Hooray! No mast near our school (From Stroud News and Journal)

Hooray! No mast near our school

DELIGHTED children at a Stonehouse special school were celebrating this week after Ebley Mill turned down plans for a controversial phone on their doorstep.

Council planners have rejected proposals from mobile phone operator Hutchison 3G for a mast near the Shrubberies school, saying the telecom giant had not investigated other sites enough.

The news came as a huge relief to parents, staff and pupils who had repeatedly expressed fears that mast radiation could harm the already vulnerable youngsters.

"I am very pleased on behalf of the Shrubberies," said Bill Jackson, chairman of governors at the Oldends Lane school. "We cannot afford to risk these children or any other children.

"I think it is a welcome reprieve but I am most interested to see where they are going to put the mast now."

Lynne Edmunds, local spokesman for campaign group mast sanity, congratulated the district council on the refusal.

"I take my hat off to Stroud planners because they have taken this application extremely seriously," she said. "We believe they can find a better site in Stonehouse which is suitable for them and will not put the children at the Shrubberies at risk."

Area county councillor Lesley Williams, who has made efforts to find another site for the mast, added: "I am delighted because it means that the communications company will have to try and find another site."

Stroud MP David Drew, who has also been following the fate of the mast plan, said: "I welcome this decision and know how relieved the local community will be. While many of us rely on mobile phones it is vital that masts are sensitively sited, away from schools and public spaces."

Hutchison 3G spokesman Mike Dobson said: "Clearly we are disappointed with this decision as we did investigate various potential sites.

"It remains our intention to provide 3G coverage to Stonehouse and we will continue to talk with a range of local stakeholders in the coming weeks as part of that process."