The phone mast on Roehampton Lane is about to get a third taller and carry twice as many antennas.
An application submitted to Wandsworth Council proposes replacing the existing 15-metre pole, which carries six antennas, with a 20-metre pole carrying twelve. Five equipment cabinets at its base would be replaced and moved, a sixth would be added, and the meter cabinet would be relocated too.
The mast stands on the east side of Roehampton Lane, north-east of number 78. The council must decide by 9 September.
It isn’t just the pole. The application covers the whole base of the structure: five existing equipment cabinets replaced and repositioned, one more cabinet added, and the meter cabinet moved. For anyone walking past, the change will be visible both above and below head height.
So when could anyone have objected?
The window for public comments on the application closed on 12 August 2026. That is the fastest the process allows: this is a prior approval application under permitted development rules, a route designed to move faster than a full planning application, with a correspondingly short consultation period.
That means there was never a realistic opportunity for residents to weigh in before the mast appeared on the council’s books as a live decision. It isn’t concealment, and nobody has broken any rule. It is simply how this type of application works, and it is worth Roehampton Lane residents knowing that the next time new infrastructure turns up outside their window with no warning.
What happens now
Wandsworth Council’s decision is due by 9 September. If approved, the taller pole can go up. There is nothing left for residents to comment on before then.
It’s not clear why the operator wants the additional height and antenna capacity; the application does not state a reason.
Thank goodness. I am one street away and our household only ever has 1 bar of phone reception. It is so annoying to have to hang up and return calls on our landline. Of course I don’t know if it will help EE customers. We came close to getting a mast on my street, but too many objections prevented it.
I never even noticed this phone mast was there.