World-News

By Ellie Simmonds

Proposals to extend a mobile phone mast near Bicester town centre have sparked concern among councillors.

Mobile phone company Orange wants to replace a 15m mast on land off Alchester Terrace with a 20m one.

Bicester Town Council has decided to object to the plans. Councillor Nick Cotter, whose Bicester South ward includes the mast, said: "There are concerns about these masts."

He raised fears about so-called cancer clusters which, it has been alleged, occur around masts. He said: "Two of my kids go to St Mary's School and there's a huge great mast there. I just think we should find out more about these things."

Fellow councillor Les Sibley said: "We should ask for a risk assessment. We want to know what impact these masts will actually have on people's health."

But town clerk Anne Wilson said in a letter accompanying the application that Orange had claimed that its design of mast had already won local authority approval.

Newly-elected councillor Nicholas Mawerok said: "Orange coverage within Bicester isn't particularly strong. There are areas in some estates where you can't get any coverage whatsoever. The business community would probably welcome some coverage."

Councillors voted to pass their concerns on to Cherwell District Council, which will make a final decision on the plans.

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1429603.0.fears_over_mast_plans.php

http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2586569.ece

Fair comment.

David



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Just to let you know and pass on to those who need to know that last night the local area committee of Eastleigh Council overturned the recommendation of their officers and refused Hutchison consent for a 25 metre mast in some local woods. We got the support of our local MP, Chris Huhne, got 1200 signatures on a petition, had the local schoolchildren do posters, organised protest letters from Natural England, the Woodland Trust, the local Wildlife Trust and got help from Planning Aid, the pro bono arm of the Royal Town Planning Institute. The result was covered favourably on the late night BBC TV regional bulletin and by local radio and the local print media. It was probably more about local politics than planning law but at least we're over the first hurdle. Just thought you should know.

Cheers

Graham

By Staff Reporter

A MOBILE phone mast will be erected in Westhoughton after plans by O2 were approved on appeal.

The company had been refused permission by Bolton Council's planning and highways committee to build the 12.5 metre (40ft) high mast on land in Wigan Road.

The committee said specified details of external finishes, including colours, needed to be submitted.

The firm appealed against the decision and sought permission from the Planning Inspectorate. The inspector, Elizabeth Ord, has now approved the plans to site the mast between a disused and a working railway line.

She said: "The proposal would form a simple, uncluttered feature which, although noticeable on the highway, would be seen as part of the urban fabric, blending in to the street scene."

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http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1423190.0.goahead_for_phone_mast_near_railways.php

May 24 2007

DESPITE being told that it would be "visually intrusive", a mobile phone company has appealed against the refusal of planning permission to extend its phone mast.

Orange had applied to increase the height of its phone mast on the roof of Calbrook Cars, in Eastwick Road, Bookham, from 15 metres to 20 metres.

The reason for the original application, which was lodged last December,was that it was intending to share the mast with two other mobile phone operators, Hutchison 3G and T-Mobile, and the mast would therefore need to be bigger.

However, the plans were refused by the district council on February 9 because of they were considered to be an eyesore both by the council and by Bookham residents.

Clive Smith, head of planning at Mole Valley District Council, in refusing the application said: "The proposed telecommunication column, by reason of its height and prominent siting,would be a visually intrusive feature, detrimental to the appearance of the locality and outlook from nearby residential properties."

But the grounds of Orange's appeal, which was lodged this month, were that there has already been a mast in place for the past 10 years which has become part of the scenery.

It also appealed on the grounds that planning permission for a 20-metre mast in the same location had been granted in 1999 but that the permission had since expired.

Bookham Residents' Association has said that the site has already become overdeveloped and that masts could be put up in less conspicuous areas.

Peter Seaward, chairman of the association, said: "There are a number of local residents who have complained to us and we are supporting their concerns on this matter.

"We think making the mast larger will make it even more intrusive and we feel as far as this site is concerned that enough is enough."

As well as the size of the mast, residents have been worried about health issues as the mast would be sending off stronger signals than before.

Sandra Rigby, of Eastwick Road, said: "We as residents are very strongly against this development and will oppose the appeal as well.

"It is the possible health effects that these masts might have that I am concerned about, especially as I suffer from migraines and I don't know whether the masts and the signals they send off are aggravating the problem or not."

© owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror Southern Limited 2007

http://tinyurl.com/225g9w

by IH
24/05/2007

ANOTHER row over the siting of a mobile phone mast is brewing in the town. Plans by O2 for a 15-metre mast on Crackley Lane have angered Kenilworth Town Council and neighbours, who have swamped Warwick District Council with objections. It comes just a matter of months after a bitter fight over Hutchinson 3G's plan to place a 12-metre mast right in the heart of the town outside the De Montfort Hotel. The Planning Inspectorate in Bristol is set to make the final decision on the application. Now O2 wants to put a mast near the Crackley Woods nature reserve and the historic area of common land Parliament Piece, and close to both Crackley and St Augustine schools. The district council plans sub-committee is set to consider the application on May 29. • Objections are also set to be heard into T Mobile's bid for a 15-metre mast at the Birmingham Road petrol station at Budbrooke. The parish council and British Waterways both object.

http://tinyurl.com/ynszgc

By Duncan Eaton

Members of the Enviromental Club at Stoke Park Junior School celebrate defeating the mast plan.

VILLAGERS who campaigned to get the plug pulled on a plan to put a mobile phone mast in the heart of a Hampshire woodland have scored a major victory.

Bishopstoke was buzzing with joy last night (Wednesday) as Eastleigh borough councillors kicked out an application to put a radio base station with 81 ft high mast in Stoke Park Wood.

It was an amazing turnabout because earlier planning officers had recommended that Hutchison 3 G (UK) should be given the go ahead.

But in less than 45 minutes the many months of campaigning, spearheaded by Guardians of Stoke Park Wood, ended in a sweet victory.

Before they took their seats members of the Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath Local Area Committee, had to walk past a collection of drawings by local schoolchildren who had graphically put over their own "stop the phone mast" message.

Councillor Anne Winstanley had called for the planning application to be refused on the grounds of environmental impact. There were also health concerns.

FOR the full story and reaction from last night's meeting see today's Daily Echo.

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/display.var.1421448.0.villagers_victory_over_phone_mast_plan.php

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