A proposal by CK Hutchinson Networks (UK) to install a 20-metre “slimline monopole” and equipment cabinets for the Three mobile phone network in a leafy area of Hereford has been rejected by Herefordshire Council, despite the company's application being filed under a simplified government planning route for upgrades to the UK telecoms network.

The planned location, at the junction of A465 Aylestone Hill and Folly Lane, by Hereford Sixth Form College, is in a conservation area where council conservation and tree officers, as well as 29 residents who objected to the plan, have cited concerns over the environmental impact and the damage the mast could cause to nearby mature trees.

Some objectors also raised fears about the health impact of 5G masts, despite the application claiming that the mast's design had passed necessary regulatory hurdles.

Planning officer Simon Rowles said the mast would be a "dominant feature" that would be "out of scale" with its surroundings, and that the visual harm outweighed the social and economic benefits of improved 5G coverage.

The decision adds to a series of similar refusals in Hereford and threatens to impede the rollout of 5G in the city, although applications for masts at other sites are continuing to be submitted.