Councillors are expected to rubber-stamp a plan to build a 12-metre tall mobile phone mast in a sedate corner of Mill End.
Telecommunications giant Orange plans to build the mast, disguised as a lamp post, in Berry Lane, adjacent to a railway bridge.
Three Rivers District Council’s development control committee, which will meet on Thursday to discuss the application, is expected to raise “no objection” – despite the concerns of residents living nearby.
Under current planning law phone companies do not require formal planning permission from local authorities – necessary to build even small home extensions.
Instead, masts under 15 metres tall require only “prior approval” of the siting and appearance – with councils allowed only to suggest minor changes within a 56 day time-frame.
Council documents reveal that other sites, including Chorleywood Bottom, Nightingale Road and Valley Road – all discarded because of poor network coverage.
Residents living nearby have lodged complaints about the obtrusive appearance of the mast, its size, potential threat to traffic and even a threat to health.
The council’s planning department, however, has recommended that councillors approve the scheme.
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