Residents have told of their shock after an ‘eyesore’ 5G mast was suddenly installed behind their homes under cover of darkness – after a council forgot to put up planning notices.
Workmen arrived to begin installing the 52ft (16m) structure just yards from garden fences at 10pm – with residents only becoming aware of what was happening when floodlights were switched on and machinery started whirring.
The angry householders of Eden Close in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, complained the council’s failure to post site notices about the proposed mast meant they had no opportunity to object to its installation, until it was too late.
Debbie Feasey, whose home is one of the closest to the structure, said: ‘I used to look out and see trees behind my house. Now the view is dominated by this monstrosity.
‘The mast towers above the houses and as I look out of my kitchen window I cannot even see the top of it because it is so tall.’
Debbie Feasey (pictured), 60, whose home is one of the closest to the structure, said Shropshire Council failed to post notices about the planning application to install the mast
The angry householders of Eden Close in Shrewsbury, Shropshire have protested against the large mast. Pictured: An angry resident posing in a garden in front of the large mast
Workmen arrived to begin installing the 52ft (16m) structure just yards from garden fences at 10pm on March 13
The mast was installed over four nights starting on March 13 on a grass verge beside Robertson Way, a main road beyond the line of trees behind her garden.
Mrs Feasey, a 60-year-old compliance officer and husband Simon, 62, an NHS manager, said Shropshire Council had apologised to residents for its oversight in failing to post notices about the planning application to install the mast. But Mrs Feasey added: ‘This is little consolation to us now.
‘If we had been given advance notice we could have organised a protest before the mast went up, and written to the council to object.
‘As it was, the first we knew of it was when the workmen turned up at 10pm. When we heard the noise and looked outside, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing.’
She added: ‘We appreciate the need for masts but surely they can be located in a less sensitive location than at the end of somebody’s garden?’
Residents say the mast could cause an accident risk on the 50mph road if distracted drivers take their eyes off the road to examine it.
And they lambasted the lack of ‘any engagement or consultation’ from the council or CK Hutchison Networks UK Ltd, owner of mobile network Three.
The installation, which was to replace a previously approved scheme for a mast at another location in the town, was considered permitted development.
Angry residents protested after the installation of an ‘eyesore’ 5G mast was suddenly installed behind their homes in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Residents say the mast could cause an accident risk on the 50mph road if distracted drivers take their eyes off the road to examine it
But an application was submitted to the council to assess whether its prior approval was required with regard to the siting and appearance of the giant structure, and its ‘wraparound cabinet at the base and associated ancillary works.’
Shrewsbury Town Council was consulted on the proposal to site the mast on the verge beside Robertson Way, but did not object. Shropshire Council then decided no prior approval was needed for the new mast site before work could commence.
Last week residents gathered beside the communications tower to protest about the eyesore, which dwarfs the lampposts it stands amongst.
Jane Francis, whose house also backs on to the installation site, said: ‘Everyone on the estate is incensed about the underhand tactics and how this has come about.
‘There were no letters or signs put on lampposts during the planning process and absolutely no attempt to engage with the community or understand our feelings. To even further demonstrate their contempt for us, they installed it late at night.’
A third resident, Craig Porter(corr), a 51-year-old painter and decorator, added: ‘To stick a 16 metre high mast up without consultation within a few meters of our garden fence isn’t right.
The installation, which was to replace a previously approved scheme for a mast at another location in the town, was considered permitted development
The phone mast is placed in front of Eden Close in Shrewsbury, Shropshire (pictured)
‘Not only does it devalue our houses, but there is also the worry of radiation.’
The Shrewsbury neighbours’ outrage comes six months after residents in the village of Balderstone, Rochdale, were left similarly upset after coming home from work to find a ‘rocket’ sized 5G mast towering over their cul-de-sac.
Furious residents protest against 50ft broadband mast erected by a outside their homes which ‘looks like a horrific rocket launcher’
Richard Marshall, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and regulatory services, said: ‘Masts that are 15 metres high do not require any permission from the local planning authority.
‘The mast on Robertson Way required prior approval as it is 16 metres high. A previous approval had been granted for a mast in close proximity and the applicant considered this to be a better alternative position to provide connectivity.
‘As part of the prior approval process, Shrewsbury Town Council and local councillors were notified and no objections or concerns were raised, and the Town Council confirmed this in writing.
‘A site notice should have been put up in Robertson Way, however this was not done, for which we apologise. The legislation is complex on the matter, but procedures are in place to ensure that in future such notice is given.
‘There is also an expectation that the applicant consults with the community and carries out pre-application engagement, but this does not appear to have been done.
‘If the applicant chooses to erect the mast overnight, then that is entirely their decision and one that council has no say over. ‘
He said there was a ‘need to establish digital infrastructure’ but said the authority would ‘contact the applicant to see if there is any opportunity to reduce the impact from the immediate residents view.’
CK Hutchison Networks was approached for comment.
Shropshire Council decided no prior approval was needed for the new mast site before work could commence
Debbie Feasey (pictured) said: ‘I used to look out and see trees behind my house. Now the view is dominated by this monstrosity
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