Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 15: September 1999Mobile phone mastsLike the Scottish Wild Land Group, FotO welcomes the prospect of the new Scottish executive introducing tighter planning controls on the siting of mobile phone masts. At present masts and towers up to 15 metres in height can be erected without planning permission - and in the spring issue of their Scottish Wild Land News the SWLG claimed that many local authorities do not know how many masts exist in their area, nor where they are sited. Agreeing that this could be the case in some authorities, Clackmannanshire Council planners state they do know how many masts are on their patch and where they are sited. A spokesperson told FotO that while the proposed stricter planning controls are not yet formally in place, the authority has been kept informed of masts to be erected. The spokesperson added he was sure that most of the phone companies would try to comply with the authority's guidelines and would seek to site masts with sensitivity. Clackmannanshire Council has already taken the decision not to site mobile phone masts on any of their own buildings because of the possibility of damage to people's health. The Scottish planning minister, Calum MacDonald, warned that the social and economic benefits of modern telecommunications systems had to be balanced by adequate protection for the nation's landscape and environment. Mast-sharing between companies will be encouraged and the new regulations will involve planning permission for ground-based masts and for those erected on buildings. There will also be a greater degree of control within Sites of Special Scientific Interest. |