Protect residents from cell towers: Greens

The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene to protect communities and schools from having 12 to 22 metre cell towers erected next door to homes, schools and pre-schools, without consultation or consent.

The Titahi Bay community is the latest in a series of communities which has discovered that a cell tower is about to be built right next to their homes – even though they have not been consulted or given their consent.

A Green Party representative will attend a public meeting being held in Titahi Bay tonight and read a statement in support of the community from Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley.

"It is a basic right for communities and neighbourhoods to be consulted on the construction of a large cell tower, which has the potential to affect the health of people living nearby, as well as property and amenity values," Ms Kedgley says.

"It is bizarre that while people need a resource consent to alter their homes, even in a minor way, telecommunications companies can erect 12 to 22 metre cell towers around New Zealand without needing any resource consent, or even to consult with the local community.

"This is unfair and unjust, and the Green Party calls on the Government to intervene and require telecommunications companies seeking to build cell towers in residential areas to consult with, and get consent from, local communities," Ms Kedgley says.

"We are also calling on Government to prohibit the installation of cell towers near to schools, and pre-schools. And we are calling for a review of the standard governing electromagnetic fields – our allowable levels are now 1000 times higher than many European countries, and the state of California has just lowered its exposure limit to the European level.

"Even the World Health Organisation says people should be consulted on environmental issues that involve uncertainty about health risk. It says people must be informed about the nature of the risks and must decide for themselves to what extent they are willing to accept such a risk," Ms Kedgley says.

"There is a growing consensus around the world that we need to lower the amount of electromagnetic radiation we are subjected to. It’s time our standard was reviewed to bring it into line with other Western nations, and to adopt a precautionary approach."