World-News

By Peter Dewhurst

St Bede The Venerable Church, which is the proposed site of the mobile telephone mast

FEARS over plans to install a mobile phone mast on a Pendle church have led to a campaign to oppose it – including possible protests at services on Sunday.

The proposal is to add the mast – disguised as a flagpole – to St Bede's Church in Railway Street, a residential area of Nelson. Initial permission will be needed from a consistory court, which deals with planning issues within Anglican churches.

Chairman of Pendle Council's Nelson Committee Coun. David Foster has called on residents to turn up at the church on Sunday to object.

A campaign was mounted in February, 2006, after letters were sent to residents. The response to applicants QS4 was that householders did not want a phone mast in or on the church, says ward councillor Gary Bird.

He added: "I am appalled at the way these people have treated our Clover Hill community on this issue – firstly attempting to gain the residents' confidence in 2006 by claiming no development would proceed without their opinions being taken into account, then seemingly disregarding these opinions by proposing a further development in 2007 without any resident consultation whatsoever."

Coun. Foster added: "I am disgusted with the Church of England after residents of Clover Hill objected to these proposals for a mast on St Bede's, highlighting the health hazards.

"The health of the residents must be paramount before coppers into the church funds.

"By urging all residents to attend the church services of St Paul's and St Bede's this Sunday to voice their disapproval we will make it clear that we, the residents of Clover Hill, are against the proposals for the new 3G telephone systems, so telling QS4 that they are not wanted here in Clover Hill."

Coun. Bird urges all residents and churchgoers to make their objections to the scheme in writing, by Friday, June 15th, to: The Diocesan Registrar, Diocesan Offices, Cathedral Close, Blackburn, BB1 5AA.

The Vicar said: "I would encourage anyone to write to the Registrar with their opinions. I feel it is important everyone's views are considered.

"I would encourage people to make their views known but would ask them not to disrupt the worship."

Anne McMillan of QS4 said: "We have complied with the local planning authority regulations by submitting a licence notification, which has since timed-out with no comment from the local authority. Running in parallel with this is the petition for faculty, which is with the registrar of the Diocese of Blackburn awaiting completion of the citation period as per the laws of the Church of England.

"This 28-day period finishes on Thursday, June 14th, and thereafter the papers, including the public notice, will be forwarded to the Chancellor of the Diocese of Blackburn for his consideration. The public notice is currently on display at the church. The form contains details as to how the public can comment on the proposal directly to the registrar.

"We have followed all the ecclesiastical and secular guidelines in respect of the proposal, and would willingly meet with Couns Bird and Foster at a mutually-convenient time should they wish to do so."

Nelson police chief Insp. Russ Procter said: "We would encourage any persons wishing to protest to seriously consider the congregation in the church and their right to worship in private.

"They should also consider that there are possible public order offences involved in protesting within a church or its grounds. We would ask them to consider carefully their actions."

l Protesters at the church need to be careful, of course. Under the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860, people "guilty of riotous, violent or indecent behaviour" in any cathedral, church or chapel, or even in the grounds, can be fined or even jailed.

All rights reserved ©2007 Johnston Press Digital Publishing

http://www.pendletoday.co.uk/nelson-news?articleid=2938735



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Jun 7 2007

by Lyndsay Young, Bootle Times

A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to install a mobile phone mast near a Bootle school will go before Sefton Council’s planning committee tonight (Thursday).

It is expected that the plans to site a T Mobile phone mast on the corner of the pavement at the junction of Orrell Mount and Hawthorne Road will go ahead.

The 15m high monopole and equipment cabinets would be sited on the pavement in front of the Orrell Mount Industrial Estate, 80m from houses and 150m from St Wilfrid’s High School.

A letter objecting to the plans was submitted by the school as well as three letters from residents in Rose Avenue, Walker Drive and Hawthorne Road.

They complained it is too close to the school, houses and major redevelopment schemes; there is a lack of information about the health impact and it would have detrimental affect on the appearance of the road.

However has been recommended that prior approval should be granted by councillors at tonight’s meeting at Bootle Town Hall.

In his report to the committee, Andy Wallis, Sefton Council’s planning and economic regeneration director said: “The proposal will not have a detrimental impact on the visual amenity of the area, nor on nearby residential properties and schools, therefore approval is recommended.”

