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Troon residents protest against giant phone mast
Scotland Created: 12 Aug 2010
FURIOUS neighbours have turned on phone giants who want to built a huge mast in their street.

Residents in Troon’s Lochend Road say the 15-metre mast will ruin life as they know it.

And they insist phone companies Vodafone and O2 should be made to find an alternative site for their huge pole.

The mast, which will enable 3G network coverage in the area, is planned to replace the 10-metre structure which currently sits on Lochend Road.

And residents, who’ve waged a four-year fight against the original pole, say they won’t go down without a fight.

Colin McLeod, 61, insisted: “It’s quite simple – Vodafone and O2 shouldn’t be allowed to build something like this in a residential area.

“It contravenes local planning law and, in our view, the safety concerns of such a structure have always been ignored.”

Neighbour Janice Martin added: “There’s a huge grey box which sits beside the pole, which is an electrical generator.

“But there are no warning signs on it and I regularly see kids climbing on top of it to play.

“It must be so dangerous, yet they call this thing street furniture.”

Long time campaigner John McCallum has refused to let the matter lie since the original mast was installed – allegedly in the wrong place – four years ago.

And he believes the plan to increase its size by 50 per cent should be kicked into touch by authorities.

John said: “They wouldn’t put these things in school playgrounds because there would be an outcry about the danger to children.

“Yet where do children spend most of their time? Playing in the street near to these masts.”

Despite objection from South Ayrshire Council to the original mast, a re-application was pushed through, leaving residents feeling sore.

Now they’ve enlisted the support of Troon councillor Peter Convery and Ayr MSP John Scott for their latest fight.

Mr Scott said: “In my view this telecommunications mast should never have been given the go-ahead in the first place and I backed local residents all the way in their fight against it several years ago.

“O2 should take this opportunity to relocate the mast elsewhere.

“To increase by half the height of the existing mast to 15 meters and to significantly compound the already negative visual impact that it has on the area around Lochend Road and Eglinton Crescent would be totally unacceptable and should not be allowed. Local residents can count on my continued support over this matter.”

And councillor Convery added: “The location of the Lochend Road mast was fiercely resisted by local residents when it was first proposed, and given the way in which it dominates the landscape it’s clear that they were right to do so.

“I said at the time that this was the wrong location for a telecommunications mast – I voted against the application for it and nothing has changed my mind in the years since.”

However, phone chiefs say they can’t avoid a residential area because their mast only has a limited reach.

A Vodafone spokesman said: “Our customers expect to be able to use their mobiles and devices where they live work and travel.

“Base stations are low powered which only cover approximately half a mile in radius, therefore we have to put base stations close to our customers.

“We have identified that we need to improve the 3G coverage to our customers in Troon and have proposed to share the O2 base station on Lochend Road.

“This location was chosen as it is an established site and provides a backdrop against which the site will not be visually intrusive.

“We are currently undertaking pre-application consultation and have started to receive feedback from the local stakeholders.

“We recognise that some communities are concerned regarding the deployment of radio base stations close to residential areas, but without radio base stations, mobile phones will not be able to work.”
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Source: Ayrshire Post, Stuart Wilson, 12 Aug 2010

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