Plans 20m-tall comms poll for busy Hereford road

A telecoms pole taller than a six-storey house could soon be put up by a busy Hereford road.

CK Hutchison Networks, which operates the Three mobile network in the UK, plans to install the 20-metre-high 5G pole along with three equipment cabinets beside Roman Road (the A4103) near the roundabout with Holmer Road (the A49).

Its application seeks “prior approval” under a system called permitted development rights, which allows certain kinds of building work without the need for full planning permission.

“There is an acute need for a new base station to provide effective service coverage and in this case, the height of the proposed street pole is the minimum required to bring the benefits of 5G to this area,” the company’s application says.

The pole “will facilitate educational benefits, providing access to vital services, improving communications with the associated commercial benefits for local businesses, enabling e-commerce and working from home as well as enjoying access to social, media and gaming for leisure time activities”, it adds.

An accompanying briefing note on 5G and health, published by industry body Mobile UK, says: “It is expected that the maximum exposure levels in areas around [5G] base stations will be similar to existing mobile services that use similar transmitter powers.”

Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets Coun Gemma Davies said in February 2020: “It is possible that there may be a small increase in overall exposure to radio waves when 5G is added to an existing network or in a new area.

“However, the overall exposure is expected to remain low relative to guidelines and as such there should be no consequences for public health.”

Comments on the application, numbered 223652, can be made until this Thursday (November 24).