«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 152  Back›  Oldest» 

Warwickshire:
United Kingdom Created: 5 Jul 2005
Stratford- Upon- Avon
MAYOR BOOED AT CEMETERY MAST MEETING

STRATFORD’S mayor was publicly booed by residents in an emotionally charged meeting over plans for a mobile phone mast on the roof of Stratford
Cemetery chapel.
The residents became increasingly angry and frustrated as they were made to wait two hours for their issue to be discussed at a meeting of the town
council on Tuesday night.
Some 60 residents from the Evesham Road and the King’s Acre area turned up at the meeting at which Cllr Keith Lloyd was to ask the council to revoke its decision to allow the mast to be erected.
Stratford- Upon- Avon Herald 21.07.05
********************************************************
'We're on red alert over phone mast resurrection'

Residents near a giant phone mast toppled by protesters said they were on 'red alert' last night to stop any new erection of the structure.
The 60ft mast was put up a month ago in Walsall Road, Stone Cross, West Bromwich, by telecommunications giant O2.
The first self-employed transport company worker, Ric Keeling, knew of the plan was when the towering structure appeared overnight - 20ft from
his home.
He said: "I was horrified.
"It went up at 7am without a word to a single person saying it was coming.
" I had never heard about mast protests until it appeared.
"But I've got a two year old daughter and from what I've heard, we just don't know enough about the effect of these things on people's health."
Last Friday, residents woke up to find the controversial mast had been felled in the night.
"Everyone was elated that it had happened," said Mr Keeling, who collected 100 signatures from neighbours for a petition against the mast.
"We just wanted to say 'well done' to whoever did it. We have heard O2 want to re-erect the mast as soon as possible and they will come with a police
convoy. "We are all on red alert."
A spokeswoman for O2 said the mast was temporary and erected under emergency powers they had to circumvent planning permission or public consultation.
Yesterday, old mast fittings were removed by 02 engineers in preparation for its re- erection - expected to take place early next week.
"We want the mast back up as soon as possible," said the spokeswoman. "We are, in fact, currently looking for a permanent site in the immediate area and
once an agent identifies one there will be consultation with residents.
"I want to stress there is no evidence of any risk to health at all.
"Cutting it down was a very irresponsible action by a small group that has left people without mobile phone coverage."
Jul 26 2005 Birmingham Post

***********************************************'
Warwick: Community backs fight against phone mast giant

West Warwick residents stepped up their protests to get a planning application refused this week.
Dolores Macias, of Goldsmith Avenue, has already voiced her concerns over the proposal to put up a mobile phone mast in Hampton Road,
as reported in the Courier earlier this month.
And even though the community got behind her this week, Ms Macias fears her efforts will be in vain.
She said: "It's great that people have spoken out and one of the councillors for the area was enthusiastic in trying to help.
"I have sent six letters to the district council, and I know a lot of other people have written, so at least the application has to go to a committee decision now.
"That was the main aim.
"The Racing Club and the cricket club are against the plans as well because it is going to be built opposite their playing fields.
"But let's be honest, they are still going to put it up aren't they?
"This is a multi-million pound company we are talking about and there's only so much ordinary people can do.
"It is like banging your head against a brick wall.
"These masts are poisonous and no one will do anything about it.
"If we can defer the decision long enough for me to get my house decorated and sold I will see it as a success.
"I am emigrating to Spain, this country has gone to pot."
A planning committee will discuss the application at a meeting on August 3rd.
Warwickshire County Councillor Raj Randev (Lab, Warwick West) said: "The community has my support.
"I should have been consulted on this but had no idea about it until I read the Courier's report.
"I feel there are a lot of things going on in the background that people in my ward do not know enough about.
"That road is used by children going to Aylesford and Newburgh School and is also next to playing fields which are used regularly.
"Until we know the full facts I will support refusal on health grounds."
The application comes from British Telecom mobile phone operator 02 and carries permitted development rights.
Spokesman James Stevenson claimed that independent research, carried out on behalf of 02, returned no evidence to suggest any health risks will
be posed by the mast.
He also said a full public consultation will be carried out.
Warwick Courier. 26 July 2005
**************************************'''
MASTS ATTACK - NO DEFENCE!

Planners feel powerless and 'utterly disabled' in the battle against the installation of additional and more powerful mobile phone masts in Coleshill.
At a meeting on Monday (August 15), North Warwickshire Borough Councillors Peter Fowler and Gordon Sherratt, both residents of Coleshill, tried to
object to the addition of six powerful antennae on a mast close to High Meadow Infant School.
But their objections proved to be in vain after they were told health concerns are no grounds on which to turn down a mast planning proposal.
Cllr Sherratt, who says Coleshill now operates at a greater density of masts per person than Birmingham, has even issued a challenge for anyone
in the town who suffers a poor mobile signal to let him know.
"They keep telling us we need more and more masts for local people, but we've got 22 of the things already and I've never yet heard a single person
complain about reception."
Cllr Fowler added: "We virtually have two hands tied behind our backs so the mobile companies can just go ahead and do this.
"The network providers have told me that since the BSE scandal no scientist will put his head above the parapet and risk being wrong about a health issue.
"So they've got no-one making a serious effort to prove masts are damaging. Which is no good for us who need to know one way or the other".
"And yet again it's children who are potentially affected," he added.
Lindsey Smith, News Reporter

*******************************'
Phone giant ‘will not replace mast’

Telecommunications titan T-Mobile has given a written guarantee that it will not replace an illegally-felled mobile phone mast in Wishaw.
Sutton MP Andrew Mitchell secured the promise.
Wishaw has been the most controversial mast hotspot locally, with an antenna in the area leading to the formation of SCRAM – Seriously Concerned
Residents Against Masts – a protest group borne out of allegations that communications equipment was responsible for a cluster of nearby cancer cases.
The mast was eventually brought down overnight by unidentified vandals.
Mr Mitchell first contacted T-Mobile in March this year following residents’ concerns that the operator was going to site a new mast in the contentious area,
with Bulls Lane named as the spot.
Some residents had planned to pay for private security to keep out expected engineers.
“This is great news,” said Mr Mitchell, my constituents were particularly concerned about the proposals for the Bulls Lane site and I had been pressing
T-Mobile to take their views and concerns into consideration. “After persistent pressure we have now received a guarantee that T-Mobile has no intention
of progressing any development at the site.”
Local resident and founder of SCRAM Eileen O’Connor added: “I am thrilled at this news.
“This guarantee lifts a real weight of our minds. “We were devastated by the thought of a new mast in Bulls Lane.
“ We do feel that the threat of a new mobile phone mast in our community will always exist until we own the land at Fairview Farm in Bulls Lane
and this is something that we are working towards.”
John Shaughnessy, T-Mobile’s community affairs manager, explained: “T-Mobile as no intention of progressing any development at the site at Bulls Lane.
We have no further interest in that location with regard to network coverage.
“Neither do we have an interest with regard to the land itself.”
For more information about SCRAM go to www.scram.uk.com
Sutton Coldfield Observer news paper 22 July, 2005
By John Newton News Reporter

