Mast support

SIR - In a recent edition of the Herts Advertiser (June 4) you carried a letter that suggested to residents of Gurney Court Road that St Albans District Council had left them to the mercy of Orange. This is far from the case. At a meeting of Plans Central

SIR - In a recent edition of the Herts Advertiser (June 4) you carried a letter that suggested to residents of Gurney Court Road that St Albans District Council had left them to the mercy of Orange.

This is far from the case. At a meeting of Plans Central (April 6 ) the application for a mast in Guerney Court Road was refused by the committee contrary to the officers' recommendation to grant. The reasons for refusal were visual impact, intrusive nature and the failure of Orange to demonstrate that there were not more suitable alternative locations.

Orange now have the right to appeal the decision to the Government Inspectorate and we will defend the committee's democratic right to determine this application in the way they did. We may win the appeal or lose it but we have not abandoned the residents.

We have now put in place a policy that where STADC are landowners we can refuse mast applications.

Unfortunately Herts County Council does not have such a policy in place when it comes to land they own. If they did they would be able to refuse telephone mast applications on such sites as Gurney Court Road as landowners.

CHRIS BRAZIER

Lib Dem County Cllr for The Colneys