Protest over phone mast
Wakefield news
RESIDENTS are kicking up a storm about a football club's plan to site a mobile phone mast close to an infant school.
Anger about the T-Mobile mast proposed by Ossett Albion FC at its Dimplewells Road site is so strong that locals have formed a pressure group to fight the plans.
Ossett Residents Against Mobile Masts hope to present a petition of 500 signatures to the planning department to stop the mast, which, if erected, would be 200 metres from Dimple Well Infant School .
Group member Claire Wilby, of Dimple Gardens , said: “Local residents are not happy about this. We don’t want it so close to a school or to our homes.
“The government doesn’t know if there are risks involved with these masts and if they can’t rule out dangers, how do we know if the children are going to be safe?”
So far, the group has collected around 200 names. Claire said: “We are not going to give up, even if this plan is prevented. The company will just apply somewhere else and no-one should have to live in the shadow of one of these things.”
Stuart Garside, vice chairman of the club, based at Ossett Cricket and Athletic Club, said the safe positioning of the mast had always been a priority.
He said: “T-Mobile wanted to put the mast near the entrance of the cricket club grounds but I said no because I wanted it to be as far away as possible from the school and any houses.
“People who object to the siting of masts will almost certainly have a mobile phone of their own. They would not be able to use them if there were no masts.
“We are not doing this to antagonise people, we are doing it to help keep the club afloat.”
03 June 2005
RESIDENTS are kicking up a storm about a football club's plan to site a mobile phone mast close to an infant school.
Anger about the T-Mobile mast proposed by Ossett Albion FC at its Dimplewells Road site is so strong that locals have formed a pressure group to fight the plans.
Ossett Residents Against Mobile Masts hope to present a petition of 500 signatures to the planning department to stop the mast, which, if erected, would be 200 metres from Dimple Well Infant School .
Group member Claire Wilby, of Dimple Gardens , said: “Local residents are not happy about this. We don’t want it so close to a school or to our homes.
“The government doesn’t know if there are risks involved with these masts and if they can’t rule out dangers, how do we know if the children are going to be safe?”
So far, the group has collected around 200 names. Claire said: “We are not going to give up, even if this plan is prevented. The company will just apply somewhere else and no-one should have to live in the shadow of one of these things.”
Stuart Garside, vice chairman of the club, based at Ossett Cricket and Athletic Club, said the safe positioning of the mast had always been a priority.
He said: “T-Mobile wanted to put the mast near the entrance of the cricket club grounds but I said no because I wanted it to be as far away as possible from the school and any houses.
“People who object to the siting of masts will almost certainly have a mobile phone of their own. They would not be able to use them if there were no masts.
“We are not doing this to antagonise people, we are doing it to help keep the club afloat.”
03 June 2005
Starmail - 3. Jun, 17:45
