Plans to erect a 5G mast close to a Sefton primary school have been refused.
At a meeting held at Bootle Town Hall tonight, Wednesday 21, planning officer John Kerr said the 18m mast would provide a “jarring and discordant note” along the Northern Road in Crosby.
The proposed site of the mast, which planning documents showed would hold six antennae, was due to be situated close to the Great Crosby Primary School.
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While Mr Kerr said the benefits of the mast for improved telecommunications was accepted, there was a significant problem with the siting of the mast, which would interfere with pupils and other pedestrians queuing to enter the large primary school in the morning.
Recommending refusal, Mr Kerr said the applicant, CK Hutchinson Networks UK Ltd, had made “little attempt to properly engage” with both the council and the primary school.
Hundreds of objections had been lodged with Sefton Council against the plans, with over 1,000 signatories to an online petition opposing the plans, and a further hard copy petition with more than 100 signatures.
In the 191 comments submitted about the proposals, concerns included fears around the location and appearance of the antennae.
There was also anger over the timing of the application – submitted during the summer holiday. Objectors claimed this meant consultation was reduced because there were less parents aware of the plans than if they had been submitted during term time.
Concerns around health implications were dismissed by planning officers in the report, as certification had been provided the mast would be within acceptable levels of radiation.
A motion to move ahead with recommendations to refuse the prior approval was seconded and unanimously agreed by members of the committee, meaning the erection of the mast cannot now go ahead.
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