Are the new street masts really such a smart move? Antennae spark fears
GIANT masts are being installed on residential streets around Scotland to support the Government’s smart meter scheme.
Ministers want every household to have a digital monitor to keep track of their gas and electricity usage – though they are already being blamed for raising fuel bills.
Now it has emerged the meters require a network of aerials to support them, raising fears of drops in house prices and illness among those sensitive to the emissions.
The Scottish Daily Mail found dozens of masts up to 100ft tall have been installed across the country. They are often in the middle of neighbourhoods where they can tower over homes.
Last night Graham Lamburn, of campaign group Powerwatch, claimed the masts will add to the electronic smog millions of people now live with.
He said: ‘In towns and cities, we’re already bathed in it but smart meter infraheadaches, structure will add another layer to the soup.
‘Those who have a new mast stationed near their home will be concerned about the visual blight and loss of amenity.
‘House values can fall because people are concerned about their health, just as having a home near power lines or a mobile phone mast affects prices. There are some who are physically affected by electromagnetic fields.’
Smart meters work by gathering data on household energy use. That is then communicated wirelessly to the supplier but that requires a network of antennae to receive and transmit the signals.
Thousands of people are afflicted by electro-sensitivity, which leaves them with symptoms including dizziness and fatigue when near wireless signals.
There have been 107 planning applications for the masts since 2014. Only one, to be installed in Findochty, Moray, was refused.
Councils are allowed to shortcut the planning process and wave through applications for telecommunication equipment where the operator ‘controls’ the land.
Some masts are on farmland or industrial estates but others are in residential areas. A dozen have been erected in Edinburgh, four in Dundee and three in Aberdeen. To date there are none in Glasgow.
In Aberdeenshire, there have been 18 approved with another awaiting permission only yards from homes in the village of Torphins. Another is planned for Whitehills in Banffshire.
Torphins Community Council has objected to the plans. Spokesman Eric Day said: ‘The chosen site is at a location very close to housing.’
Other residents have complained about the ‘extremely unsightly’ mast and expressed their fears over wireless emissions.
Six aerials have already been given the go-ahead across Ayrshire, nine in the Lothians, 11 in Lanarkshire, six in Fife and seven in the Highlands, with three more decisions pending.
The masts are being installed by Data Communications Company (DCC), a subsidiary of contracting giant Capita.
A spokesman said: ‘DCC’s wireless network uses existing infrastructure where possible, but some new masts need to be built.
‘Whenever we and our partners need to build new masts, we adhere to the planning process, and all transmitters comply with national and international safety guidelines.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Decisions on applications for planning permission are matters primarily for councils as the planning authority.’
‘At a location very close to housing’