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Mast battle is far from over
9:13am Tuesday 27th November 2007
Comments (6)PHONE mast campaigners are steeling themselves for another planning fight with a mobile phone giant after winning a victory but not the war.
Hook residents handed out leaflets and attached posters to their wheelie bins in their campaign to stop O2 from putting up an 18.5metre-high mast at the Gas Compound in Reading Road.
Hart district councillors have now backed their protest and refused planning permission on the grounds that the site was not suitable - but O2 has vowed to appeal against the decision.
Jim Stevenson, O2's communications relations manager, said the company was surprised by the councillors' decision, which went against the recommendation of planning officers to grant the application.
He said: "We have put in an appeal. We were quite confident that we were going to get this one.
"What we are trying to do is get the network for the people who want to use it. O2 has over 67 million customers and we want to serve the needs of those customers so that they have access to the network when they want it."
Carl Evans, who lives in John Morgan Close, off Reading Road, has said the protesters will carry on campaigning against the mast.
He said: "We are really pleased about it getting rejected by the council, but we are not going to lie down for the appeal."
Residents are worried that the mast is less than 150 yards away from homes and would be the height of four buses.
Mast opponent Jill Forsyth, who also lives in John Morgan Close, said: "This is a semi-rural area and we live here because we like to live in the countryside, and to have a massive mast here would be terrible."
Your Say YourThis is Hampshire
Karen, says...
11:12am Wed 28 Nov 07
Simon Tilbury, Swindon, ex-Basingstoke says...
9:29pm Fri 30 Nov 07
Simon Preedy, Basingstoke Mast Campaigner says...
10:06am Sat 1 Dec 07
"...so why do we need MORE and MORE masts to be erected all the time?"
Technical reasons dictate this it seems, some of which I have mentioned above. In 2000, Central Government sold the licenses for the 3G spectrum to all five Operators for £22.5bn - 600% above the expected amount. With 4G technology expected, we can expect even more.
Simon - residents may well be able to "get a perfectly acceptable signal" with one Operator, but a next-door neighbour may not be able to using another Operator. All five Operators are required to provide 3G service at the levels mentioned under the terms of their licenses.
Info I detail on the www.kempshott.com Messageboard has various links to other websites that you can refer to on this matter if you so wish.
Best regards,
Simon.
Bonzo, Local says...
9:46am Sun 2 Dec 07
This will see a mast on every street corner with the mediacl issues only taken seriously when an MP's family are effected.
Cynical, me, never!
Simon Preedy, Basingstoke says...
11:26am Sun 2 Dec 07
"It seems a pity that the operators can't get together and jointly use the masts?"
Well, they can and they do. But as I have mentioned, we are told for this too happen, taller and, depending on the precise location, perhaps more visually intrusive the Mast would have to be (ie: lattice tower Masts as opposed to the "street furniture" Monopole style). It may be political, but I suspect it's an element of competitition that exists between the Operators.
MPs and their families, from all Political Parties, have been effected, but still Central Government refuses to change Planning Policy Guidance on Telecoms and take onboard independent evidence of the non-thermal pulsed microwave emissions. It is these emissions that many are concerned about, yet our Government still doesn't take these into account.
For further info, please read info I have placed on www.therabbiter.biz/
phonemasts.htm
Best regards,
Simon.
Residents of Hook celebrate winning the latest round of their fight to stop a phone mast being built in Reading Road
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Simon Preedy, Basingstoke Mast Campaigner says...
9:50am Tue 27 Nov 07
Mast locations are governed by Operator's cell search areas - small cell areas for 3G, and are typically needed in residential areas to support Operator's networks, as many residents use Mobiles for tele- working / land lines / texting in their homes. The further the distance a Mast is located from their core search area, the taller (and, depending on the precise location, perhaps more visually intrusive?!) the Mast would have to be to accommodate the greater distance. Operators tell us that for them to share Masts, taller Masts will also be required.
The operating frequencies for 3G networks are higher than for the current GSM (2G) network, and cells therefore need to be closer together, whilst siting within the search area is also more critical than for 2G.
By 31/12/2007, Operators are required to install, maintain and provide 3G service where at least 80% of the population live, under the terms of their licenses granted to them by Central Government.
See:
http://www.kempshott
.com/boards/viewtopi
c.php?t=69