Councils cannot look at health issues on phone masts

Councillor John Fletcher says :

Stockton Council's Planning Committee voted to allow a replacement phone mast in Hartburn, as reported in your 28th July issue. Although many objectors expressed genuine concerns on health grounds, the Council's officers advised that the Committee were obliged by rules imposed by the State to ignore any concerns about the effect on health, looking only at siting and design. Councillors are democratically elected by local people, but in this case could not take account of local people's views. Indeed, had the Committee broken the rules and turned the mast down on health grounds, their decision would have been overturned by a Planning Inspector appointed by Ministers, resulting in costs borne by local council-taxpayers.

These rules apply to every phone mast application in England. People who think that the rules are wrong and that there are health risks need to direct their campaigns to Whitehall, not their town hall. Councillors and council officers can do only what the law allows. Blaming them is like shooting the messenger!