TETRA protest groups are set to take their campaign to the seat of Fife Council after a decision to install the controversial masts was taken out of the hands of East Fife councillors
Members of the local area development committee, which met on Tuesday, voiced "anger and upset" over the decision taken by the local authority to 'call in' the matter to the influential environment and development committee in Glenrothes.
And NO 2 T
ETRA, the local group which has voiced concerns over possible health risks over nine applications made by mast operator Airwave MM02, said it now plans to stage a demonstration outside Fife House where the specially convened meeting of the committee is due to be held on Monday.
Helen McDade, of No2T, said the move calls into question the entire democratic process and suggests a decision has already been taken on the issue at a higher level.
She said the group, which handed over a 1100-strong petition to the Scottish Parliament last week and may threaten the council with legal action, was suspicious of the decision to arrange the special meeting at short notice.
The group claimed it could be so that the plans could be pushed through before any other communities realised what was happening.
East Fife councillors - who last month agreed to a six month moratorium pending further research into possible health risks and called for Fife's director of public health to investigate claims a mast at Drumcarrow Hill was responsible for serious illnesses in the area - were also dismayed by the decision.
During this week's development committee meeting many councillors raised fears about the issue being brought under central control. Just five local members - Frances Melville, Peter Douglas, Eleanor Gunstone, Marilyn Whitehead and Ewen Jardine - sit on the environment committee.
Newburgh councillor Andrew Arbuckle said he feared members would be denied the opportunity to comment on issues affecting their communities such as health and the evironmental impact.
Councillor Mike Scott-Heyward said he believed the issue, which the committee heard had not resulted in any objections in Central or West Fife, has already been decided centrally and that the entire decision over siting the police masts throughout Fife "smacked of pre-determination."
Commitee chair Frances Melville said she was "extremely disappointed," and believed that if the council, as a planning authority, was to be consistent it should have called in all TETRA applications in Fife.
She had not been aware of the decision to refer the planning matter until she received notification of the special meeting.
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Local members also rejected claims the decision to defer was taken contrary to legal advice given by the council's head of law and administration Harry Tait.
This resulted in councillors unanimously agreeing that remarks supporting the call-in on health grounds and attributed to Mr Tait had not been made, and should be struck from the minutes of the last committee meeting as no one could recollect them being made.
But speaking ahead of Monday's meeting, Mr Tait said the decision to defer the application for six months was contrary to his advice.
"In such situations, the appropriate procedure is for these applications to be considered by the strategic environment an development committee," he added.
