Telefonica - Tea Trade Wharf Planning Application - Event Log
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05/03/2009
| Telefonica applied for planning permission to install a radio base station to include 3 antenna, 2 equipment cabinets and ancillary equipment at Tea Trade Wharf. The submission was to improve mobile communications for O2 customers including Apple iPhone owners who get very poor reception within the Shad Thames area.
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08/06/2009
| Southwark Council refused planning permission due to the antenna being of “unacceptable appearance”. No reference was made to the health issues.
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22/10/2009
| Telefonica submitted a consultation letter to STRA which included a revised proposal confirming that the new antenna would be shared by two mobile networks, O2 and Vodafone. The document included information relating to the potential health risks quoting references to both the World Health Organisation and Ofcom.
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22/10/2009
| STRA discovered that there is currently a lot of discussion on the SE1 website by both O2 (iPhone) and Vodafone customers living in Shad Thames regarding the lack of signal strength in the area.
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02/11/2009
| The STRA Core Group met and agreed that the new antennas were more aesthetically discrete than the original submission. However, there were still some concerns regarding the potential health issues especially by those with children.
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09/11/2009
| Southwark Council’s case officer confirmed via telephone that the Planning Department cannot refuse a telecom antenna application on the grounds of health risks. The council rely on any telecoms company submitting a "Declaration of Conformity with ICNIRP Public Exposure Guidelines" document which confirms that their proposal meets current health standards.
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09/11/2009
| STRA held an Open Meeting in which the topic was discussed. There was a mixed reaction from the attending residents. It was agreed that STRA would respond to any proposal by accepting the new design but express concerns over potential health risks. It was unknown at the time how many antennas were already installed in the Shad Thames area.
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11/11/2009
| STRA produced a map and table based on information from Ofcom’s SiteFinder website. The site confirmed that currently there are 8 antennas including a macrocell on the roof of India House, Gainsford Street servicing the Orange network.
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12/11/2009
| Telefonica confirmed via telephone that their new proposal for Tea Trade Wharf was for a macrocell, rather than the smaller microcell. They also confirmed that they had no plans to remove an existing microcell installation which was in close proximity on Maguire Street.
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12/11/2009
| Ofcom confirmed via telephone that they don’t regulate the number of masts which can be installed in a specific area and clarified that there is no “capping policy”. Ofcom recommended contacting the Health Protection Agency – Radio Protection Division (T: 012 3583 1600).
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12/11/2009
| The Health Protection Agency confirmed via telephone they would provide some advice within the next few days.
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**/11/2009
| Apple's iPhone is no longer exclusive to the O2 network. It is now currently available on the Orange network and will be available on the Vodafone network at the beginning of 2010.
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