Council's questions over 20-metre Penarth phone mast

Residents on Dinas Road in Penarth found out about the plans for the 20m phone mast to be installed next to their homes in a letter.

The letter was sent on behalf of mobile operators EE and 3 (H3G) by Waldon Telecom Ltd.

A resident who wrote to the town council said she had been 'sick to their stomach' since she learned about the plans.

Penarth Town Council wrote to Waldon Telecom Ltd after residents raised concerns.

In a Penarth Town Council meeting, on September 12, the local councilors discussed the plans and agreed to ask the following questions:   

• “Can you confirm that options regarding mast sharing were explored as part of this proposal?”

• “Can you outline the details as to why a 20m tall mast would be required at this site?”

• “What options for softening the visual impact of the cabinets & mast are being considered e.g. colour, additional planting etc.”

In their response to Penarth Town Council, the company said: “Firstly, yes mast sharing was investigated as part of our site selection process. There is only one other mast within the search area, which is an O2 mast.  

“There are currently no street works structure that could accommodate these/this operator(s) alongside O2 and there is no infrastructure sharing agreement between these operators for street works structures. As such, we had to discount this as an option.   

“In terms of the height of the mast, we are replacing an existing rooftop structure at the Penarth Fire Station. The height of the mast ensures that the coverage and capacity provided by the Fire Station site is replicated so that coverage to the surrounding area remains like for like.   

The proposed site plans (Image: Vale of Glamorgan Council)“With a 20 m structure, we are able to located to radio antennas at a height which can propagate to the surrounding area effectively without interference from surrounding trees and buildings. It also means that we will have no ICNIRP compliance issues.

"A monopole at a lower height means that the radio antennas equally have to be located at a lower height, which can create ICNIRP compliance issues with surrounding houses and may reduce the quality of signal propagation.

A phone mast near Dingle Road train station (Image: Newsquest)“In regard to the siting and appearance effects, we have proposed that the monopole and associated cabinets are coloured RAL7035 which translates to a steel grey colour. This was chosen so that the mast and cabs will assimilate with the surrounding environment.   

“That is, existing vertical structures such as streetlights. However, we will note that we are open to any design amendments that would result in a lesser impact on the surrounding area.”

Why is the phone mast being installed? 

The radio station at the nearby fire station which provides network coverage for the area will be lost due to reasons beyond the operator's control, the letter to residents explained.  

If a replacement site is not found ‘at the earliest opportunity’ to replicate the coverage, there will be a loss of communications and data services, it added.  

What did residents have to say? 

One resident, Geraldine Caldwell, 75, previously invited us into her home to show us exactly where the mast will be visible from her garden.  

“This is where we live, if you look here, it will go just behind there. It will be twice the height of the house. 

The consultation letter and the view from the resident's garden (Image: Newsquest)“I have been on the internet and apparently it is going to impact the value of the house by something like 15 to 25 per cent.  

“The garden is part of our home, and we are never going to be without the look of it - I’m sick to my stomach at the thought of it,” she said. 

A local councillor called the installations ‘ugly’ and a ‘blot on the landscape’ 

Councillor for the Plymouth Ward, Anthony Ernst, who proposed reconsidering the fire station as an option, said: 

 “I have given my strongest objections to the scheme, which shows the site of the mast being immediately adjacent to the side wall of the nearest house, who would have a 65ft mast towering above their home. 

Cllr Anthony Ernest and the proposed site plans (Image: File/Vale of Glamorgan Council)“The Fire Station must still be an option - there is plenty of room there for the time being and any redevelopment could easily incorporate a few square feet for a replacement mast.    

“These installations are 'ugly', and a 'blot on the landscape' in my opinion.”