Council blocks 20m 5G mast over fears it would ‘loom over’ Leeds street
Plans to install a 5G mobile phone mast have been blocked after the council raised concerns over its appearance.
Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL) applied to fit a 20-metre pole near Morrisons in Guiseley.
MBNL said the installation, on a footpath off Otley Road, would help maintain EE network coverage in the town.
But Leeds City Council said the mast, along with nine antenna and an equipment cabinet, would be “overly dominant and out of scale with its surroundings”.
A planning officer’s report said the mast was higher than nearby street lights and would not blend in with its surroundings.
The report said: “Given its scale and form it would loom over the adjacent highway.”
MBNL said it an existing mast station in Guiseley town centre was due to be decommissioned.
The company said in its application: “Therefore, a replacement site is required to prevent any loss of services when the apparatus is removed.
“This proposal is required to provide continued mobile coverage to the area.”
The proposed site was deemed suitable after an alternative rooftop location could not be found.
But the council report recommended that prior approval planning permission be refused.
It said: “Whilst the benefits of improved telecommunications equipment are noted, these do not outweigh the visual harm in this instance, to which significant weight is attached.”