Residents gather to protest 15 metre 5G mast planned for Felpham

A decision is due on February 1 and, if approved, contractors will be allowed to construct the 15 metre tall pole and associated equipment cabinets in the cul-de-sac.

The mast would expand local availability of 5G networks, allowing mobile phone users across Felpham to access higher speed 5G internet with much greater capacity than its 4G counterpart.

Nonetheless, Felpham residents feel the tower would stick out like a sore thumb in a residential setting and worry its construction might lead to a number of problems.

The protest, which took place at 9.30am on Sunday, January 22, comes alongside a petition launched on chage.org, which has nearly 200 signatures.

Protest organiser Steve Pullen said the proposal is a sign of large companies overstepping the mark, throwing their weight around in a small community.

"In a peaceful estate where covenants forbid you to put up so much as a 6 inch border in your front garden it is nothing short of jaw-dropping that a Tech company can swoop in like this and change our landscape forever in this way," he said.

Other residents, writing on the Arun District Council planning portal, had similar complaints. They feel the planned tower will disrupt the cherished public space at the centre of the estate and compromise its 'idyllic' character.

"This will be an absolute eyesore for not only the residents in the facility, but all local people on the estate and nearby," one resident said.

"I strongly object to this plan which will be taking away more green space,” another resident added. “I’m sure there are more suitable places that are not near residential dwellings.”

Other residents are concerned the ‘eyesore’ of a tower might upset the resale value of their properties, since it is so out of character with the locality.

“If this goes ahead, it will undoubtedly devalue (possibly quite considerably) the market value of the houses that surround it and those in the wider area,” one complainant wrote. “In addition, it will make selling properties in the proximity of the mast very difficult indeed, if not impossible.”

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