Twyford fury at 'blot on the landscape' 5G phone mast

The 20m 5G mast would be a "blot on the landscape" residents have said

A phone mast that could be built on protected green space would be a "blot on the landscape" residents have said.

Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL) wants to site a 5G mast in Twyford, Berkshire, but its application has attracted more than 30 objections.

Residents claim the 20m mast would be a "monstrosity".

MBNL argues without it the local community's network coverage would be transported "back to 2005".

The telecommunications company wants to install the 5G pole next to King George V Recreation Ground to provide network coverage for operators EE and 3. 

It said it considered alternative locations but "due to the very specific target area, the recreation ground is considered the most suitable in terms of providing continued, permanent network coverage for the area".

'Excessive height'

One resident, who lives directly opposite the proposed site, said they would not "in a million years" have bought their property earlier this year if "this […] monstrosity" had been in place. 

Another suggested the green space should be left alone as the mast's "excessive height and ugliness" would "dominate the view" of the park, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Julie Crisp started an online petition opposing the mast, which she said would "tower above the existing tree line and local properties" creating a "visually intrusive industrial look" to the area.

Twyford Parish Council, while acknowledging the advantages of better network coverage, also said it was not in favour of the application.

"It is therefore requested that a new site be found that would have minimal impact on the surrounding area," it said. 

Since the start of 2021 it is the 19th application to install 5G equipment in the Wokingham borough, the overwhelming majority of which have been refused, according to the LDRS.

The MBNL application will be determined by Wokingham Borough Council.