We regret to announce the death of the planning appeal system

The Planning Inspector has decided to overrule South Glos Council and permit yet another mobile phone mast on a short stretch of Rodford Way. Just look at this aerial view. There's already an O2 phone mast built (blue marker), plus approval for a "3" mast as well (yellow). Now the inspector has approved a mast for Vodaphone (red).


Click here to see detailed map from Google Maps.

There's yet another approved "3" site at the eastern end of the main road, just a couple of hundred yards away. And T-Mobile has shown interest in putting a mast a similar distance west.

Is there any fairness in the planning appeal system? Evidently not. We asked South Glos for details of mobile phone applications which had been refused and then went to appeal. Their list included ten urban sites - four of them are in this small cluster. Out of the ten, the planning inspector has allowed nine masts to go ahead.

In other words, if you object to a proposed phone mast, however good the case you make, you have only a one in ten chance of being successful.

The planning inspectors' judgements simply ignore many of the points made by South Glos and the parish and town councils. The inspectors are simply not doing their job - there is a culture that the mobile phone companies' requirements over-ride any other consideration, even if there are alternative, better sites only a few few yards away that haven't been considered.

We have concluded that the Planning Inspectorate is simply not fit for purpose, and needs to be reformed. We have written to John Denham, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. He's the minister responsible, but all he did was pass it on to the Planning Inspectorate's own complaints department - we don't hold out any hope from that direction.

We asked for local comments. Most were unprintable, but Cllr Mandy Sainsbury said "My neighbours and I, living near the proposed Vodafone installation site, are naturally bitterly disappointed by the Planning Inspector's appeal decision".

"However we have all vowed to carry on fighting this decision which flies in the face of a very robust campaign by ourselves, local councils & MP. To that end we have contacted the minister and lodged complaints with the Inspectorate whose decision we deem to be incompetent - we could call it something less polite!"

Just to remind you, we objected on the grounds of overdevlopment, loss of visual amenity, cumulative street clutter and quite simply that Vodaphone hadn't considered nearby less sensitive sites and hadn't even followed the procedure that they are supposed to.

If you wish to add your voice to the protest, you can email the minister at john.denham@communities.gsi.gov.uk