A CAMPAIGN to stop a telecommunications mast from going up in Otley is gathering pace.

Several residents close to the site at the Wharfedale Farmers Auction Mart off Leeds Road have complained bitterly about the mast which they say

poses possible health risks to children.

They are also annoyed that the One to One mast- because it is just 15 metres high- falls within permitted development rights and does not need

planning permission from the council.

Helen Walsh, of Leeds Road, said people were at the mercy of councils, planning officers and big business.

"As a mother of two young children whose bedroom window will look directly out onto this mast, I sincerely hope that people will support Councillor Nigel Francis in his efforts to get work on this project stopped, " she said.

And Councillor Phil Coyne (Lab, Otley and Wharfedale), who sits on the planning panel at Leeds City Council that last year raised no objection to the scheme, said the city council had been placed in an impossible situation.

"Companies do not need planning permission to erect 15 metre high masts. All they need to do is submit a determination notice to the council saying that they intend to erect a mast and wait 42 days.

"All we can do as councillors is to try and persuade the company to minimise the impact."

Coun Coyne added that the lack of democratic control was outrageous. "Councils should have the power to protect their communities from the greed of unrestricted capitalism.

"The Local Government Association is lobbying the government for a change in the law requiring that these masts get planning permission and until then, I hope the campaign to stop the mast is successful."

Councillor Nigel Francis, who lives in nearby Pearsons Buildings and who has led the campaign to stop the mast, is hoping to get international mast expert Dr Gerald Hyland from the University of Warwick to a public meeting postponed from this week and now taking place on February 15.

He has also asked Euro MP Timothy Kirkhope to investigate possible health risks associated with masts.

Despite inviting a representative from One to One to the meeting, the company declined and said it preferred to talk to smaller groups.

A spokesman for One to One said the company chose not to attend public meetings because they tended to turn into

shouting matches.

"We have offered to meet people including Councillor Francis on a one to one basis. We have found public meetings get nowhere and we would rather sit around a table with a small number of people.

"The public is worried and does have genuine concerns and we shall do anything we can to sort them out."

l A meeting due to take place yesterday to discuss the mast was postponed and will now take place on Tuesday, February 15 from 8pm at Otley Civic Centre.

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