Phone giant O2 will soon find out whether an appeal for a mast on Crackley Lane in Kenilworth will be given the go-ahead.
A hearing has been scheduled for March to discuss the application, which has been a regular on the planning list for the past four years.
Previous proposals have been thrown out due to strong objections from residents and councillors.
The mobil
e phone company has looked at 20 different sites in the last four years and the last contender, in Crackley Lane, was thrown out in June by Warwick District Council’s Planning Committee.
If the appeal is overturned, then the 15 metre phone mast could be situated approximately 70m from nearby houses and about 70m from the tennis courts at Kenilworth Tennis Club. The planning committee originally voted to uphold residents’ and the town council’s objections to the proposal.
Kenilworth town councillor Susan Howell described this as ‘persistency and patience prevailing’.
Protesters have been fighting to see the mast location altered and last year masses turned out in force to demonstrate against the plans. They also submitted a 400-signature petition to the council.
Residents are not against having a mast and it is hoped that O2 UK will consider a more suitable site, which has been identified further along the lane
Spokesman for O2, Angela Johnson said: “We have been looking for a location since 2004 and this is the twentieth option.
“The site we wanted is ideal for the phone coverage. It is a case of people wanting to use their mobile phones but not wanting the masts near them.”
l The hearing will take place on March 11 at 10am at the Town Hall in Leamington.
