Moving the mobile phone antenna out of the centre of Gualdicciolo. This is the request made by the Citizens’ Group for the Defence of Health and the Environment to Secretaries of State Matteo Ciacci and Rossano Fabbri, following the public meeting on 23 October regarding the project.
The group acknowledges the usefulness of the evening meeting but objects to the chosen location for a tall structure, reportedly around 30 metres high. The identified site would be in the centre of the village, close to services and businesses, in an area residents already consider burdened by noise, odours, industrial emissions and traffic.
«We absolutely do not want to hinder progress and development,» the residents state, while asking that the needs of digital coverage be weighed alongside the rights of those living in the area.
During the meeting, reassurances were given regarding electromagnetic field limits and the controls carried out by the Authority for the Protection of the Environment and Territory (Upav), both before installation and during operation. However, the group expresses distrust in the guarantees received, pointing to the noise exemption granted to the Cartiera Ciacci paper mill, which residents say allows continuous noise emissions exceeding normally permitted thresholds.
Concerns also extend to emissions from the paper mill, from Celbo — due to the use of substances such as styrene — and dust from Ali’s facilities, which burn wood dust. The group states that data on the three companies was provided by Upav. Added to this picture is the possible start-up of a cogeneration plant at the paper mill and increased traffic.
The objection therefore mainly concerns the concentration of impacts in a single area. Residents complain that the evening meeting failed to address the visual impact of the antenna on the landscape or the shortcomings of the chosen site. They also fear a potential loss of value for nearby properties.
The request to the two secretaries is to genuinely explore alternative locations. The group does not believe that the concrete platform built about ten years ago should constrain the decision, and recalls the commitment made during the meeting: «We welcomed the commitment expressed that evening by the two Secretaries to reconsider the antenna’s location. We thank them and hope that words will be followed by action».
