Dame Judi’s phone mast objection gets mixed reception from the locals
DAME JUDI DENCH has been told by Cornish villagers to stop interfering in a dispute over mobile phone masts, because she only goes there on holiday.
The Oscar-winning actress is one of dozens of people to object to the plans for a 49-foot (15-metre) EE mast.
However, Dame Judi has provoked the ire of some locals because it is only her second home on the north Cornwall coast where the mast is proposed.
The row last night prompted a leading politician to question whether people should be able to oppose vital infrastructure in places which they only visit occasionally, such as going on holiday or owning second homes.
Grant Shapps, the former Tory party chairman, said: “Obviously we all want beautiful parts of our countryside to remain special, but for people who live and work in an area with poor mobile connectivity, this can mean being forced to travel to an office rather than working from closer to home.
“Nowadays, people expect coverage wherever they go and there are good business and family reasons to complete the UK’s mobile network. It should be for people who actually live in an area to determine what infrastructure is required.”
Dame Judi submitted her objection because the plan for the mast would disrupt “the serenity of the area, those that live here, its wildlife and wonderful natural beauty”.
Replying to a consultation on the plans on Cornwall council’s website, Dame Judi said: “This is an Area of Out- standing Natural Beauty, and this construction would inevitably halt a number of special visits to the location. Whilst telephones and technology have an important part to play in the modern world, it is sometimes a gift to escape. This is a gift much of the Cornish coast is able to provide.
“Furthermore, it could become worrisome if the construction of one mast sets a precedent for further proposals and developments. It would be a crying shame for future generations not to experience the same countryside we have all been fortunate to observe.”
Dame Judi’s intervention, posted last July, has divided local people. Jon Brookes, 66, who has chaired the parish council in Zennor for the past 20 years, said: “A lot of people say we should have phone signal and the parish council agrees. On this landscape, big masts are not the answer. Feelings vary, some people’s feelings in landscape terms are very high.
“Dame Judi Dench has a love of this place, her best friend lived in the vil- lage and she was here all the time, but it’s the view of the local people that counts. It’s a bloody difficult one.”
Serge Middleton, 73, a retired vicar, said: “I quite like being out of signal but there comes a point where quaintness becomes impractical. I think I’m basically against it, but we can’t just keep on being in the dark ages, no matter how wonderful Zennor might be.”
Kathy Cullen, 69, a retired secretary from Treen, said: “Most of the residents around here are against it. It’s going to be an eyesore, we don’t need it.”
EE is now considering two 26-foot masts each costing up to £70,000, rather than a single taller tower at £100,000. A spokesman for the company said: “Councils’ attitudes to new coverage have to keep pace with communities’ need to stay connected. The coverage that this investment would provide is essential for the emergency services, and will be a benefit to consumers in the area.”
Dame Judi was approached for comment through her agent by The Sunday Telegraph.
‘It should be for people who actually live in an area to determine what is required’