Friday, March 09, 2012
NEIGHBOURS say they are horrified that a giant phone mast has been put up outside their homes.
The 20-metre structure was erected this week on a grass verge along Elvaston Lane, Alvaston, even though a planning application has yet to be determined.
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The 20-metre phone mast put up on Elvaston Lane, Alvaston, has led to a furious reaction from residents.
Everything Everywhere Ltd – a network operator for Orange and T-mobile – can legally have the mast in place for six months without consent.
The company wants it in place for longer and is seeking planning permission from Derby City Council to have it on the verge for three years.
The mast is a replacement for an existing one that is on top of a block of flats in Durley Close. It has to be taken down so the block can be demolished and make way for new low-cost housing.
With no building for the new mast to be placed on, a 20-metre structure has been built to ensure a strong signal is achieved by the antennas.
There was strong opposition from residents when the mast application went in and 140 of them signed a petition opposing the plans. They feared the mast would be an "eyesore" and potentially pose a threat to their health.
Bungalow owner Rob Barker, of Elvaston Lane, will be among those speaking out against the application when councillors determine the mast's long-term fate on Thursday.
He said he was furious the mast was already in place.
"I've always felt that once it's up, it will stay up," he said. "It's higher than the church and detracts from the surrounding area. It's a giant, galvanised piece of metal in the sky.
"They say there's no proof that these masts are harmful to people's health but there also isn't any proof that they don't.
"There's lots of other sites, away from people's houses, where it could have gone."
Fellow bungalow owner Sylvia Walley, 87, said: "When the new homes are built, who is going to want to live in them with this mast right outside?"
Church Street resident David Gale also gave his assessment of the new mast.
He said: "The visual impact of the mast is hideous. It is less than 25 metres from people's lounge windows.
"It is utterly reprehensible that the viable alternatives referred to in the petition signed by 140 residents have not been addressed."
The city council's director of housing, Brian Frisby, said Everything Everywhere was permitted to install the mast, without consent, for six months because of "development rights".
None of the Alvaston councillors has opposed the mast.
Councillor Linda Winter said: "Whilst all the ward councillors understand the concerns of the residents, moving the mast a short distance from its current location on the top of Yarmouth House to the verge seems a small price to pay to get rid of eyesore flats and build much-needed homes."
Everything Everywhere did not comment.
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