September 2024
A planning application to upgrade a telecommunications installation on the former Co op building at The Cross in Stroud attracted concerns from local residents, including three people who reported having medical devices.
Following those objections, the planning officer sought further information about the proposed installation, including its power output and ICNIRP public exclusion zones. The requested information was not provided and the application was refused.
Can a planning authority properly assess a telecommunications installation without the technical information it has requested about power output and exclusion zones?
What happened at appeal?
Cellnex UK appealed the refusal. On 15 July 2025, Planning Inspector Tamsin Law dismissed the appeal.
Health was one of the two main issues considered by the Inspector. She noted that three people with medical equipment were located within approximately 220 metres of the site. One worked within five metres of the proposed installation.
The Inspector found that information about exclusion zones did not resolve the question of whether exposure outside those zones could affect people with medical devices.
She concluded:
“I cannot be certain that the proposed development would not have a harmful impact on individuals with medical devices.”
The appeal was dismissed on other grounds, principally the harm the proposal would cause to the character and appearance of the Stroud Town Centre Conservation Area and the Art Deco host building.
The Radiation Research Trust view
The Radiation Research Trust does not believe that compliance with current ICNIRP exposure guidelines provides sufficient protection for public health.
Many doctors and scientists have raised concerns about the scientific basis and adequacy of existing limits. Peer reviewed research, including Balmori’s 2022 review of studies on radiofrequency exposure from mobile phone base stations, has reported evidence of biological and health effects at levels below current exposure guidelines.
The RRT believes that ICNIRP compliance should not be treated as the end of a health assessment, particularly where people with medical devices live or work close to a proposed installation.
Planning record
Application: S.24/1123/FUL
Location: The Cross, Nelson Street, Stroud
Appellant: Cellnex UK
Appeal reference: APP/C1625/W/25/3360512
Appeal decision: 15 July 2025
Outcome: Appeal dismissed
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?caseid=3360512