The council has received a planning application that proposes the installation of a 17.5m lattice mast in a rural area of Wiltshire.

The elected site is positioned on land at Stowford Lane, along the eastern boundary of an agricultural field which runs along a farm track linking to Bowerchalke, a village about 9 miles southwest of Salisbury.

The family that owns the land has expressed their concerns regarding its visual impact.

A member of the family commented: “I understand that there is a need for mobile communication in the Chalke Valley.

“However I feel that the siting of this mast, at the entrance to the village and in my mind in close proximity to residential dwellings, is an inappropriate site for such an intrusive and ugly piece of equipment.”

She also mentioned the risk of changing the village’s character, before adding: “I would request that alternative methods of obtaining mobile communication in this valley are also explored before granting planning permission for this application.”

Another local resident expressed his disapproval: “We will be able to see it clearly from our house which will adversely affect its saleability if we want to sell and we walk down that track nearly every day.

“This mast will adversely affect our mental wellbeing.

“We bought this property in 1985 for its lovely location and views.

“Your proposal will ruin our views to the west.

“This mast will also be the first thing you see coming into the village from the North. A nightmare.”

The applicant, Cornerstone, is the UK's leading mobile infrastructure services company.

The application states: “The development will be visible from the public realm from certain viewpoints; however, these viewpoints are more immediate to the proposed site.

“Any views of the proposal from the public realm, from further afield would be partial and on the periphery with the benefit of distance which reduces scale.

“This development should not detract from the character and setting that is established by the listed assets within Bowerchalke but, remain as a background development embedded in the wider context; a context which should be, on balance, acceptable and not surprising to the setting of the area.

“To further reduce visual impacts, the equipment has been designed at a minimal height and coloured sensitively to assimilate into its immediate surroundings.”

It concludes: “The proposal should be viewed as a positive step forward in supporting network services within the rural areas of Wiltshire and as sustainable development with public benefits found in favour of.”

Wiltshire Council is expected to decide on the application by Friday, January 19, 2024.