Penarth 20m phone mast decision made on prior approval

On August 29, residents were notified of plans for a 20m high monopole with wraparound cabinets at its base to be installed on Dinas Road in a letter.

Residents were ‘sick to their stomach’ after finding out 

The letter explained that the radio station at the nearby fire station will be lost and if a replacement is not found there will be a loss of coverage in the area. 

Residents at two nearby properties were deeply concerned by the plans for the phone mast. 

Geraldine Caldwell showing where the mast will be visible from her garden (Image: Newsquest) One resident, who said she had been ‘sick to her stomach’ since finding out, invited us into her home and showed us where it will be visible from her garden. 

A local councillor, Cllr Anthony Ernest, strongly opposed the phone mast which he called ‘ugly’ and a ‘blot on the landscape’.

Where will it be and what will it look like?

The chosen site is a residential area off the junction with Lavernock Road, Dinas Road and Victoria Road. 

The pole and cabinets will be finished in a light grey which was described as a ‘similar colour to the existing street lighting. 

It will be 20.20 meters high, taller than the street lighting, to ensure the antenna reaches the target coverage area to provide 3G, 4G and 5G service.

The site of the phone mast (Image: Vale of Glamorgan)

Read more

• Penarth residents deeply concerned by 20m phone mast

• Penarth Cllr Anthony Ernest strongly opposes 20m phone mast

• Council's questions over 20-metre Penarth phone mast

The decision 

A planning application was submitted on September 19 for prior notification of the installation of a 20m high phone monopole.  

The decision which was being considered was whether prior approval would be required for the siting or appearance of the proposal. 

It was decided the recommendation was that the proposal ‘does not require the prior approval of the local planning authority’. 

Overall, it is considered that the mast is sited in an acceptable location, designed and finished in this instance to minimise the overall visual impact. 

 

As such, the details submitted are considered acceptable and prior approval would not be required for the siting and appearance of the proposal,” said the final report. 

The reasoning behind the decision 

The colour of the pole and cabinets of a ‘light grey’ was called ‘similar to the street lighting’.

This was considered an appropriate colour, given it will ‘largely be viewed against the skyline’. 

The siting of the mast was considered to be acceptable without the need for any revised/amended siting by way of prior approval. 

A phone mast near Dingle Road (Image: Newsquest)Paragraphs 5.215 and 5.2.16 of the Planning Policy Wales were also referred to in the decision-making process. 

Paragraph 5.215 

“Provided that the development meets the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines, planning authorities should not consider the health aspects of telecommunication equipment. All new base stations are expected to meet the ICNIRP guidelines."

Paragraph 5.2.16 

“Planning authorities should not implement their own precautionary policies, such as imposing a ban or moratorium on telecommunications development or insisting on minimum distances between new telecommunications development and existing development.”