Neighbours Start Petition Against Proposed Phone Mast

People living near the proposed site of a 66ft (20-metre) mast have started a petition against the plan for the spot at what they said was the green gateway to the city.

The Dyke Road residents are concerned about the visual impact of the proposed mast which would go on the pavement by green space near the traffic lights at The Upper Drive, Hove.

The petition on the Change.org website – Stop the installation of a 60ft telecoms mast at Dyke Road / The Upper Drive – had more than 260 signatures at the time of writing.

The application was submitted by telecommunications company Cornerstone, which works with various mobile phone operators, including the newly merged Vodafone and 3.

The proposal is with Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning team after the company requested “prior approval” – a streamlining of the planning process.

Residents Tim Parsons and Jez Pegg want to make more people aware of the application because a notice was sent just to the direct neighbours in Dyke Road and four flats in The Martlets.

Mr Parsons said that he was not against 5G technology but did not feel that the mast would be in the right place. 

He said: 

“It’s hard to believe that this is the optimum solution for everyone concerned.

“This particular site, a key entry point into the city, has been chosen, it sounds like, because it’s optimum for the telecommunications company, which they more or less say by saying they’ve ruled out other sites. 

"But to what degree they’ve looked at them is the question.”

Cornerstone has previously submitted two applications to put up masts on the roof of the Park Lodge flats on the southern side of the Dyke Road crossroads with The Upper Drive and Highcroft Villas.

Other mobile masts are concealed in a false chimney stack on the roof of the Territorial Army barracks on the Brighton side of Dyke Road.

Mr Pegg said: 

“We were completely blindsided by what was going on and how it was going through and who was made aware of it. 

"There were half a dozen houses made aware. Our neighbours were not.”

Mr Parsons and Mr Pegg have contacted the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, Siân Berry, and the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, Peter Kyle. 

The proposed mast is on the Hove side of the boundary of the two constituencies.

When the campaigners contacted the team at the grade II-listed Dyke Road Tavern, opposite the site, they were surprised to learn that they were not aware of the application.

The two schools in The Upper Drive – Cottesmore St Mary’s RC Primary School and Cardinal Newman Catholic School and Sixth Form College – were informed.

As well as visual impact, the campaigners were concerned about control boxes narrowing the pavement – not least because of the volume of students walking along the road at the start and end of the school day.

More than 3,000 students attend nearby BHASVIC, the largest sixth form in Sussex, and more than 2,500 pupils attend Cardinal Newman, the largest secondary school in Brighton and Hove.

The site is also on a route to and from four other nearby schools – Stanford Infant School, Stanford Junior School, Windlesham School and Lancing College Prep.

Cornerstone said: 

“We recognise that mobile infrastructure plays a visible role in the communities we serve and we take that responsibility seriously.

“We carefully design our sites to minimise visual impact wherever possible while delivering the reliable digital connectivity people rely on.

“Engaging with local stakeholders is a fundamental part of our approach. In this case, we consulted with the local councillors, the MP for the area, two local schools and several residential properties.

“Our priority is to work collaboratively and transparently to meet connectivity needs in a way that respects the local environment.”

To view the planning application, search for BH2025/01132 on the council’s website.