************************************''''
Coventry: Phone mast protest is up, up and away!

Campaigners fighting plans to put a mobile phone mast near a school released 500 balloons during a mass demonstration.
The balloons were meant to represent the number of children that, protesters claim, could suffer damage to their health.
Residents are angry after the Coventry Howitzer Club, in Albert Street, Hillfields, agreed to let Hutchison 3G put a mast on the roof of the building in
exchange for rent of about £10,000 a year.
It has yet to be put up but will not need planning permission as it is below a specific height.
Pupils from nearby schools joined staff - and animals from Coventry City Farm - and local people, to release the balloons before handing a 1,000-name
petition to club bosses.
The club is 500 yards from St Mary's and St Benedict's Primary School, in Leigh Street, and 100 yards from Hillfields Early Years Centre.
Joseph Parrott, aged 11, of St Mary's, said: "I think masts are bad for health because of radiowaves - we might get cancer."
Campaign coordinator Jenny Gregory, aged 34, of Charles Street, Hillfields, denied she was being hypocritical despite owning a mobile phone herself.
"We have all got mobile phones and we already get good coverage here without another mast," she said.
"Nobody is against mobile phone masts but they should not be put up near schools and nurseries, and residential areas."
She claimed the only scientific research that had been done was into the thermal effects of masts on the human body, and not the biological effects.
Later there was a confrontation at the front door as a
Hutchison representative claimed committee members were too busy to come down and accept the petition in person. Instead a club member entering
the venue agreed to take the paperwork inside.
Former ward councillor Rob Windsor, one of the protesters, said: "Somebody should have had the decency to come down for 30 seconds and accept it.
It's an utter disgrace."
Campaigners claim the club allowed the mast without consulting its membership.
No-one from the club was available for comment.
By Duncan Gibbons Jul 25 2005 Evening Telegraph Coventry 25.07.05
**********************************'
Stone Cross , West Bromwich

It seams we have some bad bad people who have pulled down a temporary mast!
How shocking, how awful, how naughty.
at Stone Cross , West Bromwich overnight.
It could be on the local ATV news tonight.
We are sooooooo upset at w-a-r-t that we have had to have several large G & T's to calm us down.
Peter and Ann. W-A-R-T
Wednesbury Action for the Removal of Telephone masts.
http://www.w-a-r-t.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
**********************************'
Coleshill:
FURY AS A NEW MAST IS UNCOVERED

A Mobile phone mast hidden inside a petrol station price sign has caused fury among residents in Coleshill.
The mast, owned by telecommunications giant T-Mobile, is believed to have been placed within the price sign at the Shell garage
after residents overturned plans to erect it at the BT telephone exchange in the town centre in 2001.
Now residents plan to stage a public protest at the High Street service station on Saturday (July 23), amid demands that mobile phone
companies become 'more transparent'.
More than 300 residents have written to mast owner T-Mobile and to Shell UK following the mast's discovery, which came to light when residents
concerned about the growing number of masts in Coleshill looked up the locations of all the local masts on a government telecommunications website.
Diane Upton, who lives just off the High Street in Wood Close, says she's appalled with the mobile phone company.
"Considering operators are always telling us masts are completely safe it seems a little odd to have to resort to hiding one in a petrol station sign,"
she told the Herald.
"We've had a letter from T-Mobile saying that the mast is harmless but I don't believe it.
I've got rashes and my husband's just been diagnosed with throat cancer."
Coleshill Cllr Gordon Sherratt was on the parish council which objected to the height of the mast four years ago.
"I remember they tried to get a mast put up at the BT exchange and people objected, so they pulled out.
"Then the garage applied for planning permission for a new sign.
We thought it was too tall and tried to object on those grounds but there was definitely nothing about there being a mast inside it."
Tamworth Herald. LINDSEY SMITH. 21 July 2005
****************************************'
Coleshill:
Another demonstation today at Coleshill

Maybe sheer British bulldog persistence pays off?
Third protest against mobile mast
Pupils in Warwickshire are to hold another demonstration against a mobile phone mast which has been erected next to their school.
Children from St Edward's Primary School in Coleshill are to refuse to go to lessons for the third consecutive Friday.
Their parents are claiming that emissions from the mast are making the children ill.
O2 which owns the mast said it is meeting government safety guidelines.
BBC News Website 15.07.05
***************************************'
Coleshill:
Coleshill mast may be moved

Mobile phone giant O2 says it is looking for an alternative location for the mast at the centre of an alleged health scare in Coleshill.
Concerns over possible negative effects the 11-year-old mast is having on the health of children at St Edward's RC Primary School in
Packington Lane prompted urgent talks between O2 and the local education and planning authorities last week.
But parents, who have been withdrawing their children from the school on Fridays in protest against the mast, say they will keep up the pressure
by maintaining their presence at the school gates until the mast is removed.
The organisations plan to meet again later this month, at which point a report from the Health Protection Agency - which was called in to
investigate a health survey carried out at the school - will be available.
The search for land on which to re-site the mast has been welcomed by the county council and by officials from St Edward's and the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, who all want the mast removed.
In a further report chartered physicist Dr John C Walker alleges that a 'cancer cluster' affecting some houses has been discovered close to
the town centre.
His report will also be presented to Government adviser Sir William Stewart who chaired the independent panel investigation into the possible
effects of mobile phone masts in 2000.
Speaking about Dr Walker's report, Angela Johnson, community relations manager for O2, said: "There is no evidence that mobile phone masts,
including the masts in Coleshill, cause illness.
"And there is no research to show any difference in the number of cancer sufferers in areas with mobile phone masts and those without.
"Although the figures in Dr Walker's report seem high, we need to wait until the Health Protection Agency have come up with their results before commenting further."
LINDSEY SMITH Tamworth Herald 14.07.05
***********************’’
Coleshill:
AGENCY CALLED IN TO LOOK AT PHONE MAST HEALTH EFFECTS

