Controversial plans to build an “eyesore” 5G phone mast in Great Hollands have been halted after council officers refused to approve them.

Paul Wright, whose garden would have been towered over by the mast, said he was relieved to hear that Bracknell Forest Council had denied it planning permission.

He said: “That’s the biggest part of my stress life gone. I was getting pretty stressed over it, but luckily the council has seen sense.”

Cignal Infrastructure wanted to build a 15-metre-high pole on Ringmead in Great Hollands, on behalf of mobile network operator Three.

The mast would have been opposite Appledore, and behind houses on Ambassador – a location that Cignal said wouldn’t overly harm the appearance of the surrounding streets.

But at least 21 residents of nearby streets wrote to Bracknell Forest Council to object – saying the mast would be visible from gardens and living rooms.

Mr Wright, 56, of Ambassador, said that the pole would have been no more than eight feet directly behind his back garden.

Speaking last month, he said: “It’s going to be a total eyesore. You don’t realise how tall it’s going to be until you see first-hand how it’s going to look like.

“15 metres high – that’s going to be towering way above the trees. Would you want that at the back of your fence?”

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Planning officers at Bracknell Forest Council decided to refuse planning permission on Thursday, October 19. They said that the mast could damage a nearby tree, and that planning consultants Dot Surveying had not produced an assessment showing the tree would not be harmed.

Their letter to Dot Surveying said: “The proposed mast and associated cabinets are not considered acceptable, due to the potential impact of the proposed cabinets on an adjacent tree which contributes to the character of the area and is therefore of high amenity value.”

Three said it tries to keep phone masts as unobtrusive as possible – but that they have to be built near to where people who use the phone service live. The phone network added it was still considering what to do next after the plans were refused.

A Three spokesperson said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Bracknell. We want to offer the local area a great network experience and our planners determined that this new site was required to deliver it.

“While we try to keep mast sites as unobtrusive as possible, they do need to be situated near to where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage.

“We are considering the council’s reasons for refusal and assessing our next steps.”