Plans have been submitted to bring 5G technology to Radstock. The application from mobile network, EE, is the first since its bid to upgrade a mast in Bath was rejected recently. More than 300 people objected, including city MP, Wera Hobhouse, with many citing health concerns. The Government insists that 5G is safe.

Refusing permission for that scheme, planning bosses said the upgraded mast, some five metres taller than the current one, was inappropriate in the green belt.

The plans to upgrade the equipment at the Gasex Centre in Frome Road in Radstock will not face the same issue as the antennae would not be as high as a tower on the site, although it is a more urban area.

The application says: “The proposed replacement equipment will not only service voice calls but will include provision for 3G, 4G and 5G data use which will be of great benefit to all users (EE and H3G [known as Three]) of the networks.

“In addition to this, EE have been awarded the contract to provide network services to the emergency services, which will operate over EE’s 5G network and as such, this site will also provide coverage for all the blue light services in this area.

“There are no other, viable alternatives in the area which can be upgraded to meet the specific technical requirement for providing 5G network coverage to the surrounding area.

“Any harm will be minimal and would be significantly outweighed by the social and economic benefits and should be supported by Bath and North East Somerset Council without delay.”

Opponents of the Charlcombe Lane mast upgrade disputed the safety of 5G and raised fears about nearby residents and wildlife.

Cabinet member and Bathavon North ward member, Sarah Warren, told the planning committee in December: “All the 343 residents who have objected are asking for is not to be used as guinea pigs in a global experiment.

“We don’t need 5G. The only people benefiting from this development are the big technology companies. Please put our residents’ health first.”

Planning officer Chris Griggs-Trevarthan warned against “flying in the face” of policy, adding: “The benefits of 5G shouldn’t be overlooked. We’re on this meeting today via the internet, a lot of us using wireless internet. It’s been a godsend in recent times.”

The plans came back before the committee after a virtual site visit.Proposing approval, Radstock Councillor Eleanor Jackson said: “This has been a thorough debate but our hands are tied by [national planning policy]. We have to weigh the pros and cons. The officer has made the case for accepting the application.” 

Cllr Duncan Hounsell said: “Certainty in science doesn’t exist but I’m satisfied that 5G is safe. We have to set aside the health issue. The 5G can be of great benefit.” 

Cllr Jackson’s motion failed. Members voted through Cllr Sue Craig’s motion to refuse permission because the development would be inappropriate in the green belt.

The new application for Radstock says: “A great deal of research has been undertaken throughout the world into the effects of electromagnetic radiation and radio signals and to date, there has been no evidence to indicate that the systems so far operated and those intended to be operated have caused any manifest adverse health effects.”

B&NES Council will decide the fate of the

Radstock application.

The Lib Dem Leader of B&NES Council has spoken out about the controversy around the decision of the Council’s non-political Planning Committee to reject the 5G mast in Charlcombe last month.

Councillor Dine Romero said: “The application was turned down because the committee decided it was “inappropriate development in the green belt and because of its visual impact on the local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the landscape”.

“That is exactly what the formal minutes of the meeting show and there was no mention at all of health concerns in the grounds for refusal.

“As is normal at Planning Committee meetings, the local Councillors for the ward in which the mast would be sited spoke on behalf of their residents, many of whom had expressed concerns about 5G safety. But as stated previously, those concerns were not the reason the application was refused.

“Planning Committee decisions are not based on party politics and members from other parties also voted for refusal of this application. It may be that a future application for a mast at this location or nearby might be acceptable to the committee, but that is entirely for them to decide.”

Wera Hobhouse, Bath’s MP, said: “I fully accept that there is no known evidential link between 5G and adverse health. That won’t stop me listening to the concerns of my constituents, which is my duty as their MP.”