P L A C E
Publications
Contacts
Chronological synopsis
of PLACE telecoms work in the Forest of Dean
Jonathan Adamson - Huddersfield, West
Yorkshire
Andrew Darke - Forest of Dean,
Gloucestershire
A number of artists came together as a result of attending the international "Landscape & Sculpture" symposium, Manchester Polytechnic, 1-3 September 1989. Six artists including Sue Hilder, Ute Kreyman, Anneke Pettican and John Sexton formed the group Art & Place shortly afterwards. PLACE evolved from this group in 1994. Anneke Pettican worked with PLACE until 2001. Dr. Richard Cowell - Research Fellow at the Department of City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University and Pamela Day have collaborated closely with PLACE since 1997.
* The group is a forum for debate and exchange on a variety of issues surrounding art, public art, aesthetics, society, infrastructure, architecture and the environment.
* The group works on ideas, papers for publication, exhibitions, open meetings and initiatives in these fields.
* New responses and approaches are sought.
* Work is presented by the group, and others, for discussion and constructive criticism.
* Visits are made to sites of interest.
Note: all members have not necessarily been involved in all PLACE projects.
PLACE is an unincorporated association.
December 1995
Work begins on proposals for Mount Stuart
Graving Docks, Cardiff Bay - see the synopsis of the ATLAS project on
www.atlasplace.clara.net
December 1996
Andrew Darke initiates, through the Public Art Commissions
Agency, Birmingham, a collaboration with Ove Arup & Partners, Consulting
Engineers, on a multi-client project to look at ways of reducing the
environmental intrusiveness of mobile telephony base stations and
infrastructure.
May 1997
Arts Council of Great Britain grants £5000 to facilitate the
employment of artists' skills on the above project.
June 1998
PLACE and Ove Arup organise the "Beauty and the Mast"
seminar and issues meeting which brings together the mobile telephony
industry, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions,
Countryside Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, Council for the Preservation
of Rural England, planners, and others, for the first time in relation to
this issue.
July 1998
PLACE and Ove Arup issue the ASPIRE TO CLEAR HORIZONS
prospectus which proposes a cross industry project to reduce the impact of
mobile telephony infrastructure, especially in rural areas.
November 1998
The potential sponsors meeting attended by
participants of the "Beauty and the Mast" seminar and issues meeting,
results in a revision of the above prospectus. The revised prospectus CLEAR
HORIZONS is issued to the mobile telephony industry in March 1999.
April 1999
PLACE attends the “Mobiles and the Environment”
Conference at the Cumberland Hotel, London and gives a presentation on the
need to redress the damage being caused by the industry to the environment.
April 2000
CLEAR HORIZONS - 'Mobile Telephony and the
Environmental Intrusiveness of Base Stations' report by PLACE and Ove Arup
and Partners, is published with copies sent to the DETR, conservation and
heritage organisations, the mobile telephony industry and the press. Website
- www.clearhorizons.fsnet.co.uk
October 2000
Response to the Department of the Environment,
Transport and Regions (DETR) "Consultation Paper on Telecommunication Mast
Development (by Telecommunications Code System Operators)" is returned.
January 2001
Andrew Darke initiates a collaboration between PLACE,
the Forest of Dean District Council and The Countryside Agency which aims to
draw the telecomms companies into a special project to reduce the impact of
their infrastructure on the environment of the Forest of Dean.
February 2001
PLACE submits a response to the Scottish Executive's
"Consultation Paper on Telecommunications Mast Development - November 2000."
February 2001
ASPIRE TO CLEAR HORIZONS and CLEAR HORIZONS documents
become available on the Technical Indexes Ltd. Planning CD-Rom.
April 2001
Jonathan Adamson writes to the Chairman of the Peak
National Park outlining a number of ideas and suggestions that would reduce
the impact of high voltage power transmission, initially in the Hazelhead,
Longdendale area of the park, but with potential applications in other
National Parks, AONB and the UK as a whole.
1 June 2001
SKY MAP (balloon release). Commissioned by PLACE to
coincide with the official opening of Cardiff Bay Barrage. Adrian Holme's
and Hana Sakuma's collaborative performance/event offers an alternative
experience to the erasure, enclosure and consumerism embodied in the
development of Cardiff Bay.
1 August 2001
ATLAS website goes online -
www.atlasplace.clara.net
11 August - 2 September 2001
ATLAS project presented at Galleri 21, Radmansgatan 5,
211 46 Malmo, Sweden as part of the exhibition "River, Estuary, Ocean."
