Phone mast amid centuries-old skyline is wrong call

‘Outrage’ among residents of village where landscape has been largely preserved for hundreds of years

‘It is very difficult to get planning consent here, so it seems bizarre we have to accept this 15-metre mast’

FOR hundreds of years, the skyline of Great Bardfield has been dominated by its church spire, the sails of an 18th-century windmill and its thatched roofs.

But a structure of a very modern kind could “desecrate” views across this Essex village if Three UK, a telecoms company, is allowed to erect a 50ft 5G mast within its conservation area, campaigners have warned. Plans for the galvanised steel structure have “enraged” villagers, who have launched a campaign to prevent the march of technology affecting a skyline and landscape that have barely changed over the centuries.

Nearly 200 residents have written to Braintree district council claiming the “bulky tower” would be “wholly alien” and “dominate” the village, which was home in the 1950s to Edward Bawden, John Aldridge and Eric Ravilous – the Bardfield Artists.

Carolynne Ruffle, the chairman of the parish council, said a “sense of outrage” had gripped the village. “People are very cross, particularly because there has been no consultation with the parish council or primary school from Three UK. It is unbelievable they want a mast in our conservation area.” The village, which has slightly more than 1,000 residents, features 73 listed buildings, including half-timbered blackand-white Tudor houses and characterful gabled cottages.

In its application to the district council, Three UK insisted the ‘street pole’ would not have “any material impact on the local historic character of the area”, adding it will bring “significant [digital] connectivity” to the “dense urban setting” for its customers.

It also points out that the grey mast will “achieve least contrast when viewed against the predominantly grey English sky”.

In her letter of objection, Dr Janet Dyson, chairman of the Great Bardfield Historical Society, wrote that the “environmentally and historically precious” village in the river Pant valley would be forever “desecrated”.

She said little has changed for centures in a village mentioned in the Domesday Book that is famous across East Anglia for holding the county’s largest horse fair from the 13th century until 1914. Others are angry that the mast would be very close to a primary school, despite the debate about possible health implications caused by the electromagnetic fields they create.

Jane Tillotson, chairman of governors at Great Bardfield Primary School, said: “The mast would be very ugly and intrusive – it would be slap bang in the middle of the village.

“It’s very difficult to get planning consent here at the best of times, so it seems bizarre we have to accept this 15-metre mast. Do we just take Three UK’S and the Government’s word that it is safe?” Some people would be less likely to oppose it if it were built on the edge of the village, she added.

A Three UK spokesman said consultation letters had been sent out and 5G was “vital” for the village, adding “extensive searches” had been carried out to “evaluate a wide range of options” before planning applications were submitted.

A Braintree district council spokesman said it would consider whether Three UK’S application met “allowed development” criteria under the Government’s approved “telecommunications infrastructure”.

If councillors decide that it does not, formal planning permission would have to be sought.