Mobile phone pole vote due (From Borehamwood Times)

Mobile phone pole vote due

8:58am Friday 26th September 2008

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Concerns have been raised over the prospect of a new mobile phone pole being erected in Shenley.

Councillors on Hertsmere Borough Council’s Potters Bar and Shenley planning committee were last night due to approve mobile phone giant Orange’s application to erect a monopole — smaller than a full phone mast — in Black Lion Hill, at its junction with Porters Park Drive.

But worries have arisen because the proposed site is in the Green Belt and there is a similar pole operated by T-Mobile just 21 metres away.

Shenley parish councillor, Chris Rook, said: “We are very mindful of the poor reception in Shenley, but we are also mindful of the blot on the landscape that the mast and associated equipment box would have on the Green Belt.

“We have to be careful we don’t get a proliferation of masts, whether they are grouped together or put all over the place. We throw out sensible applications because they are in the Green Belt, yet we are still considering putting up ugly masts.”

It is not essential for the council to approve the pole before its erection, because it is under 15 metres high, but a spokeswoman for the authority said officers had studied the proposal and subsequently recommended it for approval. The report, compiled by council officers, states: “By the nature of the development, it will harm the openness of the Green Belt.

“The possibility of site sharing was reviewed by officers, in particular with the nearby pole for T-Mobile. But this would have resulted in a higher and bulkier mast.”

Despite this, officers concluded that Orange had demonstrated a sufficient need for the pole in the area.

A statement by Orange, said: “We are very aware of feelings towards telecommunications and have made every effort to allow for local concern with this application, as evidenced by the slimline nature of the proposed design and the colour scheme proposed, which will minimise any environmental impact.”

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