Mobile Phones and Telecommunications
Phone Masts - a cause for concern?
New proposals for mobile phone masts or base stations are
invariably controversial - particularly if they are sited in
residential areas.
Behind the concern is usually a sense that the health risks
associated with mobile phone technology have not been properly
explained.
Local residents will inevitably look to their council to control
the development of new sites. But in many ways councils' planning
powers are limited.
More Phones, More Masts
The rapid growth in mobile phone usage is fuelling the demand
for more transmitter sites. In the urban areas of the Borough sites
on tall buildings are limited and already in many cases being used.
In the rural areas and the villages issues around the visual impact
are often important.
A Growing Network
The Government is facilitating the expansion of the network
throughout the country. It has raised £22 billion from the sale of
new licences to the telecommunications companies.
The technological changes mean that the mast network has to be
updated. The Government has a duty to assist the process, but it
does have to be aware of environmental considerations.
Councils do not make money out of phone masts.
The mobile phone companies tell us each year
where they are looking for new masts. We also record where
the Council has granted permission in the past for masts and where
they have been erected. This information is
avaliable from our mapping
services webpage.
Are Masts Safe?
The Government commissioned a report in 2000 to look into the
effects of both mobile phones and transmitters.
The report (known as the Stewart Report) said that for the
general population, the levels of exposure to radiation arising
from phones held near to the head or other parts of the body were
substantially greater than whole-body exposures arising from base
stations.
The report also stated that where a mast was proposed close to a
school the radio frequency (RF) beam of the greatest intensity
should not fall on any part of the school or its grounds without
the agreement of both the school and parents.
The report urged young people to limit their use of mobile
phones and called for 'switch off' signs to be erected at the
entrances to hospitals.
It concluded that base stations should comply with the radiation
guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionising
Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Even so the Stewart Report confirmed that it was not possible to
say that exposure to RF
radiation, even at levels below national guidelines, would be
totally without potential adverse health effects, and that the gaps
in knowledge were sufficient to justify a precautionary
approach.
The Government's advice to planning authorities is that where a
proposed installation falls within these guidelines, it should not
be necessary to consider further the health effects.
The key scientific body - the National Radiological Protection
Board (NRPB) says that exposures from mobile phone base stations
are usually small fractions of international guidelines, typically
less than 0.01% at most locations accessible to the public. Surveys
also show that radio and TV transmitters can produce exposures that
are comparable with those from mobile phone base stations.
The Planning Rules
The planning requirements for mobile phone masts are laid down
by the Government.
In many cases new masts can be installed without the need for a
full planning application.
Most crucially of all, councils have been told by ministers that
they should not refuse planning applications for masts or base
stations on health grounds where these meet the ICNIRP
guidelines.
The general rules are:
- Mobile phone antennae erected on the roof of a building do not
normally require planning permission.
- Base stations up to 15 metres in height can be installed
without the need for a full planning application.
- Masts above this height - and all proposals in conservation
areas - will require planning permission.
- Where an application is required, there may be grounds for
refusing permission if the mast is considered so unsightly that it
would have a detrimental impact on the immediate area.
- A council can also take into account the degree of obstruction
caused by an installation to pedestrians - especially those with
prams or wheelchairs.
Public Concern
The Stewart Report acknowledged public concerns about the risks
associated with base stations and mobile phone technology.
It urged the appropriate scientific body - the NRPB to address
these concerns in a more sensitive and informative manner and
called for a more open and proactive approach.
And it called on the Government to circulate a leaflet to every
household in the UK providing clearly understandable information on
mobile phone technology and on related health aspects. This has
still not happened.
It is against this background of public concern, lack of
information and frustration with the limitations of the planning
process that councils have to take decisions on applications for
new sites.
A Balanced Approach
The council looks closely at all new proposals for masts -
including base stations and antennae erected on buildings.
Although health factors will not be the main consideration where
the proposal meets ICNIRP
guidelines, the council will carefully examine the visual and
environmental effect of any proposal on the surrounding area.
Useful Websites
This webpage was updated on 9/16/2008