On Tuesday, 10 September a number of unhappy residents of Weltevreden Park held a meeting on Adamson Crescent to discuss their concerns about the erection of a cellphone tower structure near their properties.
Residents with post boxes were the fortunate ones who received a hand-delivered notice informing them of an application for the approval of the erection of a telecommunication mast and base station.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/300629/honeydew-police-arrest-suspects-with-cellphone-tower-batteries/
The meeting was addressed by resident Tony Bosman and was attended by various others, as well as representatives of the Panorama Residents Association, including their chairman, Dave Baxter.
A number of objections were raised at the meeting and the residents expressed some disapproval over the erection of the tower and the manner in which they were informed.
The residents’ complaints are as follows:
• The structure will have a severe negative impact on property values.
The residents believe that they were not considered in the plan to erect the tower so close to their homes.
As per Electromagnetic Fields South Africa (EMFSA), the Constitutional Court has ruled that municipalities are obliged to consider the possibilities that a new development could devalue nearby properties before approving building plans.
Mike Abrahamse, from Rawson Properties, said, “While it is hard to pinpoint the impact of cellphone towers on property values, a buyer would rather buy a property where no such structure is visible, and while the jury might still be out on whether cell tower radiation was a health threat, the perception that it might be, was, in itself, enough to deter buyers.”
It does not matter whether or not the electromagnetic field has a bad effect or not, all that matters is the perception that it does.
International as well as national statistics have proven that properties surrounding cellphone towers, decreased in value by between 10 and 20 per cent.
• Health concerns regarding continuous emissions from the proposed tower.
There is a Pre-Primary School bordering on the proposed location of the tower structure and the young children could be at risk.
• There has been no engagement or formal consultation with the surrounding community as the notification letters were informally hand-delivered on 5 September 2019.
• The residents believe that insufficient time for the submission of objections has been allowed.
The residents were given 21 days from the date of the letter sent by the office appointed by the registered property owner to respond.
• The erection of this tower will negatively impact on the safety of the area.
The theft of cellphone tower batteries is a highly profitable crime, therefore crime levels will increase in the area.
• No alternative site has been proposed for the project, which will have a negative impact on the environment.
When the Northsider contacted the company concerned for some comment and to obtain their side of the story, a female employee simply said, “We are the appointed office by the registered property owner and we cannot talk to the media about the subject.” She then hung up.
