Has anyone appealed against the siting of a mobile phone aerial near a school?

[Ellbell]

Hiya. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this. I am a parent governor of my dd's infant school and yesterday we found out that the local football club has applied for permission to erect a mobile phone aerial on their field, which is adjacent to the school. The school intends to put together a petition against it, and is also going to encourage parents to write individually to the council, but I wondered if anyone had successfully (or even unsuccessfully) appealed against this sort of thing and had any hints? Thanks.
Ellbell

[smellymelly]

Yes, in my town we managed to get it stopped, but I'm sorry I don't know the exact ins and outs.

Just don't give up! They have laws in other countries about putting masts up near schools, why can't this country??

[debs26]

ok i will probably be met with a huge amount of abuse for saying this but im going to anyway....dp is a radio expert and spends a lot of time up masts (does not work for a mobile phone company or anything similar btw). i asked him what he thought of masts near schools a while ago and he said he would happily have one sat on top of our house because the closer they are the less powerful the signals have to be from your phone and the less radiation your phone emits so it is actually less damaging. the amount of background radiation you will pick up at ground level is negligible. i have probably got some technical bits wrong there but wanted to post because so many people get stressed out about things like this. if he says they are fine i am happy too - i realise you lot dont know him but just thought this may eliminate a bit of stress from your day

[foolysh]

That is what I heard, too, Debs, one hour on your mobile phone is as much radiation as you will get sitting for a year 100 yards from a mast.

Anyway, they sited a ruddy great big O2 Tetra mast on our local police station, on the poshest road in town (VERY EXPENSIVE HOUSES & very rich people living there, many claiming to now have severe illness ), almost right next door to a posh private school with a nice day nursery - and it's still there. Even though the district council is dead against it and has fought it tooth & nail . Local MP opposes it , & it's still there. They seem pretty hard to get rid of....

I am just hoping the rich people on that road will sell their houses for a pittance so I can afford to buy one...

[Ellbell]

Thanks Debs26 - I am perfectly willing to admit to almost complete ignorance about these things, so I am looking for accurate information either way (iyswim). I barely even use a mobile phone (I have one which I use about once a month - much the annoyance of anyone who has ever tried to ring me on it!). But if the school wants to try to get it stopped (and, insofar as I am a governor, I have to represent the school's views) then it needs to use info that is correct, not just scaremongering.

Foolysh - hope that dream house becomes vacant...

[KBear]

At DD's school (before she started there) there was a big campaign by some parents about the siting of a mast on the school. It did get stopped. I don't know too many details but I could certainly find out and maybe cat you details of how they got it stopped. Let me know.

[Ellbell]

KBear, thanks! If you could CAT me with any info that would be great.

[WideWebWitch]

Ellbell, contact Mast Sanity for more advice.

[Ellbell]

Thanks WWW, will do so!

[ladymuck]

If it isn't installed yet then it is fairly easy to put the wind up. A fairly "small" protest got a proposed site at the end of our road moved. Find out who owns the land on which it will be sited (usually not the phone company!), and write to them. They usually don't want any publicity because of course they're just in it for the money (renatl fromt he phone company).