Letter to The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds 28-11-00
Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed a copy of our letter to Harrogate Planning Office objecting to the placing of 3 antennae for Vodafone in the spire of The Church of the Holy Trinity, Knaresborough. We understand that the placing of these antennae has still to be approved by the Diocesan Committee. We cannot stress strongly enough the level of opposition there is to the proposal. We have approached surrounding residents and have been overwhelmed by the level of support. Mrs. Helen Prudames put together a petition in order to voice the view of the neighbourhood and collected 69 names in one day. Many people have written letters and Knaresborough Post is covering the matter.
We urge you to consider the health issues and the impact on the lives of the local residents. We can provide you with a great deal of scientific evidence from research into the dangers. In the enclosed letter we refer to transmitters no longer being allowed on school sites. Are you aware that a Mother and Toddler Group use the church hall, as well as other community groups and a growing Sunday School?
We would draw your attention to schools which are now, following the Stewart Report, having to remove installations on health grounds but are tied to contracts with penalties. The maximum recommended exposure levels in Australia are 1000th of 1 microwatts/cm2; in the E.U. are 10 microwatts/cm2; and in Britain are 3300 microwatts/cm2. Hopefully the National Radiological Protection Board will revise the British safety levels as soon as possible.
We can appreciate that the church would benefit financially from Vodafone. However, they will lose a great deal more in the goodwill of the community and many of their own congregation. We personally have very good relations with the church, but we cannot ignore a threat to our children’s health.
The Rev. Ugwunna had suggested a meeting between a few residents, the churchwardens and himself. We were delighted to accept his offer Unfortunately we were misled. Mr. Gallico, a church warden, when contacted to arrange this meeting, said the Vicar had not consulted the church wardens before making this offer and that they did not want a meeting where everyone could air their grievances. We feel their attitude throughout has reflected a major lack of communication, not only to the community but also to their own congregation, especially as these proposals have apparently been in the pipeline for two years now. We are prepared to meet the wardens should they wish to hear our concerns.
We hope, in the current climate of health scares, that you will take the opportunity to be one of the first to put public safety before profit and set an example to others in a similar position.
Yours truly,
