Plans to build a 4G tower next to a tree in Kendal dubbed the town’s own Sycamore Gap have been dropped after the proposals received a significant number of objections.
Telecommunications company Cornerstone, set up by O2 and Vodafone, withdrew its application for prior approval to Westmorland and Furness Council to install a radio base station on land west of Burneside Road.
According to plans the proposed development would have consisted of a 20m tower which would support transmission dishes and antennas next to a mature tree known as the lone tree.
However, the plans have been withdrawn for the applicant to work with the local community to find a more suitable location.
Writing to the council, the applicant’s agent said: “We note there are a significant number of objections regarding the proposed location and the proximity of the tree with local significance.
“While the need for network improvements in the area remains, we are keen to work with the local community to deliver the required infrastructure in a more suitable location.”
The proposals received dozens of objections from residents as well as from Burneside Parish Council.
One objector said: “The lone tree is a local landmark, well-loved and the subject of many photographs and regarded with the same love as the tree that was destroyed in The Sycamore Gap. As has been seen, these views should be protected.”
Another added: “I am not against the need for mobile phone masts but they should be placed with more sensitivity and respect to their surroundings.
“The position of this mast will spoil the grandeur of the tree that stands there on The Todds, giving Kendal its own Sycamore Gap tragedy.”
Burneside Parish Council objected to the proposals and raised concerns over proposed development in the Green Gap.
It said: “The visual effect of the mast is significant, particularly from Burneside road, this will completely change the landscape of the local area and alter the feeling of entering rural countryside upon leaving Kendal and travelling to Burneside.”
Planning documents submitted by the company said the network in the area was already struggling to meet demand and add once a nearby development of 157 homes is complete there will be further pressure on the network.
Plans added: “Without the new installation in the area, the existing coverage will struggle to meet the customer’s demand in the cell area, as a result the operator’s customers will not be able to use their handheld devices as intended.
“Lack of improved capacity in the area will result in buffering and dropped calls, leaving customers with unreliable service in this area.”
