Concerns over ‘unsightly’ 5G mast plans for leafy Gloucester street

Hucclecote residents are opposing plans to install a 5G telecomms mast in Kingscroft Road.

CK Hutchison Networks Limited wants permission from Gloucester City Council to place the 52-foot-tall pole at the junction with Green Lane.

Councillor Declan Wilson (LD, Hucclecote) says he was contacted by the company in December saying they were were carrying out a “pre-consultation enquiry” and had identified Kingscroft Road as a potential site for the high speed internet mobile phone mast.

He told them at the time he could not support such a proposal and was surprised to later find out they had gone ahead and submitted a “full blown” application.

He said: “There is huge opposition to this from residents and a large number of objections have already been submitted but time is running out for everyone to let their views be heard. The government has made it very difficult for these types of applications to be rejected but it still can be done.

“According to Government planning guidelines their main condition is that ‘their siting and appearance must be such that their visual impact on the surrounding impact is minimised’.

“It is my view that this mast will be visually intrusive and totally inappropriate for a residential area such as Green Lane and Kingscroft Road.

“Concerns have also been raised about the site’s location close to an area that has had flooding issues in the past.”

A nearby resident said he was among those concerned about the proposals and questioned why such a mast was needed in the area.

“The physicial and visual impact of a 50 foot big thick mast erected halfway down Green Lane is somewhat incongruous. We are a little bit amazed by the plans.

“We are not one of the properties who would overlook it but we have neighbours who will looking right across it and it will be within a couple of feet of people’s gardens.

“Do we really need a fairly industrial thing right in the middle of a nice area of Gloucester?”

Consultants working on behalf of the applicans scheme said high-speed mobile connectivity is the lifeblood of a community.

They say the 5G mast would facilitate educational benefits, provide access to vital services, commercial benefits for businesses and enable ecommerce and facilitate the increased need and demand for working from home.

“The pre-consultation invited comments within a two-week period and while the merits of highspeed telecommunications are generally recognised. Pre-application has identified the need to carefully consider the risk of increased visual amenity to adjoining residential properties through the siting of telecommunications infrastructure within urban settings.

“The use of the public highway to accommodate a new telecommunications installation complies with both central government and local planning policy guidance, where the underlying aim isto provide an efficient and  competitive telecommunication system for the benefit of the community, while minimising visual impact.”

Residents have until February 2 to comment on the proposals which the council is expected to consider by February 15.

People can do so by emailing and quoting the planning application reference number 22/01252/TCM.

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk