WELLINGTON NORTH – A new telecommunications tower is coming to Kenilworth.
Shared Tower Inc., a self-described “neutral telecommunications infrastructure” company, is proposing a 70-metre, self-supporting tower to be located within a 15 metre by 15 metre area at 6832 Wellington Road 109.
Land there is zoned agriculture and natural environment by the township, and designated as prime agricultural and core greenland in the county’s official plan.
An eight page, Feb. 14 proposal document from Steward Logistics, representing Shared Tower, states the tower would be located on unused space and “will not impact any of the existing residential areas or agricultural activities.”
A setback of 434m from the “closest residential area” will be maintained.
STC0234 justification report
Existing buildings, including a barn, will obscure a view of the base of the tower, which will be located within a fenced compound surrounded by a chain link fence.
In an April 12 email from Dom Claros of Shared Tower, in responses to Advertiser questions posed on March 3, the location was chosen, in part, because it’s surrounded by relatively flat farmland.
The tower will target Teviotdale and surrounding areas to the north and west of Wellington Road 109 with a four to five kilometre radius “for a fair-to-good customer experience” according to Claros’ email, containing responses from the company’s planning staffers.
Nearby Xplornet, Rogers and Bell towers range between 2.6 and 9km away from the proposed location, which could bridge some gaps.
On lower-frequency bands the effective range of a 70-metre tower would be “extensive” given the terrain, planning staff say.
As a general rule, lower frequencies of 600 to 700 MHz are used for blanket coverage of rural areas because they can travel farther and penetrate buildings better. The downside is slower speeds.
No objections
Towers are federally regulated by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
Companies such as Shared Tower, which want to build towers, must follow protocols prescribed either by the feds or a local land-use authority – in this case Wellington North.
Part of the process allows time for the public to respond with concerns about a proposed tower that a company must address.
According to chief building official Darren Jones, there was no correspondence about the tower received from the public.
The tower does not require a permit from the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority because it is not located in a known regulated area, according to an email from the conservation authority’s planning and regulations supervisor Patrick Huber-Kidby, sent to Steward Logistics.
On April 11, Wellington North council received the Feb. 14 document from Steven Ramjass of Steward Logistics and simultaneously concluded it had “no objections” to either the tower or its proposed location.
Without municipal objection, the tower has effectively been approved and little stands in the way of it being built.
