A plan to build a 20-metre-tall 5G phone mast has been thrown out by a council after hundreds of people campaigned against it.

An application had been submitted to Hertsmere Borough Council to build a pole in Little Bushey Lane, Bushey to provide 5G connectivity in the area.

The site is currently host to a 12-metre-high pole that rolls out 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity – and this would have been knocked down after the new mast would have been built.

The taller pole would have catered for all the data speeds, including 5G.

But planning permission was refused, with the council saying “it would fail to blend in satisfactorily with the surrounding urban environment”.

This is despite developer Mobile Broadband Network Limited saying the mast is to “represent the existing installation” while maintaining a slim and regular design without a “bulky headframe”.

But in a decision notice published on the council’s website, it said: “The topography of the site and surrounding open Green Belt land, and its openness to views along Little Bushey Lane and Mendip Road would further emphasise the harm caused by the additional bulk of the proposed replacement monopole in this location.”

The council also believes the proposal put forward is not the only option to provide the upgraded coverage.

Before the council had refused the application, the plans were met with criticism. More than 200 people signed a petition against installing the mast in the road over health concerns.

Linda Rauch, 57, who lives in Bushey, was one homeowner who signed the petition.

She said: “I feel amazing following the decision made by the council since having this next to my home is extremely worrying.

“There have been public meetings on this and there were heated objections to the application for the mast.

“I think the council listened to what the public have to say.”

Mrs Rauch added the large frequencies of 5G is “very concerning” and believed it poses health risks.

She continued: “I think quite a few councils are trying to stop the masts being built.

“If there is enough movement to question the technology around 5G around the country then it might be stopped.”

According to the World Health Organisation, an increase in exposure to radio waves when 5G is added to an existing network or in a new area is currently unclear.

It says this is because 5G technology, in terms of user devices and networks, has yet to be implemented.