25 May, 2022
Potential telecom tower for Westbrook
Westbrook could soon experience better Telstra reception, 4G and 5G services if a planning application submitted to Toowoomba Regional Council recently is approved.
The application was submitted on 13 May by Ventia Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Amplitel Pty Ltd.
Telstra InfraCo Towers was renamed Amplitel last year following the sale of 49 per cent of the company, with Telstra retaining a majority stake.
If approved, the telecommunications facility will be built on the western edge of town at 110 Keding Road, just past the end of Shoesmith Road.
The report submitted as part of the application states that Amplitel has identified the need to install a telecommunications facility on the site to improve both voice and data services within the surrounding area.
“An extensive site selection process was undertaken and 14 sites were investigated across Westbrook as possible locations for the proposed new facility.
“The chosen site location has been made giving consideration to a variety of factors including planning scheme considerations technical and coverage objectives, cost considerations, land tenure, visual impact, engineering/design criteria and future development planned for the Westbrook region,” the report said.
There were 13 other sites considered for the location of the tower which were decided against for various reasons.
These reasons include being too close to houses, future plans for the surrounding land, needing to negotiate with the local council, not being able to contact landholders, landholders who were not interested and landholders with whom Amplitel was unable to come to an agreement.
The proposed facility includes a 30 metre monopole, nine panel antennas, ancillary equipment and an equipment shelter contained within a solid fence, with a retaining wall to be established on the eastern boundary of the compound.
It was decided to pursue building a new facility as the closest existing tower, located in the Mount Peel Bushland reserve, is “too far away to provide an acceptable level of coverage”.
