News / Sea Mills
Appeal lodged after controversial plans for 5G mast refused
A controversial plan for a 5G telecoms mast in a conservation area could still go ahead despite being rejected by Bristol City Council.
CK Hutchinson Networks (UK) has appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the refusal – even though its initial application had more than 400 objections.
The company claims the visual effect of the mast, proposed at Sea Mills Square, will be mitigated by nearby trees and existing street furniture such as lampposts.
is needed now More than ever
But local community group Sea Mills and Coombe Dingle Together has been distributing a mock-up of the proposal, showing the 18-metre pole towering above houses and a historic oak tree.
The mast would tower above Addison’s Oak, runner-up in the Woodland Trust’s tree of the year contest in 2019 – photo: Evan Dawson, Homes for Heroes
The Addison’s oak is particularly special to Sea Mills, having been planted in 1919 to celebrate the beginning of the estate.
Local councillors John Goulandris and Henry Michallat have requested planning inspectors visit the site themselves, to “see first hand how absolutely inappropriate a massive mast would be in this sensitive location.”
Two masts previously rejected by the city council elsewhere in north Bristol have recently been allowed on appeal. But neither of these were in conservation areas.
Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo showing the proposed mast: Corinne Welch
Read more: ‘If this 5G mast goes up in Sea Mills, I’ll be devastated’
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
