Background:

A telecoms mast was waived through via Cheltenham Borough Council (”CBC”) on Lansdown Road Cheltenham, in the middle of a Conservation area and sited 17m away from residential flats with no vertical separation from the top of the antennae. The Local Planning Authority (LPA) didn’t believe their prior approval was required.

There were 50 objections, including numerous objections from people in the nearest building (Harris Court) who would be within the ICNIRP public exclusion zone. There was an objection from myself, highlighting the close proximity of Lefroy Court retirement home 100m away, where the manager had confirmed to me that many elderly people wear hearing aids. In addition, there was an objection from someone in Lefroy Court with a pacemaker (this objection somehow conveniently disappeared from the planning portal and had to be re-obtained via a Freedom of Information request).

Despite all the evidence submitted by objectors (including one who specifically asked for the exclusion zones), CBC decided that their “prior approval was not required”, despite prior approval being explicitly required in planning law and through government guidance. This was challenged through Judicial review by myself, with the help of planning & legal advisor Neil McDougall, and experienced campaigner Karen Churchill.

November 2024:

A vulnerable  resident is living inside an unsafe public exclusion zone with metal clips in her bowel. The court has a duty of care to protect the public from harm. The hearing is scheduled to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 19th February 2025. Your support will be very welcome: https://www.gofundme.com/f/admin-fees-for-litigants-in-person

Full report here:  Update on the Case@ Steven Thomas v Cheltenham Borough Council