The Health Protection Agency has been called in to analyse the results of a survey which appears to show that a high number of Coleshill
residents and schoolchildren are suffering with health problems.
Warwickshire County Council has asked the independent agency - set up to provide protection against health dangers including radiation -
to investigate residents' fears about phone masts.
The news comes after dozens of parents temporarily withdrew their children from St Edward's Catholic Primary School and Warwickshire County Council called for a mast next to the school to be removed.
County council officials say the health of the children at the school is 'a prime concern' and, although emissions tests conducted on behalf of mast owners O2 showed levels 995 times below the permitted maximum, the authority opposes the mast 'on a matter of principle'.
Eric Wood, county education officer, said: "We will support anything that we can do to remove it, and would urge O2 to relocate the mast for
the peace of mind of the local community."
Gill Owen, headteacher of St Edward's, said: "Like the parents I am uneasy about the presence of the mast, and I am happy for them to
campaign against it. But I would ask that they continue to conduct matters through the appropriate channels, and ensure that their children's education continues unaffected while this matter is being resolved."
However, parents say they plan to protest again from 9am on Friday and every Friday until the matter is resolved.
Tamworth Herald. - 30 June 2005
*************************************'
Coleshill.
Group to intervene over mast row

The body which runs Roman Catholic schools in the region has intervened in the row over a mobile phone mast near a Warwickshire primary school.
The Diocesan Schools Commission is to ask phone company 02 to move the mast away from St Edwards RC school in Coleshill.
Parents of pupils at the school say the mast is responsible for complaints such as headaches and nosebleeds.
O2 has denied that its mast is responsible for the complaints.
Around 40 children at the school left class on Friday morning to join a protest against the siting of the mast.
The Diocesan Schools Commission, which owns St Edwards, said it understands the concerns but says it is not qualified to comment on the alleged effects of the mast transmissions.
It has agreed to ask O2 to relocate the mast as a gesture of goodwill.
BBc News website 25.06.05

***********************************
Rednal
Lowhill mast is a high talking point

A TOTAL of 363 South Birmingham residents have signed a petition to protest at the controversial proposal to build a mobile phone mast in Rednal.
And, in addition to the signatures, more than 50 people turned up to a special meeting on Tuesday (June 21) at St Stephen's Church to voice their concerns.
The action relates to an application by T-Mobile to build an 18.7metre mobile phone mast on the corner of Lowhill Lane and Lickey Road which residents
feel be a blot on the landscape.
Joanne Davey, a member of the group, said: "There has been an awful lot of concern from residents who think it will spoil the appearance of the local area.
"There are schools, nurseries and around 400 houses in the surrounding area and everyone will be forced to look at it on a daily basis.
"And we are also concerned that it will become another area for kids to hang out in and graffitti."
MP Richard Burden was unable to make the meeting due to parliamentary business in London, but sent a representative on his behalf.
"I am also pleased that local councillors were there - it is very important that the council takes into consideration what residents have to say on matters
such as these, and listen to their views,” he added.
The deadline for letters against the proposal was June 22, but this has now been extended to Wednesday (June 29).
A T-Mobile spokesperson said it recognised that one of its biggest challenges was minimising the impact on the environment.
"When a new mast is needed, we try to reduce the impact on the local environment with sensitive siting, innovative design, and where appropriate
landscaping.
"We are always conscious of local wildlife and conversation," he added.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said the application was being considered and if it was going to committee it would probably be on July 7.
Bromsgrove Standard 23 June 05

*******************************'
Wolverhampton
Unused mast still at school

An inactive phone mast is still in place on top of a school six years after it stopped working as no-one will take it down.
The mast, on Long Knowle Primary School in Wednesfield, was built in 1997 but has not been used since Ionica Telecommunications, who put the mast up,
went bust in 1999.
However since the company are no longer active no-one will pay the cost, believed to run into thousands of pounds, to take the mast down.
Headmaster Martyn Bidgood said: "I have had a number of parents who have come to me worried about the mast but that mast has not been used since 1999.
"Last Friday I sent a reassuring letter to all parents explaining that the mast was no longer in use and most parents seem to be happy with that."
Mr Bidgood said the parents who contacted him had younger children at the school whereas most of the older children's parents knew it was no longer in use.
School caretaker Les Sharratt said he believed British Telecom had looked at the mast two years ago but decided they did not want to take it over.
"There's so much stuff up there that it would cost, four, five thousands pounds or maybe even more to take it all down.
"We're a small school so we just can't afford to do that."
Mr Bidgood added most parents and teachers were used to the mast by now.
"It is almost as if it has become accepted. Now whether that's right or not I don't know," he said.
"It would be nice if it could be removed. If you actually take the time to look at it, it is a bit of an eyesore but I guess everyone has just got used to it."
A spokesman for Wolverhampton City Council said: "Wolverhampton LEA and the school currently have no concerns about the telecommunications mast, 'which is deactivated.
"The authority and the school will work together on a scheme of work to remove the equipment when they feel the time is appropriate."
Jun 23, 2005,
Wolverhampton Chronicle

*******************************************'
Birmingham

A Sutton woman who plans to run the New York Marathon in November is making great strides in her fundraising efforts.

