The following Letter of Objection was written by Lisa Oldham
to the Director of Environmental and Economic Development,
regarding the Mast erection on Gatley Hill
(Gatley Action Against Masts)

Re : Application for a Mobile Phone Mast on Gatley Hill, Gatley Planning
Id : DC006376 #

Dear Sir,
I am writing to object to the proposed erection of a new mobile phone mast on Gatley Hill in Gatley.
I believe that the sole notification of the sheltered housing on Park Mount was totally inappropriate. Those flats are filled with elderly people, many of which do not get out much in winter and would therefore not have seen the notice. Most of the residents do not know how to object to the proposal either.
As a parent with one child at Gatley Primary and another at Brookside Pre School (on Gatley Hill) I am very concerned that neither school was notified at the earliest opportunity. I understand that the new PPG8 guidelines require schools to be given sufficient notification. Giving the school and therefore its parents less than a week to object is not "sufficient notification". (No notification at all for the Pre School). I accept that the objections date has been changed from the December 24th 2001 to January 11th 2002, however many parents were told the earlier date and therefore may have hurried their objection letters to get them in before the deadline. This means that many have not made all the points that they would normally have, nor brought up all the relevant issues.
If we look at Planning Policy Guidance Note 8:-

Pre-application discussions should also be carried out between operators and other organisations with an interest in the proposed development, such as English Nature, the Countryside Agency, English Heritage, the Highways Agency, local highway authorities, residential groups, parish councils or amenity bodies.

As a member of Gatley Village Community Association I can confirm that no pre application discussions have taken place nor with Gatley Action, which I am representing here. Whilst I accept that it is up to the Council's discretion who to notify and how, by only notifying those less likely to object and also by failing to notify the schools directly I can only assume that the Council were trying either to hide the application or to prevent effective and timely opposition to it - the Guidelines as laid out in PPG8 have certainly not been followed.
May I also quote PPG8 again:-

Where a mast is to be installed on or near a school or college it is important that operators discuss the proposed development with the relevant body of the school or college concerned before submitting an application for planning permission or prior approval to the local planning authority.

The operator has not discussed this issue with the Headteacher at Gatley Primary or the Governors and therefore this application should surely be invalid. Legislation directs the Council to let the schools know and I would argue that the Planning department by not going directly to the Headteacher of Gatley Primary is contravening this legislation. Therefore if the decision goes to erecting the mast that mast will be unlawful.

Stockport Council has taken the decision, along with many other councils, not to put masts on schools. I believe that they should also protect, to the best of their ability, schools and their pupils from any closeness to masts. Only last year the Head of Stockport Education Committee Councillor Mark Hunter referred to the Council's "duty of care" to children and he said: "until it has been proven there is no danger to youngsters, children should not be exposed to the 'potential' dangers of masts." I would request that Stockport take this statement seriously and support Councillor Hunter by refusing all applications in close proximity to schools.

The land, although owned by the Council, was bequeathed to the Council "for the benefit of local children". The erection of the mast will break the conditions of this Will. In fact, the mast currently standing on the site may already be contravening the conditions of this Will. There is currently a ban on erecting masts on Stockport Council property and since the land is owned and controlled by Council, Gatley Hill should be included.

The proposed mast will be within parkland in which there are many bats. It is well known that mobile phone mast emissions affect the sonar of these animals and therefore carry a very real threat to them. All species of bats are endangered and therefore are protected under British and International Law. Significant consideration must be given to this issue when making the planning decision. The new mast is significantly more powerful and larger than the original and will have an even greater impact on the local wildlife.

I fully accept that it is not the role of the planning officers or the councillors on the planning committees to consider the health risks, nor to consider the validity of health issues or their personal beliefs in those issues. However, it is their responsibility to consider the vast amounts of new research pointing to serious health implications affecting the lives of residents near to mobile phone masts. Loss of amenity is a very valid planning issue and it is clear that worrying about the implications to ones health from mobile phone masts, especially if the mast is clearly visible from ones home, is going to effect the person's quality of life - thus leading to a loss of amenity.

The current mast is visually intrusive and the proposed new mast will hold significantly more equipment. As a result of "tree pruning" it will be significantly more visible. Currently the mast towers over the infant playground at Gatley Primary School and is visible from many properties on Hawthorn Road. It is also clearly visible from properties on Burnside Avenue. The new mast will be significantly more visually intrusive for even more homes, and a constant reminder of the possible threat to their health for numerous households.

Complying with the ICNIRP guidelines does not and cannot now allay public concern whilst the organisation, along with the NRPB, continue to ignore (not deny or disprove) peer reviewed research that proves a non thermal effect from mobile phone mast emissions. Peer reviewed means that it has been passed around the international scientific circuit of registered and accepted specialist scientists, accepted and agreed. I also note that now it is in the public domain it is well known that the NRPB, which sets out the guidelines, relies on research and documentation provided by a consultancy that works for one of the main operators. This further depletes public trust in the authorities and furthers public fear.

Another of my concerns is the access to the buildings behind the mast. There is a Church at the top of the path and the Scout Hut, which also houses Brookside Pre School. Currently there is available space for emergency vehicle access. I believe that the new mast and associated buildings will obstruct this pathway and therefore may endanger the lives of the users of these buildings, in particular the Pre School, which my daughter attends. I would appreciate written confirmation that this has been looked into and clarified with the emergency services.

Some consideration should be given to the fact that this particular area of Gatley attracts many unpleasant activities. Cars are often burnt out on the park and more recently in the car park. Unpleasant people are often seen (and reported) in very close proximity to the mast, they often "hide" up near the scout hut. The new mast and adjacent buildings will be more prominent and will be closer to the emergency exit and the car park and therefore will be more attractive to vandals and other, more unsavoury people. At present the mast is completely unprotected, which is already a concern. I would again like written confirmation on exactly how you intend to protect the mast and buildings from vandalism and also from the possibility of damage from stolen vehicles which are often driven around and raced about on the Hill.

Putting the existing mast aside this is a new application and therefore the legal requirements must be fulfilled or the mast will be unlawful. This application should be considered purely on its own merits and the fact that there is already a mast there should not be part of the decision making process. I trust that significant consideration will be given to the issues that I have raised and that permission for the erection of a new mast on Gatley Hill be refused.

Yours faithfully,

Ms. L.M. Oldham For and on behalf of Gatley Action Against Masts