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Angry residents in Shepherds Lane, Dartford say council didn’t consult them over 5G mast

Neighbours say they knew nothing about a 5G phone mast being built in their road until work started and there hasn’t been enough consultation.

The residents of Shepherds Lane in Dartford are “very angry” about the 65ft pole which they believe is the third plan in as many years to install a phone mast in their area.

Neighbours say work has already started on the ground for the mast they ‘knew nothing about’. Photo: Manraj Saggu
Neighbours say work has already started on the ground for the mast they ‘knew nothing about’. Photo: Manraj Saggu

Construction work has already started which households initially mistook for repairs to street lights.

Neighbour Manraj Saggu said: “I saw someone doing some work outside of the house. I thought he was fixing street lights. He said ‘no we are here for the 5G mast’. A cage is up and they’re starting to dig now.”

Families in Shepherds Lane believe this is at least the third attempt to put a large 5G mast in this part of Dartford - with previous plans having either fallen through or been rejected by the council.

According to documents published on the council’s website, the application for this latest mast was submitted in February 2024 and approved at the end of April last year - a process Mr Saggu claims he and his neighbours knew absolutely nothing about.

Consequently, many residents say they missed the consultation deadline, that passed many months ago, for submitting their views on the proposal before a final decision was made.

Dartford council maintains site notices were put up around the proposed location of the mast at the time the application was submitted, it notified the homeowner living closest to the land in question, as well as those who had commented on previous applications.

In January 2023 people living near Bowmans Heath, Dartford say they weren’t aware of plans to put a 5G mast on the land
In January 2023 people living near Bowmans Heath, Dartford say they weren’t aware of plans to put a 5G mast on the land

The bulk of the mobile communications network currently being rolled out across the UK is being built under what is known as permitted development rights - which, in essence, means there is a presumption in favour of installations as part of the essential infrastructure they provide.

However there are some restrictions - with decisions around the siting and appearance of most masts still sitting with local councils.

In January 2023, residents in nearby Bowmans Road and Chastilian Road used their cars to block a lorry and crane that came to deliver an 85ft 5G antenna to their street.

Families living there said they had no idea about plans to install the mast on neighbouring Bowmans Heath until the equipment started arriving.

Neighbours near Bowmans Heath said they knew nothing until equipment started arriving
Neighbours near Bowmans Heath said they knew nothing until equipment started arriving

That work stopped after Dartford council became involved in the dispute while some neighbours, who called the mast an “eyesore”, also raised concerns over the suitability of the land, which they said was prone to shifting levels.

Dartford council, according to documents on its planning portal, also rejected a fresh application later that same year to put a “+20m” 5G mast in Shepherds Lane on the grounds that its design and appearance would be “detrimental” to the look of the area and was considered inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

But in refusing permission for that mast, the council revealed it would be open to an alternative.

It wrote: “The applicant be advised that whilst the council has found this proposal to be unacceptable, there may be an acceptable solution to provision of a 5G mast at this site.”

Neighbours in Shepherds Lane say they are angry that they weren’t consulted. Picture: Manraj Saggu
Neighbours in Shepherds Lane say they are angry that they weren’t consulted. Picture: Manraj Saggu

Mr Saggu, who lives in Shepherds Lane with his mother and partner, says he cannot understand how these revised plans have come before the council, and been approved, with so little discussion among those living nearby.

They say the only concrete sign of any attempt at consultation they can find is a “single poster, placed inconspicuously on an out-of-sight lamppost” that was discovered more recently.

Mr Saggu explained: “I am not a big fan of 5G. But it’s the not telling us that they are going to do it.

“People feel like they have not been asked, that the council is against them. We wanted the consultation.

“No one wants them on their street. They are ugly. They don’t look nice.”

An online petition set up by Mr Saggu has attracted more than 350 signatures and they have also contacted Dartford’s MP Jim Dickson to ask for his help in trying to find out why there wasn’t a wider consultation in this case.

Neighbours have described the large mast as "ugly"
Neighbours have described the large mast as "ugly"

Fellow resident Susan Dray says she remains “shocked” a 5G mast can be put up without prior consultation with those living nearby, while her neighbour Dennis Purcell is among those to have written to Dartford council to express his anger.

“My overriding feelings are that we were totally unaware of this installation until the works were well under way,” he said.

“The so-called consultation and planning process was carried out without any effort made to communicate to the local population who it affects the most.”

Joyce Otobo says she has lodged a formal complaint with the council over their handling of the application.

In her letter she wrote: “As a local resident directly affected by this development, I was alarmed to discover that planning permission had been granted without any consultation with local residents.”

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