Plans to build a new 5G tower at a school in High Wycombe are ‘unacceptable’ Buckinghamshire Council has said.
Officers refused an application by Cornerstone to replace the 15m high telecoms mast at Highcrest Academy on Hatters Lane.
The mobile infrastructure company wanted to ‘upgrade’ the equipment at the school by installing a new 25m tower, with associated antennas, dishes and other equipment.
But planners rejected the firm’s application for prior approval from the council, saying that a higher mast would have too much of an impact on the surrounding area.
In a decision notice, planners wrote: “The lattice mast, by reason of its design, siting, height and appearance in this prominent hillside location would result in a visually obtrusive form of development, which fails to minimise its impact on the surrounding area.
“The impact is compounded by its prominent location on a hillside. As such, the proposed development would represent and incongruous and unacceptable form of development to the detriment of the character of the area.”
Officers added that due to the tower’s height, location and design, it would also interfere with the view of nearby properties along Hillary Road, Wingate Avenue and Wingate Close.
Cornerstone said its proposed mast was necessary to improve local coverage of 5G, which is the latest generation of mobile network, offering users faster download speeds.
It explained that the nature of 5G and the network services it provides meant structures needed to be taller, in part to reduce signal interference.
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