How the equipment on Crestview will look

A TOWERING internet mast rejected three times by the Town Hall’s planning department WILL be constructed after Camden was over­­ruled by higher powers.

In the latest case to raise questions over what power the council really has over the landscape of the borough, EE secured permission to install its 5G equipment at the Crestview block in Dartmouth Park by appealing to a planning inspector.

The mast will be on top of the housing block in Dartmouth Park Hill and reach the same height as a fully grown giraffe.

Crestview is in the Dartmouth Park conservation area and the plan had been opposed by residents groups, ward councillors, the Victorian Society, English Heritage, the Highgate Society and the neighbouring St Mary’s Brookfield Church.

The weight of opposition, however, has not deterred the planning inspectorate from allowing the masts.

It conceded it was a “harmful addition” but its usefulness outweighs any aesthetic concerns.

Hamish Birchall, who lives in the block, said: “Crestview residents, as the landowner, have the right to refuse access to the companies, subject to financial compensation.

The matter could end up in court if the companies don’t like the residents’ terms.”

Hampstead and Highgate MP Tulip Siddiq’s office said this week the matter would be raised at department level. Highgate councillor Lorna Jane Russell said: “Camden rejected this planning application for good reason as it would cause significant harm to the character of the local conservation area and also fails to comply with both local and national planning policies.”

St Mary Brookfield Church warden Ian McGregor, in an objection to the original plan, said the masts “risks dominating the landscape for miles around and is not sympathetic to the neighbourhood.

“Our church is such an important building in the area which serves the community in many ways, including a winter night shelter for the homeless, and it would be disastrous if it were to be overshadowed by this very substantial and ugly addition to Crestview.”

The inspector’s report said alternative sites proposed – which include the decommissioned Hill House close to Archway station and the Dartmouth Park reservoir – were not appropriate.

The planning inspector said: “While I have found that the siting and appearance of the proposed mast would cause some harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area, I consider that this would be limited and would be outweighed by the need for the installation to be sited as proposed, and the public benefits of the scheme, taking into account alternative locations investigated.”