Newcastle council has refused Telstra's development application to build a telecommunications tower in New Lambton.
The telco's plans to build a 26-metre monopole at its Regent Street exchange were rejected by the elected council (9-3) earlier this week.
The tower had been reduced from 32 metres in height, but Cr Declan Clausen (ALP) said Telstra had "not cast a wide net at all" in its assessment of other potential locations.
"They didn't consider other viable options that would have delivered an improvement to the New Lambton community," he said.
The amended DA attracted 114 submissions, majority from residents concerned about the height, visual impact and electromagnetic emissions.
The tower would have replaced an existing base station at the site and improve mobile phone coverage in the surrounding area.
Cr John Mackenzie (GRN) voted to approve the plans, saying "on balance" the "benefit of communications technology far outweighs the impacts on visual amenity".
What the full determination meeting below.
