A THORNBURY resident says she is shocked she and her neighbours were not consulted about a huge new mobile phone mast that ‘dominates’ her view.
Dianne Smith says she came home from a shopping trip on June 20 to find the 5G mast had been erected in Morton Way, about 50m from her home.
She said: “I cannot believe that something of this nature and magnitude can be erected without proper consultation with those people whose quality of life will be so detrimentally affected.
“We had no prior knowledge of this being done and it now dominates the view, looming over us in the westward direction.”
Dianne contacted South Gloucestershire Council, who told her a consultation had taken place earlier in the year.
She said: “I was told that I was not consulted as apparently my house wasn’t close enough to the location of the mast. I am shocked that this can happen so close to residential properties.”
Other residents who were consulted wrote to object to the 18m (59ft) mast.
Writing on the council’s planning website, Paul Howard said: “The proposed mast, at 18m, would be materially higher than all other structures in the immediate area including trees, and would be a stand-out feature and not in keeping with the area.
“Surely there are other locations that are away from houses and have less environmental impact?”
Gillian Dunkley also objected, writing: “For the same reasons that other sites were rejected as being in the vicinity of heritage assets, the proximity to the hamlet of Upper Morton and its listed properties, this mast will be in line of sight.”
Permission for the mast was granted on March 7 by council officers using delegated powers, just after a month after the application went out for consultation on February 5.
Plans were submitted in January by network operator EE followed several unsuccessful applications.
The company said in its planning statement: “Whilst it is acknowledged that this location is close to residential properties it should be noted that this cannot be avoided, given the entire area is residential and this dense population of dwellings is the exact reason that coverage needs to be improved.”
A South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said the authority had written to all residents who were in properties “directly affected” by the mast.
‘Improved communication’
In total 20 residents were consulted and 11 responded – eight objecting, two supporting and one neutral towards the plan.
Among those writing in support was Paul Gardiner, who said: “5G will improve our communication, enabling seamless video calls, quick downloads and making real-time collaboration a norm. “Improved connectivity is especially crucial in emergency situations, enabling faster response times and more effective coordination among emergency services.”
Thornbury Town Council was also consulted but did not object.
Town and South Gloucestershire councillor Jayne Stansfield said she and her colleagues had objected to three previous applications for masts last year, on Park Road near Manorbrook Primary School, on Knapp Road and on Gloucester Road.
All were objected to on grounds of appearance but the Gloucester Road bid, which was withdrawn, was also objected to on the basis that it could affect road safety at the junction with Butt Lane.
Cllr Stansfield said: “There were proposals to install the 5G mast at various locations around the town. Thornbury Town Council considered and responded to each in turn, but accepted that ultimately the 5G mast would be installed somewhere within the town as the company has a right to install communications infrastructure.
She said the successful application “addressed the council’s response to the previous application on Gloucester Road,” adding: “It also considered that the mast would ultimately be installed somewhere within the town and perhaps future options would be worse.”
Dianne has also raised concerns over the mast’s potential impact on health and the local environment.
However the council is not allowed to consider the alleged health effects of 5G, with Ofcom stating that electromagnetic fields near towers and base stations are “well within the internationally agreed levels”.
The government’s online advice on health issues says: “Independent expert groups in the UK and at international level have examined the accumulated body of research evidence.
“Their conclusions support the view that health effects are unlikely to occur if exposures are below international guideline levels.”
Picture: Barry Hicks