Plans to erect a 20-metre high 5G mast in the middle of a housing estate have been rejected after being deemed "intrusive" and "unneighbourly."
Proposals for the 5G telecommunications mast on Duffryn Drive in Newport were rejected by Newport City Council planners last week.
In its decision to throw out the plans, council planners said the feature would be "an intrusive and unneighbourly development within the street scene" and would "detract from the attractive character of the area".
Read more: This is where new 5G masts will be put up in Newport
First proposed in July by CK Hutchison Networks on behalf of operator Three, the network behind much of the 5G roll-out in Wales, the application for the mast acknowledged that its location near to St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School, a public park and a residential area "presents difficulties for finding a suitable location for a new 5G telecommunications mast".
But it said it considered the mast to be a "minimal modern telecoms installation necessary to extend high-speed mobile coverage" to the Duffryn area.
"As this mast is a 5G installation, to work it needs to be close to those who will benefit from the technology," it said, adding that locating it further from that area would likely "require a proliferation of masts to do the same job, and even then, we are likely to have coverage gaps".
Other locations further along Tredegar House Drive, Jamaica Circle and Woodside were considered but ultimately discounted as they were deemed unsuitable for various reasons, including being too close to schools or houses.
Out of 24 houses which were consulted, four responses were received which raised concerns that the development would be "inappropriate so close to housing", citing its location 27 metres from dwellings, along with concerns over devaluation of properties, noise disturbance and interference with TV signal.
Despite no objections from the conservation officer, public protection manager or highways department, the council rejected the plans meaning a new application will now have to be submitted.
Get stories like this straight to your inbox with our newsletters.
.png?w=600)
