A mother managed to stop the structure of a large 5G mast by parking her car at the planned site.
Elizabeth Grey, 49, from South Shields, parked her red Peugeot at the site in protest, saying citizens feel “ignored” by telecoms giant Three and “let down” by South Tyneside Council. Despite 160 objections and a petition submitted to the city council since March 24, the 20-meter mast structure will begin operation on Monday.
However, Elizabeth, who lives with her husband Chris and their three children, had other plans. She parked her car in what she describes as a “David vs. Goliath” fight. So far, it looks like his plan has worked. Three showed that it had temporarily suspended facilities due to disruptions in the and adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Ciaran; however, painting is expected to resume in the coming weeks.
Jane told ChronicleLive, “[The mast] has an astronomical height, it’s the same height as the Angel of the North. They’re going to place it in a residential domain made up of wall-to-wall houses that we, the residents, namely like. from.
“It’s across the street from a park and it’s just not the right position to put something so high and imposing. They just completely ignored us and that’s why I felt like there was still no option to do anything myself because all the avenues were used and there is nothing left to do. “
Elizabeth’s car is now fenced off by the builders, along with their team, as they can’t get to work yet. Her car is meant to be parked legally, so no one can move it without Elizabeth’s permission, which she says she probably wouldn’t give.
He continues: “It bothers me, but I only use the car to go home or to transport the children. I wait for them to move on to the next task and I think there are too many things to do. There are problems in this area.
“It’s very far away, but I felt like I had to do something, I couldn’t let this thing rise to the height where it is, it’s twice the height of my [three-story] house. I just couldn’t let it go without doing anything. ” thing to show the company and the board of directors the strength of the feeling.
Elizabeth says that despite the petitions and complaints, the council turned a blind eye. But Andrew Guy, a Green Party councillor in West Park, says frustration is not only with the council, but also with the planning process itself.
Councilmembers Guy and Jim Yare asked the council to enforce a Section Four restriction on the district’s lawn edges, hoping to give councilmembers and citizens more of a say in what is placed outdoors in their homes. But they were told that South Tyneside Council would not enforce the segment four restriction.
The UK government’s national plan policy framework, which supports the deployment of communications infrastructure such as 5G and fibre, advises local governments to prohibit the advancement of new electronic communications in certain areas, impose general Article 4 rules on a giant area. or insist on minimum distances between the two. New and existing progressions.
Councillor Guy said: “In total there have been around 160 objections. We talked to other people who had objected but hadn’t filed a formal objection, so we had a hard time locating a single user on the domain who supported the project. request.
“Looking back now, we had a consultation where other people were absolutely ignored during the design. The whole procedure has been made as undeniable as possible to allow telcos to install their masts anywhere they need on public land.
“There is great disillusionment with the urban planning system, which favors business and silences citizens. From the standpoint of representing those citizens, it is disappointing to see my citizens ignored. ” had been temporarily suspended due to site disruptions and adverse weather situations caused by Storm Ciaran.
A spokesperson for Three said: “The rollout of 5G is important to the citizens and businesses of South Shields. We need to provide the network with a reliable network experience and this new one will be key to achieving this.
“While we try to make the antenna sites as discreet as possible, we want them to be located where other people will use the service and, in many cases, in express locations to ensure the widest coverage imaginable. We have used the newest technology and best design . pole to reduce the visual impact”.
A spokeswoman for South Tyneside Council said: “The application was taken by officials with delegated powers, taking into account local and national plan policy and the objections of local residents, before permission was granted. “
* An artificial intelligence tool used to load an additional layer to the editing procedure of this story. You can report any bugs to webhomepage@mirror. co. uk
Get an overview of UK politics with our free informative report via email straight to your inbox