A 12-metre high mobile phone mast is proposed for land adjacent to Sainsbury's supermarket in Mere Green.
Sheryl Paintain, from Walmley, has pledged to raise £2,000 for Breast Cancer Care, and already pupils from Banners Gate Infant School have
contributed £170.
Birches Green School in Erdington has also raised the stakes by collecting £250.
Twenty-three-year-old Sheryl is now looking for more sponsors to help her reach her target.
Anyone willing to donate money should contact Sheryl on 07843 243 707.
The T Mobile mast and equipment will be positioned on Mere Green Road, if permission is granted.
Public objections are welcome.
Call 0121 3031115 or email planning.enquiries@birming- ham.gov.uk.
Quote planning reference number N/04493/05/NOT.
10:30 - 22 July 2005
****************************************''
Birmingham.
Phone masts ban set to be lifted
Jun 27 2005
By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail
A BAN stopping mobile phone masts being put on council offices and tower blocks is expected to be lifted following the publication of a report today.
Birmingham City Council issued a temporary ban in February 2004 because of fears that masts could cause a range of illnesses from sickness and nausea to cancer.
But following a six month inquiry into the ban, a panel of councillors concluded that masts should be allowed on city owned property.
They believe that by designating certain sites, away from homes and schools, and dictating strict terms on leases they can better control the spread of masts throughout the city.
However, Birmingham's leading anti-mast campaigner Eileen O'Connor described lifting the ban as "foolish".
She said: "I attended most of the inquiry sessions and the evidence that masts are dangerous is overwhelming.
"I would not like to be responsible as a landlord for inflicting masts on the population of Birmingham. It is very foolish."
Eileen, of Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield, said that the council might also raise rents and leases for the mast sites in a cynical bid to cash in on the explosion in mobile phone use.
But she added that some good might come from the inquiry if restrictions on masts are tightened and their locations are limited as a result.
There are already more than 500 masts in Birmingham, with plans for another 200 in the pipeline as phone companies increase the range of mobile phone services.
The inquiry, chaired by Coun Michael Wilkes (Lib Dem, Hall Green), has heard evidence from the mobile phone companies, the National Radiological Protection Board, independent scientists, anti-mast campaign groups, families and planning officials.
The full city council will vote on the report at its next meeting on July 5.


*******************************************''
BIRMINGHAM
Birmingham council upsets the people with U turn

City scraps phone mast ban despite health fears
A temporary ban on siting mobile phone masts on land and property owned by Birmingham City Council is to be lifted.
Council members decided unanimously to scrap "without delay" a moratorium in return for imposing strict controls on the masts' operators.
It follows a scrutiny committee inquiry which concluded that, if the ban remained in place, the council would be powerless to prevent phone companies
placing masts on roadsides and privately-owned sites.
Mick Wilkes, who chaired the committee, proposed "stringent" controls including independent audits of emissions to ensure radiation safety levels
were not exceeded and regular safety checks.
Coun Wilkes (Lib Dem Hall Green) accepted there were great public fears about possible long term health risks but there was no independent medical
evidence to back the concerns.
The decision, at last night's full council, came as it emerged companies were waiting to take advantage of Birmingham's changed policy.
Coun Len Gregory (Con Billesley), cabinet member for transportation, said: "We have been approached in the past few days by operators who say
that they want to use our real estate, our lamp columns, for mobile phone masts.
"We cannot stick our heads in the sand. If we continue with the moratorium the mobile phone operators can put masts up alongside the highway without reference to us." A number of councillors voiced concerns about health risks.
Coun Deirdre Alden (Con Edgbaston) warned: "If people who smoke for 40 years are prepared to sue tobacco companies when they get cancer,
you can be sure there is someone who will sue the council when they are made ill by a mast next to their house."
By Paul Dale, Chief Reporter Birmingham Post. Jul 6 2005
**********************************'
School masts legal warning

BIRMINGHAM schools which lease their rooftops for mobile phone masts could face future legal action from sick pupils, it was claimed today.
The city's leading mast activist has slammed the city council for "washing its hands" of the problem by giving school governors the final say on whether masts should be put on their buildings.
Eileen O'Connor, spokeswoman for Seriously Concerned Residents Against Masts, said council chiefs were also throwing temptation at governors who would be allowed to keep at least £5,000-ayear per mast.
Mrs O'Connor said: "This is a cop-out. The councillors are putting themselves in the clear by passing responsibility to the schools.
"When masts are proved unsafe, as I have no doubt they will be, it is the school governors who could face the consequences," she added.
An independent survey of residents found that two-thirds were opposed to masts on or near schools but threequarters said they were an acceptable development to allow the use of phones.
Eileen said: "What we need are limits on all masts." Chairman of a council inquiry into masts, Coun Michael Wilkes, said some schools may prefer to have
masts on their own site rather than scattered on private sites around the school.
He argued that by lifting a ban on masts on council-owned buildings, the city was taking control of the issue.
Coun Wilkes said that if the ban continued an equivalent or possibly greater number of masts would be displaced to private land under less stringent
conditions.
He said: "We will ensure that governors are provided with an impartial package of information so they can make an informed choice."
By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail Jun 29 2005
************************************************'
Birmingham.
Schools, old people's homes and children's playgrounds across Birmingham could get lucrative financial handouts if they agree to have controversial
mobile phone masts sited on their land.
The idea stems from a city council scrutiny inquiry into telecommunications policy, which is recommending ending a temporary 17-month ban on
placing masts on local authority land or buildings.
In return for agreeing to have a mast, governors would get at least half of the annual rental to boost school funds.
With annual leasing fees topping £10,000, schools could make £50,000 for a ten-year contract.
Council-run old people's homes would be offered a similar deal.
Rental from masts on council housing estates and playgrounds would be used to improve community facilities.
The proposition was condemned last night by a leading anti-mast campaigner.
Eileen O'Connor, from Sutton Coldfield, said schools and residential homes would be tempted to make money without properly considering health risks.
Mrs O'Connor said: "They will be encouraged by the telecommunications industry to take the offer and then foolishly suffer the consequences."
Mrs O'Connor, a cancer sufferer who believes her illness was worsened by radiation from masts, was saddened that the council was likely to end the
ban on siting masts on local authority property.
She said: "I sat through every one of the scrutiny committee hearings and there was no evidence given that masts are safe.
They are likely to accelerate the growth of tumours in people who already have them.
"If the committee hearings had been a court of law, the telecommunications industry would have been found guilty. I just don't know how the council
can lift the ban when there is so much uncertainty about mobile phones and health risks."
The council already has lease agreements with mobile phone companies at 134 sites across the city under contracts approved before the ban
came into force.
Most masts are placed on high-rise flats and offices.
Scrutiny committee chairman Mick Wilkes insisted that Birmingham would not become a "soft touch".
The committee's recommendations stipulate that the ban should only be lifted if mobile phone operators agree to independent checks on the operation of the masts.
Proposals include: * Independent audits of emissions to ensure radiation safety levels are not exceeded *
Regular inspections to make sure masts conform to the original specification supplied *
Development of a standard lease agreement enabling the contracts to be terminated should future research show masts to have adverse health effects.
Coun Wilkes (Lib Dem, Hall Green) said Birmingham was planning the most stringent conditions on the siting of masts anywhere in the country.
Other councils would probably follow suit.
He stressed the council could not ignore the popularity of mobile phones and the requirement of the business community to benefit from easier
communication. Birmingham could not afford to have "black holes" where mobile phones could not work.
At the same time, it was necessary to recognise public concern about health risks.
He added: "We are proposing a very strict regime with tough checks. The conditions we require are the most exacting to be found anywhere."
Coun Wilkes pointed out that, if the ban were to continue, mobile phone companies would take advantage of Government planning guidelines to
site masts on privately-owned land or next to roads. The council would in that case be powerless to prevent the uncontrolled expansion of masts.
"Not only would we have less control, but the distribution of masts and possibly the numbers may be worse," he added.
Birmingham Evening Mail Jun 28 2005
By Paul Dale, Chief Reporter

