Letter from Dominic Grieve MP
Shadow Attorney General
17th March, 2001

Dear Mrs G-F,

Thank you for your email of 14 March concerning mobile phone masts and the Private Members Bill that has been brought forward by Andrew Stunnell MP.

I am extremely concerned about telecommunications masts and the planning system. A far greater number of masts have been constructed than was originally anticipated. These masts pose a far more serious threat to the environment now than when planning policy concerning telecommunications was first drafted to kick start the industry twenty years ago. The Government is not doing nearly enough to deal with genuine environmental and health concerns, despite the recommendation of caution from an independent panel of scientists, nor to allow local authorities to deal with the concerns of local people. Furthermore, the government is not reacting quickly enough to the mast erecting fever of some of the mobile communications companies.

My Conservative colleagues and I have been campaigning for a long time on the issue of mobile phone masts. We have sought to represent interests of local residents and address the feelings of powerlessness and frustration experienced living under the threat of badly sited masts. The Conservative Party has put forward a clear Action Plan, setting out how we would deal with these problems. We believe that planning guidance should be substantially altered to provide a better balance between the environment and commercial concerns, and to take greater account of the opinions of local people. Under our Action Plan, all mobile phone mast developments would require full planning permission under a single process for all types of masts, health concerns would be taken into account, and new mast developments would not result in unacceptable damage to the landscape.

Several Conservative Members of Parliament, such as Richard Spring, David Amess and Eric Pickles, have brought forward Private Members Bills on this issue in recent years. Each time, however, the Government has blocked the passage of these sensible and popular pieces of legislation by not allocating enough Parliamentary time. I fear that this will be the fate of Andrew Stunnell's Bill.

If action is to be taken on protecting local communities from poorly-sited mobile phone masts, therefore, there will need to be a change of government, as it is clear that Labour will not change the planning law.

Unfortunately I will not be present in the House this Friday as I have constituency engagements and my weekly surgery. There is in any event no prospect of Andrew Stunnell's Bill becoming Law. However, I can assure you that the next Conservative Government will take forward our action plan on mobile masts and offer the protection that people so badly want and need.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,
Dominic Grieve MP