A community leader has urged Dundee City Council to reject plans for a 20-metre-high mobile phone mast that could be installed in the “heart of Broughty Ferry”.
The infrastructure, designed to boost network coverage as well as providing a new 5G service, could be erected in the car park on Queen Street, next to the railway station, according to plans being put forward to the local authority.
It would also include ground-based equipment cabinets as well as antennae, a GPS module, and dishes attached to the mast.
Neil Cooney, who is chairman of Broughty Ferry Community Council, has questioned the chosen location.
‘Not right area’ for large mast
He said: “The community council will not support this in any way. We’ll do everything we possibly can to make sure it doesn’t go ahead.
“With it being, A, a residential area, and B, in the heart of the town, I think it’s difficult to find an alternative for the company (elsewhere) in this area.
“I would like to think the council will reject this. If it goes to appeal and the company wins, that’s when the disappointment kicks in.
“That defeats the planning process in the first place.”
The application has been submitted by telecoms infrastructure firm Cornerstone, which plans and improves Vodafone and O2’s network of masts known as base stations.
The low-powered devices provide coverage for an area about half-a-mile in radius and Cornerstone applies for permission to add these in areas with poorer coverage.
The proposed mast is 5m taller than a similar one built on nearby Strathern Road.
Plans for similar 15m mast nearby overturned
On that occasion, local councillors rejected the plans but they went ahead, anyway, after the Scottish Government overturned the decision.
Residents also complained, but the mast – which one councillor described as “ugly” and an “imposing monstrosity” – remains.
The pole, which is earmarked for near the pavement at the entrance to the car park, is double the height of lampposts nearby.
Mr Cooney added: “The mast on Strathern Road is at least covered up slightly by trees, although I don’t have to live next to it.
“Having one in the car park in the centre of the Ferry is a completely different matter.
“There’s a lot of good work gone into making the car park area look as good as possible and it’s just not the right location.
“We don’t struggle for a good signal in the centre of Broughty Ferry, as far as I’m aware, so I don’t know if there is such a need for this either.”
Mast outside of Broughty Ferry Conservation Area
The location of the mast is just outside the Broughty Ferry Conservation Area, which means it will not be subject to specific scrutiny.
The zone is designed to protect the character of the suburb and retain its architectural and historic interest.
An agent for Cornerstone has lodged a pre-planning notice with the council before a formal planning application is submitted.
A spokesperson for Cornerstone said: “Cornerstone always aims to work closely with local communities and planning authorities.
“We follow best practice principles in the location of our mobile infrastructure sites.
“A lot of consideration, thought and time goes into proposing where our infrastructure should be placed. Our aim is to minimise local impact while addressing practical technical constraints to enable quality digital connectivity to the communities we serve.”
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