***************************''
City vows to be tough on masts

CITY council chiefs today vowed they would not be a "soft touch" for the mobile phone industry by lifting a ban on masts.
The big five mobile phone companies, Vodafone, O2, 3, T-mobile and Orange are set to be able to put new masts on city offices, schools,
leisure centres and tower blocks from November 1.
The controversial move was exclusively revealed in yesterday's Evening Mail.
But Coun Michael Wilkes (Lib Dem, Hall Green), who chaired the six-month inquiry into masts amid fears they cause ill-health,
insisted that the lifting of the ban would give the city greater control over the sites, locations and output of masts in Birmingham.
He said: "If this policy is endorsed, further masts will only be erected on council land and premises on the council's terms and we will not be a soft touch.
"The conditions we require are the most exacting to be found anywhere.
"I believe that this policy represents good sense and is in the best interests of Birmingham as whole."
They decided that by allowing masts, for example, on a high rise block, it would prevent three or four masts being sited on low level private land or roads
in the same area.
Coun Wilkes added that if the ban continued masts would simply be displaced to unsuitable and less desirable privately-owned sites or roadsides where the council is powerless to control them.
A key consideration was the business community and the thousands of regular mobile phone users.
The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce feared that the city would lose its competitive edge and be seen as a technology "black hole" if the ban continued.
The Full Council will vote on the report on July 5.
By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail Birmingham. Jun 28 2005

*********************************************''
Mast joy soured

FAMILIES' delight at the removal of a mobile phone mast next to a primary school was short lived after another sprung up in its place just hours later.
Campaigners and parents have battled to get the mast on the roof of AAP Consulting of Union Drive, Boldmere, taken down.
They thought they had won the fight when planning chiefs ordered its removal.
But after pulling down the offending mast, AAP director Stephen Alexander simply put another up and started the whole application process again.
And there was nothing the residents could do because he was exploiting a loophole in planning regulations.
The AAP building is next to the St Nicholas RC Primary School in Jockey Road and parents fear that masts so close could harm children.
Government watchdogs have advised caution against siting masts next to schools.
AAP has repeatedly ignored the pleas and petitions and has previously tried to place masts on the roof of his building by telling planners they are mounting poles for security cameras.
By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail Brmingham. Jun 23 2005

*****************************
Birmingham:
Anger over phone mast decisions

Confusion with Birmingham planning decisions
A decision to refuse planning permission for a mobile phone mast just weeks after approval was granted for a similar structure nearby has baffled Oscott councillors.
Government planning inspectors upheld a decision to refuse permission for the mast on Queslett Road two weeks after Birmingham's planning committee gave the go-ahead for a similar application on the opposite side of the road.
Mobile phone firm O2 applied to Walsall Council earlier this year for permission to erect a ten metre high mast on land close to the junction of Queslett Road and Doe Bank Lane. Walsall's planning committee threw out the plans, forcing O2 to appeal.
The inspectors have now decided to back the council's original decision and refuse the proposal.
In the meantime, rival phone company T-Mobile applied to Birmingham Council for permission to site a 12 metre mast on land close to the Deer's Leap pub
Despite overwhelming opposition from local residents, Birmingham planners gave the green light to the scheme.
Ward Councillors John Cotton, Barbara Dring and Keith Linnecor, who led the fight against both applications, said that they were "baffled" by the different stance taken by the two local authorities.
Councillor Cotton said:"It simply beggars belief that one side of the Queslett Road can be ruled as wholly unsuitable for a mast by a Government-appointed inspector, while Birmingham's planners seem content to allow a mast to be put up on the opposite side of the road, just a matter of yards away.
"Residents are understandably angry at Birmingham's failure to defend their interests, compared to the tougher stance taken by Walsall Council".
Cllr Dring, who collected a 500-signature petition against the Deer's Leap mast, added: "The Planning Inspector's findings are correct and welcome, but I have to say that they will come as cold comfort to local people who have already been let down by Birmingham's decision to allow the Deer's Leap mast through without a fight."
Jun 16, 2005, 16:13 Great Barr Chronicle

*************************************************
Billesley. Birmingham:
Time row in school mast bid Jun 1 2005

PARENTS and staff at a city school fear they are the victims of a "bury bad news" scandal over plans for a mobile phone mast.
Teachers at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, in Billesley, had only hours to notify parents and raise objections before the halfterm holiday.
They fear that the proposed 11.7m T-mobile mast may be a health risk to children and could be a blight on the Shire Country Park.
The park, known locally as the Dingles, was recently renamed The Shire after the picturesque land featured in Lord of Rings.
Head teacher Bernadette O'Shea sent a letter to parents just 48 hours before the school closed for half-term.
She said: "This is of great concern to us as a school as we have no evidence whether this installation will or will not be harmful to the children now or in the future."
Mrs O'Shea is urging parents to write to the planning department outlining their objections before next Wednesday's deadline.
She is worried the timing of the application just before half term may mean parents do not make their fears known to the council.
Birmingham City Council has planning guidance against siting masts within 200m of a school wherever possible, and this could fall foul of this.
The Government-backed Stewart Report recently urged caution over siting masts near to schools.
Although the same report, along with the mobile phone industry, concluded there is no evidence of a health risk.
By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail Birmingham

