Concerns over telecoms pole 'twice the height' of Horsham houses

Telecommunications company Cignal Infrastructure UK wants to site the pole, along with associated ground-based cabinets, in Greenfields Way, north Hosham.

But residents say such a high mast will be obtrusive and could cause traffic problems.

Ron Newton, who lives nearby, said: “The proposed pole at 15m is at least 7.5 meters higher than the local houses – twice the height – and as such will be very obtrusive.” And, he asked: “Surely a more suitable site is available?

“It, along with the associated cabinets will impact the traffic view when exiting Rowlands Road.” He said that previous residents had planted a tree in the area which was removed by the council ‘as a traffic problem.’

Cignal Infrastructure is seeking prior approvl from Horsham District Council to put up the 5G mast and says it is committed to providing improved network coverage and capacity.

In a statement to the council, it says: “In these unprecedented times of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is recognised that high-speed mobile connectivity is the lifeblood of a community; facilitating educational benefits, providing access to vital services, improving communications with the associated commercial benefits for local businesses, enabling e-commerce and facilitating the increased need and demand for working from home, as well as enjoying access

to social, media and gaming for leisure time activities.”

And it adds: “The very nature of installing new 5G mast infrastructure within such an urban setting requires a highly considered balance between the need to extend practical coverage reach with that of increasing risk of visual amenity intrusion.”

It says there is an acute need for a new base station to provide effective service coverage “and in this case, the height of the proposed street pole is the minimum required to bring the benefits of 5G to this area.”

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The company – previously known as CK Hutchison Networks – maintains that the mast would not be detrimental to the street scene and says it is the ‘least visually intrusive option abailable.’

It says it looked at other potential sites for the mast in Amberly Road, Lambs Farm Road, Amberly Close and Earles Meadow, but ruled them out as unsuitable.