- Written by Paul Faulkner
- Local Democracy Reporting Service
Joanna Seborn campaigned against a telephone tower proposed for Beacon Fell
A bid to install a 130ft (40m) telephone tower near the top of a Lancashire beauty spot has failed.
Telecommunications company Cornerstone wanted to install a mast at Beacon Fell Country Park in Goosenaag, but Preston City Council refused permission.
Planners said the proposed development would “adversely impact on the character and appearance” of the “landmark within the skyline”.
Just two people wrote to City Council in support of the plan.
Joanna Seborn, who lives in the shadow of a hill that is part of the Bowland Forest area of outstanding natural beauty, campaigned against the proposals after the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed details in January. started.
Concerned that the only reason there had not been more opposition to the mast’s plans was because the people using the rockfall were not aware of it, so she sent out flyers to local residents and visitors from further afield. I spent days in the field distributing it.
Her efforts led more than 3,000 people to sign a petition opposing the trellis tower, which would be approximately 33 feet (10 meters) taller than the surrounding trees, five of which would have to be cut down. became necessary.
Seborn said the public’s response, which included 123 letters of opposition submitted to City Hall, could have “made a big difference.”
One of the posters Seborn has pasted around Beacon Fell.
“I’d like to think the council still realized how ridiculous it was, but who knows if what people pointed out would have helped change the situation.
“I had to at least try to make as many people aware of this as possible so they could make their own decisions.
“I hope this gives others confidence that they can stand up against what they don’t want in their field, and that they can win.”
The Cornerstone plan was part of a national effort to improve mobile reception and 4G broadband coverage in rural areas.
“Significant damage”
But Seborn insisted that was not necessary. Local residents have invested in bringing high-speed connectivity to their villages through specialist provider Northern Rural Broadband (B4RN).
In a report outlining the reasons for the decision, Preston City Council said local authorities could not “question the need for an electronic communications system” and that official maps show the 764ft (266m) high beacon The poor admitted that the indoor signals in the north and east of the area have fallen.
But the authority noted that the area was “covered by both a good outdoor mobile signal and superfast broadband”, meaning it considered the benefits of the proposal to be “marginal”. he pointed out.
In assessing the mast’s impact on the landscape, the decision notice stated: “This proposal has the potential to cause significant damage to Beacon Fell’s key features of undeveloped openness and wide visibility.” ing.
City Council also warned of the potential impact of a 10.5-foot-wide (3.2-meter) access route that would need to be created to allow construction traffic to reach the site. This is an element of the project that requires a separate permit and “probably requires the removal of additional trees to the five already scheduled for removal.