In 2004, after a three year battle, local residents succeeded in getting removed a telecommunication mast that had been erected at the corner of York Way and Wharfdale Road on an emergency basis. A retrospective Planning Application was submitted by the developer but was subsequesntly refused by the Council, and when the case went to appeal, the decision was upheld by The Planning Inspectorate.
This was a major victory for the area but now we are faced with a new proposal for a similiar mast NOT 20 FEET FROM THE ORIGINAL REJECTED LOCATION! Orange has now approached the Council to erect a mast ON THE PAVEMENT at the corner of Wharfdale Road and York Way.
You can go directly to the Council's website to this specific application by clicking the following link - Planning Application P090090. Go to the "documents" tab to find the associated details of the application. There is also a link that will you allow you to comment or alternatively you can send your comments to planning@islington.gov.uk, to the attention of Officer Paul Conboy. Please refer to application number P090090 and indicate where you live.
Some reasons you might want to consider for any objections could include:
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This site was previously rejected by the Council for a mast and this decision was upheld by the Planning Inspectorate on appeal.
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This is a Conservation Area and the mast is out of keeping with nearby buildings.
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This location is surrounded by active buildings on three sides with windows at the very level of the most active part of the mast.
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The pavement on Wharfdale Road is already very narrow, the associated equipment cabinets will cause obstructions to pedestrians.
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An approved Planning Application for the site at 62-68 York Way will site a building whose windows will be less then 2 metres from this proposed mast.
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There are already other masts on Wharfdale Road and just above Maiden Bridge on York Way – too many in this area!
The only way to prevent this mast from being erected is to write in and object. How many masts do we need. Surly with 55 acres being developed across the street in Camden, they can find room there!!!! While there currently may be no proven link to health problems, every time you look up at one of these things you have to wonder.
Please write or email your objection ASAP.
If you need any more information, please contact me – stephan@kingscrossenvironment.com
Kings Cross Environment 
Well done Stefan – this proposal is crass – the Council should have known the history and not got it this far.
New masts being put in now are to provide increased capacity in the network. The location of this proposed mast near to the Guardian points to the likely cause – 2,000 odd media folk, talking and using data on what was previously an empty lot.
As Kings Cross develops further and more people come and talk here the mobile operators will need more antennas to meet the demand – the antennas are usually mounted on masts. Rather than have mast applications piecemeal we should ask the council planning officers to convene a meeting with all the mobile operators on their likely plans for Kings Cross in Islington and Camden. Then we can have as few masts as possible or ask developers to build them into the buildings – as dovecotes, fake trees, boulders etc.
The mobile operators will take part in this sort of joint approach, but only if the council asks them to. Will see if i can persuade the Council on this.
They have been refused permission in Camden so are now invading Islington! The documentation is seeking planning permission for Wharfedale (not Wharfdale) Road – does this make the application invalid?
I am also concerned that we are about to see a rash of operators seeking to erect new telephony masts in the Kings Cross area. It is essential that we ask all the operators to collaborate on siting plans that will provide sufficient coverage of the enlarged station, the business and residential development that has already been completed and also the forthcoming new development across the Kings Cross Central sites.
I am very troubled to learn from Will Perrin that the two Boroughs have not, so far, taken up the offer by the operators to discuss the annual roll-out plans produced in November 2008 by the operators.
I have therefore strongly urged the two Councils to work closely to ensure this happens. I am quite sure that Islington’s West Area planning subcommittee would concur in this view and be very reluctant to grant a permission for the proposed Wharfedale Road mast – which I think is a completely insane location for a phone mast.
I have also written to the operators today saying that, in my view, there should be a moratorium on any new site permissions until a co-ordinated approach has been agreed.