Vince Cable

Vincent Cable, MP, attacked Richmond borough council for agreeing to a request from the mobile 'phone company Hutchison 3G to erect a mast in Whitton overlooking the playing fields of St Edmunds RC Primary.

The application was agreed despite a 1000 signature petition of residents.

Vincent Cable said: "There is a genuine public concern about mobile phone masts. Although there is no established scientific link to health problems the best advice we have, enshrined in the government's own (Stewart) report on mobile phones, is to take a precautionary approach. The problem it that the government's planing guidelines say that objections should be based on planning rather than health grounds".

"I did however hold a debate in parliament, in May this year, when the government minister confirmed to me that the public's health concerns could be considered in planning decisions. There have, furthermore, been several cases where council shave won planning appeals, having rejected application on that basis. I realise that this is a genuinely tricky situation for councils since the mobile phone companies will appeal against rejections and councils do sometimes lose appeals. But, the last council (Lib Dem) turned down quite a few masts in areas where there was strong public feeling."

"I am in correspondence with planning ministers on this issue and I believe what is required is fresh guidance which give councils a duty to assist with the mobile phone roll out but also significant flexibility to reject particular applications when there is strong public concerns, close to schools or in high density areas. There also is an urgent need for on an update on the scientific data since my understanding is that experimental work in Germany and Switzerland has raised grave new concerns about health".