Residents prepare for round two in battle to stop giant 5G mast being built in the middle of Milton Keynes estate

Last summer residents on Blakelands were up in arms about a planning application to put an 18 metres tall telecommunications mast in the residential area of Wedgewood Avenue.

The application, from Hutchison 3G UK, was on behalf of phone and broadband providers Three, who said the mast height had been kept down to the "absolute minimum" capable of providing 5G coverage.

MK planning councillors refused the application on the grounds that the structure would dominate the open and green part of the street scene and was therefore contrary to the Plan:MK.

But this month the company, on behalf of WHP Telecoms Limited, has submitted another planning application for exactly the same site.

"They have reduced the height from 18 metres to 15 metres and will use a slimmer pole. That will still leave it many metres above the tops of the trees and visible from all sides and angles,” said one resident.

"It will also tower above the surrounding residential bungalows and houses, with the closest property being less than 17 metres away,” he said.

To rub salt in the wound, some of the statutory consultation letters about the new application were sent out from from MK Council without a stamp. And residents had to pay to receive them.

“We received a card from the postman requesting a £2 fee to collect a letter, We initially dismissed it as a flyer or advertisement – until our neighbour told us what it was. This mistake by the council could have seriously delayed us putting forward our objections,” said the resident.

An MK Council spokesman told the Citizen today: “This happened with a handful of letters due to a human error made by mail room staff and we’re offering a refund to anyone who collected the letter. The letter was reissued a few days later with ample time left to respond to the consultation.”

CK Hutchison Networks (UK) Ltd have submitted a photo with the application, explaining to people how the 5G mast would fit in with existing street furniture.

But residents insist there would be an impact.

“The photo quite clearly shows only trees, grass verges and a redway where families and children walk, cycle and play. The children’s playground is just metres away from the proposed site,” said one.

“The area is not only used by local residents but many walking clubs, individual walkers, cyclists, health groups and even the annual marathon run. The natural beauty of the lake and wildlife will be permanently scarred,” he added. .

“Around Blakelands there are factories and other areas away from the residential area which would be far more acceptable. The re-siting of the mast is not an impossibility, just an inconvenience to the company involved. With some thought and ingenuity there are alternative solutions to be found.”

Already the people of Blakelands have had to endure an ongoing battle with a giant warehouse overshadowing properites. This has been labelled by residents as the “worst planning decision ever made by Milton Keynes Council”.

WHP Telecoms Limited say the chosen site is a "highly constrained cell search area" and the mast is necessary for people to benefit from the new 5G technology.

A spokesman told the Citizen at the time of the previous application: "Options are extremely limited and the only viable solution that minimises amenity issues has been put forward. Three are in the process of building out the UK’s fastest 5G network. Three has 140MHz of 5G spectrum (and 100MHz of it contiguous), which means our service will be much faster and able to handle more data."

He added: "To bring this new technology to the people H3G will need to provide a mix of upgrades to existing sites and the building of new sites. In this area there is an acute need for a new mast to deliver the above."

"The site has been selected on a wide adopted area of the highway in a position that will not impede pedestrian flow or the safety of passing motorists. This equipment is considered unlikely to have any material impact on the local area but significant connectivity improvements which is a material consideration in the judgment of the site’s suitability.

"The area is residential in nature and potential amenity issues have been avoided by siting the proposed equipment as far away from sensitive residential receptors as possible. A backdrop of mature trees will help screen the equipment from views to the east and south. The height of the trees will help prevent the monopole from appearing incongruous."

A string of 5G masts has already been agreed for Milton Keynes as the city sets up to become testbed for new technology. Two of these are at CMK while other sites include MK hospital, Chaffron Way, MK Stadium and Magna Park.

A Three spokesperson said: “Access to 5G has a vital role to play in boosting local economies, helping residents and businesses get faster and more reliable network coverage. This is why we’re working with the local council in Milton Keynes to roll out the UK’s fastest 5G network so that we can keep everyone connected both now and in the future.

“While we try to keep mast sites as unobtrusive as possible, they do need to be situated near to where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage”