Two mobile phone companies are making another bid to put masts on the top of an art deco block of flats on Rottingden seafront.
The town has had patchy signal since a mast was taken off the White Horse pub ahead of its restoration in the summer of 2023.
Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL) which operates masts for EE and Three, applied to put two masts on the roof of the locally listed block St Margaret’s opposite the pub last year.
But this was rejected in December, and an appeal lodged in January was knocked back by a planning inspector in June. Meanwhile a fresh application made in January was not determined as it was too similar to the refused plans.
Now, MBNL has applied again, saying it has taken into account the reasons for refusal in drawing up new plans.
The application, written by Dot Surveying, says: As the operators have a duty to provide coverage over Rottingdean that has been lost, through the removal of the site on the White Hart Hotel, and is being provided by the temporary facility in Marine Cliffe’s Car Park we are returning with a proposal that we hope will prove acceptable.
“This is a submission for a revised design which will address the issues that Brighton and Hove City Council raised within the decision notice, officer’s report and the inspector’s decision.
“We recognise that the council has a duty to be consistent in their decision making. This submission, therefore, includes information that provides a materially different assessment to be made of the data provided.
“We are grateful to Jack Summers, your planning officer, who confirmed on 2nd October, that this revised scheme was a sufficiently different design from previous schemes so that it will be accepted by the council and considered in the normal way.”
The previous plans were rejected because they were too visible from the north, west and east of the site.
The council also said other sites had not been explored, and suggested five others.
MBNL says it has now explored putting a mast on those sites, but none fills in gaps in coverage as well as St Margaret’s.
It says that putting the mast next to another one on the roof and a shroud around the parapet will mean the masts are a “marginal addition”.
Four people have already objected to the plans, and two have commented in support. Unlike other councils, Brighton and Hove City Council redacts the names of people commenting on planning applications.
One says: “I am a resident of St Margaret’s and strongly object. This new application is attempting to overthrow the previous decision by adding camouflage to render it to be materially different.
“It is far from different, it is still two masts on a residential building of note but with the addition of skirts at the base of the masts. The antennae themselves would still be visible.
“We are working on removing the existing telecoms equipment to return this heritage building to its original design and so we, the residents can reclaim our roof space which from 1938 is a designated roof terrace.
“To add to this, the existing mast is causing major noise issues for residents on the top floors and complaints have been submitted to BHCC. It is incomprehensible that any one would find fitting such equipment to any residential building acceptable.
One of the two comments supporting the plans says: “This is the least worst option for the area.
“There is already some equipment on the roof so this is not likely to change the look of the thing.”
Why not put them on the open reach( bt telephone exchange) on park road, after all EE has taken over the bt digital service
Thats a good idea, why not indeed.. Although probably the building will soon be obsolete demolished and more flats built.