Phone mast plans ditched (From Somerset County Gazette)

Phone mast plans ditched

4:34pm Wednesday 24th January 2007

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A PROPOSAL for a 50-foot mobile phone mast at the back of the King's Church in Sylvan Road, Wellington, has been ditched, leaving it without cash for community projects.

Discussions with the agents for 3G and church leader the Rev Mark Morse had outlined that the church would receive two year's rent in advance - £13,500, and £67,000 over ten years, if a base station with mast and antennae could be put up at the back of the church.

But 3G decided the plans were not financially viable and pulled out, even though the church had committed itself to community projects.

Then, after it was ditched, planning consultants White Young Green sent information to Wellington Town Council stating the mast and antenna would potentially be installed in the grounds of the King's Church Centre on the Blackdown Trading Estate, and this was agreed in principle.

But the Rev Morse explained that negotiations between the King's Church Trust and 3G had broken down in November 2006 after 3G reneged on their initial proposal.

King's Church has been seeking outside funding over the past 24 months from various funding agencies, after taking up a £180,000 loan from HSBC to build their hugely successful Unit6 Skate Park and Youth Facility.

Unfortunately, despite the popularity of this facility by children and youth of all ages, it has attracted less than £9,000 in grants and gifts from local authorities and outside funding agencies, during its three years in operation, The £2,350 monthly loan repayment is heavily subsidised by church members in an attempt to make the facility affordable to young people of Wellington from all walks of life.

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