THE borough planning officer was quite correct to report to the planning committee that applications for the erection of mobile-phone base stations cannot be refused solely because of concerns expressed by local residents on the grounds of public health and safety.

That is what the law says and the planning committee have to work within it until, and unless, Parliament changes it.

That has not stopped Bury Council continuing to take its responsibility for public health and safety seriously. Accordingly, we have obtained the advice of the National Radiological Protection Board, the World Health Organisation, and the Health and Safety Executive.

Their advice is that there is no evidence that radio transmissions at the frequencies and radiated power levels used for mobile-telephone base stations have any direct effects on human health. Ironically, in view of the well-publicised protests against the siting of base stations, the widespread use of hand-held radio telephones exposes users to power levels which are several thousand times greater than any which could possibly be received from a base station.

The reason is simple. Without deliberately climbing the mast of a base station, the nearest anyone can get to the antennae is of the order of 25 metres. On the other hand, talking into a mobile phone exposes the users brain to radiation from a source only centimetres away.

That is why the studies of the neurological and psychological effects of mobile phones have concentrated on hand-held phones. Although no harmful effects have yet been displayed, slight heating of the users brain has been demonstrated after prolonged use (apparently resulting in a measurable improvement in response time). Studies are continuing.

Do any of the objectors against mobile-phone base stations either use mobile phones themselves or allow their families to do so? If so, are they going to stop? If they do not, then their objections to the council's position seems, at the very least, to be inconsistent.

COUNCILLOR DEREK BODEN,

leader of the council.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.