Residents are concerned the tower could halt their plans to restore the airport to its former glory.

Plans are under way to create an aircraft and transport museum, maintenance facility and high-technology aviation centre at the airport to bring more tourists to the village.

Airport manager Carl Holden, the president of the Burragorang Chamber of Commerce, said if the tower was built, residents would be unable to gain the Civil Aviation Safety Authority accreditation they needed for the airport.

``This certification process is already under way,'' he said.

``The tower would be an obvious hazard and a deadly risk to air safety if it was built so close to the airport.

``Safety must remain paramount at all times, and nothing must be done to compromise or reduce air safety, especially as our airport has also been used as a training aerodrome for decades.''

Wollondilly councillor Michael Beshara voted to approve the tower at the September council meeting.

He said the council staff had covered all safety aspects in the report and he voted in favour of the tower because the township needed better mobile-phone coverage, especially for emergency services.

``At the meeting we spoke about a child who needed to get to hospital but his mum couldn't get phone reception,'' he said.

``It's also good for business because they will be able to use broadband and the internet which is now an integral part of business.''

Geoff Garbutt, the vice-president of Burragorang Chamber of Commerce, said the development of the airport would be a great boom for the local area.

``Just like Temora where 35,000 tourists visited their aviation museum last year,'' Mr Garbutt said.

``It was to be used as a dispersal aerodrome, acting as a back-up to Sydney, Bankstown and Camden airports in the event of a Japanese attack or invasion.

``It is the highest airport in Sydney, yet has remained a virtual secret since the war.''

Cr Beshara said he didn't see how the phone tower would stop the development of the museum.

``There are telecom towers around some of the best museums in world and people still visit them,'' he said.

``If there's better communication in the town it will be better for tourism as

well.''