Petition updateAllow an old man the simple pleasure of a hobby and re-instate his Amateur Radio AntennaJanuary - Armando Resumes Operation and Comes in for More of the Same.

Stuart DixonGravesend, ENG, United Kingdom
29 Jan 2017
In December the campaign met to deliver its petition to Canterbury City Council through its Housing Department Operated by East Kent Housing. In outline Armando's needs and how they weren't being met, and his difficult situation were discussed. At this meeting, we asked the council to enforce its Anti-Social Behaviour Policy which very clearly states how it will deal with bullying in communities. The outcome of the meeting was; a promise to rehouse Armando to some other place where he could operate from and where he would be subject to the same planning laws as everyone else - giving him a fair chance of achieving his goals without aggravation. We realised that this would take some time and subsequently requested an action plan that managed the situation with the current neighbours in accordance with the departments "Live and Let Live" anti-social behaviour Policy which gives the appearance of best practice.
Simultaneously we took up with the fact that a number of other radio hams had reported similar problems with the neighbours. We highlighted the issue of Anti-Social Behaviour to the Radio Society of Great Britain. We asked them to review the loophole in planning law which leaves hobbyists vulnerable to malicious and unfounded complaints aimed at using the council housing and planning department(s) to restrict their activities. (The organisation represents 200,000 hobbyists). We also noted best practice had been ignored by the council planning and housing department in dealing with the matter.
We offered several examples of Best Practice: During the same month another such complaint in another borough in the same county was being dealt with. There, the planning department recognised the nature of the complaint being designed to harass, and dealt with it by exercising its right to give leeway to the victim. Elsewhere another radio amateur came forward - living in sheltered accommodation like Armando where he was allowed to operate an antenna occupying several times more space than the antenna used by Armando - the one he was ordered to take it down.
Through January there was no sign of any pending move, Armando reports some historical and current incidents of anti-social behaviour toward him over the xmas period and into the month.
Armando set up a new temporary type of antenna in his current location and is currently testing it. This activity came under scrutiny, and he received a tip off, that "the neighbours" had written to complain to East Kent Housing already. We followed up this tip off and the issues he reported with East Kent Housing by asking them to bear in mind our thoughts and wishes.
In the meantime, we have also followed up our meeting by sending our notes to the council and the RSGB. It has gone quiet and the third time of asking for the housing departments action plan has passed, and no response from the RSGB.
We noted to them the two thousand signature petition we delivered and re-requested sight of an action plan.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We had hoped to bring you better news but we think we still need to keep this petition going.
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