Plymouth residents' anger over 50ft phone mast near homes
FURIOUS residents in a picturesque corner of Laira are complaining to the Government over the sudden appearance of a "horrifying" 50ft communications mast.
Families in Laira Avenue and Finch Close awoke to find the giant metal structure had been put up overnight by Network Rail – without, they say, any warning.
The rail network operator owns the land as part of its Laira Depot, but has placed the mast mere yards from some homes.
Now locals have united to write to transport secretary Justine Greening, as well as Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Oliver Colvile, with their concerns.
"I am not happy," said Gary Rogers, one of the mast's closest neighbours at about six metres. "My house has probably lost £12-15,000 in value overnight.
"This thing looks like a furnace on a concrete plinth. It makes me worry about my ten-year-old girl, thinking there could be radiowaves coming from it."
None of the residents The Herald spoke to said they were informed about the mast in advance.
But several households received letters three days later notifying them about seemingly unrelated cable work.
Retired care assistant Jan Gardiner accused Network Rail of carrying out a "cloak and dagger operation".
She said: "We've had no notification, no consultation and they put it up in the dark overnight, which we feel is very suspicious, like some cloak and dagger operation.
"I went to bed and throughout the evening there were a lot of floodlights shining through and I couldn't see what was happening.
"When I woke up and pulled the curtains back it was horrifying, the mast is all I could see.
"It's massive and it's very encroaching on the houses around here.
"It's quite a depressing thing to have to look at and, regardless of whether these do damage to your health, the perception is there.
"It deadens your mind a bit. It's a very mentally debilitating thing to suddenly have around you."
Mrs Gardiner added: "It's just a massive blot on the landscape
"This is an area of mostly period properties. There's a Grade II-listed house down the road and now it's got this thing peering right over the top of it."
Neighbour Brian Smith said the street, beside a noisy train line and busy stretch of Embankment Road, was already plagued by flooding.
"For them to put it up overnight looks totally underhand," the 53-year-old said.
"They've rode roughshod over everybody, and it's a joke. It is totally wrong.
"We've got enough problems down here without this."
Network Rail said it had liaised with Plymouth City Council, MPs and councillors before selecting the only site that offered "optimum coverage" as part of improvement measures.
But local councillor Pauline Murphy said she received a single letter about the issue in May last year – and Network Rail had since told her it was "up to elected members" to inform locals of the plans.
"But we are not employed by Network Rail," Cllr Murphy said.
"As far as I'm concerned, consultation is speaking to the residents themselves.
"There has been no consultation at all, and I'm so angry about it."
Her Efford and Lipson ward Labour colleague Cllr Brian Vincent added: "We were made aware there was a proposal a long time ago, and we did leaflet Finch Close.
"But this is horrendous really, and I think it's sad that they haven't consulted.
"If they were going to be open about it they would have done it during the day, surely, and working with the community."
A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "When selecting a site for a communications mast we take great care to evaluate the local environment and community issues, as well as choosing a site which meets the strict operational requirements of the system.
"We have explored all possible options and Laira was the only location that will enable us to receive optimum coverage to operate train services safely.
"Following contact with the local authority, MPs and councillors in Plymouth, it was agreed that a 15m monopole be installed and painted in green to minimise its visual impact on nearby homes."
She continued: "The masts being installed by Network Rail will allow direct and continuous communication between train drivers and signallers, considerably improving safety, reliability and punctuality for all passengers.
"Residents can also be assured that they are not mobile telephone masts; their signals are directed along the railway tracks whereas mobile phone masts radiate their signals in 360 degree circles."
Network Rail is replacing its analogue radio systems with digital masts following highly critical reports into historic rail accidents.
33 Comments
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by LaughingNoam
Saturday, February 25 2012, 1:40PM
“by 10thattemptThursday, February 9 2012, 10:09AM
"I bet they're all so angry that they'll immediately get rid of their own mobile phones.
Or not."
The person quoted in the article - who is my mother - does not have a mobile phone, or internet. Irrelevant anyway as this is not a public mobile phone mast - its for railway use only; and no no, my mum doesn't use the railway either before you ask!”
by LaughingNoam
Saturday, February 25 2012, 12:40AM
“This is the Network Rail sustainability Policy
http://tinyurl.com/6m6cmjb
it includes the phrases
To exceed the expectations of lineside neighbours, local communities and the public
to respond in a professional and timely manner to public enquiries
to continually improve public and neighbour perception and
experience of Network Rail
to provide a positive lineside environment for all neighbours
They have a Corporate Responsibilty Group who are responsible for the sustainability policy
I think you should be contacting this lot
http://tinyurl.com/6rb4tg5”
by ukwrecker157
Saturday, February 11 2012, 6:55PM
“Why bother nothing will happen MP's will make noises as if they care and do nothing about it what so ever, just a waste of time particularly Oliver Colvile, wrote him an Email and got nothing back, next election I vote Monster raving loony party because that is what it is like voting for any of the others, again who cares when you are earning £68,000 pound a year for five years and that is with out the cash for question they get paid each time, most of the time with these MP unless they have a cash for question to be asked they are fast asleep”
by asctty
Friday, February 10 2012, 7:04PM
“Ok, if there were no notices associated with a planning application erected prior to the permission being given, then fine, NR and the Council are at fault.
