Controversial 5G Mast Challenged in Barnwood

Gloucester City Council's handling of a controversial 5G mast planning application has been called into question by the Liberal Democrats.

Mobile phone company H3G is seeking approval for a 15-metre-high 5G mast and accompanying cabinets to be placed beside the entrance to St Lawrence Church on Church Lane in Barnwood.

Councillor Ashley Bowkett, who represents Barnwood, is opposing the application.

“Gloucester City Council should do more in future to ensure the public are properly informed and consulted about controversial planning applications,” he said.

“It is vital that residents are properly informed and are given the opportunity to have a say in how their community is managed and developed. 

"This is an essential part of the democratic process and should be adhered to. This especially applies to planning applications that may impact sensitive areas, residential assets, conservation areas, or historical buildings.

“Government guidelines explicitly encourage local authorities to go beyond just putting up notices on lampposts and writing to a few houses in the vicinity. 

"I don’t think a single A4 notice stuck on a nearby lamppost is enough, so we covered it in our recent Spotlight newsletter to inform people what is going on in their community.”

St. Lawrence Church is protected under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and the site has been criticised by both the local councillor and residents in the area.

Councillor Bowkett said: “The proposed site for the 5G mast also sits directly opposite Barnwood Park and Arboretum, a Green Flag status nature reserve.

“With both a known colony of bats and an insect population already long established in the grounds of St Lawrence Church with recorded wildlife corridors between the church grounds and the neighbouring Barnwood Park and Arboretum, installing the mast at the proposed site would show a flagrant disregard for wildlife habitats that represent the high value of protected biodiversity in the local area.

“Good 5G coverage is important, and I welcome new technologies that serve the community well, but not all locations are suitable for such large installations, and this location just isn’t suitable.”

The public consultation phase for the application ends on May 4 and, so far, more than two-dozen objections have been received from neighbours and concerned residents.