Plans for a 5G phone mast have been rejected after complaints from residents and a parish council, but the firm is not taking no for an answer.

CK Hutchison asked Maidstone council for confirmation that prior approval was not needed for a proposed 16m-high mast in Yalding Hill, Yalding.

The company said the monopole was necessary to roll out Three’s 5G cell coverage in the area.

But residents and Yalding Parish Council weren’t happy with the proposals.

Firstly they said cabinets, which would be found at the base of the pole, would intrude on the narrow footpath and would block the way for pedestrians with wheelchairs or buggies.

Secondly, they said the mast was “out of keeping” with the rural area.

Maidstone council officers refused permission in March last year, but the applicants appealed to the Government’s Planning inspectorate.

In the intervening year, CK Hutchison had adjusted its plans to move the cabinets further onto the grass verge and away from the pavement.

Planning inspector, David Smith, found this was no longer an issue as a result of the changes.

But he agreed the pole would have a very “urbanising” effect in the rural area, particularly the company’s plans to protect the mast with an Armco barrier at the side of the road.

He was also unconvinced the firm has properly investigated alternative sites, leading to the appeal being rejected and permission refused.

However, the company immediately filed a new request with Maidstone council which they say “robustly addresses” the inspector’s concerns.

Yalding Parish Council chairman Geraldine Brown said: “It is disappointing. We haven’t yet had a chance to assess their new proposal, but it is in the same place. We had hoped they would consider an alternative location away from the roadside at one of the commercial premises nearby.”

CK Hutchison said the new mast would be “much slimmer and more discreet.”

There have already been three objections made, with one resident descibing even the new past as “Nothing short of a complete eyesore.”

The same company is also currently pursuing an application for a mast off Sutton Road in Maidstone, near the Morrisons Store.

Details of the appliaction can be found on the Maidstone council website.

Use reference number 23/501856 to view the plans.