***********************************************************'
Kenilworth.
People power triumphs in phone mast campaign
Prominent builders merchants Buildbase have pulled out of controversial plans to install a mobile phone mast after strong opposition from neighbours.
Managers performed a dramatic U-turn on negotiations with O2, as residents prepared to hold a demonstration outside Buildbase on Wednesday.
The Priory Road site is classed as industrial land but lies within a densely populated area, and is between Thorns Infant School and the Bertie Road nursery.
Residents were furious about the possibility of being subjected to the mast's radiation because of its perceived health risks and had considering organising boycotts and further demonstrations.
Stephanie Bennett, of Farmer Ward Road, said: "They told us at the 11th hour but nothing is definite and we all want it in black and white.
They said they had been given so much hassle from people going in and complaining that they decided to pull out.
Hopefully they will be true to their word.
"We are all concerned about the health scares - nobody will know for another generation how the air waves can affect people."
Buildbase manager Simon Davies said: "It was never our intention to cause any distress to the residents of Kenilworth.
Seeing the level of upset it was causing we decided to withdraw.
"This is the most supportive company I have ever worked for - we sponsor many local teams and events.
We want to work with local people and will continue to do what we can around the local area."
Mr Davies added that the plans submitted by O2 differed to negotiations between the two companies.
Neighbours will wait for official confirmation of the pull out before ending their protests.
Lee Woolman, of Farmer Ward Road, had said: "Residents are talking about civil disruption and taking matters into their own hands -
we are very upset about this. It is smack bang in the middle of a residential area and there are obvious health implications."
Neighbour Anthony Whitmore wrote in a letter to the Weekly News: "As the objection campaign gathers momentum, direct action has
not been ruled out by local residents."
Residents were also annoyed about a minimal public consultation.
Most only heard of 02's plans for the 15-metre high mast on Monday after they were submitted to Warwick District Council because only residents bordering Buildbase were consulted.
Many of those in Lockhart Close and Alexandra Court are tenants, and it is unclear whether letters sent there had reached landlords.
It was the third mobile phone mast plan in a month, following two applications from Vodafone for the corner of Beehive Hill and behind Oaks Precinct.
02 will now have to look elsewhere. But spokesperson Angela Johnson said: "There is no evidence of any risk to health from
these low radiation radio frequency emissions - they are much lower than a mobile phone itself.
"We are very limited to where we can put the cell sites to fit in with the rest of the cells in our network.
We are in a very difficult situation that everyone wants to use a mobile phone but no one wants a mast near where they live."
Kenilworth Today 17.06.05

**********************************************************
Kenilworth
To all who live in Kenilworth.

Phone mast must be stopped
Vodafone and other phone companies are putting up antennas around the town.
If they are given a licence to put one in the electricity substation in Caesar Road it will then put Kenilworth under a blanket of low to medium radiation.
This is something we do not want. It is time for us to tell Warwick District Council enough is enough.
We elect councillors to look after the people of Kenilworth and Warwickshire and not put them under the risk of radiation.
The council can do something about this now before it is too late by refusing Vodafone a licence.
If they do give them a licence are they also going to take out a multi-million pound insurance cover against any future claims
if it was proven radiation was the cause of people's cancers?
Because you the licensing authority, not knowing that it could not happen, would be partly responsible.
Letters to the Editor: Kenilworth Weekly News. 13 June 2005
From: Mr D Hands, Oaks Road, Kenilworth.

**************************************************
Coleshill. Tamworth: MOBILE PHONE EMISSION FEARS
So, mobile provider O2 are confident emissions tests on a mobile phone mast at St Edward's RC School in Packington Lane, Coleshill, are well within (ICNIRP) emission guidelines are they? (Herald, May 19).
Well of course they will be! These ridiculously lenient guidelines were adopted by Government in 1992, in the technology's infancy, after subjecting animals to
20 minutes of this electro-magnetic radiation and then pronouncing it safe to humans! In addition, this 'research' only measured the thermal effects of this
radiation, not the biological effects.
Mast emissions will hardly ever be above these meaningless guidelines because, as independent research has shown, they were set 9,000 times too high,
i.e. human cells start to be affected at 9,000 times below the current limit.
Phone mast emissions are pulsed and low level. The major concern is the biological effect on the body, the ability to alter human cells.
Brain wave patterns pulse on a similar frequency to radiation emitted by these masts. Independent research shows that it is this pulsing frequency of the radiation emitted that causes headaches, sleep disturbance, rashes and fatigue.
More worryingly it also reduces melatonin, the cancer fighting hormone, being released from the pineal gland.
Even the Government's own advisers (the Stewart Report) confirm that this technology has not been proved safe.
John Elliott, Bristol.
Tamworth Herald - 02 June 2005
****************************************************
Kenilworth.
United stand against mast
Fears for the health of their children and the environment have prompted parents to tackle mobile phone giant Vodafone over a proposed mast.
The world's largest mobile phone company plans to construct a 12-metre high mast on the corner of Beehive Hill and Birmingham Road, yards away
from Priors Field School and even closer to resident's homes.
The planned mast falls short of the 15-metre limit, which requires planning permission and so is exempt from the need for formal consent from
Warwick District Council.
Arvine Bird, who lives opposite the proposed site and has three young children, said: "Warwickshire County Council has actually banned these masts on the top of school buildings so there is obviously a question mark over the safety of them.
"The health risks cannot be proven but this does not mean they can be disproved either."
Clinton Lane resident Bob Owens believes the mast is needed to improve reception in the area, particularly for photo messaging.
He said: "It will damage the environment - it is on the approach to Kenilworth, close to a school and nursery and will be within 15 metres of residents' properties. It is something we do not want.
"The people who are going to suffer will be the people around it and nobody is sure yet what damage these things can do."
Gillian Gould, a lunchtime supervisor at Priors Field, remembers fighting a similar plan by Orange seven years ago.
She said: "It's absolute madness to put a mast next to a school with over 200 children. The playing fields back right onto Chase Lane. Orange didn't get away with it when they tried so hopefully Vodafone won't either."
But Steve Maggs, who works as a scientist at the University of Warwick, said: "Most of the research done suggests there are no problems with any of these masts. It's not necessarily harmful and a lot of the concerns have been brought about by scaremongering."
Vodafone has embarked on a consultation process inviting nearby residents, schools, councils and councillors to give their opinions before making a final decision.
People living near the site have written their objections to ward councillors and Vodafone, and a petition has also been circulated in the neighbourhood.
Coun Michael Coker (Con, Abbey) said: "As far as the masts are concerned we have to approach them very carefully, one because they tend to be ugly and two because people are still concerned about the health aspects. Whether they are right or wrong I understand their feelings.
"My own feeling is that if we have to have them, they should be well away from houses in the middle of a field."
A spokeswoman for Vodafone explained that other potential locations had been investigated but this is a preferred site.
She added: "Nothing is set in stone. We will take people's views on board and then we will make a decision."
Kenilworth Today. 27 May 2005

