Residents look set to lose battle to stop towering 5G mast being sited on their estate in Milton Keynes

CK Hutchinson, acting for Three, first applied to erect a 15m high mast on Walton Road in Walnut Tree earlier this year.

But after residents lodged a 200-signature petition of protest, the company withdrew their application and vowed to seek a more suitable location.

Now they have lodged a second bid, this time for the mast to built on a small patch of verge adjacent to Walton Road, between Pinfold and Honeysuckle Court.

Walton Community Council and many residents again objected, saying the structure would be an “alien feature” on their streetscape.

"The community council is not anti-5G and accepts that communication is the foundation of good community. But this site is even more unsuitable than the previous application because of its proximity to the highway and very close proximity to residential housing,” said the community council.

The site is bordered by houses to the north and east and the estate’s play park known as the Snail Park to the south

Walton Community Council has presented another petition, this time with 95 signatures, urging MK Council to refuse the new application.

Ward councillor Jenni Ferrans has also expressed concerns. She said: “This operator seems to require masts at shorter distances than others with no explanation and no evidence of attempts to share masts.

"There is no evidence that they have explored alternative positions for the mast in the immediate area and have not defined the area that they are seeking to cover.”

Meanwhile, the matter was referred to the council’s Planning Panel, to be held on August 18, for a decision.

The panel agenda has now been released and it shows officers are recommending that permission be granted.

The council’s highways department has raised no objections and officers say there are no reasons for refusal.

Their report states: “A large number of objections have been received to the principle of rolling out a 5G network whilst the potential public health risks are unknown. Whilst these concerns are noted, there is no generally accepted scientific evidence that 5G networks pose a threat to public health providing it complies with the emission levels set out by the International Commission on NonIonising Radiation Protection.”

.