South Ribble Locals Demand Say on Mast Location

South Ribble residents demand that they are given a say over where new telecoms masts are sited.

14:13 02 February 2022

South Ribble councillors are speaking out after a controversial 60-foot-high 5G mast was installed in Penwortham. They are demanding that they, together with the residents, are given a say over where new telecoms masts are sited. 

 

Under current planning procedures, 5G masts and other related infrastructures, are classed as "permitted development". This means that poles of up to 98 feet in height are allowed to be built at roadsides without going through the usual planning application process. 

 

At a council meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Angela Turner said that residents of Blackthorn Drive had been left frustrated as they are powerless in blocking plans for a new 5G mast on the residential route. 

 

“The mast in question will be nearly twice as high as the existing street lights and many of our trees. Current planning legislation denies any rights [for] the residents to have a means to object or put their opinions forward – a disgrace.

 

“The government has made great play about the role of residents in having a say about what happens in the communities they live in. But when it comes to telecommunications masts and accompanying boxes, the views of local communities are completely ignored,” said Cllr Turner, who added that the Blackthorn Drive area already had some of the fastest broadband speeds in Penwortham.