Electronic survey field test results for Logie site

The city council's planning application (10/00406/FULL) includes an Electronic Survey Document regarding field tests conducted by Scottish and Southern Energy (Report-285685.PDF), and which reports readings of 0 (zero) microtesla at various points on the Logie site.

We asked Alasdair Philips, from EMFields and Powerwatch, to comment on this report:

The "0" microtesla is a nonsense. There is no way it can be zero. It may well be low, but on a 0.00 resolution scale (the usual one measuring to 0.01 microtesla) I would expect between 0.01 to 0.10 at least. I suspect the site is fine for the school, but they should not get away with such a document.

Also, the 50 microtesla "natural fields" level statement is inexcusable - that is a static (permanent magnet) field and cannot be compared with a 50 Hz oscillating field. I thought the industry had got away from such stupid statements - apparently not Scottish and Southern. I will send this report to some senior electricity industry people for comment. The background ELF oscillating field is actually less than 0.0001 microtesla - compare that with 50!

The SSE report is presumed to be the council's response to the HMIe recommendation: "The council should also seek to reassure parents about the levels of contamination of soil at the proposed site and the level of danger from the nearby electricity sub-station", as quoted in section 6.2 of HMIE report dated November 2009.

Unfortunately, if the report is as inaccurate as suggested by Mr Philips' comments, it gives parents no such assurance.