Phone firm under attack over mast
Friday 26th September 2008, 11:49AM BST.
The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council has launched a scathing attack on communications giant Vodafone, accusing it of reneging on an agreement and pulling the rug from under a group of residents.
Councillor Andrew Eade hit out at a meeting of the full council yesterday, which was lobbied by a dozen placard-waving protesters angry at the erection overnight of a Vodafone mobile phone mast in Malinslee.
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People in the area had been in the process of arranging a meeting with Vodafone to see if there were any alternative sites for the mast.
They wanted to air their concerns about its proposed location near playing fields.
But, they discovered yesterday morning the mast, which has planning permission, had already been put up.
Vodafone said yesterday it had not given any commitment to residents or councillors that work to put up the mast would be delayed until after the meeting had been arranged – although Councillor Eade claimed the firm had.
Councillor Eade told the meeting: “I find it very difficult to hide my derision for this decision to erect this mast in the face of promises made at a meeting with colleagues.
“During this crunch meeting, quite clear undertakings were given by the company that, prior to erecting the mast, it would take comments from 250 residents and follow that by holding a public forum.”
Councillor Eade said Councillor Stephen Bentley, the council’s cabinet member for environment, had also been involved in talks with Vodafone about finding a possible alternative location for the mast.
He added: “Now this agreement, and it was a very clear agreement, was subsequently reneged on.”
Councillor Eade said he would be meeting Telford MP David Wright and Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard today, to urge them to fight on behalf of both the council and the residents.
By Simon Hardy
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Some Democracy?
Its about time this “T&W Planning Department” was properly investigated.
They have a Rule Book, but choose to ignore their own rules.
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I wouldn’t be happy if a mast had been put up next to my kids playing field or our home. Until they can prove them safe then they really shouldn’t be placed so close to people. There is more evidence against masts than for.
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What is Eade going on about? His council gave the permission – so whats the problem now? Does he not understand how planning works or does he just feel that it should be different rules when it suites him? Honestly *tut*
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tut indeed, if vodaphone have fallen loul of the regulations, there is only one thing they will understand, a nationwide boycott.
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What a lot of nimby nonsense. There is no proven link between mobile phone masts and any sort of illness. Radio waves are all about us. How do you think you watch digital TV. listen to DAB radio or use your wifi. all digital signals and at a greater amplitude than a mobile phone mast.Some people are just technophobes. There must be people in Shropshire that are still suspicious of fire. And Devon what planet are you on. A nationwide boycott because of a mast in Telford. I hope you had a smile on your face when you typed that.
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I seem to recall reading that “a nationwide boycott” was also devon salopian’s protest answer to Barclays Silent Phone Call activities :0
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quite right pigtail, if in doubt boycott
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everyone moans about phone mast’s yet YOU ALL HAVE PHONES!!!!! jus think about it. you all moan at everything!!!
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Barry boy there is a link to ElectroSensitivity and phone masts. the world health organisation and the RSPCA recognize this as a problem now and are calling for governments to take action. Yes radiowaves are everywhere but just do a little bit of research into TETRA, just because the big companies are saying it’s safe, doesn’t make it so. Please take a look at the Trower report and then say you would be happy with a mast on your doorstep.
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There is plenty of research into the ill effects of masts.
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Ok then. As far as I know this isn’t a TETRA mast. Terrestrial Trunked Radio is used by the police,fire brigade, etc. And nothing to do with mobile phone technology. The problems of TETRA are well documented, but that’s not what we are talking about here is it. But hey never let the facts get in the way of a good argument.
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Lucy asked, ‘What is Eade going on about?’
It’s called DEMOCRACY, Lucy.
I know the BNP are not keen on it, but Mr Eade is doing what he was elected to do: represent the interests of his constituents.
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me me me said – ” There is more evidence against masts than for.”
That’s a bold statement – you’re saying that the ‘balance of evidence’ shows a definite health risk from mobile phone masts ?
Can you point me in the direction of this evidence ? I work in the mobile phone industry (not for Vodafone) and I’ve never seen any…
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Caroline Lucas MEP, who was voted Ethical Politician of the Year in 2007 by the Observer newspaper, has objected to lots of phone masts on health grounds.
