Accrington church mast fears 'not listened to'

4:30pm Monday 30th July 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Emma Cruces, Reporter

RESIDENTS have been angered after plans to put phone masts on a community centre and church were passed.

Accrington’s Grade Two listed St Andrew’s Church, off Empress Street, recently had a £50,000 revamp and community room and kitchen installed.

Plans to put up a three-antennae phone mast have been rejected for cosmetic reasons in the past, but a new plan to install eight antennas has been passed by officers.

Although the plans from Vodafone had been amended to camouflage the mast behind the louvres in the church tower, residents fear the masts could put their health at risk.Residents from nearby streets sent a 38-signature petition, and letters of complaint, to Hyndburn Council.

Chairman of West Accrington Residents’ Association Tariq Ali said people felt they had not been listened to. He said: “When residents complain about the same thing in Hollins Lane, the application gets nowhere. But it just feels to everyone that when it’s an area like this, no-one is listened to. Residents wouldn’t have even known about the plan if we hadn’t been paying attention to the planning list.”

A spokeswoman for Vodafone said: “Some people have concerns about health issues and phone masts. However, we make sure all our installations are designed and built to international standards with public health in mind.”

Council leader Miles Parkinson said: “Officers will go through the planning criteria carefully with residents’ objections in mind. The health concerns are something officers can’t allow for as it’s not proven. Officers need proven reas-ons to reject plans.”

Comments(11)

shytalk says...
4:59pm Mon 30 Jul 12

The people who are complaining are proberbly the same people who are using their mobile phone to ring up and complain..Ethier that or Accrington has an Amish community.

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woolywords says...
5:29pm Mon 30 Jul 12

It's easy to mock the NIMBY attitude but once over, Brown, Blue and White asbestos were all declared safe..
BSE was no risk to humans..
Fallout from Chernobyl was no risk..
Overhead power lines were no risk..

Who do you believe?

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bmca4916 says...
5:38pm Mon 30 Jul 12

The church and the council will both be happy with the result,money both of them will sell anything for the good of the people,money,money money practice what you PREACH,maybe the church need,s a new roof

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Venomp says...
6:21pm Mon 30 Jul 12

Look at other towns they allow masts, nothing happens btw objectors think its their property the numpties

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Your ferret stinks says...
6:50pm Mon 30 Jul 12

Absolutely disgraceful without the parishiners ever having a say in the matter, it's one thing to have a windmill in a feild but to bolt 8 of these masts into a church is off the scale!

Ask if you can put 8 inside a mosque near by? and you'll get the same answer NO WAY!

So is this going to set a precedence?

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oldblue says...
7:31pm Mon 30 Jul 12

woolywords wrote:
It's easy to mock the NIMBY attitude but once over, Brown, Blue and White asbestos were all declared safe..
BSE was no risk to humans..
Fallout from Chernobyl was no risk..
Overhead power lines were no risk..

Who do you believe?
The case against BSE, Chernobyl fallout in this country and overhead power lines has not been proven. Statistically none of the above have shown increased risk despite the scare stories and Daily Mail headlines. Everything in life carries a risk and there will always be some unfortunates who get the worst of it. That is not sufficient justification for needless panicking. Remember the MMR vaccine nonsense?

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Venomp says...
7:36pm Mon 30 Jul 12

Look at other towns they allow masts, nothing happens btw objectors think its their property the numpties

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disgusted tunbridge wells says...
1:17pm Tue 31 Jul 12

Wait 'til God finds out

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Gaius Grossus says...
1:42pm Tue 31 Jul 12

as has been said, if people did not want the latest Gizmo phones we would not need more masts. so don't complain unless you've not got a mobile. Anything else is hipocracy.

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doggydog says...
6:23pm Tue 31 Jul 12

who cares as long as i get a signal

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Venomp says...
10:09pm Wed 1 Aug 12

l hope it gets passed, I need the signal

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