Phone Masts - Can We Stop Them?

Many of you will know that a mobile phone company was recently given permission to site a telcommunications mast on Buckland Court just outside Belsize in the middle of a residential area and close to several schools. We’re in a real bind over phone masts. Although health risks and public concern can be material considerations for turning down planning applications, the government has made it very clear that local residents and Council planning committees should not be allowed to prevent phone masts from going up so long as mobile phone base station meets the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) guidelines for public exposure. As a result, we almost always lose appeals when we do reject phone masts.

We rejected one in West Hampstead recently on the grounds that there was already too much street furniture on the proposed site. We specifically didn’t reject it on health or public concern grounds because it’s almost impossible to win on those grounds. The mobile phone company has inevitably appealed and we may yet lose the appeal.

I find it profoundly depressing. I’m sure this will all come back to bite us one day. But for the moment there’s nothing we can do. Except change the government!