A new 5G mast is set to be built in Wirral, after planning permission was granted.
The 20-metre tall structure will be built on New Chester Road in Tranmere, under plans put forward by Three UK.
The application was successful despite many other plans for 20-metre tall 5G masts in Wirral being rejected over concerns they may harm the appearance of the local area.
However, this was not seen to be an issue with this application.
A Wirral Council report on the plan said: “Overall it is not considered that the mast would result in street clutter or have an adverse impact on the appearance of the street scene.”
Speaking on a previous application for a mast of the same height, a Three UK spokesperson said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses [in] Wirral.”
On the need to build such tall masts, Three UK said that 5G uses slightly shorter wavelengths than previous generations.
As a result, they do not travel as far as 2, 3 and 4G wavelengths and cannot pass into buildings as easily, meaning 5G antennae need to be taller than antennae used in previous generations.
For the same reason, and because existing sites do not always have the capacity to be upgraded, it is not possible to simply redevelop an existing mast site to accommodate the fifth generation.
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