September 2001
Scottish Executive Development Department
publishes Planning Advice Note 62 (PAN 62) on Radio Telecommunications.
PLACE's help is acknowledged by Senior Planner, Ben Train.
September 2002
Director of Planning for the Forest of Dean District
Council (FoDDC), Jim Stewart, acknowledges PLACE's help on the new
Supplementary Planning Guidance for Telecommunications Masts. The new
Guidance will be sent to companies wishing to erect new telecomms
installations in the Forest of Dean.
July 2003
The Countryside Agency organises a meeting in the
Forest of Dean in response to PLACE's telecomms initiative, which brings
together a range of interested parties.
October 2003 – March 2004
Negotiations between PLACE, Forest of Dean
District Council and the Countryside Agency to facilitate a project to
reduce the impact of telecomms infrastructure on the community and landscape
in the FoD. The project co-lead by Councillor Stephen McMillan and PLACE is
adopted by the Council on 19/2/2004
April 2004
PLACE submits written evidence to apMobile the
Parliamentary Inquiry into Planning Law as it Affects the Siting of Mobile
Phone Masts.
“Dinch me dark God” exhibition, discussion group and slide show by Jonathan Adamson and Pamela Day, April 2nd-4th at Field House.
May 2004
PLACE gives oral evidence to the Parliamentary
Inquiry.
June 2004
Forest of Dean District Council Telecomms Mast Working
Group first full meeting.
PLACE accepts £6K funding offered by the Countryside Agency to help produce a Telecommunications Infrastructure Study for the FoDDC area.
August 2004
As a result of a correspondence about the impact
of high voltage transmission lines in the landscape between PLACE (initiated
by Jonathan Adamson) and the National Grid, PLACE is invited to meet
National Grid Transco.
September 2004
PLACE accepts an invitation from the “Friends of the
Lake District” to their “Overhead Wires Planning Seminar.”
November 2004
PLACE meets with the National Grid to discuss their
“Surface Trough” undergrounding system.
January 2005
PLACE meets representatives of the Campaign for the
Preservation of Rural England (CPRE) at Woodhead in the Peak District
National Park to discuss PLACE’s proposals for potential environmental
improvements for the Longdendale Valley.
March 2005
“Open Meeting” organised by PLACE and hosted by Tam Giles at
St. James Studios, London. Six people gave presentations.
August
2005
PLACE meets the Chief Executive, England of the
Forestry Commission to discuss the “Views, Vistas and Reverie” research and
the initiation of a ‘best practice’ project of camouflaging for telecoms
base stations on FC land.
1995
Article by Andrew Darke "Art & Place: Cardiff Bay" in
"ECOS. A Review of Conservation," Vo1.16 No.1, 1995.
July 1998
PUBLIC:ART:SPACE, a book published by Public Art
Commissions Agency (Merrell Holberton, London), includes the ATLAS project
in its chapter "A strategy for public art in Cardiff Bay." The book
documents a decade of PACA's advocacy, and commissioning, of art for public
spaces.
August 2000
"alias" (artist led initiative advisory service)
publication, documenting a pilot project, includes information on PLACE's
contact with the service. The publication also uses a photograph on its
cover of the pre-barrage tidal mud in Mount Stuart Graving Docks, Cardiff
Bay, taken by Andrew Darke. The publication was commissioned by South West
Arts and produced by Stroud Valleys Artspace.
February 2001
ASPIRE TO CLEAR HORIZONS and CLEAR HORIZONS documents
become available on the Technical Indexes Ltd. Planning CD-Rom.
June 2001
"Landscape Research," Vol. 26 No.1, publishes a
polemic by Tim Hall and Iain Robertson - "Public Art and Urban Regeneration:
advocacy, claims and critical debates" - which includes a number of
references to Andrew Darke's "ECOS" article. (See above.)
Januarv 2003
Dr. Richard Cowell’s report “The Scope for
Undergrounding Overhead Electricity Lines” (commissioned by Friends of the
Lake District from the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental
Development), reproduces two of PLACE's photographs of National Grid's 400Kv
open trough system, in use at Woodhead, within the Peak National Park, for
approximately 1/4 mile.
PLACE contends that the Woodhead, ground level, Surface Trough System (STS) could be deployed more extensively by National Grid, particularly in and around National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The STS dramatically reduces the intrusiveness of the National Grid.
September 2005
“Views, Vistas and Reverie” – A Photographic
Survey of the Intrusion of Telecommunications Infrastructure in the
Landscape of the Forest of Dean is published.
Andrew Darke, Field House, Yorkley Wood, Nr.
Lydney, Glos. GL15 4TU, UK
tel. +44 (0)1594 562646
e.mail:
place@clearhorizons.fsnet.co.uk ;
andrew@yorkleywood.freeserve.co.uk
Jonathan Adamson; Tower House, Cemetery Road,
Edgerton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 5NF UK
tel. +44 (0)1484 536103
Chronological synopsis of PLACE telecoms work in the Forest of Dean
(see also PLACE )
November 2000
The Countryside Agency’s (CA) proposed new landscape
designation for the Forest of Dean inspires PLACE to contact the Forest of
Dean District Council’s (FoDDC) Chief Planner, Jim Stewart and Val Kirby of
CA to discuss how to limit the significant and steadily increasing impact of
mobile telephone infrastructure in the landscape before the new designation,
which should restrain this problem, is active. PLACE’s intention is that the
“shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted” scenario should be
avoided.
January 2001
PLACE organises a meeting between Diana Organ MP (Forest
of Dean), Val Kirby and Jim Stewart (didn’t attend owing to the overrun of
another meeting). PLACE proposes a project, to be backed by CA, FoDDC and
the MP asking the mobile operators to do a better job for the Forest of Dean
owing to its potential new designation.
February 2001
Further contact between PLACE and Jim Stewart begins a
collaboration with PLACE assisting the planning dept. with the revision of
its DRAFT POLICIES FOR INCLUSION IN SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ON
TELECOMMUNICATIONS MASTS.
August
2001
After revising the SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ON
TELECOMMUNICATIONS MASTS, PLACE submits it to Jim Stewart (JS).
October 2001
JS finds the revision “a bit too radical” saying that the
inspector who will trawl the Council’s new local plan (which will include
the guidance) is likely to object. Nevertheless much of PLACE’s work will
stand. JS is very favourable towards trying to draw the companies into a
special project for the Forest of Dean with the help of the CA. A phone
conversation with Jeremy Worth (CA) reveals that its infrastructure
priorities lie with reduction of impacts of overhead power lines and the
siting of wind farms. The considerable impact of mobile phone infrastructure
seems to be low priority.
January 2002
Val Kirby (VK) agrees to draft a letter (to be co-signed
by Jim Stewart and Diana Organ) to the mobile operators. CA’s new
designation (then called the Cultural Landscape Plan - subsequently
Integrated Rural Devevelopment (IRD)) will take some 2-3 years to develop
and it is worth alerting the companies now. VK suggests that there may be
some CA funds to support PLACE’s work. VK’s draft arrives and PLACE makes
amendments and returns it with a fee proposal.
February 2002
The revised SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ON
TELECOMMUNICATIONS MASTS is adopted by the Council.
April
2002
PLACE contacts Louise Thornhill (LT) the regional
director of CA Southwest asking why there has been no action on the letter
(no further mention of fees for PLACE either). VK has been on sick leave and
annual leave and is very busy. A partnership lead by FoDDC needs to be
established and CA is awaiting its thoughts.
July
2002
JS meets LT, VK and tells PLACE that a letter will be
written to the mobile operators asking for their co-operation.
October 2002
PLACE sends images of a new Orange mast at Pillowell (see
Pillowell) to JS pointing out the problems of gloss paint and lack of paint on
the antennae etc. PLACE contacts the southwest Regional Office of the
Forestry Commission (FC) to ask if it would support a best practice project
on its land. It is interested in the idea but the time is not right.
December 2002
JS thanks PLACE for the info. on the Orange mast and says he
has passed the material on to his officers and they will take it up with
Orange. He says the FoDDC is waiting for VK to write the letter.
January 2003
PLACE contacts LT to discover why VK has not written the
letter. LT says that there does not seem to be enough support from the FoDDC.
This directly contradicts PLACE’s knowledge and JS, when phoned, says he
will put the CA right. FoDDC does want to go ahead.
March
2003
PLACE contacts Diana Organ MP and she writes to the CA
asking for action. A letter is sent by VK to all the mobile phone companies
calling for a meeting. JS retires from his position as chief planner with
FoDDC.
April
2003
PLACE contacts the Deputy Surveyor of the Forestry
Commission (chief officer) in the FoD. He is sympathetic to PLACE’s aims but
says that with respect to design of masts the FC goes along with the views
of the local planners. PLACE discovers that one of the planning officers in
charge of telecoms matters has not seen the new SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING
GUIDANCE! The officer is sure that it was not sent out to Airwave, the
company responsible for the installation of the new TETRA emergency services
system. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the revised SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING
GUIDANCE was never sent out.
