Mast this happen?
00:00, May 4 2005
By Mandy Little, Greenwich Mercury
A COMMUNITY is outraged that an appeal is set to go ahead on siting four mobile phone masts near a school for children with learning disabilities.
News that O2 is appealing to the Planning Inspectorate for masts near Charlton School in Charlton Park Road has come as a bombshell to some of the nearby community who are concerned about the effects on children's health.
An application for two 15m masts outside the school and a later plan for two 12.5m masts about 200m down the road were turned down by Greenwich council in October, 2004.
There have been no objections to the appeal and residents claim they only found out about it after a mum spotted a notice on a lamp post.
At a packed meeting at the school organised by the campaigners and attended by a representative from O2 on Tuesday last week, concerns were raised about errors in the original applications.
Campaigners found two "bungles": The company consulted two other primary schools by mistake It marked the applications as "amber" but they should have been "red" for higher sensitivity as both are by a school and close to a listed Jacobean wall.
A spokesman from Charlton Residents' Against the Mast said: "The appeal was a bombshell to people. Hardly anyone knew."
The group has written a 15-page letter highlighting the errors to the inspectorate and demanding a public hearing.
Mum-of-two Jenny Chalice, 48, from Cemetery Lane alerted people by delivering notes to 100 houses after spotting the notice.
She said: "The children at the school already have enough to cope with. I don't want to think in 20 years time these children and my own kids have been made sick."
The Charlton sites are also close to an under-fives club and family picnic areas.
Jim Stephenson from O2, said the errors were "genuine mistakes".
Greenwich council said it has fulfilled its requirement by law and notified the school and residents about the appeal.
By Mandy Little, Greenwich Mercury
A COMMUNITY is outraged that an appeal is set to go ahead on siting four mobile phone masts near a school for children with learning disabilities.
News that O2 is appealing to the Planning Inspectorate for masts near Charlton School in Charlton Park Road has come as a bombshell to some of the nearby community who are concerned about the effects on children's health.
An application for two 15m masts outside the school and a later plan for two 12.5m masts about 200m down the road were turned down by Greenwich council in October, 2004.
There have been no objections to the appeal and residents claim they only found out about it after a mum spotted a notice on a lamp post.
At a packed meeting at the school organised by the campaigners and attended by a representative from O2 on Tuesday last week, concerns were raised about errors in the original applications.
Campaigners found two "bungles": The company consulted two other primary schools by mistake It marked the applications as "amber" but they should have been "red" for higher sensitivity as both are by a school and close to a listed Jacobean wall.
A spokesman from Charlton Residents' Against the Mast said: "The appeal was a bombshell to people. Hardly anyone knew."
The group has written a 15-page letter highlighting the errors to the inspectorate and demanding a public hearing.
Mum-of-two Jenny Chalice, 48, from Cemetery Lane alerted people by delivering notes to 100 houses after spotting the notice.
She said: "The children at the school already have enough to cope with. I don't want to think in 20 years time these children and my own kids have been made sick."
The Charlton sites are also close to an under-fives club and family picnic areas.
Jim Stephenson from O2, said the errors were "genuine mistakes".
Greenwich council said it has fulfilled its requirement by law and notified the school and residents about the appeal.
Starmail - 8. Mai, 16:43
