Henderson welcomes proposals for phone masts

March 2004

 

Gordon Henderson, who is the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Sittingbourne & Sheppey, welcomed a proposed new law to give Swale Borough Council a more say on the location of mobile phone masts.

 

Conservative MP, Richard Spring, has put forward a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons that would give greater powers to local authorities in England and Wales to reject inappropriate applications for mobile phone masts, and place the onus on telecommunication companies to prove that there is an essential need for controversial masts.

 

Mr Henderson said:

‘I know that there is a great deal of concern across Swale about the erection of mobile phone masts. We all want to be able to use mobile phones, but that doesn’t mean we should allow the dumping of poorly sited mobile phone masts in Swale on the cheap.

 

‘Scotland and Northern Ireland already have tougher rules and there is a strong case for England and Wales to follow that example.

 

‘There are concerns also about health. The independent Stewart Report, which was commissioned by the Government, recommended a precautionary principle when deciding locations for these masts. That advice has been ignored by Whitehall.

 

‘This is why I welcome these proposals, which would give local people a greater voice to stop the invasion of badly placed masts.’

……ends……..

Contact details for Gordon Henderson

Day time telephone:      07866 719923

Evening telephone:        01795 669108

Fax:                              01795 666998

Email: gordonhenderson@smsinternet.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Large numbers of additional mobile phone masts are on the way because of 3G technology. Telecoms analyst Ovum has reported that 3G operators will need at least 100,000 new antenna masts. This compares with the 40,000 used for today’s GSM network.

 

The Stewart Report in 2000 reported that “children might be especially vulnerable to adverse affects of RF radiation. There is evidence that at the frequencies used in mobile phone technology, children will absorb more energy per kilogram of body weight from an external electromagnetic field than adults”. The report noted “potentially higher thermal sensitivity in certain population groups such as those who are frail or elderly, infants, young children and people with diseases or taking medication that comprise thermal tolerance.” It therefore recommended a precautionary approach over the siting of masts.

 

Yet Government issued Planning Policy Guidance in England on mobile phone masts (PPG8 August 2001) prevents councils objecting to mobile phone masts on purely health grounds.