Phone tower proposed in endangered bushland
A development application has been lodged with Central Coast Council to build a telecommunications tower in endangered bushland at McEvoy Oval.
The tower would have an overall height of 30 metres and be located at the end of the existing McEvoy Oval carpark.
It would include an antenna headframe, four 4G panel antennas, eight 5G active antenna units, and a two-bay outdoor equipment cabinet at ground level.
The application acknowledges that the endangered Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland at the site is considered "a candidate for Serious and Irreversible Impact".
It proposes one "biodiversity credit" to offset the "unavoidable impacts".
It is claimed that no native canopy vegetation would be removed, and that the impact is limited to groundcover maintenance within a 10 metre "asset protection zone".
The proposal aims to enhance Optus 4G and 5G mobile coverage and network capacity and would also be capable of supporting co-location by other carriers.
The site appears to have no height restriction where other possible sites do.
For example, the Col Gooley Oval in Umina was rejected because of a seven metre height limit and because "Central Coast Council's property team did not express interest in hosting a telecommunication facility at this location".
A Bushfire Risk Assessment confirmed that the site is on 'bushfire prone land'.
The application states the maximum calculated electromagnetic energy level for the proposed changes is 2.31 per cent of the public exposure limit at 158 metres from the facility.
This is equivalent of the level being reached at about 11.5 metres from the antenna.
The application states that this level complies with the guidelines.
It claims that mature vegetation, about 20 meters high, around the site would provide substantial screening from the surrounding residential area.
The facility is not expected to be a significant generator of noise, with cooling fans operating intermittently at levels comparable to a domestic air conditioner, with "ample setback" from nearby dwellings.
The application is currently on public exhibition and open for written submissions from the public until August 29.
SOURCE:
DA Tracker, 9 Aug 2025
DA/870/2025, Central Coast Council