Councillors have sided with objectors to knock back a bid for a 20m-high 5G phone mast on the edge of Ochiltree.
East Ayrshire Council planners had recommended the mast be granted permission despite the site, at the junction of Gallowlee Avenue and Main Street, being within the designated conservation area.
A total of 38 objections were received, with concerns for conservation, the visual impact, road safety and the 5G signal itself.
The developer ‘Three’ said that the site was the only suitable to provide 5G coverage for the area.
In their application they said upgrades and new masts were required for their 5G network.
“Sometimes not all existing sites can be upgraded,” they said in a planning statement.
“In this area, there is an acute need for a new mast to deliver [the 5G service].
“The nature of the antennas is such that it cannot utilise some existing structures that provide an installation for another operator, most notably in a street works or highways environment.
“The height of the pole has been kept down to the absolute minimum capable of providing the required essential new 5G coverage.”
In their report planners said: “Whilst it is not considered that the proposal will actively improve the visual amenity of the area, it is also not considered that it will detract from it to any unacceptable extent.
“The siting of the development will reduce its impact on the core of the conservation area along Main Street and it will benefit from the visual screening of existing trees.”
But Conservative councillor Neil Watts pushed back on the official recommendation.
He said: “The visual impact of the mast would be awful. It is just in the conservation area and would be completely out of character with the local area. I would move for refusal.”
SNP councillor William Lennox was also concerned about the site pointing to policies that require developments to ‘preserve and enhance’ the character of a conservation area.
He said: “Even though it is on the edge, it is still in the conservation area. I think it would detract from the visual amenity.”
Planners said while the site was in the conservation area, they argued that the line of trees immediately adjacent was the de facto boundary, with a number of telephone cables and taller structures nearby, rather than the ‘historic core’.
Councillor Lennox said he ‘fully respected’ the officials’ position, but said that the community was trying to establish conservation area infrastructure with older style ‘period’ equipment.
“The mast would be totally out of character,” he reiterated.
Councillor Watts proposed refusal, with councillor Lennox seconding the motion. Provost Jim Todd, seconded by Labour councillor Maureen Mckay sought to approve the application.
The decision to refuse was agreed, by seven votes to four.
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