World-News

CAMPAIGNERS who protested against a mobile phone mast could gain compensation after a report slammed the council.

The findings into the O2 mast in Arnison Avenue said Wycombe District Council (WDC) failed to meet a deadline for its planning application and did not inform residents about what was happening.

People living near the mast, who complained could now be in line for compensation after the report recommended they should be given £550 each.

The O2 telecommunications pole was put up in Arnison Avenue in February 2006 after the mobile phone company used a legal loophole to install the mast when the district council failed to respond within the 56 day deadline.

The mast remained in place for six months before being taken down.

In a report by local government ombudsman Tony Redmond, published last Friday, findings showed that WDC not only failed to meet the deadline for a decision on the mast but also did not tell residents what had happened once it was built.

This led to a number of criticisms to the ombudsman, who investigates complaints of injustice arising from inefficient administration by local authorities.

Complainants who lived near the mast said that they had been left stressed by its installation, the uncertainty over whether it would remain as well as time and trouble in pursuing the matter with WDC.

In the report Mr Redmond said: "It seems to me that the council was at fault because it delayed unreasonably in informing residents what had happened. It was aware on June 23, 2005, that the applicant had deemed consent to erect the mast lawfully at any time.

"It was also aware that a number of residents had objected to the initial application and that the Planning Inspectorate had agreed with its decision to refuse it."

However, Mr Redmond acknowledged that the council had been trying to negotiate with the applicant about the mast. He added: "I welcome the council's proactive attempts to do this. However, it is my view that the council should have notified residents of the situation as soon as it was sure that the applicant had deemed consent as they claimed."

WDC spokesman Catherine Spalton said: "WDC accepts the decision made by the ombudsman and would like to apologise to the residents affected for any distress caused. The council has since carried out a comprehensive review of its systems to ensure that any similar application is dealt with in a timely and accurate manner.

"The telecoms mast has now been removed by the operator."

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WEALDEN planners have refused permission for an 11 metre high mobile phone mast in Polegate.

Phone company T-Mobile wanted to install the mast in Station Road to improve its coverage in the Polegate area for both 2G and 3G, usage which is currently insufficient.

However, at a meeting of the planning committee at Wealden District Council, councillors refused permission for the mast as they felt the opportunity for mast sharing hadn't been properly investigated as there is already an existing Vodafone site at Polegate train station.

Councillor Andy Long said, "A suitable site owned by another company has been found in another location and whatever the commercial considerations are it is not our concern.

"I think that the council is far too weak in its policy on this and think that we should be stricter on site sharing."

The committee agreed to refuse the mast on grounds of siting and that the possibility of site sharing hadn't been properly explored.

All rights reserved ©2007 Johnston Press Digital Publishing

http://www.hastingstoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2844591&sectionid=488

By Jo Lafferty

PLANS to put a mobile phone mast on top of a Redditch office block have been approved, despite some workers' fears that it could affect their health.

Orange has been granted permission to install the mast on top of Grosvenor House, Prospect Hill by Redditch Council officers under delegated powers, meaning the plans did not go before a planning committe.

Several people working for the Redditch Advertiser's advertising department, based on the building's fifth floor, objected to the plans and said they would leave their jobs if the mast went up.

Jane Huxley said: "I'm not prepared to work here. I want to see my children grow up and I don't want to be exposed to any unnecessary risks."

Michelle Buckley said: "They said 50 years ago that cigarettes weren't dangerous- there's not enough research there."

Suzanne Smith said she could not see why people were asked for their opinions on the mast if it going up was a foregone conclusion, while Yvonne Sealey said she did not think it was properly publicised.

A council spokesman explained that Government legislation gives telecommunications operators certain development rights to erect telecommunications equipment without needing to apply for normal planning permission.

For the erection of telecommunication masts under 15m, the telecom operator applies to the local planning authority for Prior Approval' for the siting and appearance of the mast.

As the council has just 56 days to rule on the prior approval, the normal way such applications are dealt with is by officer-delegated powers so that time limits are met.

"Any local planning authority, planning committee (and its officers) must decide any application on its planning merits, not upon the number of public objections to any proposal," the spokesman said.

"A proposal for a telecommunications mast is not an application for planning permission as such."

Any proposal submitted with an International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection certificate is deemed to comply with standards regarding public exposure to emissions, so the council cannot refuse it on health grounds.

"We could possibly object on visual grounds, the question of whether there is a need or whether it could be combined with an existing installation," added the spokesman.

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

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AN elderly resident fears a bid to put a mobile phone mast opposite her home will also pave the way for a major housing development nearby.

A plan to build 74 new homes on land at Overhill, north Southwick, was put on hold in February following concerns from residents that they would be overlooked and their own properties could be devalued.

Adur District Council believes the land near, Southwick cemetery, would be suitable for two, three and four-bedroom family homes, a mix of private and affordable housing.

The site is currently used for grazing, but has a 1936 covenant on it, stating the land is for cemetery use only.

Building on it would breach this, as does the current grazing use.

Now Shirley King, who lives in Overhill, says she believes if the T-Mobile mast is put up then the area will be a free-for-all for further development.

Mrs King, a 70-year-old widow, is planning to speak against the 8.5m mobile phone mast application when it goes before Adur council's planning committee on Monday.

But as it is under 15m high, it does not need planning permission unless planners decide otherwise.

Mrs King said: "The mast will be opposite my bungalow and near the access to the land where the council wants to build on.

