A high speed internet firm has been ordered to take down a ‘monstrous’ 60ft mast it put up in the middle of a housing estate. IX Wireless has been given three months to remove the enormous ‘6G' aerial it installed without permission near homes in Cheadle earlier this year, a councillor has said.
Residents in Lymm Walk and Tarvin Road hit out after the huge metal structure - dubbed ‘The Rocket’ - appeared, branding it a ‘monstrosity’ and raising concerns about its proximity to their homes. Stockport council also wrote to the Blackburn-based company saying it had installed the mast ‘without notice’, requesting confirmation of its ‘precise purpose’ and any relevant plans and details.
Now, the authority has served the firm with an enforcement notice ordering it to take down the mast on the grounds it is ‘detrimental’ to residents and the street’s appearance. It is understood IX Wireless failed to apply for the relevant permissions to install the mast on the public highway and follow the correct procedure with the council.
Coun David Meller, who represents the area, has welcomed the news. “I’m pleased that this could be coming down, but it’s a case of what IX Wireless are going to do next - whether they will do the right thing, acknowledge the mistake they have made and take it down, or go through an appeal which, personally, I don’t think will be doing anybody any good,” he said.
“The responsibility lies on their shoulders now - do they listen to what residents have said or do they persist in trying to keep this up in an area where no one wants it? Any perceived benefits are overshadowed by where this is and the blight it’s bringing to the area.”
However, Coun Meller has warned it may not be the end of the saga. “I think residents will be pleased, but there’s that obvious caveat that if they decided to appeal it could be left up for many more months to come,” he said. "I hope IX Wireless do the right thing and respects the notice, takes it down and we can all move on.”
Writing on his Facebook page, Coun Meller said he was not against new telecoms equipment - describing it as 'absolutely necessary in this day and age' - but only when done with permission and in a considerate way. “In other words, not plonked in the middle of a residential area right in front of people’s houses without permission,” he added.
IX Wireless operates in tandem with its sister company, 6G Internet Limited to provide ‘next generation gigabyte capable broadband’. The company's website boasts that it is 'managing the 6G Internet in towns in the north of England, providing gigabit internet at lower prices than providers such as Virgin and BT'.
At the time of writing IX Wireless had not responsed to a request for comment.
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