OUTRAGED neighbours of Bexleyheath's Territorial Army say they plan to campaign to get it to move out of its Watling Street centre.

They turned their fury on the army reservists after Bexley Council granted planning permission for a mobile phone base station on the roof of the centre.

But this week the TA told the News Shopper: "This was someone else's planning application, not ours. We have yet to decide on the matter."

The objectors to the plan presented a petition of more than 800 signatures opposing it.

They also held protests outside the TA centre and spoke to both BT Cellnet and TA officials to explain their opposition to the base station.

Two nearby schools, St Catherine RC School for Girls and Gravel Hill Primary School which are both opposite the TA centre, also protested.

But last week, after deferring their decision once, Bexley councillors approved the plan. They were shown a map illustrating that the main beam from the base station would not reach either of the schools and that emissions were well below Government guidelines.

Councillors passed the application by 10 votes to 3.

Afterwards, protester Julia Burch to the News Shopper: "I cannot believe the council has approved this after so many people opposed it.

"I live within the circle of the beam of greatest intensity and I don't want to be there."

And she vowed: "We are not giving up. We are going to carry on campaigning, but this time it will be to remove the TA from Watling Street.

"We don't want them here anymore.

"We think they are totally disregarding how their neighbours feel about this base station."

If the TA does decide to rent some roof space to BT Cellnet it could get a rent of several thousand pounds a year.

November 6, 2001 12:28