Cell tower wait a ‘nightmare’
A small spark can turn into a large fire and a company’s decision to place a cellphone tower on a road in Havelock North has done just that.
Spark planned to install the 13.5-metre-tall antenna last September on the corner of Te Mata Rd and Durham Drive, but was met with strong resistance from neighbours, many of whom said they hadn’t been informed.
The company is now considering an alternative location, but frustration is growing as residents ask why the decision is taking so long.
Behind a steel fence, weeds surround the green plastic pipes sprouting from the ground along with its concrete foundation, the only evidence of installation last year before work halted.
The fence is plastered with signs saying, ‘‘no tower’’, ‘‘no consultation, no democracy’’, ‘‘we are not lab rats’’ and more.
The decision on the tower’s location has been delayed until February, but neighbours feel as though they’ve been kept in the dark by one of New Zealand’s largest communications firms.
The proposed site is right outside the living room of Stephen and Gillian Fookes.
Stephen Fookes said he was disappointed at the lack of communication from Spark, although the company said residents were notified of the installation.
Fookes said the company was demonstrating ‘‘its lack of professionalism and will continue to alienate itself from existing and potential customers’’.
Another neighbour, Graham Torwick, said the wait was ‘‘a frustrating one’’.
‘‘The whole thing has just been a nightmare,’’ he said.
During the past few months a small committee of residents was set up to communicate and meet with Spark about the tower, but no media were allowed to attend.
Resident Jimmy Calder said attendees struggled to comprehend the technical and ambiguous language used by Spark representatives. Calder has lived on the road for 1 years and said people were feeling ‘‘fed up’’.
A Spark spokesperson said building new cell towers was a huge investment. ‘‘We go through a rigorous evaluation process to select a location that provides the required coverage improvements . . . and avoids interference with other cell sites.’’