Three 5G mast in Bournemouth despite planning refusal error

BCP Council's planning department issued a refusal on an application to place a mast on a grass verge in Castle Lane West near the traffic light junction with West Way.

Mobile network Three has claimed "deemed consent" as the decision notification was not delivered to them within the specified time limit.

This is the second time the local authority has been caught out, with a similar situation reported by the Daily Echo at a site in nearby Broadway Lane.

The mast appeared overnight in Castle Lane West earlier this month, much to the surprise of residents who thought planning permission had been refused.

A resident, who lives near the mast location, told the Daily Echo: "We are hopping mad about it. The planning permission was refused.

"If they refuse it how can they just stick it up. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with putting these up without a proper consultation."

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Another resident described it as a "monstrosity", adding that it should not be allowed in residential areas.

The mast applications are submitted through the prior approval procedure, which does not require the same level of consultation as a typical planning application.

The council's planning department has 56 days to deliver a refusal decision for the proposal to be blocked.

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On this occasion the council had reached a decision within the required time, It was published on the local authority planning portal on October 12, 2021 54 days after the application was submitted.

However, this decision was not communicated with the applicant until after the 56-day deadline.

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "We can confirm that this was the result of an administrative error which prevented the decision made on day 54 from reaching the operator within the 56-day notice period."

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On the second planning gaffe in quick succession, the spokesperson said: "As previously advised, the council in these instances did not meet the 56-day time limit for dealing with these applications, which is part of the legislation that surrounds submissions such as these. As such, the erection of these masts are lawful.

"Our internal processes have been tightened to address this issue going forward.

"However, the council are working closely with the mast providers who have been advised to paint the masts green to better match their surroundings."

The planning application for Castle Lane West was submitted on August 19 last year by Three's parent company Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Limited.

A Three spokesperson said: "5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses in Bournemouth. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and this site will be critical to making that happen."

Working on making the mast operational is almost complete.

Since March 2020, CK Hutchinson has submitted 41 planning applications to erect 5G masts in Bournemouth.

Just four of these were formally approved in addition to the two that had deemed consent after refusal decisions. The applicant withdrew three of the applications.