CHINGFORD: Concern over phone mast near school
10:43am Sunday 4th March 2012 inWaltham Forest NewsBy Joe Curtis
Angelo Montalto and MP Iain Duncan Smith outside the Bull on the Green
PARENTS fear for their children’s health if a phone mast is erected on a listed building near a primary school.
Vodafone and Telefonica hope to install the mast on top of the Bull on the Green pub in Chingford, but parents are planning to campaign against the move.
There is no conclusive evidence that phone masts cause health problems, but reports of illnesses associated with them continue.
But if approved the mast will be between 50 and 60 metres away from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Station Road and parents believe their children could be vulnerable to the low levels of radiation omitted from the mast.
Speaking on behalf of concerned parents, father-of-four Angelo Montalto, 40, of Connaught Avenue, said:
“There’s enough suspect cases to mean us parents fear for our children’s safety. And it’s a potential eyesore on a beautiful building. It’s horrible to think we’ll have phone masts spoiling the view.”
Councils are unable to refuse phone mast applications on health grounds, but the applicant must consult extensively if the mast is near a school. As the pub is listed the mast would be contained within plastic covers painted to match the building’s brickwork.
Residents met with Chingford MP Iain Duncan Smith on Friday (February 2) to discuss the issue.
He said: “I always worry if they’re near schools. The health case is unproven but young brains are much more vulnerable to microwave signals. We should treat [the application] with caution.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone and Telefonica said: “Without radio base stations, mobile phones will not be able to work.
"All of our base stations are designed, built and operated in accordance with stringent international guidelines laid down by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.
"Typical public exposures from our base stations will be many hundreds, if not thousands, of times below these guidelines.”
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