22/4/2008

Local News in Aldershot

Row over mobile mast plan

Residents have been urged to attend a special meeting amid concerns more mobile phone dishes could be erected in a conservation area near to a school.

Mobile telecommunications giant Orange has applied for planning permission to install two microwave dishes and replace another one on the tower in the reservoir at Cargate Hill, Aldershot.

Cargate Area Residents’ Association is holding a special meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) evening to discuss the plans.

Alex Crawford, secretary of the association, claims that Rushmoor Borough Council has not thought to seek residents’ views about the plans.

Mr Crawford said: “I only found out about this because I look at all the planning application lists to see if there is anything that would be of particular interest to members of the Cargate Area Residents Association.

“Like many other residents nearby, I cannot understand why I was not consulted, as I can see the tower bristling with antennae and discs from my living room.”

Mr Crawford questioned why Rushmoor has given permission for more than 50 antennae and dishes over the last 15 years, without discuss-ing it with the parents and governors of nearby West End Infants School.

He claims that Orange has not supplied data to prove the new dishes meet the require-ments of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Rob Carew, a 44-year-old technical manager, lives under the shadow of the water tower and phone mast in Cargate Hill.

He said: “I think this is the third time they have come up with these proposals to put more dishes up since I have lived here.

“I don’t think there has been enough research about what the long-term effects of these masts could be.

“There are a lot of younger kids around here so I don’t really see it an appropriate location for the mast in the first place.

“There doesn’t need to be any more dishes on that mast. Enough is enough. I’m not happy about any more dishes going up there.”

Emma Bell’s house backs onto the mast in Cargate Hill.

“We are quite strongly against the mast in general. Our first issue is that it is an eyesore and the second is that we have young children.

“We have read about what the potential effects of these phone masts can be so I would be happy to see all the dishes go. I certainly do not want to see any more being put up there.”

Hamish Stewart lives in Cargate Hill with his fiancee.

The 34-year-old vehicle supplier to the UN said: “We wouldn’t want it to get out of hand. We are starting a young family at the moment and there is no clear guidelines about the long-term effects of these phone masts.

“They need to come out with some independent research about this. I don’t think there is any real need to keep putting up more dishes. Telecommun-ications is obviously import-ant, but so is people’s health.”

A spokesman for Orange defended the company.  Martin Grey, national government and community relations manager, said: “Since 2004 Orange has provided mobile service to the local area via radio equipment located on Cargate Pipe Tower.

“The site continues to serve the many public and private sector organisations, private customers and visitors to the area who choose Orange to keep in contact, deliver public services or do business.

“In order to ensure the effective continuation of that service we recently submitted a planning application to alter our transmission dishes which allow calls made in the local area to be routed into the network.

“This move is a small technical reconfiguration of one part of the long establ-ished site.

“That said, Orange takes both public safety and the concerns of residents very seriously.  All Orange base stations comply with stringent international safety guidelines and a full certificate of compliance has been subm-itted with our application.”

However, Mr Crawford added: “We believe that Rushmoor should withdraw the application until they have carried out a full investigation into the history of this site, keeping the Cargate Water Tower when it is no longer in used to maintain water pressure, and the failures to consult residents and West End Infants School in previous planning applications.”

The meeting will be held in the Aldershot Baptist Church, Upper Elms Road, Aldershot, tomorrow evening at 7.30pm.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available from 7pm and entry is £2.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail