Telecoms: 5G

Policy: All telecom masts should require full planning consent – that way local residents can have an effective mechanism for their voice to be heard irrespective of where they live.

Explanation: Many people are dismayed at the rate at which these 50-foot masts are being erected in their neighbourhoods by large telecom companies. In the last 12 months or so there have been over 5000 objections lodged to around 20 planning applications for 5G masts in Edinburgh.

Planning law allows for only properties within 20 meters of the boundary of the property where the mast is proposed to be officially informed about the planning application. Our policy would be to increase this radius to 200 meters for 50-foot telecom masts as these should not be governed by the same law that governs the planning application for a garden shed.

A full planning application is needed in conservation areas because the 50-foot masts might be too ugly for beautiful neighbourhoods. Outwith conservation areas full planning permission is not needed as permission has already been granted by the government. For these all that is needed is that the planning authority is informed and for them to agree that they do not need planning permission. Our policy is that all of Edinburgh’s neighbourhoods deserve the same treatment because these 50-foot masts are too ugly irrespective of where they are.

As a general principle, the people who will be affected by a proposed policy should be informed about the harms and benefits in advance, and it should be they – through their elected representatives – who decide whether or not the step should then be taken.

We therefore would also suggest undertaking a cost-benefit analysis where likely risks are weighed against possible advantages.

A scientific review highlights the risk posed by electromagnetic radiation to insect populations with the conclusions that:

– Biodiversity of insects is threatened worldwide.

– These reductions are mainly attributed to agricultural practice and pesticide use.

– There is sufficient evidence on the damage caused by electromagnetic radiation.

– Electromagnetic radiation may be a complementary driver in this decline.

– The precautionary principle should be applied before any new deployment (e.g. 5G).

A further study on effects on insects here.

The long-term effects of high-band 5G radiation on human health are not known: therefore, the installation of masts with this capacity (ten times higher than the previous band), and their subsequent widespread use, represents an additional risk in this area. A recent review of multiple scientific studies finds no proven short-term damage to human health from radiation in the lower-band levels of 5G but recommends that: ‘Future epidemiological studies should continue to monitor long-term health effects in the population related to wireless telecommunications.’

Because human life is reliant on insect life (insects forming a fundamental building block of ecosystem food chains, as well as being required for pollination), which might be affected by this type of radiation to an unknown degree, and because the results of this effect could be disastrous, we recommend caution with regard to the activation of the higher-band levels.