Bradford: Wyke 5G phone mast plan refused for listed church

St Mary's The Virgin in Wyke dates back to the 1840s and already has antennae on the church spire

A 5G phone mast will not be allowed to be built on a 176-year-old Grade II-listed church in West Yorkshire due to concerns it could harm its appearance.

The spire at St Mary's The Virgin in Wyke, Bradford, already has antennae attached and Cellnex UK had applied for permission to upgrade the base station.

But Bradford Council has rejected the application, saying it would "detract from the church's architectural form".

The building, dating back to the 1840s, was a "landmark", the council said.

Although Cellnex's planning application said 5G coverage in the area was "essential" and that any visual effect caused by a new mast would be outweighed by the benefits of 5G, Bradford Council's conservation officer Jon Ackroyd disagreed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Unquantifiable harm'

Mr Ackroyd said: "St Mary the Virgin dates from 1846-7 and is an early example of a church responding to the Victorian expansion of Bradford and its surrounding settlements.

"The tower is particularly prominent and the building is a local landmark."

Existing antennae were visible, but work had made sure they blended into the spire, Mr Ackroyd added.

Cellnex UK said the design was the "least visually-intrusive option" given the equipment needed for 5G and had submitted a revised application.

"It is accepted there will be very marginally intensification in the amount of equipment [but] it is felt such a minor increase would not detract from the character of the area," Cellnex said.

"Any visual effects [would be] significantly outweighed by the immense benefits of the new 5G connectivity."

However, rejecting the revised application, Bradford Council said any installations would still project too much from the spire.

It added that the application was refused due to "lack of information and unquantifiable harm".