Coastal town boasting of ‘the best seaside views in the country’ wins battle to stop 75-foot 5G phone mast

• Homeowners in New Quay, Cardigan Bay fought against plans for a 5G mast
• Residents said it would ruin their gorgeous sea view and their house values
• But the developers have been ordered to drop the plans over the objections 

Homeowners with some of the best sea views in Britain have won a battle against Haven Holidays which wanted to put up a 5G mast to improve signal for tourists.

Nearly 80 locals living near Haven Holiday’s caravan park objected the ‘ludicrous’ plan to put up a 75ft ‘ugly eyesore’ which would be a ‘blight on our coastline’ to benefit tourists.

The plans for the mast would place it behind the 700 caravans at Quay West Holiday Park in Ceredigion, Wales, so holidaymakers would still have unobstructed sea views.

But now the developers have been forced to withdraw their application by the local planning authority after the overwhelming response from local residents.

The main reasons cited were that it was within a Special Landscape Area, was too close to nearby households and it would be an ‘unsightly industrial feature’. 

Chris Martin with wife Julia on the balcony of their house. The grandfather loves to sit on his balcony to see the magnificent sunrises but the mast would have blocked the view

Pictured: Quay West Holiday Homes in New Quay, Wales where the mast was planned to go up

It was going to be put up behind the holiday park so tourists will have unobstructed sea views

In a planning report, New Quay Town Council said they had received objections from 73 people in the area.

Grandfather Chris Martin, 61, said he loves to sit on his balcony to see the magnificent sunrises over Cardigan Bay after retiring to a £280,000 bungalow with wife Julia.

But he was distraught to hear of the plans for the 5G mast, which would’ve been placed in the middle of his panoramic view of the coast.

Mr Martin, a retired electrical engineer who lives behind the caravan site, said: ‘We have a magnificent view over Cardigan Bay and we want to keep it that way.

‘I just can’t believe they are going to put something like that up around here.

‘We love to sit on the balcony and look out to sea but if this goes ahead it will completely spoil our outlook.’

The couple, originally from Wolverhampton, bought the bungalow next door to Julia’s 87-year-old mother Roma Shinton, who has lived in New Quay for 40 years and ‘hates’ the prospect of seeing out her days next to the Vodafone mast.

Nearly 80 villagers have made formal objections against the structure planned to be erected

New Quay is a popular tourist destination in the summer holidays

The Martins say they encountered the same problem while living in the Midlands after a mobile phone mast was put up close to a residential area.

Mr Martin added: ‘It’s not just the view, there are health concerns. We don’t know what this technology can do to us but I do know that birds and bats stay well clear of these masts.’

Locals said there was no need for the proposed mast because they already get four bars of signal and have put up ‘say no to the mast’ signs around the town.

Leading the campaign against the mast was local businessman Henry Dent, who has spent four years building a new home – but the boundary of the property is just one metre away from where the mast would have been placed.

The 44-year-old put up fencing and planted shrubs to screen his house from Quay West’s service yard, full of gas cylinders, skips and rubbish bins.

The father-of-three said: ‘It’s been pretty stressful – we feel powerless and if the planning authority give the go-ahead there is no right to review.

‘We feel Quay West have been quite disrespectful, they think they can steamroller us and put the mast where they like.

‘They’ve put it in a position where it won’t bother visiting holidaymakers but it will seriously affect residents who live here all the year around and pay their council taxes.

‘Why should local residents have to stomach this?’

Leading the campaign against the mast was Henry Dent, whose home is just one metre away from where the mast would have been

Pictured: Harry Dent in his back garden, behind which the 5G mast was planned to be erected

READ MORE – Residents living in shadow of ‘monster’ 65ft 5G mast

His partner, Loren Bromley, 34, said: ‘We are a local family with three young children. This is our cherished family home that we have personally built from the ground up.

‘It beggars belief that we find ourselves in this unimaginable situation, where we are being subjected to the erection of a 23-metre 5G monopole tower on what is essentially the bottom of our garden.

‘This gargantuan eyesore will sit directly on and adjacent to our boundary line. It will result in a significant devaluation of our property, leaving us in negative equity through no fault of our own.’

But the local planning authority told the agent Rapleys to withdraw the application.

It said: ‘The impact of the development on the amenity of nearby occupiers is profound by the number of objections received to the application.

‘Tourism is one of the County’s main employment sectors. The County’s attractiveness as a tourist destination is heavily based on its outstanding natural beauty. It is therefore important that this beauty is sustained. 

Haven Holidays, which owns the land at Quay West Holiday Park, says the mast would have improved the mobile coverage for tourists at the popular summer destination

Residents of the town have labelled it a ‘ludicrous’ plan to place an ‘ugly eyesore’  mast

Lyndon Jenkins with his dog Isla. Locals said there is no need for the new mast because they already get four bars of signal and have put up ‘say no to the mast’ signs around the town

‘The development is located within a key tourist location, being next to a large and popular holiday park, a seaside town, and the coast. 

‘The Wales Coastal Path runs alongside the coast and the road immediately adjacent to the proposed location of the development. The proposal would have an adverse visual impact on the special characteristics of the SLA, given its prominent location.

‘The developer failed to proactively engage in pre-application discussions with the Local Planning Authority. 

‘The LPA has taken the technical requirements and the positive impacts of the proposal in terms of improving coverage into account, but considers that these do not outweigh the significant harm that the development would have on the character and appearance of the landscape and the amenity of nearby occupiers, as a result of its siting.’

Only four people supported the planning application, saying the mast was ‘desperately needed’ as the phone internet signal is ‘very poor’.

They said this causes issues for those working from home.

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