In his report he comments that The Stewart Report on the health affects of mobile phone masts concluded that there was no general risk.

Mr Wallis said: “There is substantial independent expert opinion that indicates that exposure levels from living near to a mobile phone base station are not likely to pose any risk to health.”

The report states that when Sefton Council has refused applications for masts they are generally given the go-ahead if an appeal is made.

Mr Wallis added: “The monopole and cabinets are sited sufficiently far from houses and the school not to have any direct detrimental impact on residents and schoolchildren.”

l The planning meeting will start at 6.30pm.

© owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Limited 2007

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PARENTS are fearing for their children’s safety after a phone mast was erected on a neighbouring rugby field.

Residents of Hartshead Avenue, which backs on to Ashton Rugby Club’s ground, claim they were not told about the mast, which was erected two weeks ago.

Mum-of-four Elaine McCabe’s garden is next to the field.

“I was really shocked. Children play on that field and schools use it too and I wonder if parents have been made aware they are playing under one of those things,” she said.

“I’ve read articles about electromagnetic radiation — about incidents of childhood cancer increasing because of it. My garden is around 150m from the mast so I’m annoyed that I didn’t receive a letter warning me about it.

“There’s not been enough research done about these masts so they shouldn’t be putting them up anywhere near houses fullstop. There’s plenty of hills round here — why don’t they put them on there?

Tameside Council says it is only legally obliged to inform residents within four metres of any planned mast, but that on this occasion informed the 40 nearest houses, without any complaints being made.

Rugby Club secretary, Dennis Gee, said: “As far as safety, emissions from that — so we’ve been told — are about the same as when you use your own mobile phone. The mast has gone through three years of planning applications at the highest level possible.

“It’s a T Mobile mast, a massive company — they’re not just going to plonk one of these things down unless they’re sure it’s safe,” he said.

“If residents have any problems we want them to come in and see us at the rugby club. We don’t want any hassle, we want to get on with out neighbours.

“We’ll sit down and have a chat.”

A Tameside Council spokeswoman added: “This site was specifically chosen because it is furthest from local houses and near to existing trees to provide screening.” Eve Dugdale

First published by the Tameside Advertiser

© Copyright 2007 Guardian Media Group

http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/228/228743_families_heath_worries_over_mast.html



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WIFI news from Norway

Good news, we have made some progress in Norway regarding WIFI.

There is now a major initiative from the largest environmental organisation in Norway to ban WIFI from all public areas, starting with schools and kindergardens.

http://www1.vg.no/teknologi/artikkel.php?artid=153690

The article headline reads: "Fears that children are getting damaged by radiation. Environmentalists want to ban wireless networks."

And continues... "Wireless transmitters for PC networks emits so much health damaging radiation that a ban is called for in Norwegian schools.

The man on the photo is the main guy in the largest Norwegian environmental organisation, Kurt Oddekalv.

We have been working on this issue together with one of the leaders in the Norwegian el-sensitive group, who now works for this environmental organisation. It will be an interesting process to see what players will enter this discussion now to try and ridicule or stop it.

Anyway, the discussion has started and surely there will be some activities from parents and the like to have schools remove WIFI.

Regards,

Børge Mørk
Norway

--------

Norwegian Environmental Group

Green Warriors of Norway
http://www.greenwarriors.com/
Leader: Kurt Oddekalv
Phone: (+47) 90 89 22 68
Email: kurt (Add @nmf.no)

http://www.miljovernforbundet.no/render.asp?ID=52&segment=1&session=
http://www.miljovernforbundet.no/render.asp?ID=55&segment=1&session=

Wireless causes health problems
http://www.miljovernforbundet.no/render.asp?session=&articleno=1471&segment=1&ID=42



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By Paul Dicken

Campaigner: Jade Bryan has started up a petition against the planned phone mast

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl from Ponders End is campaigning to stop a mobile phone giant putting up a phone mast at the end of her street.

Jade Bryan started up a petition after discovering that O2 was applying for planning permission to erect the 15m high mast.

Miss Bryan said the main reason she objects to the mast is its proximity to St Matthew's Primary School and the potential health risks.

She said: "That's the number one problem, I think. Also, for me, I thought about the children. This is a really comfortable, laid-back area. This will spoil it a bit.

"London is a really crowded area in itself. No matter where it is, I would feel quite strongly about it."

