Showing posts with label phone mast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phone mast. Show all posts

Monday 17 April 2023

Phone Mast application in St Andrew's Conservation Area refused by Brent Council

The proposal was to erect the mast on this green opposite St. Andrew's Church

 

The picture of the location supplied by the applicant H3G

An application by Edinburgh based Dot Surveying n behalf of the operator H3G for the erection of a 15 metre high mast and associated cabinets on the green at the junction of Tudor Gardens and Old Church Lane was refused earlier this year by Brent Council.   There were 22 objections to the mast from residents in the area.

This objection sums up the issues:

1.     The proposed site is within a conservation area. The application should therefore be refused.

2.     The Mast will not be in keeping with the street scene. Conservation areas are areas of special architectural and historic character with a particular quality worth preserving. One of the main features of the St Andrews conservation area is the way the individual buildings and gardens complement each other. This mast will not compliment anything whatsoever. It will be an eyesore.

3.     The proposed mast will have a negative impact on the skyline and views of St Andrews Church. For example, the view looking down Tudor Gardens towards the church. The views of the Church are specifically mentioned in Brent Council's St. Andrew's Conservation Area Character Appraisal. Such views would be ruined.

4.     The most significant views of the conservation area are those which look towards St Andrews Church. The church plays the most important part in creating the special identity of the conservation area because of its presence within most of the local views. The views are suitably bordered by the houses that flank the roads, and the presence of large amounts of greenery helps in promoting a rural village quality within the area. This will be ruined by the mast.

5.     Brent Council are obliged to maintain the character of the conservation area and are responsible for designating Conservation Areas. The law set down in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 enables the Council to influence the type of physical changes that would otherwise be detrimental to the area. Thus, a local authority should preserve and enhance a conservation area. It would be a dereliction of duty on the part of Brent Council if this application was to be approved.

 

6.     Brent Council are obliged by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, to ensure that Conservation Areas retain the character that brought about their designation. If conservation areas retain their designation but do not retain their essential character, they undermine the credibility of a Conservation Area status.

 

7.     St Andrews conservation area is defined by our church. The Church is the symbol and centre of the conservation area. The current proposal is to erect a large, unmissable and unsightly mast right opposite the Church itself. The site selected for this mast, is quite possibly the worst possible location - right opposite St Andrews Church.

 

8.     We really would have succumbed to consumerism - if a historic church is overtaken and despoiled by a radio mast which nobody wants and nobody supports.

 

 

Brent Council set out their reasons for refusal:

 

The proposed monopole and associated cabinets, by reason their size, siting and appearance within the St Andrews Conservation Area (a designated heritage asset), would result in a harmful impact on the visual amenities of the streetscene and result in harm to the significance of the St Andrews Conservation Area. The proposal is therefore considered unacceptable in terms of siting and appearance. Prior Approval is therefore required and refused having regard to Part 16 of the Town and Country (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended.

Saturday 25 November 2017

Petition launched against 25 metre high Welsh Harp phone mast - please sign



Cllr Roxanne Mashari (Labour, Welsh Harp) has launched a petition against the proposed erection of a 25 metre high phone mast on the Welsh Harp. You can sign the petition HERE

The petition to Brent Planning Department says:

Stop the building of a 25 metre phone mast in the beautiful Welsh Harp Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is the largest nature reserve in Greater London.

Why is this important?

The Welsh Harp is the only Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Brent or Barnet and is home to a wide and rich diversity of wildlife.

We are concerned by evidence suggesting a detrimental impact of wireless cell towers on wildlife as well as the building of such a visibly obstructive structure on the appearance and openness of this piece of Metropolitan Open Land. We believe that to give permission to this structure runs contrary to Brent Council's policy on the Protection and Enhancement of Open Space, Sports and Biodiversity.

The proposed improvement of 3G coverage resulting from the mast would appear to only benefit a very small area and is disproportionate to the greater disruption of land and surrounding wildlife.
The Welsh Harp is a truly unique and important site to local residents but also in its wider scientific, ecological and natural beauty value across London. It is our responsibility to preserve it for generations to come.

We therefore strongly object to the approval of this site for the construction of a Mobile Telephone Mast under application PA 17/4597.

To comment on the planning application individually please follow this LINK

Still time to comment on the 'devastating' Welsh Harp 25 metre phone mast

The various notices from Brent Council give different dates for the closure of consultation on the Welsh Harp Phone Mast ranging from November 23rd on the site notice, November 27th on some consultation letters to December 12th on the website (see above).

The website gives November 6th as the date of the consultation letter but it was not sent out until November 21st.

