Two Harrogate councillors have raised concerns about proposals by Clarke Telecom to put a 12.5 metre high phone mast with three bulky black control boxes on Christchurch Stray.
The tree canopy in the area is at around 9 metres and lampposts at 8 metres.
The proposal is described by the applicants as being on the grass verge of Skipton Road but in fact it is on the Stray with the iconic backdrop of Christ Church and Church Square. It has come to local councillors as a so-called ‘pre-planning application notice’ – a mechanism used to test the water before a formal planning application is made.
Council Leader, and local ward councillor, Richard Cooper commented:
We all want to use our mobile phones and to do that we need mobile phone masts. But this does not simply mean we can allow ugly masts and big black control cabinets to pepper the Stray. This proposed mast is actually taller than most of the nearby trees! That is why I have lodged an objection to this notice.
Fellow councillor and local resident Councillor Tim Myatt continued: Mobile technology is no longer in its infancy; it is no longer the case that these masts have to be at a very specific location. This means that using our much-loved Stray for this purpose is not necessary. The applicants should make it clear now that they are not going to pursue this proposal.
Clarke Telecom have now to decide whether to submit a formal application for the site.
Why not put it at the hospital?