Protest over new Bognor Tetra mast

Telecom firm Airwave wants to put the controversial equipment on an existing mobile phone mast at Bognor FC's ground.

It intends to use the existing Vodafone equipment at the Nyewood Lane site for two panels for Tetra transmissions to the emergency services.

These panels would be sited 8m above the ground. Two Airwave cabinets would also be installed on the ground.

Bognor Regis Town Council's planning and licensing committee has objected to the plans.

Its members were concerned about the Tetra equipment's position on a sports ground used by children and the proximity to surrounding housing.

Cllr Paul Wells told Monday's meeting of the full town council: "I am not sure the football club is aware of the community's feelings on Tetra in Bognor.

"This is not about a normal mobile phone mast. Tetra is different technology and there's clear community concerns out there about it."

He recalled the mass public outcry which surrounded the presence of Bognor's first Tetra mast on top of the Reynolds warehouse in Canada Grove.

The level of anger was enough to persuade company managing director Dominic Reynolds to sever his rental agreement with Airwave in 2004.

A mast has stayed at Bognor Regis Golf Club in Felpham only because Airwave threatened High Court action if the club's members tried to end their legal deal.

But the lack of a central presence caused Airwave to install a mast on Bognor police station last August to overcome gaps in its network coverage.

This led to a protest meeting at the nearby Edward Bryant Primary School in the autumn.

"I am not particularly happy that here we again have to fight another day and another battle," stated Cllr Wells to the council.

"Clearly, the police have to have a communication system but it has still to be proved whether Tetra is safe or not. At the end of the day, we should not be used as guinea pigs."

Cllr Stephen Kerrigan said the police should be asked to release the results of a survey they said would be carried out to find a suitable site for a Tetra mast.

Vodafone's planning agents say 11 other sites were rejected for the Tetra equipment because they failed to provide the necessary coverage. The company's mast is on the northern side of the football ground close to the boundary with the adjoining sports ground. It has been in place for about 12 years. Vodafone pays rent to the cash-strapped club for the use of the land.

Outside the meeting, a spokesman for the football club said the proposed Tetra equipment would be sited away from the nearest homes.

Roger Nash stated: "We don't believe it's going to affect people's health because there is a lot of space between the mast and the housing.

From that point of view, we don't regard this as a major problem and nor is it an aesthetic problem because of the length of time the mast has been there.

"If anybody has any problems about the Tetra proposals, the football club will be happy to talk to them and pass on their concerns to Airwave."

Critics of Tetra claim its transmissions can lead to nose bleeds, bad headaches and migraines, distured sleep patterns and flu or virus-type symptoms.

But Airwave has defended the technology. Its says the system exceeds the strict guidelines which govern such equipment.

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