Hereford residents blast ‘eyesore’ 5G pole plan

A bid to put up a telecoms mast the height of a four-storey building in a residential area of Hereford has been rejected.

Cignal Infrastructure UK, which operates the Three mobile network, wanted to put up the 17-metre 5G “monopole” and base cabinet on a grass verge at Lyall Court near the junction with Siddons Road, Tupsley.

The spot was chosen over six other candidate locations in the area, which were rejected due to their nearness to housing or the narrowness of pavements, a report with the company’s application said.

This was submitted under the so-called permitted development right to install communications infrastructure without full planning permission.

It drew 12 objections from residents, their comments including: “The mast will be a disproportionate eyesore,” “It will cause residents anxiety regarding health issues,” “People need these open spaces but they are disappearing,” and “The area already receives adequate 4G coverage.”

There were no submissions from the county’s environmental health officer or highway engineer, nor from Hereford City Council.

Herefordshire Council planning officer Simon Rowles ruled that as it would be conspicuous from the nearby Hampton Park conservation area, full planning permission would be required.

Such a tall mast in a residential area would also “appear out of scale with its built environs” – a negative that would not be outweighed by the benefits of enhanced 5G coverage.

Nor was he convinced that the company had done enough to consider “a less intrusive site and a mast of reduced height”.

Cignal’s concurrent bid to erect a 16-metre 5G pole by the A465 Belmont Road, Hunderton has yet to be decided on.

The company and its predecessor CK Hutchison Networks (UK) have now made several unsuccessful bids to erect new poles to provide 5G network connectivity in the city.