School fights plan for mobile mast
by Dominic Yeatman
This is local London
WORRIED parents claim drivers outside Snaresbrook Primary School will not be able to see children crossing the road if plans for a mobile phone mast are approved.
Phone company T-Mobile wants to erect a 9.7-metre mast and two base cabinets at the junction of Meadow Walk and Woodford High Road , 200 yards from the gates of the school.
Councillors and parents assembled at the site on Sunday, and conducted their own experiment replicating the impact of the cabinets which they say demonstrated the danger of the proposals.
Parent Nic Shastri, who has two children at the school, said: "We set up a large cardboard box to the size of the proposed cabinet and we had four children waiting to cross the road. If you were a driver waiting to turn in you wouldn't have seen them.
"Parents have to walk to school these days because there is a double yellow line in Meadow Walk patrolled by traffic wardens. We have had three recent deaths in Woodford Road and it's a notorious accident blackspot."
Telecom company Marconi is handling the application for T-Mobile and Wanstead MP Harry Cohen has written to it highlighting the objections.
Headteacher Dennis Murray said he had real concerns. He said: "There are two issues, potential health concerns and where they want to site it because it could obstruct drivers' vision. It's a health and safety issue and I can't believe that any company would consider putting one there."
A T-Mobile spokesman said: "T-Mobile understands there sometimes can be concerns when locating base stations in communities. As part of the pre-consultation process we're considering a number of options in the area and gathering feedback from local concerned parties."
A formal planning application has yet to be submitted to Redbridge Council and Marconi has given residents until May 31 to make comments on the proposals. Write to Jonathan Walton, Marconi APT, Blays House, Wick Road , Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey , TW20 OHJ .
dyeatman@london.newsquest.co.uk
This is local London
WORRIED parents claim drivers outside Snaresbrook Primary School will not be able to see children crossing the road if plans for a mobile phone mast are approved.
Phone company T-Mobile wants to erect a 9.7-metre mast and two base cabinets at the junction of Meadow Walk and Woodford High Road , 200 yards from the gates of the school.
Councillors and parents assembled at the site on Sunday, and conducted their own experiment replicating the impact of the cabinets which they say demonstrated the danger of the proposals.
Parent Nic Shastri, who has two children at the school, said: "We set up a large cardboard box to the size of the proposed cabinet and we had four children waiting to cross the road. If you were a driver waiting to turn in you wouldn't have seen them.
"Parents have to walk to school these days because there is a double yellow line in Meadow Walk patrolled by traffic wardens. We have had three recent deaths in Woodford Road and it's a notorious accident blackspot."
Telecom company Marconi is handling the application for T-Mobile and Wanstead MP Harry Cohen has written to it highlighting the objections.
Headteacher Dennis Murray said he had real concerns. He said: "There are two issues, potential health concerns and where they want to site it because it could obstruct drivers' vision. It's a health and safety issue and I can't believe that any company would consider putting one there."
A T-Mobile spokesman said: "T-Mobile understands there sometimes can be concerns when locating base stations in communities. As part of the pre-consultation process we're considering a number of options in the area and gathering feedback from local concerned parties."
A formal planning application has yet to be submitted to Redbridge Council and Marconi has given residents until May 31 to make comments on the proposals. Write to Jonathan Walton, Marconi APT, Blays House, Wick Road , Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey , TW20 OHJ .
dyeatman@london.newsquest.co.uk
Starmail - 31. Mai, 18:43
