want to object to mobile phone base station application in conservation area

[Pangurban]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone who has experience of a successful objection or involved in planning could give advice on how to go about objecting to the above development near my house. It is a residential conservation area with wide streets and there is no existing base station in the area.

This would be a 12.5metres pole with two operators sharing. There are 4 cabinets the largest which is nearly 2m in height and 1.6m in width. The others are smaller in order. next one being something like 1.5m and so on.

It would be very dominant in the street along with it's 'small' cabinets. The pole is quite thick, not like elegant streetlight which provides safety and a degree of ambience. The street is along the side of properties joining two parallel roads and the pole would be visible from the backs and gardens. There would be at least 5 properties with it in their front view. They are claiming that as there is one street ca8/9m tall and one traffic safety sign 5m on this side of the road there is comparable streetscape clutter anyway. As there is a push to share poles, down the line an application could be put in for taller pole and maybe more ancillary bits. Once it's installed, there is precedent and what is another couple of metres. It will look line a little industrial hub anyway and erode the character of the area.

It would probably be political decision if it was refused as it goes to secretary of state on appeal not inspectorate. They refer to national framework document telling councils to encourage telecommunications, but this document says decisions must be made on planning issues.

Any knowledge about this stuff would be gratefully received. Only have a couple of weeks and will have to try fit it in with real life.

They are supposed to look at existing sites before application for new stations. Their attempt appears to be pathetic. They didn't get a response from the email they sent or they couldn't find a phone number. Hardly a tough search.

a few years ago there was an application rejected in our street. we live in a conservation area and the mast was going to stand head and shoulders above existing 2/3 story houses. it was rejected because it was out of character. some of my neighbours hired a planning consultant to help write their objection up correctly. I think this helped massively.

If it's out for public consultation, the application and supporting documents should be on the planning section of your Council's website as should the details of the Case Officer who you should lodge your objection to.

Check that English Heritage have been among the statutory consultees; if they haven't, alert them to this application & include the "flawed" planning process as one of your objections.

You mention the National Framework for planning; I know our council has produced documents which locally prescribe what the National Plan recommends (our area it is called the Core Strategy, there are also detailed Development Plans, it can be easier to work through these & say how the application breeches these on a point by point basis)

As I understand it, you are not entitled to a "view" so you need to concentrate on whether applicants have explored an alternative location properly & whether it physically degrades heritage features.

It may be worth forming a group with like-minded individuals ?via Facebook to bounce ideas off.

I'm not a planner but am opposed to a proposed local development which will most likely go to sec of state. It feels like the resources of big companies to put positive spin on dodgy proposals can't be over come by the average Joe so I'd also be keen to hear positive outcomes

Thank you for your replies. Gosh, those plans are a bit can't see the wood for the trees. I will try to get main points down. Will post on Conservation Area Residents Association Facebook. I didn't even know there was one.

They haven't mentioned once in their application that it is a conservation and have cherrypicked extracts from plans.

Also, the person dealing with it at the council is out all this week so can't ask any questions. I hope others are bothering to comment to the council. I will be no match for these businesses.

Oh well, I can but try!

At this stage, you need to object to the application in writing. Lots of advice online about how to do this. You need to stick to the facts and not get emotional.

Also, rope in your neighbours and the rest of the community. We had a similar issue last year and everyone got involved. The trouble with planning is that they write to a couple of houses and stick a notice on a gate that no one sees. Get out there and start pounding the streets. I am sure most people will want to object but they must put something in writing to have their say.

Best of luck. It's a rubbish situation to be in.

Agree wi wobblebobblehat, when the plans went out one of our neighbours photocopied them and handed them out to everyone who would see the mast from their house, not just the houses who got the std planning notice from the council.

I'm going to print out some details and post them up on trees and pole around the area. There is no site notice and the application has been in a week and a half. The applicant have also sent the details to a school with the same name as one nearby, but in another part of the city.

Does this mean consultations was flawed. Also, if the site notice is only up for half the time it should be, then people don't get the same amount of time to comment, especially with half term coming up.

That blasted national planning policy framework guidelines thing that the last government brought in seems to allow for all before it to be swept aside in the interests of sustainability etc. Will the statutory requirement to give special attention to the enhancement and protection have the same weight?

Planning officer dealing with it is back next week. Any ideas what I should ask them? Does the involvement of english heritage only involve a listed building. There are none in this conservation area. Oh another thing. How pathetic was their efforts looking at other sitings. They say one church didn't have a phone number. I googled while making dinner. They do. Most efforts to contact alternatives only involved sending an email, which wasn't replied to.

tbh OP i would be more worried about any 'yet to be fully understood health implications' of living near a mast! although the character of the area would still be a concern.

Planning applications do not take health grounds into account in relation to these masts. The application has to be objected to on planning grounds. Therefore these need to be as vigorous as possible.

If you own the property it could affect resale if you do not have good mobile coverage. I have really loved houses but with bad broadband or mobile I wouldn proceed

When we were looking to buy, I was put off two house because of the looming masts nearby. I have also agonised over a school which masts on their sites. Of course, we went ahead with a fab school which has no equipment on their grounds, so it was good in the end.

Ironic, if a base station with mast gets planning near me now.