimos, Eglinton, Two Rocks and Ridgewood to Optus and Telstra, which are seeking to improve mobile coverage and network capacity.
The four proposed tower sites are at Halesworth, Heath, Caraway and Ridgewood parks.
At Halesworth Park, the proposed site is in the northern section near Santorini Promenade, about 44m from the nearest home.
At Heath Park, the tower would also be in the northern section, near Aquamarine Street and about 40m from the nearest home.
The Ridgewood Park site is near the carpark off Ridgewood Boulevard, around 56m from the nearest home, while the Caraway Park site is behind the Two Rocks Volunteer Bushfire Brigade facility.
Given the areas have experienced “lower coverage and service gaps”, city officers said the sites had been identified by the telecommunications providers and assessed by administration as potentially suitable locations, but more investigations and approvals were needed before any leases can proceed.
“Demand for mobile telecommunications infrastructure continues to grow, based on the need for mobile connectivity for communications, emergency services, business activities and digital technologies,” they said in a report to council.
“Progressing investigations does not commit the city to enter formal, binding leases, preserving council’s ability to consider each proposal following completion of all approval and consultation processes.
“Any future lease proposal will be subject to independent valuation, statutory approvals, public advertising and reports to council.”
Each tower would take up about 20-40sqm, with the four proposed leases potentially generating between $80,000 and $120,000 in annual rental income for the city.
The city expects the telecommunications industry to propose more sites and wants to use lessons from the initial four to inform future decisions.
City officers are recommending the council approve progressing investigations, negotiations and statutory processes for the potential leases, with a report for each proposed lease also to be brought back to council before a final decision is made.
The lease proposals for telecommunications sites came before a Wanneroo council briefing session on Tuesday, with a final vote expected on October 27.