BARRY Town Council has objected to plans to place a "stonking great mast" at a Barry Marine conservation area.

BTC voiced its opposition, at a planning meeting held on Tuesday, March 21, to a "radio base station" for mobile phone coverage being installed at The Knap.

The station has been proposed for the footpath, outside The Bridge Cafe, in Bron Y Mor.

Residents opposed a previous proposal to locate a 12.5m telephone mast on land at Bull Cliff, off Marine Drive, Barry, in November 2016.

Barry Town Councillors planners raised “very strong objections” to the application which subsequently failed.

At a meeting last week Clive Farrant, Barry Town Council planning officer, said: “This one is by far worse as it’s in a conservation area and I think it will cause harm to the café.

“They are proposing to put a stonking great mast here.

“Part of the attraction of the conservation area is that people can enjoy the area.”

Baruc ward councillor, Nic Hodges said it was a pre-planning consultation proposal and he hoped it wouldn’t get to the planning application stage.

Fellow Baruc councillor, Steffan Wiliam said opinion was divided as people wanted better signal, but health concerns had arisen.

Cllr Shirley Hodges added: “It’s by the café and that concerns me. I don’t like it. It’s a no brainer.”

The town council concluded that the mast would "harm the conservation area" and “the setting, attractiveness and viability of the café.”

Sharon Richards, who owns The Bridge Café, previously told the Barry & District News of her concerns.

She said: "I think I will be boarding the premises up if it goes ahead."

Vodafone, in an agreement with Telefonica UK Ltd, said it would fill the “gap” in existing 4G coverage and improve 2G and 3G coverage in the area.

A Vodafone spokeswoman confirmed it was undertaking a pre-application consultation and would submit an application with the local planning authority shortly.

She said: “The proposed base station will provide 3G and 4G coverage for Vodafone and O2 customers.”