Appeal lodged after refusal of contentious 5G phone mast near picturesque holiday park

Bruce Sinclair – Local democracy reporter

An appeal against a refusal of plans to site a contentious 5G phone mast next to a picturesque holiday park has been lodged.

Following a previous withdrawn application, last year Freshwave Facilities Limited submitted fresh plans to erect a mast and ancillary antennae reaching a maximum height of 23.14 metres, to boost the Vodafone signal, at Quay West Holiday Park, New Quay, some 150 metres from the previous proposal.

The previous plans drew many local objections, with one describing it as a “gargantuan eyesore” that would impact on a cherished nearby family home.

Application

After that application on the edge of the caravan park was withdrawn, following a recommendation for refusal, the new application saw the proposed mast sited closer to the main part of the town, adjacent to the main B4342 road, again on the holiday park grounds.

More than 40 local objections were received by Ceredigion planners, with the town council also strongly objecting, and two petitions, an online one with 160 responses, and a 380-strong paper petition also objecting to that proposal.

The town council’s reasons included the proposed mast was close to nearby households, in a special landscape area, and had said a public consultation should be held with residents.

Signal

It also said the mast would only benefit park users rather than locals.

Agent Rapleys, in a supporting statement submitted to Ceredigion planners, had said the mast would both boost the signal in the caravan park and allow the continued provision of 4G mobile connections to the surrounding area, and also provide improved 5G services for Vodafone, introducing ultra-fast mobile connectivity.

Residents’ objections raised a long list of concerns, including a detrimental impact on landscape and amenity of occupiers, in terms of visual impact, overbearing, overshadowing, and noise, being  inappropriate within a residential area and insensitively sited, out of keeping with the locality, an eyesore to look at, no formal consultation undertaken by the developers, a potential detrimental effect on human health, and an impact on tourism.

Objections were also raised in relation to property prices, impact/loss of view, and financial benefits to the landowner.

Ceredigion planners refused the scheme, reasons including “it is considered that the development would fail to contribute positively to the context of its location, and would cause a significant visual intrusion, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the landscape, the special qualities of the Cardigan Bay Special Landscape Area and the amenity of nearby occupiers”.

Since then, an appeal against refusal has been lodged with the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

That appeal is at the early ‘researching’ stage, the appeal highlighted in a forthcoming Ceredigion County Council development management committee agenda, ahead of its next August 13 meeting.