Mast With No Planning Permission Outrages Residents

Residents furious over the installation of a huge phone mast without planning permission.

13:28 01 December 2020

Residents of two streets in Ashton are asking Bristol City Council to provide an explanation as to why a massive mobile phone mast was erected just a few feet from their homes without any warning at all. The move comes after engineers were seen preparing the ground behind South Bristol Retail Park on November 23 and a large crane arriving in the middle of the week. 

 

Two of the area's local councillors said they are urgently asking questions of the planners to find out what can be done about the mast, which is in the rear service years of the B&M Bargains store in the retail park. 

 

Ann Hathway, 83, who has lived in Gerald Road for 41 years, said: “A neighbour rang me to tell me there was a huge crane and next thing we knew, they were putting great big concrete slabs in and putting them between B&M and the Scout Hut, and there was nothing we could do,”

 

“It’s diabolical. I didn’t realise it was going to be that high.

 

“It’s been lovely here. But now that’s there - but have they gone the right way about it, and got permission. We haven’t heard a thing about it,” she added.

 

“We noticed the crane and things being lifted up the day before,and I was out all day, so I came in the garden yesterday.

 

"We’re due to have building work, and the builder said: ‘you know that there’, and I looked around and saw it.”

 

“The builder said ‘that’s devalued your house by 25 per cent’,” she added.

 

“We knew absolutely nothing. I’ve not been informed, not even any chat on Facebook, absolutely nothing at all.

 

“I’m worried about the health concerns about it - it is so close to all our houses.

 

"I wouldn’t do anything like this myself, but you hear that these masts are targeted by people, so that’s the last thing we want for it to topple onto our houses.

 

“But I’m more cheesed off with the way it’s been done. To not tell anyone at all that you’re putting such a tall thing at the end of so many people’s gardens is shocking,” she added.