'5G mast hell' for Boston Gardens residents living in the shadow of West London phone tower
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Outraged residents are calling for a 'monster' mobile phone mast to be moved because it towers over their properties and could make homes unsellable, they claim.
People living at Boston Gardens in West London claimed they weren't told the mast was being built and were appalled no attempt was made to conceal the giant steel structure.
The 5G mast is the height of four-and-a-half double decker buses and people living in its shadow said they had no idea the tower was coming until the diggers arrived.
"It's the scale, made of steel in the middle of the field and has not been camouflaged or built in a way that helps it blend in with the surroundings," resident Eoin Toher told ITV News London.
"I was only aware the structure was coming when we saw the excavators moving in around May this year.
"We were concerned and did not know what was being planned because we had no notification recently.
"After looking at Hounslow Council's planning portal we then saw the plans for a mast 20 metres from the back of our property.
"Before that we had a rather pleasant view!" Eoin explained.
Hounslow Council said it sent out letters to 23 homes in 2020 and received four objections but those living in direct eye-line of the mast claimed the letters never arrived.
Resident Debra Oliver added: "I didn't receive any notification letter and it's something I would have acted on immediately.
"And none of my immediate neighbours recall getting a letter. And it is something they would have acted on immediately.
"So we feel let down by Hounslow Council."
The mast was built on a big playing field and even though there are no houses on the opposite side of the grass the tower was built at the closest spot where people live.
Mobile Broadband Network Limited, who installed the mast, said: "When determining a location finding the right balance between delivering the service and capacity which customers wants and expect alongside planning regulations and aesthetic expectations is never easy."
The local Labour MP Ruth Cadbury said councils had little influence about positioning phone masts and urged companies to think twice about where they are built.
She wants to change the law, adding: "It just feels t me like these utility companies and infrastructure providers just seem to ride roughshod over local communities.
"I'm not saying don't do things, I'm saying just think about the community and if you can modify where you out something and what it looks like and how it works just do that a little bit."
People living in Boston Gardens understand masts are needed for mobile phone coverage.
But residents can't understand why it has been put in such a prominent position with no effort to conceal it.
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