Fate of Reading 'War of the Worlds' 5G mast plan decided

The Three mobile network had applied to build a 5G mast to improve connectivity for its customers in Kidmore Road, Caversham.

However, the application for the mast has been rejected by Reading Borough Council’s planning department after 197 neighbours objected to it.

Paul Wigmore, who said the mast looked like it came from sci-fi War of the Worlds, has expressed ‘relief’ that it has been rejected.

Mr Wigmore, 54, who lives in Kidmore Road, said: “It was a ridiculous proposal to have it put there. It was massively out of place and out of keeping with the area.

“It’s a bit of a relief to be honest.

“There were a lot of people very concerned about it for a huge number of reasons.

“There’s a whole bunch of stuff, it’s incongruous, how out of place it would have been, and bad in terms of health, we’re mindful of those.”

“It looked hideous."

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Mr Wigmore and others expressed concern about the harm to nearby trees.

Planning officer Beatrice Malama, who rejected the mast, noted that Three had not conducted an assessment of the impact it would have had no nearby trees.

There were also fears that the mast would remove a clear line of sight for drivers.

A crash in Kidmore Road, Caversham. A neighbour argued a 5G mast proposed for this site would make the road more dangerous. Credit: Paul Wigmore

Mr Wigmore explained: “It was in a really bad place, that piece of land provides a clear site line for Charlotte Close.

“Had the mast been put there, that would have gone.

“The area where they were proposing to put the mast is in a dip where there have been a few crashes – at least two where the fire services have had to be called and people taken to hospital.

“To put the mast there would have made it way more dangerous.”

Three has a right to appeal the refusal to the government’s planning inspectorate.

“If they appealed I would be livid, it’s just not the right place for it.

“It’s quite clear they had not done their research about possible alternatives.

“There’s got to be better places to put it.”

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Additionally, the plan was opposed by ward councillors Paul Carnell and Isobel Ballsdon (both Conservative, Caversham Heights).

Cllr Carnell said: “Both cllr Ballsdon and I were delighted that the application was rejected.

“Whilst we fully support the roll out of 5G technology which we believe vital for Reading’s future prosperity the applications must be sympathetic to their location.

“We are particulary pleased for the residents who worked so hard for their neighbourhood that their objections were listened to and the application was refused.”

For its part, a spokesperson for Hutchison, Three’s owning company, said: “We want to offer the community in Caversham a reliable network experience and a site in this location is critical to making that happen.

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

“We are considering the council’s reasons for refusal and assessing our options.”