Off the back of the great news from yesterday, we now have more reason to celebrate, but before we do, your support is needed please.

Kent County Council have opened a public consultation to allow us good people to make comments on the loss of school playing field land as a result of this proposed 5G mast at St Saviours Junior School.

We have until 30 December to make a written representation via the link I have shared and I STRONGLY encourage you to do so PLEASE.

If it helps at all, here is the wording one of my friends used, however please do not just copy and paste it, or it will be a wasted representation. It should be your own thoughts and views but it may inspire you.

"I would firstly like to ask why this public consultation has only been requested now, when KCC received notice of the operator's intention to site a telecoms mast on part of St Saviours School's playing field on 5 January 2021. It would appear to be very much in the public's interest to be consulted in relation to all matters regarding the installation of a mast that is producing EMF non-ionising radiation and encroaching on school playing fields at the earliest opportunity.

I would also like to understand why KCC is intending to enter into an agreement with the operator to grant them rights to site a mast on the school playing field at all, when previously, on 22 January 2020, KCC refused a previous request from Westgate Cricket Club to extend its lease with KCC and thereby effectively refused the installation of a telecom mast on this same area of land because, according to KCC 'a “precautionary approach” should be taken in respect of all telecom masts […] particularly […] on land in the vicinity of schools, where potential health and safety issues are of most concern […].'

When it comes to the disposal of the playing field land, there is no excuse for the children of St Saviours School to lose yet more of their land, particularly not for the building of a telecom mast that does not serve those children in any way, and in fact, as previously highlighted by KCC is a potential health and safety issue.

This grass area playing field, known as Hawtrey's Field was gifted to the people of Westgate-on-Sea to be used for sports and other outdoor activities, including, as per a covenant over the land, for the children of St Saviours School. The children currently have a hard court area of outdoor land on the grounds of the school, however, Hawtrey's Field is separate from this and falls under its own Title under HM Land Registry. The grass area of Hawtrey's Field is essential for the children to be able to exercise outdoors in a safe environment, as free as possible from pollution. Any telecom mast and electrical equipment on the playing fields would create additional pollution.

The land itself on Hawtrey's Field has already been diminished in size over time due to the erection of natural gas-related equipment and cabinets, a cricket pavilion, cricket changing rooms and a cricket storage shed, plus a cricket training net, all of which are not accessible to the children. In addition, the cricket club ropes off an area of land of approximately 900 m² within the centre of the playing field all year round, known as the cricket square, which the children are unable to access when exercising, playing or playing sports. As such, it is totally inexcusable to reduce their access to playing field land any further and therefore, for all of the reasons above I strongly request that KCC does not enter into any agreement with the operators to dispose of the playing field land. I also request that the Secretary of State for Education intervenes to prevent consent from being given for the disposal of playing field land."

This is a great opportunity to tell KCC what we all think about this, something that was not given to us before, so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE use this opportunity and ask your friends and families to do so too.

Thank you as ever,

Del x