Despite concerns, Hanover councillors OK cell tower site

Western Bureau:

Plans by Digicel to erect a cell tower on the grounds of Collective Solutions, the former Jockey Factory in Sandy Bay, Hanover, to facilitate business process outsourcing (BPO) operations there, seem set to become controversial despite receiving approval from the Hanover Municipal Corporation.

The application for the construction of the cell tower, which has been before the HMC for several months, was approved without much enthusiasm last Tuesday.

Two councillors supported the application, while three abstained. Two members of the seven-member corporation were absent.

The vote had to be taken twice as there were some councillors who were of the view that some form of community consultation should be carried out with persons in proximity to the intended site to get their views about possible dangers and benefits of having the cell tower at the approved location.

During the discussions, it was disclosed that Digicel conducted what is known as a 'green-light survey,' which saw some 100 persons residing close to the proposed tower site being interviewed about whether they would have any objections to its establishment.

Following the disclosure, which prompted a major discussion during the Physical Planning and Environment Committee meeting, Easton Edwards, the councillor for the Lucea division, was resolute in calling for a community consultation, arguing that residents should be properly educated about the facility.

Edwards also sought clarity on why the proposed cell tower site had to be so near to the community and not further away from the residents in the hilly sections of Sandy Bay.

... Lucea mayor successfully appeals for approval of cell tower site

In the first vote on approving the installation of a Digicel cell tower on the grounds of Collective Solutions in Sandy Bay, Hanover, four councillors attending last Tuesday's Physical Planning and Environment Committee meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation said no.

One councillor said yes.

However, before the vote could be recorded, Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels urged the councillors to reconsider, saying the project would bring investments and jobs to the parish. He further urged the councillors to look at the legacy they would leave behind in terms of those investments and available jobs.

When Samuels called for a second vote, he and one other councillor voted yes, while the other three councillors in attendance abstained, paving the way for the project to proceed without the need for community consultation.

Internationally, there have been objections to the establishment of cell towers in close proximity to where people live or congregate as the radiation levels generated by these sites are said to be injurious to health.

Efforts by The Gleaner to contact a representative from Collective Solutions for a comment on the matter proved unsuccessful.