Appeal lodged after council rejected 5G mast plans

Telecommunications firm Cornerstone wanted a mast by the Make a Wish cake shop

A telecommunications company has launched an appeal after a council refused an application to install a 5G mast.

Cornerstone filed plans for a 17.5m mast with six antennas, two microwave dishes, and two ground-level equipment cabinets in Great Barr.

The company, which supports Virgin Media, O2 and Vodafone, wanted to install the mast outside the Make a Wish cake shop on Hillingford Avenue, Pheasey.

Walsall Council refused the plans in August 2024, stating that it would not fit in with the street scene, and would be "visually detrimental", especially to people living nearby.

Cornerstone's appeal to the planning inspectorate said the council had not given consideration to a similar nearby scheme that had been approved.

It said the authority's planning officers failed to recognise the limitations it faced in terms of location requirements and site availability.

The company added that the council had focused on the development's proximity to houses, rather than considering site-specific mitigation, or balancing potential harm against the associated benefits of the development.

The date for the inquiry is still to be decided, but final representations from both parties are due before 1 April.

It is the second application Cornerstone has submitted to install a mast at the site.

In February 2024, it wanted to build a similar scheme, with a mast 20m tall.

It was refused by the Walsall Council on similar grounds.