Subject: (Riedlinger) Telecom case in Ireland....(fwd) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 083727 -0600 (CST) From: "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org> To: emfguru <rbeavers@llion.org> -------------------------------------------------- This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mime@docserver.cac.washington.edu for more info. ---559023410-758783491-916756647=:28866 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=iso-8859-1 Content-ID:Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 18:13:56 -0500 From: Robert Riedlinger To: "Roy L. Beavers" Subject: high =20 Friday, January 15 1999 =20 News =20 =20 Phone mast battle opens in High Court =20 =20 =20 By Una Bradley=20 =20 =20 A LANDMARK legal challenge to a mobile phone mast - backed by Harrods boss Mohammed Al Fayed - was due to get under way today at Belfast's High Court.=20 =20 =20 Residents in the Co Down village of Killinchy have mounted a judicial review of a planning decision which gave the green light for the mast.=20 =20 =20 The transmitter was built outside the village last November under permitted development rules - which means telecommunications company Orange did not have to apply for full planning permission.=20 =20 =20 Now the Ballymacashen and Killinchy Residents Action Group is hoping to secure a reversal of the decision, which could result in Orange being forced to dismantle the mast.=20 =20 =20 Orange will be represented at today's hearing but had no comment to make.=20 =20 =20 High-profile businessman Mr Al Fayed contributed =A35,000 to the residents last December towards legal costs.=20 =20 =20 Killinchy businessman Jim Nicholson said local people were up in arms about the mast and were "going in to win" today's case.=20 =20 =20 "We have submitted a lot of expert investigations into the health implications of these base stations," Mr Nicholson said.=20 =20 =20 "We will also be questioning the credentials of the two so-called experts flagged up by Orange to defend mobile phone masts.=20 =20 =20 "People are very worried about the health implications. The problem is nothing has been proved either way.=20 =20 =20 "We're not asking for all masts to be brought down - we're simply asking they be built at least 500 metres away from homes, schools and hospitals until the medical evidence is clearer.=20 =20 =20 "We feel the planners in this case were less than diligent in the way they conducted their investigations.=20 =20 =20 "They have allowed multinationals to just steamroll over the heads of ordinary people."People in the area also feared tumbling property prices, Mr Nicholson added.=20 =20 =20 "We had estate agents out to value the properties nearest the mast and they had fallen by around 25%," he said.=20 =20 =20 "There are also three people suffering from cancer living in the homes closest to the mast - should they be used as guinea pigs?"Today's case comes as it emerged five local authorities in the Republic refused planning permission for mobile phone masts.=20 =20 =20 Waterford, Cavan, Dublin, Wexford and Westmeath county councils recently refused permission on grounds of health and depreciating property prices.=20 =20 =20 =20 =A9 Copyright Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd. =20 =20 Search =20 YOUR NO1 ARCHIVE SERVICE =20 =20 Links =20 Home Page Have your say... Weather Traffic Watch Christmas Greetings Breaking News =20 Related Stories =20 January 14th - News January 13th - News =20 =20 =20 =20 ---559023410-758783491-916756647=:28866-- Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html