Residents rally against phone mast
MORE than 80 residents in Warndon Villages waved banners and balloons as they united in protest against a proposed mobile phone mast which they fear will damage their children’s health.
People of all ages gathered together at the junction of Dugdale Drive and Woodgreen Drive on Sunday (October 9) where O2 are soon expected to put up the 33ft mast.
The protest was organised by the Warndon Phone Mast Committee - a group of residents who are spearheading a campaign to prevent the mast from being raised near to their homes.
The city council approved planning permission for the mast in July despite 52 letters of objection from worried residents and a petition signed by a further 81 people.
Mast committee member Peter Limbrick, from Pitt Avenue, said residents feared its location would make the area less attractive and jeopardise young people’s health through radiation emissions.
“On their website O2 claim they won’t put up a mast if the majority of residents are opposed to it. They also say that they will talk to residents but they have only met with us once and since then we’ve heard nothing from them,” said Mr Limbrick.
“We decided if they were not going to sit down and listen to our concerns then we needed to show them publicly how many people are incensed by this.”
The committee will continue fighting O2 in a bid to get the company to consider alternative sites which the group have identified.
“We are angry but hopeful we can still change things at the last minute. It’s a case of watch this space!,” he said.
Paul O’Connor, principal planning officer at the city council, said mast applications had to meet strict international safety standards and there was no hard evidence to suggest they posed a serious health risk.
No one from O2 was available to comment at the time of going to press.
http://www.worcesterstandard.co.uk/news/default1.asp?id=1633
People of all ages gathered together at the junction of Dugdale Drive and Woodgreen Drive on Sunday (October 9) where O2 are soon expected to put up the 33ft mast.
The protest was organised by the Warndon Phone Mast Committee - a group of residents who are spearheading a campaign to prevent the mast from being raised near to their homes.
The city council approved planning permission for the mast in July despite 52 letters of objection from worried residents and a petition signed by a further 81 people.
Mast committee member Peter Limbrick, from Pitt Avenue, said residents feared its location would make the area less attractive and jeopardise young people’s health through radiation emissions.
“On their website O2 claim they won’t put up a mast if the majority of residents are opposed to it. They also say that they will talk to residents but they have only met with us once and since then we’ve heard nothing from them,” said Mr Limbrick.
“We decided if they were not going to sit down and listen to our concerns then we needed to show them publicly how many people are incensed by this.”
The committee will continue fighting O2 in a bid to get the company to consider alternative sites which the group have identified.
“We are angry but hopeful we can still change things at the last minute. It’s a case of watch this space!,” he said.
Paul O’Connor, principal planning officer at the city council, said mast applications had to meet strict international safety standards and there was no hard evidence to suggest they posed a serious health risk.
No one from O2 was available to comment at the time of going to press.
http://www.worcesterstandard.co.uk/news/default1.asp?id=1633
Starmail - 13. Okt, 13:06
