We make our collective voices heard and our elected leaders enact our wishes.

When we stand against the majority we can feel forgotten and disempowered. 

Our wishes can mean little when weighed against the needs of many.

Mobile phone reception and 4G broadband speeds are a bugbear for many Maitland people.

Happily, those in the Thornton area can expect better phone and internet service when Optus’s new communications tower is built in Thornton Park.

But what of Andy Warren and his neighbours, who will have a 30-metre high tower less than 100 metres away?

Mr Warren told the Mercury this week he was unsure of the long-term health impacts of the tower, its potential impact on the value of surrounding homes and land, and why the location had been chosen.

While Mr Warren would have liked to see the structure embedded in an industrial area, the location was ­chosen after surveyors determined it was the best spot to provide the best coverage to the most people.

The radio waves that the communications tower will emit have been ­studied with no proven adverse effects. 

As a matter of fact, research suggests that people who carry mobile phones and live close to a tower get less total exposure to radio waves than those who live further away.

On his final point, which essentially refers to the visual impact, council noted that existing trees and flood lights would soften the skyline.

It appears council has made a decision that will benefit a majority. 

But spare a thought for those who have been singled out to bear the brunt of change for our greater good.

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