Web move to prevent church mast (From Evesham Journal)

Web move to prevent church mast

9:34am Thursday 16th October 2008

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BENGEWORTH residents have stepped up their campaign against the installation of a phone mast in St Peter’s Church and created a website for people to object.

Concerns have been raised that not enough people know about the proposal for four Vodafone antennas placed behind window panels on the church tower.

Up until now it had only been advertised in the church but now the Chancellor of the Diocesan Registrar’s office has said a public notice must be put in a local newspaper.

Once published people will have two weeks to object to the plans.

Worried residents already aware of the move to install a G3 transmitter in the clock tower are doing all they can to stop it going ahead.

The website, www.bengeworth-church-mast.net, which includes information about the plans, is the latest move by a group of campaigners.

Ray Nicholson, who created it, wrote to the Journal recently and said a mast in St Peter’s made ‘no apparent sense’ and it would be better located outside the town boundary on agricultural land, away from population.

A number of objections have already been made to the church and the Diocesan Registrar’s office in Worcester.

Flyers have also been distributed in Bengeworth urging people to object and a meeting with the church’s vicar, the Rev Barry Collins, has been called for.

Rev Collins told the Journal the church council had considered the proposal from Vodafone for two years before members agreed to the masts.

He said the church would receive a rental from the phone company if the plans went ahead.

Mother-of-two Claire Shepherd from Conway Drive spoke out last month about the health risks posed my mobile phone masts and urged people to object.

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