'Fight phone mast' - plea by councillor
THE chairman of Barwick and Scholes Parish Council has urged residents in Barwick to keep fighting the battle against the recent planning decision to increase the size of an O2 phone mast in the village.
At Monday’s parish council meeting, Coun Ben Hogan told residents to fight the Government Planning Inspectorate’s decision to give the mast the go-ahead by protesting to MPs, Leeds City councillors and the phone company itself.
O2 recently appealed against Leeds City Council’s refusal to give it planning permission for the new mast.
Its appeal was successful last week, despite strong local opposition led by local resident, Martin Fox, supported by the parish council and hundreds of villagers.
Many people in the village believe the relatively high number of cancer victims living in Beck Meadow, Parlington Meadow and parts of the Gascoigne estate is linked to emissions from the existing phone mast.
They fear that the operation of a more powerful mast can only increase the threat to the health of local residents.
It was agreed that Dr Kevin Porter, who leads the doctors’ practice in Barwick, should be asked for comparative figures showing the numbers of cancer victims in each part of the village.
These would show whether there are more people suffering from the disease in the south of the village.
Coun Geoff Yapp said that, with the phone company’s appeal having been upheld, there was now a real danger that O2 would boost the power of the mast still further, despite the concerns of villagers.
He said it was essential that residents made it clear to the company their belief that the cluster of cancer victims was linked to the mast’s operation.
Speaking after the meeting Coun Ben Hogan said: “I must admit we were very surprised planning permission was granted in view of it being turned down the last time it was put foward. We thought O2 were going to start looking for alternative places.
“However, it's not over until the fat lady sings so we will keep trying to do all we can to push the protest forward and you never know we may come up with a winner and get it stopped.”
A spokesman for O2 told the Wetherby News: “O2 worked long and hard to find a suitable site away from the village of Barwick in Elmet and it was pleased with the inspector’s decision to grant planning permission for this particular site.
“Regarding health issues, O2 takes advice from UK and international bodies such as the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“These bodies are responsible for evaluating research and developing health based guidelines within which a variety of radio wave technologies operate. This includes television and broadcast radio as well mobile phones and their associated base stations.”
Tell us what you think? Write to us at Wetherby News, 9 Westgate, Wetherby LS22 6LL or email wetherby.news@ypn.co.uk.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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