"The new housing is supposed to be for families, so what about the health risks to young children living there?

"I have also discovered that the council has an embargo on any masts on its own land within 50m of a home or school, but obviously this mast wouldn't be on its land."

The council says it has received seven letters of objection from residents in Overhill to the mast but planning officers believe they don't have enough grounds to refuse the application.

All rights reserved ©2007 Johnston Press Digital Publishing

http://www.worthingtoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2842149&sectionid=470

DOMINIC CHESSUM
02 May 2007 09:39

Families who have battled to stop a mobile phone mast from being built close to a city park today spoke of their disappointment after their fight came to an end.

After months of hard work to stop telecommunications giant 3 putting a 15 metre high phone mast on the corner of Parmenter Road and South Park Avenue, the company has won on appeal.

Families living close to the proposed site had hoped they had seen the last of the application when it was turned down by Norwich City Council in December. But 3 appealed the decision and it has now been overturned.

Mike Nichols, of Sotherton Road, helped lead the campaign against the proposal. He said: “Everybody is very, very surprised. I believe that this was the most objections ever received for a phone mast application. The council rejected it and there were good grounds.

“The only chance we have now is to find something wrong in the appeal acceptance.”

A petition of more than 200 names was collected and sent to the planning inspectorate.

Families cited a number of reasons for their objections.

They were concerned about the possible health risks the mast would pose, being close to homes as well as four schools and a community centre. They were also worried about the visual impact and its impact on the value of their homes. Mr Nichols said: “I think that mast will turn out like asbestos or smoking in the future in terms of the health risks. People here are hugely disappointed.”

The Evening News has been running a Put Masts On Hold campaign, which calls for no more masts to be placed near homes or schools until it is proved they are safe.

Last month the Evening News reported how a scientific study commissioned by telecoms operator T-Mobile had suggested mobile phones cause cancer.

William Comery, corporate affairs manager for Erickson Services which applied for the mast on behalf of 3, said: “The health and safety of mobile phone base stations has been established by the government and other health bodies. A recent World Health Organisation report found no long term or short term health risks.”

Omega this is not true. See under:
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Wissenschaft+zu+Mobilfunk/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Cancer+Cluster
http://www.buergerwelle.de/science.html

Are you worried about plans for a mobile phone mast in your area? Contact Dominic Chessum on 01603 772428 or e-mail dominic.chessum@archant.co.uk

Copyright © 2007 Archant Regional. All rights reserved.

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Phone mast battle for Eaton families

DOMINIC CHESSUM
10 May 2007 12:01

Furious families are fighting to stop a mobile phone mast from being moved to outside their homes and have collected more than 250 signatures in protest.

Following a public outcry from people living in Newmarket Road the city council has requested that mobile phone company O2 removes a mast there.

But the telecoms giant has instead applied for permission to put a 17.5 metre mast a short distance away in Eaton Street, to the fury of families living nearby.

Jane Rolph, one of the protesters, said: “We understand the need for technology, and are asking for masts to be placed in a safe zone, 500 metres away from populous areas. We already have two masts within a hundred metres of the proposed site.

“We have a choice to smoke or drink yet in today's health and safety conscious world, how can we have this health risk imposed upon us?

“It is unforgivable that health risks are not being taken into consideration with phone mast sitings.

“Everyone I have spoken to voiced concern for the future.”

The paper has been running a Put Masts On Hold campaign which calls for no more masts to be placed near homes or schools until it is proved they are safe.

A petition against the Eaton Street application has been placed in the local Post Office and has already attracted more than 250 signatures.

Malcolm Fuller, who has run the Post Office as a family business for the past 22 years, said: “I am shocked at the choice of the proposed site particularly as the Post Office, like the rest of Eaton Street, is a conservation area. A 57 foot mast would look totally out of place.

“Nobody wants the mast at all but it is already up and running. People just cannot understand why it is being moved.

“There is always going to be a conflict of interest.”

Heather Harris, who lives near the proposed new site, said: “I am very concerned over the increasing evidence of health risks, especially now that so many studies show links to cancer for people living close to phone masts.

“It's all very worrying. Phone companies should be more responsible in choosing sites that do not affect the community's health. We need councils and Government to support us.”

Jim Stevenson, community relations manager for O2 said: “What we are trying to do is to move a mast which is currently a problem for the local planning authority. We are currently consulting residents on what will be right for the area and what they think.”

Are you fighting proposals for a mobile phone mast in your area? Contact reporter Dominic Chessum on 01603 772428 or email dominic.chessum@archant.co.uk

Copyright © 2007 Archant Regional. All rights reserved.

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http://www.mastsanity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=110



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A sleep related article and perhaps an opportunity for comment about EMF?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=451760&in_page_id=1770


Informant: Mark G.



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By Joanna Glover

DAVID Laws MP has declared his support for a law restricting the placing of mobile phone masts.

The Bill aims to bring mobile phone masts under strict planning control and bring in the 'precautionary principle', giving extra safeguards for schools, homes, and medical facilities from the risk of excessive radiation.

David Laws said: "The positioning of phone masts has upset many people in Somerset as masts have been put up close to schools, hospitals and residential areas.

"This Bill will allow planning authorities to take account of health concerns and will require the industry to produce more evidence about the radiation emitted, and to justify the need for each mast."

© Copyright 2001-2007 Newsquest Media Group

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