Paul  Martin, of Mead Drive, Thurlestone, writes:

Thurlestone Parish Council has on its parish plan the mission to improve communications in the area of Thurlestone, Buckland and Bantham. Both broadband and mobile phone signal is on the agenda.

In these times of austerity, all we see are cutbacks and issues with our economy, education, housing and jobs.

We have this one possible improvement and opportunity to the mobile phone signal issues in the area.

The Government has set aside £150m funding to finance the installation of mobile signal masts along 10 major arterial roads and designated rural areas in the UK . Installations have been designated along the South Hams area.

Arquiva and Harlequin Group are the companies involved to investigate potential sighting and planning acceptance.

It is very important to improve and maintain communications in our rural areas to sustain the economy, our local businesses and above all the safety of us all in and around our beautiful landscape.

To enjoy our wonderful environment, many of us take up outdoor pursuits across the landscape and around the coastline.

Our community also has a diversity of age groups and fitness. If we fall or get stuck or become ill in our pursuits, we are very vulnerable to not getting any services or support to help. Without a mobile phone such problems can even become life-threatening.

Now with any community initiative there are those for and against. The against is nearly always about health issues and mobile mast siting. Both are understandable but we must not get the apparent negative issues out of proportion to the positives above.

As with any human technological improvements there are upsides and downsides.

Take a prime one: our motor vehicles, they clog our roads, blow out harmful exhaust, generally spoil our environment and at times kill us too! Microwave ovens, power lines and telegraph poles everywhere, to name a few.

There are hundreds more products we use every day you could consider ugly or hazardous to us all but how many of us could or would truly do without many of these?

Many people have moved or retired here because it is an area of outstanding natural beauty and for apparent healthy lifestyles.

Are they aware that geologically much of their housing is built on rock structures having very high levels of emitted radon gas which is harmful and carcinogenic – let alone the sun radiation levels!

This is my point, there are many technologies that some see as dangerous but in general we eagerly put up with for their benefits to our society so in my opinion the odd mobile mast sensibly placed may be one of them if you take an all round view of it.

We, as a community, should be able to utilise these very useful technologies sensibly. The issue comes when we or our families abuse them!