Councillors to decide on 5G mast plan for Caesars Place

Waverley councillors are set to make a decision tomorrow (Wednesday) on a scheme to install a phone mast and four dishes on the roof of a retirement apartment building near the town centre.

If permitted, the plan will see a 5.5m telecoms pole, four dishes and four equipment cabinets built on the roof of Caesars Place in Ockford Road. The 31-unit retirement complex was built in 2017 on the site of the former Christian Science church.

The plan has drawn objections from residents of the development, who complain the mast will blight the viw from their homes and damage the roof of the building, as well as raising health concerns.

They also say parking will be an issue while the mast is erected, and when engineers visit to maintain the structure. Waverley planners have recommended that the scheme is approved, saying: "whilst the proposal would not be entirely in accordance with the Development Plan, the benefits of providing 5G mobile coverage to the public would outweigh the adverse impacts in relation to the limited less than significant harm to the Conservation Area".