Residents have also had difficulty in getting their queries answered by Brent Planning department as this comment on their website shows:
I have been frustrated in my attempts to speak to someone in Planning North regarding PA 17/4597.
The case officer assigned on original documents Kieran Amery (x2144)- unsure if messages are picked up - no reply.
The case officer on the recent letter to Freda, Elliot Brown (x 6204) is away till27 Nov last day for the comments!
The general no. on the Council site and Planning North does not lead to a human person!
There has been some confusion about where the mast will actually be erected. It is not on the sailing club site itself at Birchen Grove as some supposed but close to the opposite bank:





Click on images to enlarge
'The proposed telecommunication tower and equipment would be sited within the South-Western far corner of the Brent Reservoir site. This is a considerable distance from the Sailing Club Grounds, however it is within close proximity to the Neasden Recreation Ground and the rear boundary of residential properties sited along Braemar Avenue and Aboyne Road'
The applicant states that they pre-consulted with ward councillors and Dawn Butler MP but got no response. They rejected Brent Council's pre-application proposed modification on the grounds that lowering the mast would reduce the signal and landscaping was not possible because the base of the mast would be a servicing area:
Pre - application consultation was carried out with the Local Planning Authority, Councillors Agha, Farah and Mashari, and Dawn Butler MP.
We received a formal pre - application response from the Local Planning Authority, stating that the application would be acceptable in principle but amendment s, including reducing the height of the proposed tower and providing landscaping, would be required to mitigate the potential detrimental impact on the surrounding area.
We received no responses from the Ward Councillors or the MP.
Cllr Agha is chair of both the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee and Brent Planning Committee.

The Joint (Barnet and Brent) Welsh Harp Consultative Committee will be meeting on Tuesday November 28th. There is an item on the agenda for any planning issues, although this particular application is not specifically mentioned. The deadline for booking to make representations to the Committee has gone.

This objection sums up the issues:

I object to the above proposal:

1) Biodiversity and Wildlife

- The Welsh Harp is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI- the only one in Barnet and Brent) is a haven for migratory birds, bees, bats, butterflies and frogs.

There are 153 peer-viewed studies or articles reporting significant effects from EMF exposures on wildlife. http://www.emfresearch.com/emf-wildlife/

A six-year study of trees around wireless cell towers reveals the 'invisible' damage of exposure to RF radiation. Halgamuge, M.N. "Weak radiofrequency radiation exposure from mobile phone radiation on plants."Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, vol. 36, no. 2, 2017, pp. 213-235

A mobile telephone mast in the Welsh Harp /Brent Reservoir will have devastating impact wild life and plants, which in turn will affect human wellbeing via the ecological chain.

2) Metropolitan Open Space (MOL)

- The London Plan which Brent Council follows closely, states Regarding Planning decisions, "the strongest protection should be given to London's Metropolitan Open Land and inappropriate development refused.... and to ...maintain the openness of MOL.

A mobile telephone mast will affect this openness in and around the proposed site.

- Brent's Core Policy (CP18) -Protection and Enhancement of Open Space, Sports and Biodiversity

Open space (including waterways) of local value will be protected from inappropriate development and will be preserved for the benefit, enjoyment, health and well being of Brent's residents, visitors and wildlife. Support (given) ...for the improvement of both open space and the built environment for biodiversity and nature conservation.

I am not against technological progress but we cannot afford to do it at the expense of our precious nature reserve so near central London which is so appreciated by an ever increasing population in the area.

The Brent Reservoir SSSI site is the largest in Barnet and Brent status and is also the largest Local Nature Reserve in Greater London and should therefore be given the strongest protection.

3) 3G Cover

The diagrams for 3G - now and after the proposed installation, do not reflect much of a change, according to the colour coding, with regards to the stated improved coverage. The improvement affects a very small area and is disproportionate to the greater disruption of land and surrounding wildlife.

I am therefore strongly objecting to the approval of this site for the construction of a Mobile Telephone Mast.
To comment on the application go to LINK. Remember to state either that you Object or you Support the application.

Thursday 16 November 2017

25 metre tall lattice phone tower proposed for Welsh Harp

Click on image to enlarge
An application has been submitted to Brent Council for the erection of a 25 metre lattice tower phone mast at the Welsh Harp (Brent Reservoir).

The tower, which will rise above the nearby trees, will have six antenna and 2 dishes as well as associated furniture at ground level and a concrete compound at the base.

The applicants have told Brent planners that it is not possible to comply with their suggestion of a reduction to 20 metres as this wold weaken the enhanced 3G and new 4G signal carried by the equipment. They also reject landscaping at the base which planning officers had suggested to reduce the visual impact of the tower from Neasden Recreation Ground.

Comments are open until November 27th. Application Number 17/4597 LINK

The impact of such masts on animals and particularly birds has been widely reported. This is a useful summary: LINK

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Views invited on phone mast and cabinet changes Fryent Way/Salmon Street/The Paddocks/Pilgrims Way

Cllr Michael Pavey is asking residents in Barnhill ward for their views on a proposal to upgrade the mobile phone mast and cabinets on the roundabout at Fryent Way/Salmon Street/The Paddocks/Pilgrims Way.

 











































 Full drawings showing the height of the mast and position of cabinets HERE


Send your views to:  Cllr.Michael.Pavey@brent.gov.uk