Colchester council considers telecoms mast applications

Great Tey, Abberton, Stanway, and the Hythe are the areas where the new masts could be built.

One application received more than 100 objections from residents and one application has been refused completely by Colchester Council.

Here is what you need to know. 

Abberton

Filed in March by Alan Osborne of WHP Telecoms, an application for a mast in Great Tey would see the 15-metre pole – which would have six antennas – built just outside the village hall.

A series of cabinets would also be positioned next to the pole in Chappel Road.

A document from the mobile phone network, Three, explained government plans to improve internet coverage meant new 5G masts were a necessity.

It read: “With the advent of new technology, under the banner of 5G, further advances are proposed and central government has seen the telecoms industry, and in particular 5G, to be at the forefront of economic development.”

But with the mast proposed to be constructed directly outside the village hall, more than 100 objections have now been filed by residents, including one from Great Tey Parish council.

An extract from their objection letter read: “The proposed mast, by virtue of its excessive height and prominent location, would result in an inappropriate and highly visible form of development which would be incompatible with the existing street scene.”

One of the most recent objections, filed on Tuesday, said the 15-metre pole was out of keeping with the surrounding area, with another arguing the pole will block the vision of vehicles and public transport buses.

The planning application said the design of the monopole has been ‘carefully considered.’

It read: “The column is proposed to be painted grey, in order to match the street lighting columns and other street furniture in the area.

“However, the monopole can be painted any colour should the local planning authority consider that an alternative colour would be more appropriate.”

With the application having formally been filed on Friday, March 17, Colchester Council is likely to make a final decision on the application by the end of the month.

Stanway

A second application, also submitted my WHP telecoms but under the agent Ryan Marshall, is currently under consideration in Stanway.

Permission for a telecoms pole which would be 18 metres in height was submitted on Friday, April 7.

Should permission be granted, the pole would be built on Tollgate Road, very close to the entrance to the Tollgate Centre Shopping Park.

At 18 metres in height, the mast would tower over a nearby retail unit, which is eight metres in height.

Publicly available files show Stanway Parish Council objected to the plans late last month on the grounds the mast was an eyesore in the wrong place.

In a two-page document, all of which has been redacted apart from two lines, the objection read: “I refer to the above application and can confirm that Stanway Parish Council object to this proposal.

“It is unaesthetically pleasing and in the wrong location.”

Peldon

The third application for a 5G mast to have been made in recent weeks, also from WHP Telecoms, relates to a 15-metre pole in Peldon Road, Abberton.

The planning permission application was made at the beginning of March by Ryan Marshall.

According to planning papers, the 15-metre mast would have been built on an area of land in Peldon Road, close to the Bracken Way junction.

The structure would have comfortably dwarfed the nearest house, which stands at five metres in height.

After the plans had officially been submitted, however, a slew of objections came in from residents, as well as Abberton and Langenhoe Parish Council.

The latter’s objection claimed the pole would be “overbearing to neighbouring properties and out of keeping with the residential aspect.”

It added: “An alternative site away from residential properties should be found and the parish council is aware that local land owners may consider an approach to utilise their land for this purpose.

“The parish council appreciates the need to improve the connectivity in the rural areas and note this is the second application for mast installation in the village since October 2022.”

The council formally rejected the application on Tuesday, May 2, with an official describing the mast as “unacceptable in terms of its appearance and siting.”

It added: “It will be the dominant feature of the locality and is demonstrably harmful to the character and appearance of the area by reason of its alien character and industrialising effects, in what is a residential area, with a pleasant verdant character.”

Colchester

The fourth planning application for a telecoms pole to be submitted to Colchester Council in recent weeks relates to a 15-metre mast in Roberts Road, the Hythe.

The plans were submitted on Friday, April 14 by WHP Telecoms on behalf of Cignal Infrastructure UK Limited.

According to official documents filed by WHP Telecoms, there is a requirement to upgrade the Three network and improve its coverage on 5G networks.

The planned location for the mast is in Roberts Road, Colchester, close to a pedestrian crossing which links Brigade Grove with Garrison Brigade.

A statement read the area had been chosen so the telecoms mast would not look out of place and would manage.

The document read: “The proposed development is required to deliver the requisite level of electronic communication service on a structure designed to accommodate multiple future users yet seeks to minimise its visual impact or change to the character of this location.

“The proposed works are not to the visual detriment of the surrounding area.”

Since the proposals were filed, however, more than 20 objections have been raised, with one reading: “Residents pay an annual service charge to maintain the area and so therefore their recommendations should be given priority.

A final decision from the council on the plans is expected next month.

Essex Highways confirmed they did not object to the application.