New Bid for 5G Mast on Allotments Near Boston Road
Appeal made against council's refusal of application
The location of the proposed mast near the plots on Wellmeadow Road
|
March 8, 2024
The company which has been trying to get clearance to build a 5G mast at an allotment site off Boston Road has now appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.
Cornerstone, which is acting on behalf of Vodaphone, applied (PA/2023/0600) to build a 20-metre-high monopole near the plots on Wellmeadow Road last February.
The structure would have had twelve antennas and four dishes attached to an open headframe and three ground-based cabinets. It would be positioned in the gravel parking area near the fence to the allotments. The mast would be more than twice the height of nearby trees.
Objections were made on a range of grounds including the mast being unsightly, the lack of security on the site, the poor communication of the plans and the impact it would have on nature in the area. The planning authority does not consider objections relating to the health impact of the mast.
Cornerstone says in its submission to the council that the mast is needed to replace one at an existing site on the roof at nearby Boundary House and that it must be as close as possible to the current site to maintain coverage for the Boston Manor area. It claims several other sites were considered but were found not to be suitable.
Hounslow Council refused the application in April 2023 telling the applicant that the mast would have a harmful effect on the character, appearance and biodiversity of the Wellmeadow Road Allotments site which is Metropolitan Open Land. This was deemed to be a result of ‘its unsustainable, inappropriate siting, excessive scale and height and incongruous design, contrary to Local Plan Policies.’
An earlier submission for a 22.5 metre mast was also refused by Hounslow Council.
Cornerstone waited nearly a year to launch the appeal to the Secretary of State Michael Gove. The application will now be re-examined by the government Planning Inspector. Any previous submissions made regarding the application will be considered by the Inspector during the appeal but anyone wishing to amend earlier comments or make addition one can email West1@planninginspectorate.gov.uk. The appeal reference is APP/F5540/W/23/3331497.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