July
2003
VK chairs a telecoms issues meeting attended by all the
mobile phone companies, PLACE, Lydbrook Residents Association, Councillor
Stephen McMillan, France and Lewis International Ltd. (mast manufacturers),
two representatives from the County Council, a Forestry Commission
representative and two local residents from St. Briavels. Many problems are
aired and the representatives of the mobile companies are unanimous in their
dismay at the poor treatment local residents have received from their
companies. They pledge to do better: “tell us what you(the community) want”
bears the clear implication that they will be more responsive in future. VK
gets promotion in the CA.
October 2003 – March 2004
Negotiations between PLACE, Forest of Dean District
Council and the Countryside Agency to facilitate a project to reduce the
impact of telecomms infrastructure on the community and landscape in the FoD.
The project, co-lead by Councillor Stephen McMillan and PLACE, is adopted by
the Council on 19/2/2004.
Councillor Stephen McMillan confirms that we should work through and with the Planning Department and forwards the e.mail correspondence to planning officer Clive Reynolds.
January 2004
PLACE contacts Orange to ask about progress on
improvements to the Pillowell mast and pursues a definitive statement on the
painting of antennae from CA’s retained telecoms expert, Henry Dolan. Orange
is still awaiting comments from the lpa.
March 2004
CA sends PLACE a copy of “Minimising the Visual Impact
of Cellular Base Stations” by Henry Dolan. It states in paragraph 4.4
“Operators frequently object to the painting of their aerials due to
increased attenuation of the radio signals and consequent degradation of
network performance. This has been investigated and discussion with aerial
manufacturers indicates that losses are minimal provided they undertake such
coating themselves. Paints should have a low metal or carbon content and
should always be identified by a RAL specification. This can be verified by
consulting BSI. The manufacturers consider that any subsequent painting
might void their performance guarantee. Once again a medium to grey or olive
drab would be suitable.”
March – June 2004
Preliminary meetings of the Telecoms Mast Working
Group.
April
2004
CA offers to help fund PLACE’s photographic survey of the
impact of telecoms infrastructure in the FoD landscape.
June 2004
Forest of Dean District Council Telecomms Mast
Working Group (TMWG) first full meeting. PLACE accepts £6K funding offered
by the Countryside Agency to help produce a Telecommunications
Infrastructure Survey for the FoDDC area and begins work.
September 2004
After a presentation from PLACE about potential
improvements (use of matt paint instead of gloss on the mast, green/brown
paint on the antennae and on the equipment cabins, planting of indigenous
tree species around the compound. See
Pillowell) to the Orange Pillowell mast,
the West Dean Parish Council agrees to write to Sean Hannaby (new chief
planner at FoDDC) asking him to write to Orange asking for the improvements
to be implemented.
October 2004
The FC agrees in principal to help fund the next
phase of PLACE’s photographic survey of the impact of telecoms
infrastructure in the landscape of the FoD. TMWG works on a new more robust
revision of the SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS MASTS
(approved by the Development Control Working Group 23/5/2005)
November 2004
PLACE learns that because of a government claw-back of
funds from the FC it cannot part fund the photographic survey this financial
year. Despite repeated contacts with Orange over six months asking where
there are examples of base stations built into street lighting, no
information is forthcoming.
January 2005
TMWG produces a list of actions including
writing a letter to Orange asking for improvements to their Pillowell mast
(see also p94-5). TMWG concludes its first phase of work having had a total
of six meetings. PLACE recognises that its original intentions in
establishing a local project (see November 2000) have not been met,
principally as a result of the low priority given to landscape quality by
the FoDDC and the low priority given to telecoms issues by the CA causing
delays, misunderstandings and lack of focus. Work on the The Photographic
Survey continues.
July
2005
PLACE is notified by the Planning Department
that a letter asking for improvements to the Pillowell mast has been written
to Orange.
August 2005
PLACE meets Forestry Commission, England
to discuss the “Views, Vistas and Reverie” research and the initiation of a
‘best practice’ project reducing the impact of telecoms base stations on FC
land.
September 2005
The Forestry Commission invites PLACE
to work with them on a ‘best practice’ project.
October 2005
FoDDC planning dept. tells PLACE that
Orange has declined to do further work on their Pillowell mast. The true
nature of the “tell us what you want” pledge from Orange representatives on
14/7/2003 is thus revealed.
November 2005
The “Views, Vistas and Reverie” research available online
–
www.viewsvistasandreverie.org
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