Concerns as smart meter poles planned across Stratford district for water monitoring
FEARS are being voiced about a scheme to erect 12-metre high telecoms poles throughout the Stratford district as part of a multi-million pound project to monitor water usage.
The poles will be connected to smart meters that will enable Severn Trent to swiftly determine how much water is being used and where leaks are occurring.
However, they can be installed without planning permission because they’re also deemed to be a vital element in the government’s drive to improve broadband coverage throughout the country.
There are concerns that some of the poles are being erected too close to people’s homes and could pose a potential health risk, as well as complaints about lack of advance information about the installation of these structures.
One village where anxieties have emerged is Wilmcote. A pole is due to be situated just off Aston Cantlow Road, close to a number of houses. Resident Mary Harman told the Herald she only found out about the scheme because she’d arranged for Stratford District Council to notify her, via its online service, about any developments in the locality.
Mrs Harman said that normally people received letters notifying them of planning proposals in their area. But not in this case.
She said: “People living in the houses in the immediate area should have been notified. The pole will be too close to the houses, it’s potentially detrimental to health and, in any case, it should be attached to a nearby telegraph pole instead.”
The other places in south Warwickshire where the poles will be installed are: Claverdon, Harbury, Kineton, Lighthorne Heath, Ilmington, Bidford, Snitterfield, Shipston, Alcester, Long Compton, Tredington, Meon Vale, Welford, Studley, Tysoe, Fenny Compton, Henley, Oxhill and Newbold.
Mrs Harman said she was angry about the lack of public consultation and the fact there was no opportunity on the council’s planning portal to comment on the schemes. With ordinary planning applications there is a facility allowing people to comment.
But a spokeswoman for the district council told the Herald that planning law gave telecommunications companies permitted development to install their equipment without formal planning permission.
As they were not planning applications, there was no provision for third party comments on the council’s website. However, if the poles or equipment were close to listed buildings or in a conservation area, the council – as the local planning authority – could object and request that a less sensitive location was considered.
The spokeswoman advised residents wishing to object to contact the provider directly – in this case the Hull-based company Connexin.
A spokesperson for Connexin, which has been hired by Severn Trent to do the work, told the Herald: “We apologise for any confusion over the installation of a limited number of telecoms poles in the Stratford area.
“The poles are part of Connexin’s telecoms infrastructure which is being built to support data services, including smart metering for water usage and similar applications.”
The spokesperson added: “Under UK planning law telecoms poles which are less than 15 metres high are included under permitted development so do not require a consultation process. They would be placed on the planning system for notification purposes only.
“Connexin takes pride in its engagement with communities where it is working and has committed to move poles which, on review, have been placed in sensitive areas, or installed incorrectly.
“Wherever we invest in infrastructure we aim to ensure that disruption from building work is kept to a minimum and that poles are placed, as much as possible, in a location that works for all parties.”
Tom Puddefoot, Severn Trent smart metering manager, told the Herald that the installation of the smart meters in Stratford, as well as Warwickshire as a whole – together with Leicestershire and Birmingham – was part of the company’s £566 million investment in its Green Recovery programme.
“The smart meters will see us finding and fixing leaks faster, while giving customers better control of their water use and bills,” he said. “To help connect the smart meters to our network, giving us near real-time data so we can respond quickly to leaks and issues, we will be connecting to the telecommunications network that Connexin are currently installing.”
