World-News

A DROMORE man has flagged up concerns over a planned addition to a mobile phone mast at Barban Hill. The man, who did not want to be named, lives in the Millturn View area. But his concerns were not so much for himself, he said, as for the "hundreds" of youngsters regularly making use of the Dromore Rugby Club facilities. "I don't know whether it's been established for certain that these masts are dangerous," he said. "But I would be one of those people who think that if there's any doubt at all then it's better not to pose even a possible danger to youngsters. "I'd imagine anyone with youngsters would want the same thing. The youngsters are the future and it's not the best idea to start putting up things that may harm them. "I would far rather have the mast that is up come down rather than have another added." The man said he had been alerted by the Divisional Planning Office at Marlborough House, Craigavon, to plans for the erection of O2 equipment at the existing Orange radio base station on lands at Dromore Rugby Club. "Some of the people living in the area might be older, like me," he said, "so the concern mightn't come to mind as much as with a younger population coming up. "But I wonder if all the people around who have children going up there to play rugby know about it. "I know that when I go out and look around I can't imagine that there would be problems getting high ground for these things where they definitely wouldn't pose any potential danger." The concerned resident said he planned to object in writing to the proposal and had contacted the local DUP office on the matter. Mr. Paul Stewart, assistant to Lagan Valley MP and MLA Jeffrey Donaldson and Dromore Councillor and Lagan Valley MLA Norah Beare, confirmed the office had written to the divisional planning officer requesting full details of the mast proposal. "We will be working with residents of the area to keep them informed of this application," he said.

30 March 2006

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