Tower of Babel

Residents of Portsea in St Elizabeth on Thursday expressed their disgust at telecommunications company FLOW and a neighbour for the recent erection of a cell tower in their community in alleged violation of a stop order on the site even as they cited health fears.

The residents told The Gleaner that, despite a stop order being issued by the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in December, work has continued within the last six weeks. They are determined to see the tower demolished as they fear being exposed directly to radiation and their health being at risk, given its proximity to their houses.

In dramatic fashion, many of the residents donned hazmat suits during their protest on Thursday, blocking roads leading to and from Portsea and the Myersville Division as early as 4 a.m.

The residents claimed that only a few persons were consulted for a pole to be placed on a house in the area, but were surprised to see a cell tower being constructed without the input of the wider community.

They then penned a letter of complaint with three pages of signatures attached, submitting copies to various authorities, including the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation.

However, Myersville Councillor Layton Smith said he was informed that the document submitted to the corporation had fewer than seven signatures from persons living in the area.

Eighty-two-year-old Dennis Allwood, who said he was consulted about a simple pole, told The Gleaner that he felt betrayed when he saw the tower under construction.

MISLED

“It’s right in my backyard. I was misled about this whole tower thing. [I was told that] they were going to put up a pole that would improve the Internet service, so I take it as face value. Next thing I know, it’s a cell tower going up and the men worked night and day to put it up, and it’s just about 50 yards from my house ... . I don’t want that. ... I want to live as long as possible,” said Allwood, who settled in the cool hills of Portsea 18 years ago after his retirement.

Seventy-year-old Jennifer Morgan also wants to see the cell tower demolished.

“We’ve been talking about this for six months. Our letter went in from June 9. We were trying to do it the decent way with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), but ... they stopped answering our calls,” Morgan told The Gleaner.

Donna Myers, who lives on a property adjoining the one where the cell tower is located, said it was not discussed with her.

“One of the [elderly] residents, who did not have her glasses on to read the form that was sent out during the survey process, she took a picture of the form and that is when we realised it was a cell tower. We thought it was a pole to be put on the top of the building, but when we see land clearing out, we knew something was up,” Myers said.

Smith, who was also present during the protest on Thursday, said he, too, raised the issue on behalf of his constituents last August.

He reasoned that the protest could have been avoided if the residents were heard by the relevant authorities months ago.

“From June, when the application came to parish council and it was read at the planning meeting ... I raised some concerns. How can we be giving permission for a cell tower without proper consultation [with residents]? The director of planning said consultation was done, and he had the copy of it,” Smith told The Gleaner.

St Elizabeth South Eastern Member of Parliament Franklin Witter said there was conflicting information regarding the construction of the cell tower.

“When I speak with the director of planning, he is saying that there was approval granted by the municipal corporation. When I speak to the chief engineering officer, he said that there was no building permit, and hence, he would have sent out the stop order. So this is really a conflicting situation; we need to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

“I have spoken to NEPA on the issue after the concern was raised by the residents. I was advised that they, NEPA, were preparing also a refusal notice to be sent to the parish council, so there is serious conflict,” Witter told The Gleaner.

PERMISSION WAS GRANTED

When The Gleaner contacted FLOW, Manager of Communications Ceila Morgan said that the construction of the cell tower commenced at Melksham in Portsea after permission was granted by the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation on November 2, 2022.

“Subsequently, we recently received a stop order from the municipal corporation, while the construction of the tower was being completed. We are in discussions with the CEO of the municipal corporation to address the concerns. No further work will be done at the site while we work towards a resolution,” read a section of a statement she sent.

Gregory Bennett, director of the Applications Management Division at NEPA, explained that permissions are needed at three levels before construction is approved for a cell tower: building permission from the municipal corporation; a planning permission; and a permission from the Town and Country Planning Authority, NEPA.

Environmental permits are also required from the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA).

“In this case, the applications were submitted, the municipal corporation referred the application to the agency. ... We did assess the application and it was determined that the application was not in accordance with the guidelines and the said application was recommended for refusal by the Town and Country Planning Authority and the NRCA ... . This decision was made in December,” Bennett told The Gleaner.

“Communication would have been sent to the municipal corporation formally ... . Then the next step would be that the applicant/the operator would be advised of the decision and so, therefore, any building permission would not be so granted because the environmental permit as well as the planning permission would have been refused. So, therefore, any subsequent enforcement action regarding [stopping work on] the tower, the municipal corporation would be well within their rights to do so,” he said.

Bennett noted that the applicant has an opportunity to appeal the decision.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com