A MOBILE phone operator has submitted a new plan to install a fourth 5G telecoms mast in Caversham.
CK Hutchison, the company which owns the Three mobile network, wants to place its equipment at the junction of St Peter’s Avenue and Chazey Road in Caversham Heights.
The mast would be 18 metres in height – making it taller than four double decker buses stacked on top of each other – with two ancillary cabinets on ground level.
Neighbours say it would be twice the height of the nearest house in St Peter’s Avenue, which is nine metres tall.
The installation of masts are considered permitted development, which means Reading Borough Council has less scope for refusal.
Cllr Isobel Ballsdon (Conservative, Caversham Heights) has told neighbours that 5G mast plans can only be rejected on three grounds: siting and appearance, the absence of alternative sites, and health matters.
“The reasons set out… for discounting alternative sites do not stack up,” she said.
“Nor has there been any consideration to sharing one of the nearby existing masts. Also, mobile phone coverage in St Peter’s Avenue and Chazey Road is excellent, which begs the question of whether there is actually a need in the local area.
“I accept that whichever site is selected, a mast will have a negative visual impact, hence it would be preferable you look at sharing an existing mast. The siting you are proposing in Chazey Road close to St Peter’s Avenue, is an extremely attractive tree-lined road, would be hugely unpopular.”
The plan has also been opposed by Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading East, calling the proposed mast “a large and imposing metal structure.”
On the other hand, Stephen Holgate who lives near the proposed mast site wrote in support of it, as it would provide “a much stronger and more reliable phone and data signal in the area.”
For its part, a spokesperson for Three said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Caversham.
“We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and this site will be critical to making that happen.
“Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage. We carry out extensive searches and evaluate a wide range of options before submitting any planning applications.”
The application is number 221825, and can be viewed on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal.
