Plans for new EE phone mast in town centre granted on appeal

Plans to install a new EE phone mast in the town centre have been granted on appeal.

The 20-metre-high phone mast, which will be located on Holt Street near Waterworld, will replace an existing mast currently located on the roof of Wrexham Police Station.

An application to relocate the mast had been submitted on behalf of EE in August 2018 to “boost both 3G and 4G coverage in the area.”

However it was reported by the Local Democracy Reporting that members of Acton Community Council had raised concerns about the impact on the health of pupils at nearby Alexandra Primary School despite the company insisting it would not cause any issues.

Plans to install the 20 metre tall mast and associated equipment were later refused by planning committee members due to the effect the proposed development would have on the visual amenity of the area.

However an appeal launched by Harlequin Group Ltd on behalf of EE in January 2019 claimed that Wrexham Council had “not been specific in respect of their reason for refusal as to which particular aspects of the appeal proposal contribute to its detrimental impact on the visual amenity of the area”.

The appellant stated that further sites had been looked at, including Crown buildings, Trinity Church, Regent House, Coleg Cambria and Wrexham Telephone Exchange.

The roof of Tŷ Pawb / former Peoples Market car park had been put forward by Wrexham Council as an alternative site because of the visual impact on the surrounding area. In the original and now adapted business plan for the new facility, it was estimated that siting the mast on top of the building would generate £15,000 income for Tŷ Pawb.

However it was noted that “given the very high nature of the exiting rooftop base station, it has not been possible to find another rooftop within the target coverage area of an equivalent height to replicate the existing coverage”.

Planning inspector Clive Nield has now confirmed that the application for the mast has been granted on appeal, stating that it “would not have an unacceptably adverse visual effect on the street-scene and that its limited effect would be substantially outweighed by the need for the telecommunications infrastructure.”

Mr Nield continues onto say: “National policy advises that electronic communication is essential for people and businesses and that significant weight should be given to the need to provide appropriate infrastructure.

“In this case, there is no dispute that the appraisal of options required by Policy CLF8 of the Unitary Development Plan has been carried out, and I consider the proposed siting of the development would minimise its impact on the townscape as required by Policy CLF8.

“The Community Council has raised concerns about possible health impacts from the radio frequency emissions, particularly as there is a school nearby. However, the scheme would comply with the ICNIRP public exposure guidelines, thus safeguarding all members of the public against any adverse effects of such emissions.

“On balance, my conclusion is that the proposed mast and associated equipment would not have an unacceptably adverse visual effect on the street-scene and that its limited effect would be substantially outweighed by the need for the telecommunications infrastructure.

“I conclude that the appeal should be allowed.”