A proposal to install a 20-metre-tall mobile phone mast in the county has been called in by a Penarth councillor Neil Thomas.

Mobile phone transmission company Cornerstone PLC wants to replace the existing mast at Clive Place, which stands at 15m tall with one five metres taller.

Cllr Thomas, representing St Augustines on the Vale Council, has 'called in' the application meaning it cannot be decided by the planning department staff as usual, and it now must be discussed by all members of the council's planning committee.

"This application has generated a lot of local interest at the pre application phase and for that reason i.e. great local interest, I would like the application to be considered by the planning committee," Cllr Thomas wrote to explain his decision.

Residents have objected to the mast at this pre-application stage: a letter circulated in the immediate vicinity reads:

"Many residents feel we should oppose this because the mast is sited in a conservation area, there is constant noise from the current mast and the new mast will have gigger pavement units and be even noisier, and a 20-metre-tall mast will be extremely intrusive in this residential area."

The new mast would improve coverage for 3G and 4G signal in the area, and also allow for 5G coverage.

Cornerstone's proposal reads: "As part of this continued network improvement program, there is a specific technical requirement to provide new 5G coverage in this area of Penarth.

"An existing base station has been identified in the area that would be suitable for upgrade to accommodate Vodafone's latest requirements.

"It would also present the opportunity to provide new coverage for Telefonica (O2) to the area, including 5G coverage. In order to accommodate this upgrade, a new streetworks style base station is required to replace the existing mast and equipment."

In its application Cornerstone also states that a pre-application submission pack containing a description of the proposal, drawings and a consultation plan was sent to the Local Planning Authority on 15 June 2021 for comment with a deadline for response by 29th June 2021 and that no comments have been received.