Residents set for new mobile mast battle

11:09am Friday 1st February 2008

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RESIDENTS are preparing for a new battle in their bid to have a phone mast taken down.

A public inquiry will decide if the T-Mobile mast in Market Street, Little Lever, should be allowed to remain.

The inquiry has been scheduled to take place at Bolton Town Hall on June 11.

T-mobile erected the mast last September - even though it had been refused permission by Bolton Council's planning committee earlier in the year.

That sparked an angry protest by residents but T-Mobile appealed against a council enforcement notice demanding that the mast should be pulled down.

The council held talks with company bosses in November in the hope of avoiding a costly inquiry by persuading them to move the mast, possibly to an alternative site agreed with the authority.

But T-Mobile has failed to return with an alternative proposal and both sides have now prepared legal arguments which have been sent to the planning inspectorate in Bristol.

Little Lever councillor and chairman of the council's planning committee, Cllr Sean Hornby, said: "The council remains convinced that the enforcement notice was justified and that T-Mobile do not have consent to site the mast in Little Lever.

"I am disappointed that T-Mobile has not got back to us with an alternative site for the mast.

"T-Mobile knew the application had been refused, received the notification and a representative was present and spoke at the planning committee meeting.

"The community in Little Lever clearly didn't want the mast at the location and we as a council supported the residents, but T-Mobile ignored that and went ahead anyway.

"I would urge residents of Little Lever to write in with their objections to this application or leave them at the Little Lever area office."

A 900-name petition calling for the mast's removal, and another 375-name on-line petition from the Little Lever community website will be sent to the planning inspectorate.

Cllr Hornby added that all objections already sent in about the mast had been forwarded to the planning inspectorate and that residents would be circulated with more details about the appeal closer to the date.

The planning committee refused permission for the mast last April because of its visual impact and the absence of a certificate showing it met emissions guidelines. T-Mobile claims it sent the certificate and that the council failed to notify the company of its decision within the required 56 days of plans being submitted. The council denies this.