Frodsham Town Council Planning Committee have been considering a controversial planning application to erect a 60-foot 5G mast and equipment cabinets on the grass verge opposite The Willows estate on Fluin Lane.

The planned development, which forms part of the government's vision to roll 5G connectivity out across the country, has been put forward by telecommunications company, Three UK.

Although Frodsham Manor House and St Luke's Primary Schools had been sent pre-application enquiry sheets about the proposal, as of last week residents of The Willows reported that they had received no such official communication, and joined Frodsham ward Councillor Lynn Riley in criticising the lack of consultation with the local community.

At a Planning Committee meeting on Monday 17 May, Cllr Bill Stockton said: "I've done quite some research on this and I've had a number of people talking to me about it. There are two trees at a height of 36 feet (11m), while the pole will be 59 feet high with a considerable number of cabinets around it.

"I have spoken to the case officer at Cheshire West and Chester, Mr Ed Shepherd, and he would like to talk to the contractors – Hutchinson 3G (UK) Ltd – about the siting of the item and the visual image of it.

Cllr Stockton then suggested that the Committee wait for the case officer to receive feedback from the telecoms provider, which must be issued within 56 days of contact first being made.

Cllr Phil Griffiths then pointed out that the Committee had very little influence over the final decision on the location of this mast, commenting: "I've looked at the application in some detail as well and there are very limited grounds for turning it down because it's part of the government initiative to roll out 5G across the whole of the UK.

"They've looked at least five other sites which were all deemed to be unsuitable," including Langdale Way, Blue Hatch, Frodsham High Street, Bridge Lane and the Community Centre Playing Fields.

"The problem with a mast like this is that nobody wants it outside their house, but everybody wants the high bandwidth effect it guarantees.

"No matter where we put it we are going to get some push-back.

"But if you think about the topography of Frodsham, it's quite a hilly area, and depending on where you put the mast, parts of the Hill will [block] other areas off. So I can understand why they put it there, because if you put it lower down the hill, it won't reach up to the top and vice versa."

Cllr Riley was also present at the meeting, and added: "There has obviously been some quite considerable interest from local residents about this proposal.

"Personally, I agree that everyone wants the benefit and finding a site for anything is always going to be difficult. But I would tend to come down on the side of residents on this one and say that the Fluin Lane side is not suitable.

"Whilst Cheshire West obviously has ambition, what it has failed to do is work with communities to find a suitable location for things like this.

"I would be urging Cheshire West and Chester, who have considerable land ownership in Frodsham, to lead by example.

"There are quite a few public buildings which are strategically located because they are central, and which could be alternative locations for the Council to put forward in those discussions with prospective developers.

Making reference to the Openreach poles that have recently been installed at various locations around Frodsham, Cllr Riley added: "I think people are quite confused about what all this infrastructure is and Cheshire West needs to have more of a conversation with our communities, and to ask for our help, because between us we could probably come up with some very sensible suggestions.

"It's up to Cheshire West as the Local Planning Authority to work with things like our Town Design Statement, which is a statutory planning document. The Statement is very clear about the specific streetscapes and what they mean to the town.

"For me, that particular location is defined by being a broad avenue with trees on both sides. You cannot squeeze a 60-foot mast between two trees when their root systems stretch all over the place [underground]. You can't do it without killing the trees. I cannot see how anyone can install foundations for anything that tall without having to go quite far underground.

"If you look on the application itself, there is a tick box for the developer which asks if they have consulted the approved mast location plan. That is unticked because there isn't one for Cheshire West."

The Committee then resolved to refer the application back to Cheshire West and Chester Council and wait for the results of their correspondence with the telecoms provider.

The full planning proposal can be viewed here.