‘Blame Government for shift in policy to allow 5G mast’

THE green light given for a new 5G mast to be installed in Henley is indicative of a shift in national planning policy, a town councillor has said.

Last month the planning inspectorate, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Housing, approved plans for the telecoms mast in Makins reaction ground following an appeal.

Telent Technology Services, on behalf of EE, submitted an application to install a 20m high monopole with antennae, dishes and equipment cabinets in a corner of the field, off Greys Road, in December last year.

The plans, which were refused by South Oxfordshire District Council, had drawn objections from residents who believe the mast would impact house prices, the character of the area and be a potential health risk.

The recreation ground was established in 1920 when Sir Paul Makins, who served as a magistrate in Henley, donated the land to the town in memory of his first wife, Gladys.

Following the decision, some residents have pointed to the title deeds of the site, which confirm the gift was made “in trust for the perpetual use thereof by the public for exercise and recreation”.

Councillor Michelle Thomas, who chairs the town council’s planning committee which opposed the plans, said the decision marked a shift in the government’s outlook when it came to development.

In its 2024 manifesto the Labour Party said it would make a “renewed push to fulfil the ambition of [...] national 5G coverage by 2030”.

Cllr Thomas said: “I am not surprised by the decision but I was surprised by the level of support that the inspector gave to our concerns.

“But then, in the very last sentence of the appeal decision, they said that we didn’t have a chance.

“It’s interesting that the planning inspectorate, which is basically an extension of the Government, is saying that this takes precedence over a piece of beautiful recreation ground.

“This is where we are at now. It’s a shift in the government direction. They want to work at speed to get this infrastructure across the land. We will see these springing up around the country.”

Cllr Thomas said that the Government’s commitment to the environment did not match up with its actions.

She said: “The Government talks the talk about nature and climate but gives us the opposite. It’s very confusing. I don’t know how we are going to navigate this.”

Clare Sherriff, who has previously spoken out against the mast, said that she was concerned about the health effects of the structure.

Concerns about the impact of 5G on human health are largely centred around radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF).

Some studies report possible biological effects or statistical associations but no conclusive evidence of harm has been established.

The Government, however, has said that measurements taken have shown that exposures of the general public to radio waves are “well within” the international health-related guideline levels that are used in the UK.

It said that while it is possible that there may be a small increase in overall exposure to radio waves when 5G is added to an existing network or in a new area, the overall exposure is low and there should be no consequences for public health.

Ms Sherriff described the approval of the scheme by the planning inspectorate as a “tragedy”.

“Henley will very much be affected by it,” she said. “I am very concerned about it.”

Ms Sherriff said that she and a friend had visited Wallingford and Abingdon to take EMF measurements, which are measurements of surrounding electromagnetic fields.

“I have taken an EMF reader to most of them in the area and they are off the scale,” she said. “Both my friend and I felt really ill after being by the masts.”

Telent said: “We were engaged by our client to support a planning application aimed at improving 5G mobile services in Henley. This followed ongoing issues with poor mobile coverage in the area, which were largely attributed to insufficient network capacity.

“The planning inspectorate’s decision to allow the appeal means that essential infrastructure can now be delivered to help address these concerns.”