Residents are devastated that another planning application has been submitted to install a telephone mast at Davenport Green.
This is the second application this year to erect a replica telegraph pole off the verge on Knutsford Road, opposite the junction with Church Road.
A site is required in this location in order to provide 2G and 3G network coverage and capacity for both Vodafone and O2 to the Davenport Green area of Wilmslow.
The first application, submitted by Mono Consultants, on behalf of Vodafone, for a mobile mast to be shared by Vodafone and Telefonica (O2) was refused by Cheshire East Council in January.
Planning application 11/4326M was refused because "The proposed telecommunications equipment, by reason of its size, siting and design would form a visually obtrusive feature, and add to the existing proliferation of street furniture in the immediate vicinity of the site, which would detract from the character and appearance of the area within which it is located, and the amenity of nearby residential properties.
"It is furthermore considered that potential alternative sites exist in the area where the equipment could be located without the same degree of visual harm. The approval of the development would therefore be contrary to national and local policies, notably Macclesfield Borough Local Plan policies DC60 and DC61, thereby causing harm to the objectives of those policies."
As a result the applicant re-approached Alderley Edge Golf Club and Lindow Cricket Club, the latter were unwilling to accommodate the mast and an agreement could not be reached with the Golf Club. Therefore, in the absence of a more suitable location within the area, Vodafone has amended the design of the proposed scheme and reduced the overall height of the structure from 15 metres to 12.5 metres.
Danielle Thompson, of Upcast Lane, said "I am completely astounded at the audacity of the consultancy acting for Vodafone/O2 that they have absolutely disregarded how strongly the residents felt less than 6 months ago about a 15 metre high phone mast on our Green and 5 months after being refused plannning, they now put in exactly the same plan but the mast they are now proposing is 12.5 meters high! Seriously, do they think we are stupid, clearly they do!
"We will again be pulling out all the stops to make all our neighbours aware of this application and again we will fight them until they get the message that they will have to find somewhere else for their mast."
Local resident Nikki Smith added "We are incredulous of the audacity of Mono Consultants who obviously feel that reducing the height of the mast by 2.5 metres will reduce the very strong feeling of local residents!!!! No way this cannot go ahead and will have a massive negative impact on the area of Davenport Green."
The planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East planning portal by searching for reference 12/2154M.
Comments
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This is where I would just like to point something out. Alderley Edge Golf Club were offered £4,000 pa to house the phone mast which the Golf Club couldn't accept as it wasn't financially acceptable. Please can I now point out that Telefonica's annual turnover is £5,784,000,000.00 and the Vodafone Group's annual turnover is £46.417 billion. Surely if they need a phone mast so desperately in this specific area their pockets can reach a little further than £4,000. Or is it that Mono Consultants, acting on behalf of these 2 Giants have identified a tiny area of Davenport Green on which they won't have to pay any rental at all, despite upsetting the local community?
If this planning application is permitted, we might as well roll over and let these Corporate Giants take over all the little heritage and green space we have left.