***********************************************
Stratford
MP JOINS CEMETERY PHONE MAST BATTLE
THE battle against plans to install a phone mast in Stratford Cemetery stepped up a notch as Stratford MP John Maples backed the campaign this week.
The MP has called on the town council to re-think proposals in the light of overwhelming public opposition.
Stratford on Avon Herald. 16.06.05

***************************************************
Stratford
PHONE MAST 'DESECRATES CEMETERY'
THE sanctity of Stratford Cemetery will be destroyed if plans for a mobile phone mast go ahead, it was claimed yesterday (Wednesday).
Campaigners trying to stop the 17-metre-high mast from being put on the chapel in the Evesham Road burial ground will stage a six-hour protest on Saturday.
Dozens of residents, some of whose relatives are buried at the cemetery, are expected to turn out.
Hutchinson 3G made the bid to install the mast there after their original plans to site it at the junction of Evesham Road and Halford Road withdrew the proposal in the face of local opposition which also won the support of Stratford MP John Maples.
Objections to siting the mast on the cemetery chapel were first raised at the annual town meeting in March when electors voted against it by 11 votes to eight with seven abstentions.
Stratford Herald

*********************************************
Stratford
Demo held over chapel mast plan
A six-hour demonstration has been taking place in opposition to plans to put up a mobile telephone mast in a Warwickshire cemetery.
Hutchinson 3G wants to attach the 17-metre structure to the chapel of Stratford Cemetery on Evesham Road.
A Stratford Town Council spokeswoman said the work would barely change the chapel and that the mast was due to be erected in about six weeks.
The demonstrators held the protest outside the cemetery gates on Saturday.
BBC News website

*****************************''
Stratford
THE sanctity of Stratford Cemetery will be destroyed if plans for a mobile phone mast go ahead, it was claimed yesterday (Wednesday).
Campaigners trying to stop the 17-metre-high mast from being put on the chapel in the Evesham Road burial ground will stage a six-hour protest on Saturday.
Dozens of residents, some of whose relatives are buried at the cemetery, are expected to turn out.
Hutchinson 3G made the bid to install the mast there after their original plans to site it at the junction of Evesham Road and Halford Road withdrew the proposal in the face of local opposition which also won the support of Stratford MP John Maples.
Objections to siting the mast on the cemetery chapel were first raised at the annual town meeting in March when electors voted against it by 11 votes to eight with seven abstentions.
Stratford Herald 8th June 2004

**************************************************
Tamworth
AGENCY CALLED IN TO LOOK AT PHONE MAST HEALTH EFFECTS

The Health Protection Agency has been called in to analyse the results of a survey which appears to show that a high number of Coleshill residents and schoolchildren are suffering with health problems.
Warwickshire County Council has asked the independent agency - set up to provide protection against health dangers including radiation - to investigate residents' fears about phone masts.
The news comes after dozens of parents temporarily withdrew their children from St Edward's Catholic Primary School and Warwickshire County Council
called for a mast next to the school to be removed.
County council officials say the health of the children at the school is 'a prime concern' and, although emissions tests conducted on behalf of mast owners
O2 showed levels 995 times below the permitted maximum, the authority opposes the mast 'on a matter of principle'.
Eric Wood, county education officer, said: "We will support anything that we can do to remove it, and would urge O2 to relocate the mast for the peace of
mind of the local community."
Gill Owen, headteacher of St Edward's, said: "Like the parents I am uneasy about the presence of the mast, and I am happy for them to campaign against it.
But I would ask that they continue to conduct matters through the appropriate channels, and ensure that their children's education continues unaffected
while this matter is being resolved."
However, parents say they plan to protest again from 9am on Friday and every Friday until the matter is resolved.
Tamworth Herald. - 30 June 2005

******************************'''
Coleshill. Tamworth:
MOBILE PHONE EMISSION FEARS

So, mobile provider O2 are confident emissions tests on a mobile phone mast at St Edward's RC School in Packington Lane, Coleshill, are well
within (ICNIRP) emission guidelines are they? (Herald, May 19).
Well of course they will be! These ridiculously lenient guidelines were adopted by Government in 1992, in the technology's infancy, after
subjecting animals to 20 minutes of this electro-magnetic radiation and then pronouncing it safe to humans! In addition, this 'research' only
measured the thermal effects of this radiation, not the biological effects.
Mast emissions will hardly ever be above these meaningless guidelines because, as independent research has shown, they were set 9,000
times too high, i.e. human cells start to be affected at 9,000 times below the current limit.
Phone mast emissions are pulsed and low level. The major concern is the biological effect on the body, the ability to alter human cells.
Brain wave patterns pulse on a similar frequency to radiation emitted by these masts. Independent research shows that it is this pulsing
frequency of the radiation emitted that causes headaches, sleep disturbance, rashes and fatigue.
More worryingly it also reduces melatonin, the cancer fighting hormone, being released from the pineal gland.
Even the Government's own advisers (the Stewart Report) confirm that this technology has not been proved safe.
John Elliott, Bristol. Tamworth Herald.- 02 June 2005

********************
Tamwort
BID TO MOVE MAST

Legal experts have been called in to investigate whether the mobile phone mast at St Edward's RC Primary School in Coleshill can be pulled down in light of concerns over safety.
Warwickshire LEA bosses have ordered the authority's solicitor to begin an urgent investigation into the deeds of the land on which the mast stands, which was sold to British Telecom by the council 11 years ago.
News of the action was announced on the day mast protestors delivered an informal health survey to the school which appears to show that 98 per cent of pupils are suffering from health problems including headaches, nausea, itchy eyes, tiredness or nosebleeds.
County education officer Eric Wood said: "We are concerned at the issues being raised, in particular legal aspects to do with the use of the land on which the mobile phone mast is situated.
"We are asking the county solicitor to investigate as a matter of urgency because the legal and health and safety concerns of the parents must be treated seriously and dealt with as promptly as possible."

