A telecoms company has submitted an application to install a 5G mast in Whitefield.
The proposed development, a "slim line" mast and additional equipment cabinets, could be installed between Higher Lane and Church Lane subject to council approval.
In a letter dated November 2, telecoms company CK Hutchison Networks Ltd, owner of phone service provider Three, asked the council whether prior approval is needed from the local authority to install the 17m tall mast.
The news comes after Three were forced to defend similar proposals in Greenmount after residents objected to the installation of a 16m high mast on a Coleridge Road.
The mast in Whitefield would sit on a grass verge adjacent to the two main roads, close to residential areas and All Saints’ Church.
The application states the mast is intended to extend 5G service across the target "coverage hole" in the area and states the construction will "assimilate well into the immediate street".
READ MORE: Greenmount residents express concern about 5G mast plans
It says: “There is an acute need for a new base station to provide effective service coverage and in this case, the height of the proposed street pole is the minimum required to bring the benefits of 5G to this area.”
Three say it will use the mast to provide service to the area and says it is "committed to providing improved network coverage, most notable in relation to 5G services".
The application added: “Proposed location of a new mast shown above will assimilate well into the immediate street scene and not be detrimental.
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“The proposed site option is considered the best available compromise between extending 5G service across the target ‘coverage hole’ with the selected street works pole height and associated antenna and ground-based cabinets restricted to the minimum height which is capable of providing the required essential coverage.”
Residents and organisations who wish to comment on the application have until Wednesday, November 16 to contact the council in writing.
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