Bridgwater 5G Mast Refused

Proposal for a 17m 5G mast on Whitfield Road, Bridgwater, have been rejected by the local council.

06:20 21 October 2021

Proposals to build a new 5G mobile phone mast in Bridgwater has been rejected by the local council following residents' objections. 

 

Mobile phone provider Three UK submitted the application to Sedgemoor District Council in August to address the 'acute need' for new facilities in the area. The application documents showed that the firm intended to build a 17-metre-high pole on Whitfield, Bridgwater along with three additional equipment cabinets. 

 

The planning statement said: "In these unprecedented times of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is recognised that high-speed mobile connectivity is the lifeblood of a community; facilitating educational benefits, providing access to vital services, improving communications with the associated commercial benefits for local businesses, enabling e-commerce and facilitating the increased need and demand for working from home, as well as enjoying access to social, media and gaming for leisure time activities.

 

"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 very nature of installing new 5G mast infrastructure within such an urban setting requires a highly considered balance between the need to extend practical coverage reach with that of increasing risk of visual amenity intrusion."