CLIFTON Beach residents have vowed to bombard Cairns Regional Council with submissions in their fight against Telstra's plan to build a new mobile telephone tower in a residential area.

And northern beaches councillor Julia Leu yesterday said she intended to vote against the proposal.

Combined Beaches Community Association vice president Warren Herkess said his group had collected about 270 signed submissions against the 24m tower proposed on Telstra land near the Clifton Beach Shopping Centre.

"My estimation is we will have 300-400 signed submissions lodged with Cairns Regional Council before this closes on Friday," he said.

Telstra has applied to the council to change the zoning on its land to allow the tower, which will be more than 27m high when an antennae array is put in place, to be built.

Cr Leu said she was against mobile phone towers in residential areas because it had not been fully established they did not cause health problems.

"The weight of evidence about the health effect of these types of electromagnetic waves indicate that council should be taking a precautionary approach and on that basis my preference would be that this be relocated away from a residential area," she said.

Asked if she would vote against Telstra’s application when it came up at council Cr Leu said "at the moment I would have to be convinced to vote otherwise".

Far Northern Telstra boss Wally Donaldson met concerned residents and Cr Leu yesterday. He said the Clifton Beach site had been identified as the best one possible for a base station to improve coverage in the northern beaches.

Meanwhile, the council will decide on Thursday whether to allow Optus access across public land to build a tower near Lower Freshwater Rd at Kamerunga.

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