St James Parish Council to consider application for controversial cell tower in West Green next month

MONTEGO BAY, St James -Telecommunications provider Digicel will have to wait until next month to find out whether or not their application to erect a 45-metre cellular tower in the middle-class community of West Green will be approved.

According to chairman of the St James Parish Council Charles Sinclair, the matter was not discussed – as scheduled during last week’s meeting of the council’s Physical Planning Committee.

“The matter was not mentioned because we got the report on the meeting late,” Sinclair told the Observer West yesterday.

Sinclair was referring to the minutes of the second meeting that was held at Cannons Muffler in West Green on November 1, called by Digicel to convince residents of the community of the importance of a cellular tower in the area.

The first meeting was held in September. At that time no minutes was taken, but the residents – citing health concerns – made it clear to the Digicel representatives in attendance that they were against the cell tower in their community.

The residents retained their stance against the tower at the second meeting.

According to Digicel’s corporate affairs manager, Jacqueline Burrell, the telecommunications company had delivered the minutes of the last meeting to the St James Parish Council two days prior to last Thursday’s physical planning committee meeting.

And president of West Green Citizens’ Association, Vilma Clarke told the Observer West yesterday that she submitted the minutes of the meeting to the council last Friday.

Already, Digicel has received the nod of approval from the National Environmental Planning Agency, but the St James Parish Council, at its physical planning committee meeting in October, deferred the application for last Thursday sitting due to the absence of the minutes of the September meeting called by Digicel to advise the citizens of its proposal.

Digicel’s application is expected to be discussed during next month’s physical planning committee meeting of the council.