FOI release

Bogus 5G Mast Safety Certifications

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference EIR2024/01217

Received 14 July 2024

Published 2 August 2024

Request

I noticed that there is at least one potentially fraudulent ICNIRP safety certificate contained in Herefordshire Council's planning portal, an online facility which displays details of planning applications and approvals.

A company named "Three UK Limited" - which was dissolved in the year 2015 - has somehow become the signatory for at least one bogus safety certificate (sometimes referred to as a conformity statement) for a 5G telecommunications mast installation.

Using your best and most honest endeavours, please provide:

1. A figure for the precise number of ICNIRP safety certificates related to 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been signed off by "Three UK Limited", a company that didn't exist at the time the relevant planning applications were made, and whose declared ICNIRP safety certificates are potentially fraudulent

2. Actual copies of the ICNIRP safety certificates related to 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been signed off by "Three UK Limited", a company that didn't exist at the time of the planning applications, and are therefore potentially fraudulent

3. The actual dates of the initial planning applications made for 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been allegedly ICNIRP 'safety certified' by bogus certificates, along with the named street locations and identifying nomenclature.

4. The time period stated in years, months, weeks and days, between the date of the dissolution of "Three UK Limited" (27th October 2015) and the date of the initial applications made for all of the 5G telecommunications masts concerned, having bogus safety certificates, e.g. "8 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 5 days"

5. Given that the World Health Organisation classifies radio frequency - such as that transmitted 24/7 by 5G telecommunications masts - as a potential Type 2B carcinogen, that the power output of the affected 5G masts is unknown, that potentially a large number of safety certificates are potentially fraudulent, and that tens of thousands of Herefordshire Council residents have potentially been plunged into an unsafe environment, please provide detailed information explaining how Herefordshire Council is planning to restore council tax payers, voters, their children, and Herefordshire Council's wildlife and domestic pets back to a safe, non-hazardous environment, one which will no longer be a serious, ongoing, potential threat to residents' health and wellbeing?

Response

I noticed that there is at least one potentially fraudulent ICNIRP safety certificate contained in Herefordshire Council's planning portal, an online facility which displays details of planning applications and approvals.

A company named "Three UK Limited" - which was dissolved in the year 2015 - has somehow become the signatory for at least one bogus safety certificate (sometimes referred to as a conformity statement) for a 5G telecommunications mast installation.

Using your best and most honest endeavours, please provide:

 

1. A figure for the precise number of ICNIRP safety certificates related to 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been signed off by "Three UK Limited", a company that didn't exist at the time the relevant planning applications were made, and whose declared ICNIRP safety certificates are potentially fraudulent

 

A)   Please see the attached EIR2024 01217 Telecommunication Decisions Spreadsheet. This information can be found in columns F and G.

 

2. Actual copies of the ICNIRP safety certificates related to 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been signed off by "Three UK Limited", a company that didn't exist at the time of the planning applications, and are therefore potentially fraudulent

 

A)   Please see the attached EIR2024 01217 Telecommunication Decisions Spreadsheet. Column A contains the planning application reference for each application.

By using the Council’s planning web search facility via the following link: Planning Search – Herefordshire Council, each application can be searched for.

Once you have searched for and opened the application online, copies of the ICNIRP certificates can be found in the “Relevant documents” section, then under ‘Supporting Documents’ or ‘correspondence’ on the right hand side of the web page.

As this information is publically available and published on Herefordshire Council’s website via the link above, we consider this information to be excepted under Regulation 6 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because this is available to you via other means.

 

3. The actual dates of the initial planning applications made for 5G telecommunications mast installations that have been allegedly ICNIRP 'safety certified' by bogus certificates, along with the named street locations and identifying nomenclature.

 

A)   The dates of the application, the location and proposal can all be found on the Council’s planning web search facility via the following link: Planning Search – Herefordshire Council. Once you have searched for and opened the application online, this information will be displayed in the “General information” section.

As this information is publically available and published on Herefordshire Council’s website via the link above, we consider this information to be excepted under Regulation 6 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because this is available to you via other means.

 

4. The time period stated in years, months, weeks and days, between the date of the dissolution of "Three UK Limited" (27th October 2015) and the date of the initial applications made for all of the 5G telecommunications masts concerned, having bogus safety certificates, e.g. "8 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 5 days"

 

A)   This information can be calculated using the date of dissolution of Three UK Limited of 27th October 2015 and the date on the Council’s planning web search facility via the following link: Planning Search – Herefordshire Council. Once you have searched for and opened the application online, this information will be displayed in the “Application dates” section.

As this information is publically available and published on Herefordshire Council’s website via the link above, we consider this information to be excepted under Regulation 6 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because this is available to you via other means.

 

5. Given that the World Health Organisation classifies radio frequency - such as that transmitted 24/7 by 5G telecommunications masts - as a potential Type 2B carcinogen, that the power output of the affected 5G masts is unknown, that potentially a large number of safety certificates are potentially fraudulent, and that tens of thousands of Herefordshire Council residents have potentially been plunged into an unsafe environment, please provide detailed information explaining how Herefordshire Council is planning to restore council tax payers, voters, their children, and Herefordshire Council's wildlife and domestic pets back to a safe, non-hazardous environment, one which will no longer be a serious, ongoing, potential threat to residents' health and wellbeing?

 

A)   The Service Area have advised, following initial legal advice the operators that had received approval, but that had submitted incorrect Statements of ICNIRP Compliance, were contacted and advised that they had failed to comply with a requirement of their deemed approval and that were the approved installations deployed then they may be in breach of planning control and liable to enforcement action. This secured a range of responses but ultimately those operators who have benefitted from prior approval acknowledged the error and have issued corrected Statements of ICNIRP Compliance. These corrected Statements have been published to the Council`s website. For the avoidance of doubt, this approach was informed by the one accepted by the Planning Inspectorate in relation to an appeal on Ledbury Road in Hereford. Accordingly all telecommunications development that has been recently approved in Hereford and Ledbury are now accompanied by a correctly certified Statement of ICNIRP Compliance.

Again, for the avoidance of doubt, it is only those sites with prior approval that have been corrected. The greater number of sites that have been refused have not been targeted to correct the Statements on the basis that they will not progress without a further application or via a subsequent appeal. Planning officers who pick up any appeals have been alerted to this and will need to ensure that the potential inaccuracy of Statements is made clear to the Planning Inspectorate.

Through the engagement with complaints on the ICNIRP matter, there has been pressure placed upon the Council to invalidate or rescind the prior approvals that have been granted and also to take appropriate enforcement action.

In respect of the invalidation/rescinding of decision, the legal advice obtained clarifies that the inaccuracy of the Statement of ICNIRP Compliance is not in itself a reason to invalidate the decisions. In effect they remain lawful until successfully challenged through the Courts. In view of the legislative framework which effectively grants the operators a deemed permission, technically enforcement action could only be taken at the point at which the development is carried out. However through the issuing of the corrected Statements there would be no reasonable basis upon which to take such action. In effect where prior approval has been granted, the Council has already decided that the development is acceptable in terms of its siting and appearance and it would not be expedient to take action as the health and safety concerns have been removed by the issuing of the corrected Statements.

Documents

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