Tettenhall residents urged to object to planned ‘monstrous’ 5G mast

The 20.6m pole could be installed at South Staffordshire Golf Club.

The plans were originally refused by Wolverhampton Council in November last year but the applicant appealed the refusal to the planning inspectorate, meaning the monopole with 12 antennae, four dishes, and equipment on the ground on Codsall Road could still go ahead.

The mast would be delivered by Cornerstone, a telecommunications infrastructure company which supports Virgin Media, O2 and Vodafone.

The plans were refused by council officers as they felt it would have a detrimental impact to local residents.

Planning officer Jobe Elwell said: “The proposed 20.6m high mast would stand out as a noticeably prominent feature to many neighbouring dwelling houses.

“This is exacerbated by its wider than average monopole and a weighty and cluttered antenna headframe, rendering it a visually obtrusive and overbearing addition.

“In the case of one home in Codsall Road, their side-facing habitable windows would have a full and unobstructed view of the mast and base compound. It is considered by the local planning authority that not all reasonable attempts have been made to provide an acceptable appearance, or to effectively mitigate any remaining harm.

“Although the proposal would make a positive contribution to the high-quality telecommunications network, in this instance this does not outweigh the material harm also presented.”

The Tettenhall District Community Trust is encouraging residents to submit objections to the appeal.

A spokesman said: “We are calling upon all Tettenhall residents to support through a representation of their objections, to reject the appeal by Cornerstone and uphold Wolverhampton City Council’s planning refusal.”

The deadline to submit a comment is August 6.

Report by Local Democracy Reporter Rachel Alexander