Brighton resident Stephen Wilson has forgone overseas trips while spending the past 15 years of his life preparing his home for retirement. Now, he and wife Kaye claim they face losing their day in the sun to a 30m-tall cellphone tower planned by Vodafone New Zealand for land overlooking their "homestead".
Plans for the tower - which would breach district plan height restrictions for the area by 18m - were back before the Dunedin City Council's hearings committee yesterday.
It was first considered in May, but the hearing was halted after concerns were expressed about the extent of public notification.
As a result, the notification was widened to include 10 Brighton residents, all opposed to the plan.
If approved, the company's tower would be built on council-owned land overlooking Brighton, 1.5km from Brighton beach and 2km from the Saddle Hill conservation area.
Mr Wilson said the tower's height meant it would "loom" over his home from its more elevated site, ruining views from his northwest-facing indoor and outdoor living areas. He had expected to enjoy the views - and the fruits of his labours - in his "dotage", he said.
"I spend many late afternoons and early evenings with friends and family enjoying a chat and watching the sun go down. The sun will set behind the Vodafone tower if it is built where proposed."
Vodafone staff had not visited his property and had wrongly assumed his home faced away from the tower, he said.
Council planners said the impact on homes within 200m of the tower, including Mr Wilson's, would be "major", while advice from Chapman Valuation anticipated a 20% drop in value.
However, Vodafone staff argued the proposed site for the tower was the most suitable, and efforts to minimise its visual impact were planned.
The tower's height would ensure coverage for its 3G network across Brighton and Ocean View, otherwise requiring several smaller towers, Vodafone senior radio network design engineer Frank Curulli said.
The company had considered adding equipment to an existing Telecom tower in the area, but the tower was already at maximum capacity, he said.
The hearing also heard evidence supporting the proposal from landscape architect Nikki Smetham, of Peter Rough Landscape Architects, planning specialist Mark Allan, of Aurecon, and legal arguments from Vodafone counsel Greg Milner-White, of Auckland.
Council planner Jeremy Grey has recommended consent be granted if the "permitted baseline" - what could be built on the site as of right - applied, but declined if the sensitivity of the environment was "exceptional".
The hearing was adjourned for the applicant's counsel to provide its right of reply in writing and to allow the panel to make a site visit.
• Cr Colin Weatherall - who chaired the last consent hearing - stepped aside from yesterday's proceedings, as his son, Scott Weatherall, was listed as an affected party.