On her website you can read her correspondence with the Health Protection Agency, ICNIRP, the BMA, the UK Children’s Commissioner, the UK’s Planning Minister and the European Commission.
To find this correspondence, just type Caroline Lucas MEP correspondence phone masts into Google.
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After reading this correspondence, Patrick, I would be interested in what you have to say about it.
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Well, here’s a summary from the World Health Organisation in Geneva;
“Conclusions: No recent national or international reviews have concluded that exposure to the RF fields from mobile phones or their base stations causes any adverse health consequence.”
http://www.who.int/features/qa/30/en/index.html
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Well, here’s a summary from the World Health Organisation in Geneva;
“Conclusions: No recent national or international reviews have concluded that exposure to the RF fields from mobile phones or their base stations causes any adverse health consequence.”
Star didn’t like the link by the looks of it but go to the WHO home page (www dot who dot int) and go to health topics/electromagnetic fields section for full details.
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Thanks for the link, Patrick.
You missed off the concluding statement at the bottom of the section that you quoted.
‘However, areas have been identified by the WHO’s EMF Project for further research to better assess health risks and have led to over US$ 250 million in research worldwide to study RF effects on health. It will take about 2-3 years for the required RF research to be completed, evaluated and to publish an updated WHO health risk assessment.’
If you lived in Malinslee, would you be assured that there is NO risk, then?
I’ve read the information on your link. Could you possibly comment on the information on my link now, please?
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The concluding statement merely says research is continuing – which is exactly what you’d expect.
I’ve read the Caroline Lucas correspondence, and the reply from the British Medical Association neatly sums up the current situation – the NRPB conclude there is no hard evidence of any adverse effects, and AGNIR found exposure levels due to living near base stations are extremely low.
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So, if they are extremely LOW, does this mean there is NO risk?
That, legitimately, is what the residents want to find out?
If you had kids, would you not understand that an ‘extremely low’ risk -if it is avoidable- is not something that they would want their kids to grow up near?
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No, it’s impossible to prove something has ZERO risk (as I’m sure you know)
What we need to do is weigh up the evidence and make an informed decision , free of the hysteria that the media like to generate to sell newspapers. Comments like ” There is more evidence against masts than for.” are clearly untrue.
A sense of perspective is required – we are talking about low power radio transmitters , not open vats of nuclear waste !!!!
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So you would be willing to live next to one if you had a young family, then?
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Yes. I work underneath one.
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OK.
But residents would say that that is your choice.
Can you understand their concern for their children when the location of the mast is NOT their choice?
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OK then – where do they want the mast to be built ? Or do they want no mobile phone coverage ? If the latter, I’ll assume none of them USE a mobile phone…
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They presumably want the mast to be built somewhere away from human habitation.
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The masts need to be near the users to keep the uplink and downlink powwer levels low- the further away the mast, the HIGHER the power transmitted by peoples mobiles !!!
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Thanks for that technical information, Patrick.
I appreciate you responding to my questons.
On a related subject, what do you think of the Landau University study (reported in the Independent in April 2007) which linked Colony Collapse Disorder in bee hives where mobile phones are being used?
Most of our crops are dependent on pollination by bees, so this could potentially affect us far more than the proposed siting of masts.
What do you think of this study?
Is it being discussed by people working in the mobile phone industry?
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Colony collapse ? Ah yes , a bit of bad science reporting – no truth in it whatsoever;
“The Independent story was a hoax. …. the Landau University was about cordless phones and the learning behaviour of bees. The Independent misquoted them and linked their observations to CCD. No such link was found by the researchers”
From science blog ;
http://technocrat.net/d/2007/4/14/17983
“a University of Landau study appeared in major media, beginning with an article in The Independent that stated that the subject of the study was mobile phones and had related them to CCD. Cellular phones were implicated by other media reports, but were in fact not covered in the study, and the researchers have since emphatically disavowed any connection between their research, cell phones, and CCD, specifically indicating that the Independent article had misinterpreted their results and created “a horror story”. (from Wikipedia article)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder
It’s very easy to uncritically accept any ‘research’ that supports your own views – but a bit of investigation can often clarify matters. I would have expected better of the Independent – that article was very biased against mobile phones
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