Miss Bryan said O2 decided to put up the mast on the High Street, in Ponders End, opposite Allens Road, to improve reception for local customers.

But she added that an O2 customer who signed her petition against the mast had full signal on her phone, metres away from the proposed mast site.

Miss Bryan is also concerned about the amount of "street furniture" on the road already.

She said: "There's too many things on the street. There's a camera post going up when we've already got one operating - it's just ridiculous. I don't know how they expect people to walk on the pavement around here."

Community relations manager for O2, Jim Stevenson, said: "Basically, we are looking to increase capacity. We have 18 million customers demanding a service all the time.

"We understand the lady's concerns and we do listen to people all the time and are more than willing to talk to them.

"I can reassure her that she'll have no problems with the mast as far as health and safety is concerned."

He said the increased capacity was for making sure people in the area could use their phone at any time, day or night, as signal areas became jammed when too many calls were made at once.

In the Enfield area there are currently around 123 masts, with three in the immediate area around the proposed site in Ponders End. In total, across London, there are 6,421 of the so-called "base stations".

The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, set up in the UK, found that scientific evidence to date, suggested exposure to radio waves at guideline strengths did not cause adverse health effects in the general population.

However, Sir William Stewart, who chaired the group, has called for a review on the possible effects of mast radiation and wireless internet networks.

When the group published their findings in 2000, Sir William, now chairman of the Health Protection Agency, felt that the scientific research was sufficient enough for a precautionary approach for siting masts near schools, recommending that masts should not necessarily impact on areas where children are exposed.

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1451044.0.jade_battles_o2_over_phone_mast.php

06 June 2007

A NEW mobile phone mast will go up in Churchill despite strong opposition from parish councillors.

At a meeting of Churchill and Langford Parish Council, members voted unanimously against the proposed mast on land near Bath Road, but their views did not reach North Somerset Council.

They said the mast is too close to houses and they were worried about the potential impact on residents' health. The mast will be sited 400m from an area of outstanding natural beauty but will be disguised as a telegraph pole.

Parish clerk Lindsay Ireland posted a letter containing the council's response on May 18, but it failed to get to planners at the district council.

The local authority then gave its permission for the mast to go ahead at a planning meeting a week later, as it had not received any objections from the parish council.

Mrs Ireland said: "This is hideous and I shall be writing a letter of complaint to the council. The parish council had previously rejected the plans for the mobile phone mast and so the planning department would expect that we would again reject the application.

"The parish council will make a formal complaint to the planning department.

© 2007 Archant Regional Limited. All rights reserved.

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By Tony Donnelly

PROTESTORS against a plan to site a phone mast in Bishampton will take their fight to the company at the weekend when they mount a picket and protest outside the T-Mobile shop in central Evesham.

The villagers have been angered by the company's refusal to meet to discuss alternative sites for the placement of the 15-metre mast just yards from their homes.

And at a public meeting in the village hall last month, residents voted for more direct action, leading to the decision to demonstrate outside the Bridge Street shop this weekend.

Leading objector Tony Waghorn, who lives near Nightingale Farm, where it is proposed to site the mast, said: "T-Mobile have rejected alternative sites and we believe this is purely down to money. This mast should not be anywhere near people."

He said villagers feared the mast could affect their health and action group members pointed to a newspaper report which condemned T-Mobile for not heeding a warning about the alleged dangers from cancer from mobile handsets and masts.

T-Mobile spokesman John Shaunnassy previously said the company had commissioned four reports on the subject and only one was of the opinion there could be a problem.

He also said that three other sites proposed by villagers were not suitable.

Mr Waghorn responded: "We are not against mobile phones - we appreciate people do have them and do use them.

"But we do not feel it is right that these masts should be close to our children's bedroom windows."

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.eveshamjournal.co.uk/news/ejnewslatest/display.var.1449857.0.phone_mast_protest_picket_planned.php

By Gordon Rogers

Mobile phone company T-Mobile has refused to give up on plans to build a new mast on an industrial estate in Abingdon - and objectors are also determined to fight on.

Two years ago, O2 (UK) wanted to put up a 15 metre transmitter at Allens Carparts in Radley Road, but was refused planning permission.

Last year, T-Mobile put forward similar proposals which met the same fate following complaints from local residents and Abingdon Town Council. Planners said the mast would be visually intrusive and too close to homes.

