Not worth putting the children at risk (From Penarth Times)

Not worth putting the children at risk

FURIOUS residents are continuing to battle plans for a mobile phone mast just metres from another Penarth nursery.

Parents and local people are worried about One2One's proposal for a two metre structure to go on top of the Waverley Care Centre, which already has two masts.

Owners of the nearby Hazelhurst Nursery, Menda and Ian Boyce, are outraged.

Mr Boyce said: "There's lots of talk from experts about the harmful effects from these masts.

"Most parents don't want it. Why take the risk when there's a big question mark hanging over it all?"

The plans come just months after BT Cellnet scrapped proposals for a mast near Bute Cottage Nursery.

Margaret Phellps, of Raisdale Gardens, also hit out at the plans. She said: "Even if you put the health considerations to one side, it's still an ugly construction.

"If you're walking along the cliff path in Penarth you will see beauty until you see these masts. You can even see them from Cosmeston. It makes a mockery of planning regulations in a residential area."

She said mobile phone giants should take heed of some other countries where masts are designed to look like trees.

The Stewart Report in May 2000 considered health risks and was widely publicised.

Sir William Stewart said: "The balance of evidence does not suggest that mobile phone technologies put the health of the general population of the UK at risk.

"There is some preliminary evidence that outputs from mobile phone technologies may cause, in some cases, subtle biological effects although, importantly, these do not necessarily mean that health is affected."

The report also stated the possibility of harm could not be ruled out with confidence and gaps in knowledge were sufficient to justify a precautionary approach.

* What do you think? Phone Ceri Garner on 2070 7234 or write to the Penarth Times.