Ham Radio Data Center

RADIO ham Robert Dodson is fighting calls to remove a 27ft mast from his back garden despite complaints from neighbours. Mr Dodson, 59, of Daffodil Leaze, King's Stanley, who uses the mast to communicate with fellow enthusiasts across the globe, was served an enforcement notice for its removal after he erected it without permission last September. A planning inquiry began at Ebley Mill on Wednesday during which Michael Matthews, counsel for Mr Dodson, outlined his grounds for appeal while SDC senior enforcement officer Jamie Cooper upheld the authority's position. Both parties thrashed out legal issues surrounding the mast, which is capable of extending to 60ft, and argued whether it is a temporary or permanent structure, which would determine if it needed planning permission. Mr Dodson claims he has not breached planning regulations because the aerial is mounted on a trailer, but Mr Cooper said it was big enough and in Mr Dodson's garden often enough to be considered permanent. Also present were several neighbours who called the mast an 'eyesore' and claimed it interfered with their TV, radio and telephone signals.

Read more: eHam.net News

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