00:00A planning application for a new Vodafone 5G Mast in the Old Church Spire at Trust Sheltered Housing Complex in Stockbridge was mistakenly approved on July 21st.
00:11The approved application was legally binding, despite council officials admitting it was made in error.
00:17Vodafone had now agreed to resubmit the application and start the process, but residents at the Sheltered Housing Complex are still bemused.
00:24Sleight of hand, and they thought they could get away with it.
00:28Yeah. Without the potential consequences to the residents involved.
00:33Are you happy that it's having to be resubmitted?
00:36I'm more than happy.
00:37Yeah. And what do you think will happen now?
00:42Well, I can only hope that the council exercise more due diligence.
00:46The residents have been kept informed by Mark Wilkinson, leader of Political Party at Edinburgh and East Lothian People, who has a keen interest in 5G masts.
00:56There has been a sea change in how planning officers have to deal with applications for 5G telecom masts and antennas from a legal perspective.
01:12And so there's been a recent High Court ruling in England, which now stipulates the planning officers must take into consideration any metal or implants that people have as part of the application process.
01:36And the reason for that, up until now, everyone has just relied on the ICNERP certificate.
01:42And as long as there was an ICNERP certificate guaranteeing compliance, then that was it.
01:48There was nothing more to do.
01:49However, the ICNERP certificate automatically states that it does not apply to anyone with metal implants in their body, which then, that is what then defers the responsibility onto the planning officer to then actually take into consideration that health concern.
02:08Yeah. So a big deal.
02:09Yeah. So it's a big deal. And it's of particular relevance to this planning application here because we've got 40 elderly people living in sheltered housing with the plan for antennas to be put in the roof of their building.
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