The campaign to ask Metasite/Optus to reconsider the location is being driven by Scotts Head Public School’s P&C as well as the school itself.

P&C Secretary Jenny Medica said the reasons why people did not want the tower were mixed but the overall mood was the same ...

“No-one is against having a better mobile phone service but not at the cost of the town’s oval,” Ms Medica said.

She said so far the campaign’s focus had been online but the plan now was to take it to the streets and letterboxes.

School principal Gillian Stuart said the NSW Department of Education had a policy of ‘prudent avoidance’, which stipulated that such structures should be at least 500m from the school boundary.

“This tower will be 396m from the administration building and 281m from the school boundary,” Ms Stuart said.

“We have also put a lot of work into creating ‘Yarning Circle’ and a bush tucker track in partnership with Macksville TAFE. The plan is to eventually have a bush tucker botanical garden.

“The gardens are a way to honour country and also create a pathway to sharing indigneous culture – it is anathema to our vision to have a big tower just above us.”

“While we are more than happy to support better phone coverage, does it really have to be here … why not at least 500m away?”

In their development application to Nambucca Shire Council Metasite/Optus say there are “no sensitive uses such as schools, child care centres or nursing homes within close proximity of the site”.

At their last council meeting councillors noted the DA was being assessed by Bellingen Shire Council planning staff and would be referred back to the council for determination when the assessment was complete.

Ms Medica said while the final decision remained to be seen, Metasite had already responded that the community’s concerns were not based on scientific fact “and should therefore be given little or no weight in the decision”.

She said she was stunned by the arrogance of the response.