PLANS APPROVED: New 15-metre 5G tower to be installed in Garston

A 15-metre 5G tower will be installed in Garston after plans were approved by Watford Borough Council (WBC) on March 27.
The application was submitted on February 24 by CK Hutchison Networks (the owners of Three Mobile) to install the pole on Colne Drive.
5G is the ‘fifth generation’ of mobile internet which provides faster data speeds and a greater network capacity in comparison to its predecessors 4G, 3G and 2G.
It uses a combination of smart antenna technologies and small cells to deliver radio signals where they are needed.
There has been debate over the health and safety of 5G technology, which the applicants addressed in their application saying that “studies provide no indication that base station signals increase the risk of cancer of any other disease”.
The tower will support six antennas, one wraparound cabinet at the base, one equipment cabinet, one electric metre cabinet, one transmission cabinet and an ancillary development thereto.
A Three spokesperson said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Watford. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and a new site will be critical to making that happen. Having received approval from WBC, we hope to have this mast operational and delivering better connectivity for our customers soon.”
A spokesperson for WBC said: “Letters were sent out to residents in the vicinity and no objections were received, so the mast was granted by officers under delegated powers. As no objections were received to the mast at the time, it didn’t go to committee.”
To view the application, visit pa.watford.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RQKWODQW0NC00&activeTab=summary
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