Residents vow to fight Westcliff phone mast plan (From Southend Standard)

Residents vow to fight Westcliff phone mast plan

8:20am Sunday 27th May 2012 in Southend

ANGRY residents are determined to fight plans to install a mobile phone mast in their road.

Vodafone wants to install a 12.5m mast on a grass verge opposite 270 Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff. A similar proposal for an 02 mast was turned down two years ago.

Sara Hammond, 43, who lives yards away from the proposed mast, said: “Despite what they say about there not being any proof of health dangers, we do worry about radiation in such a heavily populated area,”

Fellow Prittlewell Chase resident, Marina Pride, 58, said: “We’ve only just moved here and now we are facing this. All the residents are up in arms about it.”

The proposed mast will have six antennae and radio equipment.

A spokesman for Vodafone said: “As part of our pre-application consultation we did consult with the highways department and it did not raise any issues with the location of the site.

“We recognise some communities are concerned regarding the deployment of radio base stations close to residential areas, but without radio base stations, mobile phones would not be able to work.”

Southend Council is set to make a decision on June 11.