«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 1415  Back›  Oldest» 

Shock as huge mast appears in street
United Kingdom Created: 27 Feb 2007
FAMILIES living in a quiet Waltham Abbey street were "gobsmacked" when they returned from work this week to find a huge phone mast had sprung up outside their homes.
The 60ft (20m) mobile monstrosity was suddenly erected on a patch of land at the end of the Stonyshotts, off Honey Lane, on Tuesday.
But outraged householders this week began a fight to bring down the O2 mast, saying they had no idea whatsoever the equipment was due to go up.
Stonyshotts resident Darren Brooks, who has already helped compile an 80-name petition to have the mast removed, fumed: "It's a complete eyesore. I went out to work one minute then came back to find it had been erected just a few feet away from our homes. It's the biggest mast I have ever seen - it's absolutely massive."
Darren, 34, who has lived in the road for six years, added: "I called the council and was told that the mast was allowed to go up because the council had not responded in time to a planning request from O2 to put up the mast - this makes it all the more deplorable."
Under a legal loophole, if councils do not respond to mobile phone companies' requests to put up a mast within a 56-day limit, the application can simply go ahead.
This law has caught out councils across the UK, forcing them to allow a mast application to go ahead when they had intended to log an objection.
But a spokesman for Epping Forest District Council this week could not confirm this was the case and said the authority would investigate the matter.
The Mercury could find NO trace of 02's original application to erect the Stonyshotts mast on the council's planning archive website, adding further mystery to the saga.
Darren added: "We want this thing brought down. Not only is it absolutely colossal it will devalue our homes.
"We are also concerned over safety issues as there are a number of children living in the street."
But there was a new twist in the saga yesterday (Thursday, 22 February) when Epping Forest district councillor Peter McMillan (Con Honey Lane) said the land on which the mast sits actually belongs to Essex County Council.
"As far as I am aware the county council objected to these plans and therefore O2 should never have put up the mast," he said.
"I am calling for an internal enquiry at the district council to find out why we did not respond to O2 in time and will also be meeting with county councillors immediately to try to sort out this mess.
"I'm going to do whatever it takes to get this thing down. It's an eyesore."
An O2 spokesman added: "We will be looking into this but if we didn't receive a response from the council then we are perfectly entitled to put up the mast. However, if local residents are upset I would gladly come down and talk to them about the situation."
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Cheshunt and Waltham Mercury, 23 Feb 2007

«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 1415  Back›  Oldest»