Wolverhampton Council loses appeal over ‘intrusive’ 5G tower near Aldersley Stadium
Wolverhampton Council has lost its bid to prevent a 5G mast from being installed near a leisure centre.
The council rejected a move to install the 22.5m tower on Aldersley Road in Wolverhampton, next to the Aldersley Leisure Village, saying it was “overbearing” and would disrupt views for locals.
However, despite the criticism from the council, the tower, which would sit at least five metres above trees in Aldersley Road, can now be installed after applicant Atlas Tower Group won an appeal to the government’s planning inspector, more than a year after the council’s ruling.
In a report outlining the rejection, the council’s planning officers said installing the mast on the corner of Hugh Porter Way and Aldersley would “harm” views of the nearby green belt.
The Council planners said: “This site benefits from an attractive backdrop of street trees, the Smestow Valley and Valley Park Green Belt and public open space, within a predominantly residential area.
“The addition of a 22.5m high monopole mast would introduce a man-made alien feature, creating a harmful juxtaposition within this natural setting.
“The proposed siting and appearance of the monopole mast, by virtue of its height and design, would result in detrimental harm to the character of the local area and harm to the openness of the green belt.
“The mast would be incongruous and in this visually prominent location, it would appear particularly overbearing, towering above the nearby trees.”
The council’s planners went on to say that the mast would “stand out as a noticeably prominent feature” to neighbouring homes, which was “exacerbated by its wider than average monopole and a weighty and cluttered antenna headframe, rendering it a visually obtrusive and overbearing addition.”
The plan was also criticised for not taking other “less harmful” locations into account when deciding where to place the 5G mast, such as Dunstall Lane and Racecourse Road.
In voiding and reversing the council’s rejection, the government planning inspector said the 22.5m mast would not harm the character or appearance of the road or the green belt.
The inspector said: “The proposal is utilitarian in design and would not be particularly in keeping with the surrounding development.
“However, given its positioning at the edge of the complex, against the above mentioned tree line, its scale in relation to the site as whole and the relatively compact design of the mast and its head, the proposal would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the wider area.
“Although close to the residential street, the proposal would not be directly read in connection with it given the substantial mature tree line that separates the appeal site from the road.”
