Health Forum member and city councillor Catherine Clancy has lodged an official objection to Cork City Council's planning department to the proposed retention of O2 mobile phone equipment located on top of Cork University Hospital (CUH).

O2 have applied to the council for the retention of the transmission equipment which comprises six panel antennas and two link dishes as part of their digital mobile network.

According to the Labour councillor the location goes against the recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marina and Natural Resources which state that "no electronic magnetic emissions or radio frequency emissions emitting equipment be permitted to be sited near health centres, schools or other sensitive sites such as playgrounds or pitches etc".

In her objection Cllr Clancy also quotes Cork City Council's own development plan which states, "telecommunications installation will not be favoured in residential areas".

Cllr Clancy said that she believed that the site was also inappropriate because CUH may in the future treat people with a sensitivity to non-ionising microwave radio emissions. Cllr Clancy asked if any studies had been carried out into the effects of the equipment on people living and working close by and if there were any reports available into the public safety implications.

Cllr Clancy said, "Cork City Council has stated that we encourage service providers to co-locate their sites. Vodafone have a number of base stations erected in recent times in close proximity to CUH such as the junctions of Wilton Road and Magazine Road and Glasheen Road and Model Farm Road as stated in their own submission headed ‘base station networks.

"I have concerns as a councillor and also as a member of the HSE Forum that the granting of planning permission may lead to Cork City Council and the HSE risking litigation in the future. Until we can be certain that the masts are not harmful then we must come down on the side of caution".

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