Perthshire for news, events, listings, tourism and other issues that
may or may not be going on in Perthshire.
BEYOND BELIEF!! Planning Application for 15m Telecommunications Mast – Auchterarder
"Everyone pays the price for modern communications, it seems, regardless of whether you use such systyems or not. The further imposition of potentially losing a new employer in the area carries little 'weight' in either the planning or planning appeal system, and is very regretable.
The first stage is to engage a solicitor who will then consult with an advocate for an opinion of the Reporter's findings. If there is any opportunity to proceed further then the advocate would be able to direct you to the issues that is lacking or flawed in the reporter's findings. At this stage it would be necessary to decide what remedy is to be sought before going to the stage of securing the services of a QC.
The first stage of things would probably cost about £1,000 + VAT.
The further stages, including presentation to the Court of Session would be between £7,000 and £10,000.
Even if a case is won in the Court of Session it is likely that only about half the costs incurred would be recovered.
I hope that this provides you with the information on how to proceed and look forward to your reply."
Cllr. Colin Young
Thanks for the free advice, bet the people of Auchterarder would love to hear your advice on this matter. Shouldn't the council be helping the residents.
It would appear that Auchterarder Motors have sold a piece of their land at the rear of the garage to Orange for the erection of a mobile phone mast. Obviously greed and personal gain came before concern for the welfare of local residents or the impact that it would have on the value of their properties. Well they got their money so why give toss about the effects on other local people.
The fact that Perth & Kinross Council is even considering this application is beyond belief. Wonder who is taking the backhanders here then!
The mast at 15m (nearly 50ft) would be probably the tallest construction in Auchterarder, and would be visible from a distance of some miles particularly as this is a raised part of the village. It will be visibly detrimental to the sky-line of Auchterarder and this ugly large metal structure will clash and contribute to an aesthetic and visual deterioration of the area. This will clearly impact on house prices in the surrounding area. In May 2003 court awarded residents £10-20,000 each from Swindon Council for allowing a mast to be erected.
The mast and associated equipment will inevitably generate a level of noise, which will be permanently audible to those living close by and for some distance down wind of it. Continuous background noise can be very stressful and is a good reason for not constructing these masts in residential areas.
A mast of 15m situated in the heart of a village will act as a magnet for local youths intent on conquering it’s height. The provision of 5 concrete bollards in front of the area will not be an adequate deterrent to youths although it may stop cars from hitting the construction. The construction of the mast would undoubtedly lead to some unfortunate individual being injured.
In addition, there is major cause for concern about the potential health risks of living so close to this level of radio-wave transmission. The perceived health concerns related to masts create anxiety levels that are, in themselves, unhealthy and detrimental to the well being of the local community. A mast would be a constant reminder to the community and reinforce the fear of health risk particularly for our children.
Cochrane’s Wynd is a very busy lane used throughout the day by local people and particularly parents and children on their way to the local school. There are no pavements on the lane. The area for the proposed mast is currently used by Auchterarder Motors to park cars whilst waiting to be serviced. The mast will therefore force a number of cars to be parked along the lane resulting in a hazard to the many children and adult pedestrians using the lane. It will also inevitably cause disruption to the local residents and businesses that need to get their vehicles to and from their houses/places of work.
Sensitive areas have been identified by other Councils and include areas surrounded by residential properties, schools and pre-school childcare. For eg. The Birmingham unitary development plan, Jan 2002 telecommunications, paragraph 8.55A within the city, locations considered more sensitive than others include, Transport corridors, pronominally residential areas, listed buildings, conservation orders, historic parks and gardens, public open space, green belt, Sites adjacent or within the ground of educational and health institutions and any location identified in supplementary planning guidance.