Undeterred, T-Mobile has come back with an alternative plan with a 12 metre-high mast. The company said it needs a new transmitter to cope with growing demand. Richard Nash from AWA, the company which is working to find a site for T-Mobile, said the new proposals were for a 12m high telegraph pole mast. Antennas would be enclosed in a shroud and there would be no external dishes.

He said: "We believe that the mast is an appropriate one for a commercial site in an urban setting. Due to its lesser bulk and height it is less intrusive than that of either the previous proposal or the existing Orange mast close to the site."

But nearby resident Ernie Wright, from Galley Fields, said: "This issue won't lie down even though we have won two previous campaigns.

"The new mast might be three metres shorter, but it will be closer to Radley Road and Thomas Reade School. We already have an ugly mast that towers over us and we don't want another."

Mr Nash said the new mast would be partly screened by a mature tree that would provide a backdrop to the mast. When seen from nearby homes it would be almost directly in line with the trunk of the tree.

He said several other sites on the estate had been discounted either because there was insufficient room or the landowner was not willing to accommodate a site.

He added: "The proposed site is in a scrapyard. The siting of an appropriately designed mast would not have any more impact on adjacent residential properties in terms of disturbance. We looked at sharing space on the existing Orange mast but there's not enough room."

Mr Nash said the company had contacted local councillors and Rush Common and Kingfisher schools and was prepared to widen the consultation process. The Vale of White Horse District Council is looking at T-Mobile's latest proposals and a report will be drawn up for councillors to consider.

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1446066.0.phone_firm_in_mast_bid.php

Jun 4 2007

By Dave Black, The Journal

A bid to erect a 50ft-high mobile phone mast close to Hadrian's Wall has been rejected by a Government planning inspector.

T-Mobile wanted to put up the timber communications tower in a field near Heddon-on-the-Wall, less than 200m from the world heritage site.

The location - near the junction of the A69 and the old Military Road - is also close to the Hadrian's Wall footpath.

Planning permission was refused by local councillors last year because of the mast's likely impact on the scheduled ancient monument and its setting in open countryside.

Now T-Mobile's appeal against the decision has been thrown out by planning inspector Wenda Fabian, who says she is unconvinced that a less sensitive site cannot be found. The proposed location lies within the protected green belt and the Hadrian's Wall official world heritage site, where planning policy places the highest priority on preserving the character and appearance of the surrounding countryside.

T-Mobile designed the mast and associated equipment and fencing to minimise its visual impact on the setting of the Roman Wall.

The company also claimed it had investigated eight alternative sites in a bid to plug a gap in mobile phone coverage in the area, all of which were either unsuitable or unavailable.

In her decision letter, Ms Fabian says the mast would be built on the highest point of a rising field and would be clearly visible from some distance away, including on the Military Road and two public footpaths.

She says it would also impact on the setting of the Roman Wall and has been unable to find the `very special circumstances' required to allow a mast to be built in such a sensitive area.

She feels T-Mobile has not held sufficient discussions on the possibility of sharing a nearby pylon on which fellow operator O2 already has equipment.

Last night Coun Peter Jackson, who represents Heddon-on-the-Wall on both Castle Morpeth Borough and Northumberland County Councils, said: "This is such a sensitive location, next to a world heritage site, that people expected it would be protected by planning policy. We are pleased to see these policies working and doing what they are supposed to do, preserving the open countryside."

Precedent set

Anti-wind farm campaigners last night pointed to the Government inspector's refusal of the 50ft phone mast, arguing the same principles should underpin any decision on bids to build turbines in similarly sensitive areas.

The Journal revealed recently how Frank and Clare Dakin turned down a potential £6m in income from a wind farm development on their land because of the effect it would have on the local community and the surrounding landscape at Duddo near Berwick - including the ancient Duddo Five Stones and the Duddo Tower.

A spokesman for Moorsyde Action Group, which is fighting plans for 10 turbines west of Berwick, said: "This will raise some interesting questions about Plenmeller, where the developer is planning up to 24 turbines in plain sight of Hadrian's Wall. Here in North Northumberland, we have a raft of applications for dozens of turbines. At the same time, we have an historic landscape which must also be protected."

© owned by or licensed to NCJ Media Limited 2007

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