AN appeal inspector has ruled that a controversial 5G mast at the centre of years of planning disputes can remain in Lewes, despite strong opposition from residents, councillors and campaigners.
The retrospective approval brings to an end a long-running row over the 18-metre structure in Nevill Road, which was erected in the wrong location and sits close to Wallands Primary School.
In a decision notice issued on July 9, a planning inspector granted Cignal Infrastructure UK Ltd retrospective permission for the mast.
The decision was met with disappointment by Lewes Green Party councillors Graham Clews and Matthew Bird.
Cllr Clews (Green) said: “This is such a disappointing decision from the government-appointed planning inspector. She took no account of the strength of feeling among local residents over this ugly and unnecessary mast, which sits just yards away from Wallands primary school.”
The mast is already built, but has been at the centre of a complex planning debate for years.
Such masts are typically covered by permitted development rights, meaning they can usually be installed without gaining planning permission as long as the developer informs the local authority of its plans.
However, in this case, the mast was built in the wrong place — several metres to the south of its intended location — and so required retrospective planning permission to remain in place.
The appeal scheme had been the applicant’s second attempt to secure permission.
A previous attempt was refused by Lewes District Council in October 2023 on the grounds it was “harmful to the landscape character of the area and detrimental to visual amenity.”
An appeal against this decision was dismissed in July 2024.
The dismissal was because of issues with the applicant’s International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) declaration — a document setting out how such developments comply with guidelines intended to protect human health.
The document listed the wrong company’s name and also, the inspector said, provided insufficient information about the mast and site. The inspector described the overall document as “highly inadequate”.
The latest application included an updated ICNIRP declaration and a commitment to paint the equipment dark green to reduce its visual impact.
The proposals were considered by Lewes District Council’s planning committee at meetings in June and December last year.
The committee’s discussion revolved around the perceived health risks of the mast, but the application was refused solely on the grounds of its visual impact.
Officers had warned refusal was unlikely to be defendable, given the results of the previous appeal.
The inspector approving the proposals after judging the mast not to be harmful to the character or appearance of the area.
The inspector wrote: “Given that I have a certificate to certify the development would meet the relevant technical standards, health considerations would not justify dismissing the appeal.”
The inspector also said they had not been “provided with substantive evidence that support the assertion that the nearby nursery and school would be adversely affected.”
For further information see application reference SDNP/25/00266/FUL on the South Downs National Park Authority website.
