CONTROVERSIAL plans to create a 25m high tower with antenna and satellite dishes metres from a primary school have been submitted. 

EE UK and H3G UK want to build the lattice tower, which would be taller than five London buses stacked on top of each other, on land at Ballast Quay Farm in Wivenhoe. 

The application site is near to Millfields Primary School in Bowes Road. 

As part of the plans, which will be decided on by Colchester Council, the applicants want to build a new telecommunications base. 

The site is currently operated by MBNL and provides mobile coverage for EE Limited and Three also known as H3G UK and has a smaller tower in place.

The new tower would have six antenna and four dishes fitted to it. 

Business - signage for an EE storeBusiness - signage for an EE store (Image: Nicholas.T.Ansell/PA Wire)

There would also be five ground based equipment cabinets, and fencing surrounding the compound.

It’s a project that has stirred up some controversy with residents in Wivenhoe.

Prior to the application being made, a consultation letter and copy of the proposal drawings were sent to Wivenhoe Ward Councillors Mark Cory, Sean Kelly, and Andrea Luxford-Vaughan.

These plans were also sent to Wivenhoe Town Council, and the headteacher of Millfields Primary School, in Bowes Road, in June.

School - Millfields Primary SchoolSchool - Millfields Primary School (Image: Google Maps)

The feedback from Councillor Sean Kelly and his fellow councillors was damning of the proposal.

He said: “We'd object to this application on the grounds of it being detrimental to the landscape.

“There would be a negative impact on wildlife during construction and longer term when maintenance is occurring.

“The tower that is being retired looks to be only about 10m tall, why is the application for a tower that is more than twice the size?

“The existing tower does not significantly detract from the landscape, whereas one that is 25m tall most certainly would.”

According to the application, a notice to quit has been served on the operators to allow the land to be redeveloped.

It said: “Due to the temporary nature of the existing structure, the equipment must be removed shortly.

“In order to avoid a situation where there is no coverage for the operators in this busy location, there is an urgent need to provide replacement coverage.”

The application also states that by installing this new equipment on the site, it will ensure that high quality 4G coverage is maintained.

It would also mean a new 5G coverage provision is provided in and around Wivenhoe.

A decision is yet to be made on this planning application.