MOBILE PHONE MASTS 2

Derby could soon feature a network of more than 4,000 mini mobile phone masts hidden in street lights across the city. It could see Derby moving one step ahead of every other city in the world in terms of its use of mobile technology. Derby City Council is preparing to sell the idea of a city-wide wireless network which could be available to everyone across the entire city. This means that people who have computers that are compatible with wireless technology would be able to log on to the network of mini masts.

Under the proposals, the masts would be hidden in approximately one in five of 22,000 street lights due to be either built or replaced under a £32.5m project. The plan could generate more than £2.5m in income for the council, based on a rental income of about £600 per annum for each street light used by a mobile phone operator. Council staff who spend a lot of time out of the office, such as social workers, planners, housing inspectors and health visitors, could all access and print documents while mobile, instead of travelling back to the office. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/06)

Derby City Council's plans to demolish a block of flats in Durley Close, in Alvaston, have been shelved after the discovery that it had tied itself into a 15-year contract to house a mobile phone mast on its roof. The council agreed the demolition in 2003 and new low-rise homes were due to be built in their place. But councillors discovered Orange had permission to keep its mast on the top of one of the blocks, Yarmouth House, until 2011.

If the council continued with the demolition, it would have to find a new site or sites for Orange to build replacement masts, for which Orange would seek likely compensation of at least £50,000 to cover installation costs. Councillor Philip Hickson, deputy leader of the Lib Dem/Tory-run council said, "This contract should never have been entered into. It came as somewhat of a surprise. I thought it was all systems go for the disposal of these blocks."

Michael Foote, the council's director of corporate services, said the contract was updated in 2002 after new terms were agreed by senior Labour councillors at a meeting of the former cabinet. Orange currently pays the council £7,500 annually to lease the roof of Yarmouth House. The rent is paid into the council's housing revenue account (HRA), with rent from Derby Homes' tenants.

Orange said that breaking the lease and relocating the mast could cost the council as much as £100,000, so the council has two options, breaking the lease and paying up or leaving one block standing when the others are demolished. It was later revealed the council could end up having to pay more than £1.5m in compensation to Orange if the demolition plans go ahead. Alvaston councillor Paul Bayliss said, "We'd been told before it would cost up to £100,000. Why hadn't we been told about it before?"

Orange spokeswoman Carmel O'Hara said, "The £1.5m is a very conservative estimate for loss of revenue if were we to lose the site without getting a replacement." Michael Foote, the council's director of corporate services, said, "We're confident we can come up with a solution which will be to the satisfaction of Orange and will not involve the council having to pay anywhere near the sort of sum mentioned."

Communities often protest strongly over perceived health risks in positioning mobile phone masts near homes and schools but Prof Anthony Barker said there was no proof they had an adverse effect. He said TV transmitters had a similar strength field but people did not question their construction. Prof Barker said that for over 80 years there have been wireless transmissions, "we have big TV and broadcast radio transmitters all around us". He said concerns were only raised when phone masts, "which is also a radio transmitter", were proposed. Prof Barker is based at the Department of Medical Physics of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and has 30 years experience studying the biological effects of electromagnetic fields. (Source: BBC News, Mar/06)

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