Church phone mast plans halted

A PHONE mast will not be located on top of a church after residents petitioned against its installation. Stevenage Borough Council decided Holy Trinity Church in the Old Town would not be a suitable location for a phone mast. Before the planning applica

A PHONE mast will not be located on top of a church after residents petitioned against its installation.

Stevenage Borough Council decided Holy Trinity Church in the Old Town would not be a suitable location for a phone mast.

Before the planning application was decided, residents led by Peter Craig opposed the mast on health grounds.

If the application had gone ahead the church could have received £5,000 a year by having the mast on its roof, money which the Rev Geoff Tickner said would have helped the church continue with its community work.

Mr Craig told The Comet: "I am delighted that Stevenage Borough Council has decided to refuse planning permission as the mast was clearly not appropriate to the area.

"I very much appreciate the support of the many people in the local community who shared this view and know that they will be very pleased too."

A council spokesman said: "Planning permission was refused because the proposed works would damage and be out of keeping with this Grade II listed building and would harm the appearance of the conservation area.

"In addition, the applicants had not carried out a thorough search of alternative sites for the mast.