Members of the Redcar and Cleveland Council Planning Committee have refused consent for the erection of a mobile phone mast near to the Bronze Age monument at Guisborough (England). The Councillors took the decision against the recommendations of council officers, who advised that permissions should be granted for the mast at Airy Hill Farm, just 40m from a burial dating back to around 1800 BCE. The site is protected by the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Areas Act, which requires permission from the Secretary of State for any structure less than 40m away from any designated site. Robin Daniels, from Tees Archaeology, says: “We want to ensure that this scheduled monument survives and we are concerned that if planning permission is granted for this mobile mast that further masts may also be built in the near future.”
     Mobile phone company Orange submitted the planning application for a 20m lattice tower carrying three antennae and two microwave dishes, together with associated equipment cabinets. Close by are an existing mast and pylon owned by Northern electric, but Orange has been unable to reach agreement on sharing the structures.
     The burial mound has not been excavated, but on past patterns is thought to contain the cremation urn of an important person and may possibly have served as a boundary marker.

Source: This is the North East (14 August 2003)