The survey, carried out with parents of 200 children at the school, was not sanctioned by Warwickshire County Council, although it is believed no objections were raised to it being circulated to parents.
But the findings have been seen by headteacher, Gillian Owen, who issued a statement to the Herald saying she shares the concern of the parents and supports them in their campaign to have the mast removed.
"They are leading this effort allowing me to concentrate on the busy day-to-day task of running a successful school. "I look forward to hearing of the developments but am not taking an active part in the group that is looking at this serious issue," she said.
The survey was prepared by mast protestors Jackie Slater and Geraldine Canavan with advice from physicist Dr John Walker - who worked with action group SCRAM in their successful fight against the Wishaw mast.
Scientist Anne Silk, who learned of the survey results in a meeting on May 27, is now presenting the findings to a meeting of the World Health Organisation in Geneva on June 15, to call for a national effort to study the health of every child whose school is close to a phone mast.
Tamworth herald. LINDSEY SMITH. - 09 June 2005

********************************************
Sutton Coldfield
MAST LOOPHOLE

Do we need tighter controls on the placing of mobile phone masts? Let us know YOUR views.

Name:
Email:
Street Name:
City Name:
Comments:

Your words may be used by the Evening Mail.
If you want your comment considered for publication please give us address information. We reserve the right to edit your emails.
He has instead sidestepped a costly legal action and enforcement by removing the offending masts and putting temporary ones on a trailer next door.
Sandra O'Keefe said: "This means we have to start the legal battle all over again and in the meantime Mr Alexander is lining his pockets for the next few months."
Sutton Coldfield Labour activist and local resident Dr Rob Pocock said: "It's simply no good relying on planning law to restrict masts.
"We have a total merry-go-round with the Union Drive case, the condemned mast is replaced by a temporary affair and we have to go right back to step one again.
"There needs to be a firm and clear legal exclusion zone for masts in the wide vicinity of sensitive areas such as schools, not on planning grounds but on the potential risk to children's health," he added.
Mr Alexander did not reply to calls from the Evening Mail.
***********************************************

Coventry
Masts - the slow death of democracy?'

Phone masts 'unstoppable'
A city councillor is complaining about laws which he says allow phone companies a lot of freedom in putting up mobile phone masts.
Cllr Gary Ridley (Con, Sherbourne) highlighted the national issue while backing electors who are protesting against a second mobile phone mast near
their homes.
T-Mobile recently won approval to put a 36ft mast, disguised as a street light, at the junction of Holyhead Road and Grayswood Avenue, Chapelfields.
It was previously turned down for a higher mast in the same place because it would look "conspicuous and incongruous" .
Cllr Ridley criticised national rules which mean councils cannot turn down masts less than 58.5ft high except on a few criteria.
He said: "In reality, the council could not stop this mast from going ahead but these masts have quietly and slyly taken over our living environment and
local people can do nothing to stop them.
"This is the slow death of democracy."
Phone companies have by law "permitted development rights" for phone masts, meaning they do not have to apply for full planning permission.
Instead, they give notice of going ahead and councils have a limited time in which to protest.
Cllr Ridley added: "The government ignored independent recommendations to revoke mobile operators' permitted development [rights] which would
have meant operators applying for full planning permission - meaning local people continue to be ignored.
"No-one wants to live near these things - they are ugly, intrusive and they may well start to affect the local house prices."
People living nearby fear there's a health risk - even though T-Mobile had to submit documentation showing any radiation from the mast was
within approved national guidelines.
Anne Martin, of Bevington Crescent, Coundon, said: "Our main fear is the unknown risks to health.
If you start reading up on it all, it's not proven either way.
"There's already one [a phone mast] on that corner and there are others in that area that we know of."
By Fiona Scott Evening Telegraph Coventry. Jul 6 2005

****************************''''
Coventry
Council calls for phone mast removal
Warwickshire County Council is calling for a mobile phone mast sited near a Coleshill school to be removed.
The county's Education Officer, Eric Wood, said he sympathised with parents at St Edward's Catholic Primary School, who have expressed fears
for the health of their children.
"So far there has not been any conclusive evidence that the mast does pose a health risk to the children at the school, however we are against the
mast as a matter of principle," Mr Wood said.
"We will support anything that we can do to remove it, and would urge O2 to relocate the mast for the peace of mind of the local community.
"I would ask parents, however, to operate within the bounds of the law, and to ensure that their children continue to attend school while this matter
is being resolved."
Efforts to find a way to insist the mast be moved for legal reasons, relating to a covenant on the land, have so far failed.
Evening Telegraph Coventry. Jul 4 2005

*******************************************************
Lichfield
The truth is the majority don't want 3G phones!
Warning over mobile phone plans
Another phone mast could soon be on its way to Lichfield city centre, and it will not be the last, a leading campaigner warned today.
Orange wants to install a 22.5m mast in Davidson Road behind Lichfield City Railway Station.
David Brain, from campaign group Stowe Concerned Residents Against Masts (SCRAM), criticised the application but fears there will be more mast bids
because of the determination of phone giants to install new poles for 3G technology.
Mr Brain, who successfully led a fight to stop Vodafone putting up a 25m mast off Eastern Avenue, claimed the majority of people did not even want the 3G technology on their phones.
The Davidson Road proposal would include an antennae and four dishes on a concrete tower on Sellrite Automotive.
Mr Brain said: “There will be continuing pressure in Lichfield and everywhere else. The vast majority of people do not want this massive proliferation
of masts.

They don’t want 3G.”
Mr Brain said mobile phone giants had forked out billions for 3G licences from the government.
He said: “These companies have so much money they are throwing money at agents to get these applications in and all that stands in their way
are a small number of individuals trying to help protect people.”
The SCRAM chairman said phone mast applications were a problem across the country and added the sheer volume of application could eventually
wear down protesters’ opposition.
Lichfield has seen a spate of applications in recent months, which have been fought by groups like SCRAM and Boley Park Action Group, which successfully battled a planned mast in Darnford Lane.
The plans for the Davidson Road mast are available for inspection at Lichfield District Council’s offices, in Frog Lane.
A spokesman for Orange was unavailable for comment.
By Stuart Pollitt The Chronicle West Midlands. Jul 5, 2005

**************************************
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Peter and Ann. W-A-R-T

«Latest  ‹Forward   News item: 152  Back›  Oldest»