Letter published in Knaresborough Post 24th Nov.00
Planning application by Vodafone - Church Of The Holy Trinity
Many residents are concerned about the positioning of a mobile phone base transmitter in the spire of The Church Of The Holy Trinity which, though not as old as other parts of Knaresborough, is surely a part of our Heritage. Once one telecommunications operator is allowed to replace parts of the spire with plastic then there could be little argument against allowing others to follow suit.
As the safety of mobile phones is already suspect then long-term exposure to the radiation from these base transmitters must be also. In this country mobile phone masts have now been banned from school sites and mobile phone masts must not send a "beam of greatest intensity" across their land. As it is not considered safe to expose children for 6 hours per day at school how can it be safe to expose children for 24 hours at home. There is no reason why a telecommunications mast or base station must be placed in a residential area, it is just cheaper and more profitable for Vodafone.
Many bats and Tawny owls can be seen around the Church high enough to be directly in line with the primary transmitted beam(s). Telecomm workers must not go within 5 metres of transmitter aerials so small creatures cannot be safe within much larger distances. Bats are a protected species and their use of the spire should not be interfered with.
We are sure the installation would meet current health regulations – our concern is that it is not yet proved that these regulations are adequate. Already other countries are starting to introduce more stringent regulations. Is Harrogate Borough Council prepared to face future recriminations for their failure to safeguard against what may be the next BSE crisis.
