A DUNFERMLINE family are worried about the "health risks" posed by a new 16-metres high mobile phone mast outside their home.
Cignal Infrastructure UK Limited, commonly known as Three, have told Fife Council they'll be installing telecommunications equipment in Garvock Hill to improve 3G, 4G and 5G coverage.
Stephen Brown has objected and told the Press: "It's going to be outside my mum and dad's house, the family home, it'll be 20m away from their fence.
"We only got information about it on Saturday and there's not been any consultation.
"We don't know enough about the radiation coming off these 5G masts and Fife Council don't care about the health risks.
"My biggest concern is there's a primary school and nursery and there will be children walking past it every day."
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The site of the radio base station will be at the corner of Garvock Bank and Garvock Hill, directly across the road from Touch Primary School.
As well as a 16m tall monopole, there will be six antennas, three equipment cabinets, a GPS module and ancillary development.
Cignal, which was formerly known as CK Hutchison Networks, said six other sites in Garvock had been considered and discounted and a site in the area was necessary to "fill the current hole in coverage".
Planning permission is not required, it's already considered to have 'prior approval', but Mr Brown hopes something can be done to change the plans.
He said: "Mum and dad have lived there since 1964, when it was all fields round about them, and it's going to devalue their property.
"Who's going to want that outside their home? My dad's in poor health and no-one knows the effects of 5G radiation."
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Cignal's application said there was an "expectation that an individual can connect and use their mobile phone whenever and wherever they are" and there was a "specific requirement" to improve 3G and 4G services and ensure 5G can be provided.
More radio base stations and masts are part of the UK Government plan to roll-out 5G to ensure "everyone is connected to the information superhighway".
Cignal said it will be "much faster" and have higher capacity than 4G: "To place this in context, customers will be able to download – not merely stream – a full HD movie in less than 10 seconds on a 5G network.
"The same task would take closer to 10 minutes on 4G."
On the safety concerns, UK Government guidance states: "Independent expert groups in the UK and at international level have examined the accumulated body of research evidence.
"Their conclusions support the view that health effects are unlikely to occur if exposures are below international guideline levels."
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