Frodsham MP Mike Amesbury has welcomed the rejection of controversial plans for an 18-metres 5G mobile phone mast in the town.

Mr Amesbury says he is pleased planners refused the Fluin Lane application by Three UK which was brought under permitted development rights meaning a full planning application was not required.

He said: "I represented my constituents in correspondence with Three and in a formal objection to the planning authority after picking up on community concerns about this being the wrong location for such a prominent mast.

"This would have been slap bang in the middle of a residential area and very close to houses on The Willows in particular. I asked Three if alternative locations could be considered and expressed concern at the lack of community consultation."

No fewer than 35 representations were received with objections including the height and design of the mast, proximity to residential properties and highway safety due to views being obscured.

In refusing permission, Cheshire West and Chester Council planners agreed with Mr Amesbury the proposal would appear 'unduly prominent' and 'highly visible' from several directions.

But the Weaver Vale Labour MP has warned the government intends to extend the use of permitted development rights, employed by the applicant in this case, for a wider range of developments with less opportunity for the community to engage.

He added: "Government wants more and more developments to go through on the nod under permitted development rights as could so easily have happened here.

"For example, the plan is to make it relatively easy to convert any commercial use like a shop, a bank, a café or a restaurant into residential use. This could devastate our town centres by leading to the break-up of retail frontages and a High Street of 'broken teeth', with an impact on shopper footfall if that cluster of essential services no longer exists."