Spalding 5G mast rejected after residents raised fears it would 'industrialise' the landscape
Plans for a 5G phone mast in Spalding have been turned down after fears the 50-foot high structure would ‘industrialise’ the landscape.
CK Hutchison - which operates the Three network - had applied to build a mast and cabinet in The Parkway, next to a green open space. South Holland District Council rejected this on Friday.
This latest move came after the firm failed to get approval for masts in Hawthorn Bank, Birch Grove and Wygate Park in Spalding this year.
CK Hutchison is still persisting with bringing 5G masts to Spalding, however, and has lodged an application for a 16m (52 foot) mast in West Elloe Avenue, close to the Enterprise car and van rental site and Twin Bridges.
Resident Peter Jullien has lived in The Parkway since 1991, when the properties were first built.
Speaking before the plans were rejected, he said: “We have seen people really enjoy living here and to put a 15 metre mast up - it would industrialise a beautiful place and a stunning feature of Holland Park.”
Another resident told the Free Press they are concerned that the company is just moving around sites in Spalding until it can get a plan through - and called for the firm to work with locals to identify more industrial parts of the town where such masts would be less intrusive.
Coun Angela Newton and MP Sir John Hayes lodged objections on behalf of residents.
The district council agreed with objectors, ruling the mast would: “Represent an unduly dominant, obtrusive and alien feature within the street scene and would be an incongruously hard form within an area which is highly verdant, thereby resulting in unacceptable harm to the character, appearance and visual amenity of the locality.”
5G uses radio waves on high frequency bands which have a high capacity but cover shorter distances - causing the need for multiple masts to be close to users.
