Anger over new plan for 5G mast near war memorial just months after first bid thrown out

Plans have been lodged with a council for a second time to build a 5G mobile phone mast opposite a war memorial - months after councillors threw out an initial application.

This time, the proposed mast would be 10ft lower, but councillors and an MP have vowed to 'continue to be part of the fight against this'.

The Manchester Evening News first revealed plans by a telecoms company for 'prior approval' for a 59ft-high mast on a wedge of ground just 15 yards from the war memorial at the junction of Church Lane and Higher Lane in Whitefield, Bury.

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The memorial sits in the grounds of All Saints Church in Stand in remembrance of 175 men from the area who gave up their lives in the First World War. It also marks the names of a further 80 local men who died in the Second World War.

The mast was proposed by CK Hutchison Networks Ltd, owner of phone service provider Three, but in December last year, Bury Council's planning committee kicked the plans out, commenting on the mast's size, position and 'intrusive' design.

Now a similar application for a mast 49ft-high has been lodged again. It is understood residents have been sent letters informing them of the new bid.

The site lies within a conservation area which includes one of Bury's two Grade I-listed buildings.

Campaigners said a mast at the site would 'be an eyesore in one of the most beautiful parts of our town'. Councillor Elizabeth FitzGerald, who represents the Pilkington Park ward on Bury Council for Labour, tweeted a statement.

It said: "Over the weekend, residents in Pilkington Park, Whitefield, received a letter from the council notifying them about a second application from CK Hutchinson Networks