Phone mast victory for residents
A mobile phone company has shelved plans to build a phone mast on a pavement in Kenilworth in the face of overwhelming opposition.
Phonecalls came flooding into the Weekly News after we revealed last week that O2 had applied to Warwick District Council for planning permission for a 12.5metre mast on the council's land in Abbey End.
The mobile phone company was told to go back to the drawing board by Kenilworth town councillors in August when commenting on a pre-application consultation by its agents.
They said the district council would never agree to have it on their land.
But the company ignored their comments and pressed forward with their application for a monopole with shrouded antennas and associated equipment cabinet.
Carolyn Allinson, who lives in Abbey Court, said she would start a petition and scores of residents called the Weekly News to register their objection including Simon Lawton of Grevaynes Properties and Vicki Pearman, of Mercia Carpets in Abbey End.
She said: "There has been a lot of work done to have Abbey End refurbished and we do not want to see a 41ft pole outside our shop window however dressed up it is."
However, Warwick District Council's planning department revealed the application had been withdrawn this week.
A spokesperson for O2 said: "We had so much pressure from the local community that we decided to withdraw the application. Quite frankly we will go somewhere that we can build a mast where we have not got much bother. There are places that want good mobile communications. If people do not want a mast then they will have a poor reception."
04 October 2006
All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.
http://www.kenilworthtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=698&ArticleID=1804046
Phonecalls came flooding into the Weekly News after we revealed last week that O2 had applied to Warwick District Council for planning permission for a 12.5metre mast on the council's land in Abbey End.
The mobile phone company was told to go back to the drawing board by Kenilworth town councillors in August when commenting on a pre-application consultation by its agents.
They said the district council would never agree to have it on their land.
But the company ignored their comments and pressed forward with their application for a monopole with shrouded antennas and associated equipment cabinet.
Carolyn Allinson, who lives in Abbey Court, said she would start a petition and scores of residents called the Weekly News to register their objection including Simon Lawton of Grevaynes Properties and Vicki Pearman, of Mercia Carpets in Abbey End.
She said: "There has been a lot of work done to have Abbey End refurbished and we do not want to see a 41ft pole outside our shop window however dressed up it is."
However, Warwick District Council's planning department revealed the application had been withdrawn this week.
A spokesperson for O2 said: "We had so much pressure from the local community that we decided to withdraw the application. Quite frankly we will go somewhere that we can build a mast where we have not got much bother. There are places that want good mobile communications. If people do not want a mast then they will have a poor reception."
04 October 2006
All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.
http://www.kenilworthtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=698&ArticleID=1804046
rudkla - 4. Okt, 22:10
