Plans for a 5G mast in Merseyside have once again been rejected after the local council said it would harm the look of the nearby area.
Mobile phone company Three UK wanted to build a 20-metre tall mast on Birkenhead Road in Wallasey, but Wirral Council threw the plans out.
In the council’s letter of rejection, Alan Evans, director of regeneration, said: “Due to its prominent siting within the street scene and significantly greater girth and scale than any other item of street furniture, [it] would be a discordant and intrusive feature causing harm to visual amenity.”
Three UK failed to satisfy the local authority that it had explored the option of adding the antennas needed for the 5G technology onto an existing structure, thereby avoiding the need for a tall freestanding mast which some consider to be a blot on the landscape.
Mr Evans said any social or economic benefits arising from better mobile connectivity did not outweigh the harm to “visual amenity” the mast would have caused.
A spokesperson for Three UK, said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Wirral.
"We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and a new site will be critical to making that happen. We will continue to work with the council to find a way forwards.”
In May, Three UK had its proposal for a mast of the same size on Conway Street in Birkenhead thrown out over similar worries.
On that occasion, Wirral Council thought the unsightly nature of the mast threatened its regeneration plans for the town.
5G has been a controversial topic of late, with campaigners who oppose the technology promoting conspiracy theories linking it to coronavirus without any evidence.
Scientists and other officials including the World Health Organisation have debunked the 5G Covid-19 theory, stating it is not possible for the virus to be transmitted by electromagnetic radiation.
Keep up to date with coronavirus cases in your area by adding your postcode below
Speaking earlier this year, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson blasted 5G conspiracy theories as “bizarre” and added: "How can anyone contemplate relating putting a 5G mast up in Liverpool [to] coronavirus?
“The very idea that Covid-19 was created by 5G is patently nonsense.”