Why don't you ask them if such a notice was put up. If it was, and nobody noticed, then as long as it was placed in the position stipulated bt the Planning Department, then due process has been followed.
If it was put up and promptly torn down by someone, then they are not at fault.
You do not have to put letters through every door in the vicinity of a planning application.
I suspect that this planning application also applied to a modification to the Permanent Way of the Railway. It appears to have to been installed on an access road. In which case it may be subject to different planning laws.
Regardless, this is not a simple mobile phone phone provider's mast blatting out microwaves all over the place, it is a point to point railway communications mast.
Get back on your mobiles and google the difference. You are in more danger of wlaking into a lampost than getting your head frazzled.
Oh, and who lives under the HV transmission tower in the picture? I would be more worried about that!”
by LHPlymouth
Friday, February 10 2012, 6:25PM
“The point is that this mast was erected without the residents knowing in advance. It doesnt matter which part of Plymouth you live in, what your lifestyle or education the point is that NO ONE deserves to be treated any different than anyone else. Whether it be Laira or Barne Barton those who scoff and insult should be ashamed of themselves. It is still peoples homes and lives that are affected.
FOXFAN99 - can't you see that WinstonSmith0 must actually like living in Plymouth as he/she is showing more concern for the city and its residents than most other people do on these forums. Be proud of he/she for standing up and also for all the research that is carried out rather than just believing what the smart suits spout? At least he/she has a mind to do that.
trudie2010 - its not WinstonSmitho's job to get more people to recycle unless he/she works for PCC's waste department. Surely the fact that PCC has put the recycling facility on hold proves how much they think of encouraging recycling. Blame them not those that are recycling as much as possible.
PL7Mafia - some may class the dockyard as an industrial site I guess, but the land where the incinerator is proposed to be is NOT and is not IN the dockyard. Why do you people not get it - it is too close to homes and schools. Yes the dockyard was there already but this incinerator is a completely different ball game. Waste should be going OUT of the city NOT coming into it..maybe past your front dooor.
GreenGom - and what do you do for your neighbours? This fight against the incinerator isn't just about those who live within metres of it, it's for all of Plymouth and local area and united with others around the country who are in the same appalling boat. And it's about how democracy works (not) for normal everyday folk - you think other countries are corrupt.....wait til the financial burden lands on your doorstep.
If you were all unhappy about a mast, an incinerator, large building outside your window, hundreds of juggernauts hurtling past your door or sitting chugging at traffic lights spewing out fumes, in fact anything that wasnt there before but was was going to affect you and your neighbours adversely, and your city what would you do? Sit back in your armchair and say or do nothing or do like others are who are using their voices and whatever means available to alert and motivate people into standing up and fighting back.
You wanna be walked all over..fine...but some of us don't want to be.”
by janner26
Thursday, February 09 2012, 10:15PM
“it is on the edge of a railway track,picturesque area its not.”
by Winstonsmith0
Thursday, February 09 2012, 7:55PM
“Thank you hjm4l, that was the crux of my argument. Its a principle thing - people deserve more power.
@trudie2010 - have a look at your own shopping trolley the next time you put your 'stuff' into those free plastic bags. Do you reduce, reuse and recycle? If so, does your recycle bin get filled far more times than your ordinary waste bin? That's what we should all be aming for - else our kids will have very little left for them.
We are all far too wasteful and far too sold on buying new things all the time - it just plays into the hands of big companies.
Sorry greengom - I got distracted by trudie2010's comment
I still think Network Rail should have consulted the Laira residents though.”
by hjm4l
Thursday, February 09 2012, 6:42PM
“I also think that some people are missing the point as there has been no communication with the residents over this so understandably they feel aggrieved and have the right to feel that way.
It seems to be the norm these days to dismiss the right of consultation to anyone irrespective of being directly involved or not.
From central Government with their policies regarding a referendum on Europe or peoples thoughts on immigration and the justice system we are being constantly dismissed as not worthy of consideration and this has now filtered down through business and local councils to the point whereby what you want doesn't matter so a local airport can be closed,high speed rail links ignored and an incinerator can be built because some people have got their head up their a** and can't or won't see what is happening.”
by thebannedone
Thursday, February 09 2012, 6:09PM
“Irrespective of whose land it is, a mast cannot be erected unless there has been planning permission.
As part of the process it is a requirement to post notices that work will be done, and the public have a right to inspect and comment. The only time when there is no contest is with massive civil works, and that has to be passed in Parliament. When the planning rules have been run over roughshod, then like the unfortunate friends of mine who got planning permission and converted a barn got their home demolished as the powers that be did not have proof that there were notices posted, and that inspectors were unavailable to cxheck what had been done. That was also after three years of retrospective notices.”
by MickBarb
Thursday, February 09 2012, 6:07PM
“In World War two, soldiers on airfield sentry duty on frosty nights noticed they could warm up by standing in certain spots near radar transmitters because of the radiation.
So people living near phone masts can look on the bright side and think how much they'll save on heating bills..;)”