DAN GRIMMER
31 August 2006 11:35

There was anger today after people discovered Norwich City Council is unable to remove potentially harmful phone masts from above their flats.

It was also revealed that the council has earned about £400,000 from telecoms companies companies to allow them to put the masts on its property.

Figures released to the Evening News under the Freedom Of Information Act revealed five residential tower blocks owned by the city council have mobile phone masts on top of them, putting hundreds of people at risk from the possible effect of emissions.

Families in Norwich have learned the phone masts on top of some tower blocks, like Normandie Tower, have earned the city council hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Radiation from mobile phones have been blamed for health problems including cancers, and the equipment has not been conclusively proved to be safe.

Campaigners today called for the city council to revoke its agreements with the phone firms and take down the masts, but council leaders said they were stuck with them.

Aylmer Tower in Mile Cross has netted the council the most money - with £112,500 heading into City Hall's bank account.

Other masts which earn the council cash from mobile phone operators are Ashbourne Tower in Watling Road, Heartsease (£81,000), Normandie Tower, Rouen Road (£59,500), Seaman Tower, Mile Cross (£72,750) and Winchester Tower, Vauxhall Street (£56,500).

Bert Sunderland, 71, who lives in Rider Haggard Road in Heartsease, close to Ashbourne Tower, said: “I do not think they should be placed in any areas where people are living in close proximity while there is no proof they are not harmful.

“Although the council want all the money they can get they must not get it at the cost of the ordinary person who has to live nearby. There are too many masts and its getting out of hand.”

While the city council was not able to tell us how long the masts had been up, in 2005/6 they generated about £50,000 for the local authority.

When the city council was run by Liberal Democrats the administration brought in its pre-election pledge not to sign any further leases with mobile phone operators but once in power the group found they could not revoke the contracts on the masts which were already up.

Adrian Ramsay, leader of the Green party on the city council, said: “The Green councillors think the council should have a policy of no phone masts on council land at all.

“There should be no new masts and they should revoke the existing contracts because they are currently in densely populated residential areas.”

However, Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour-controlled council, said because of the types of leases the phone firms signed, the council cannot revoke the contracts, as the Liberal Democrats had discovered during their time in power.

He said: “We have never pretended we can get rid of them and there was never any conceivable way the Lib Dems could have revoked the contracts either.”

Nick Williams, a former Labour leader of Norwich City Council, said he could not remember signing any contracts for mobile phone masts.

“I think the contracts go back to the mid 1980s, before my time, and I cannot remember who the leader of the then Labour administration would have been. But I don't think we signed them during my time.”

People living in and around Normandie Tower seemed unaware that a mast was sitting so close to their homes.

John Stanley, who has lived in the tower for five years, said he did not know that there was a phone mast on top of the building. “They always said it was a radio mast for taxis for the area,” said Mr Stanley, 38. “It's something I'll now have to consider.”

Another man, who lived in nearby Argyle Street but did not wish to be named, said: “I don't know anything about this. I never even noticed it to be honest. But it seems that everywhere in the city there's a site where they do what they want.”

A cautionary tale comes from Birmingham City Council, which had banned new mobile phone masts from being placed on their land. Last summer the authority lifted that ban because of fears masts were instead mushrooming on private land while at least they could be more tightly controlled if they were on council land.

Karen Barratt, who was part of the pressure group Mast Sanity and now runs a mast monitoring group in the West Country, said: “It sounds great to have a blanket ban, but sometimes council buildings are a good solution.

“However, the council as a landlord, must have an obligation to their tenants. I hope they consulted them before the masts were put up, but I suspect some tenants are not even aware there are mobile phone masts there.”

Meanwhile Norfolk County Council makes more than £60,000 each year from leasing its land for use by mobile phone operators for masts and related equipment.

County Hall itself has half a dozen aerials and antennae while other equipment is located at Postwick Park and Ride and fire stations such as Sprowston, Aylsham and Wymondham.

Steven Reilly, spokesman for Norfolk County Council, said: “The authority does generate some revenue from mobile phone operators by leasing sites for masts to be sited on council premises, and this money is used to benefit the public by putting it towards council services.

“The county council follows Government advice on health and safety issues and all of these masts have received the relevant planning permission.”

Through our Put Masts On Hold campaign The Evening News has been calling for no masts to be built near schools or homes until research has conclusively shown they are safe.

A group of independent experts led by Sir William Stewart investigated possible health effects caused by mobile phone technology.

The group looked at recent research, took evidence from scientists and listened to the views of the public at open meetings around the UK, including one hosted by the Evening News.

Its conclusion was that the balance of evidence indicates that there was no general risk to the health of people living near base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be small fractions of guidelines.

But the group said there were gaps in knowledge about the masts and recommended councils adopt a precautionary approach to masts near homes and schools.

Mobile phone operators have long said all their masts meet the safety guidelines laid down by the Government.

Are you battling a mobile phone mast application where you live? Telephone Evening News reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772439 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk