By Cam Lucadou-Wells
It was a win seemingly out of the box.
Narre Warren South resident Tracie Schmutter has succeeded in fighting NBN Co plans to install a large National Broadband Network node cabinet in the middle of her front lawn on Portree Place.
The “massive” cabinet will be built around the corner in Galloway Drive, rather than the council-owned nature strip next to Ms Schmutter’s unfenced front yard.
Ms Schmutter said she could have given up after being initially told the site couldn’t be changed unless there were “life threatening or safety issues”.
“If it’s something you believe in, you explore all avenues to fight it.
“At every turn and every objection I put into NBN, it looked like I had little hope.
“It seemed that they could do whatever they like.”
She said it would be unlikely that she would have been allowed to build a similar-sized garden shed on the site.
“I would have had to apply to the local council and they would say you can’t put it there, it would be an eye-sore.”
Ms Schmutter said her property would have faced “substantial devaluation” from the NBN’s green peril – despite receiving high internet speeds due to the proximity of the node.
“I hope I still get reasonable internet speeds (from the Galloway Drive node).”
She had earlier been told by NBN that sites were chosen mainly according to being able to “efficiently maintain the (NBN) infrastructure to service the surrounding homes.”
“While (NBN) appreciates that the selected locations may not be the preference for everyone, unfortunately aesthetic concerns or front lawn parking are not a means to relocate a node.”
An NBN spokesman said the company had been in discussions with the resident and succeeded in finding an alternative site that met “our network design parameters”.
