Some residents say they do not want the tower near their homes. However, others have called out the critics for using their online devices to post negative comments about the tower, which was installed by Spark on Wilsons Rd.
A post on the St Martins, Christchurch Neighbourhood Page Facebook group with a photo of the tower outside St Martins New World read: “Very concerned and unhappy about these [towers] going up with no consultation, just metres from our homes.”
The post received 45 comments from people with mixed feelings about the tower.
Some of the posts are concerned about possible health risks posed by the tower, while others have called it “pretty ugly.”
Said one comment: “It is going to make people very sick, top officials across the world are urging the World Health Organisation to stop it.”
“After seeing things about 5G networks I’d rather steer clear of them,” said another.
However, a Spark spokesperson said there is no risk to public health from the tower.
“Residents shouldn’t be concerned. All mobile devices and cell towers are designed to operate within national and international safety limits that incorporate substantial safety margins.
“At Spark we require our mobile devices and cell towers to conform to those standards fully, based on guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.
“Most of scientific opinion, supported by the World Health Organisation, is that there is no clear evidence from the thousands of scientific studies undertaken to date that mobile phones or cell towers present risks to human health.
“Spark gained a certification of compliance from Christchurch City Council in May 2019 to build the cell site on road reserve land on Wilsons Rd,” the spokesperson said.
Some of the posts slammed critics of the tower.
“Isn’t this the definition of irony? Multiple people complaining about a wi-fi tower, with their smartphones and laptops, on a forum that requires, you guessed it, Wi-Fi,” said a comment.
“You get more harmful radiation standing next to your microwave while you wait for your food to heat up,” said another.
“They’ve got to go somewhere, everything is a health risk nowadays,” another said.
“About time – the cell phone reception around here has been poor for a long time.”
Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board chairwoman Karolin Potter said the tower has not been raised with the board but she will express residents’ concerns to city council staff.
