Dame Judi Dench has been told to stop interfering in a Cornish village’s dispute over mobile phone masts because the actress only goes there on holiday.
Alongside a dozen others, the Oscar-winner lodged objections to the plans for a 15 metre EE mast in the hamlet of Treen, near Zennor, Cornwall.
Dame Judi objected on the grounds it would disrupt the ‘the serenity of the area, those that live here, its wildlife and wonderful natural beauty’.
Dame Judi Dench (pictured) lodged objections to plans for a 15 metre EE mast in the hamlet of Treen, near Zennor, Cornwall
But Dame Judi’s response crew criticism from some locals who said she shouldn’t meddle in the affairs of a town she visits rarely.
Her property on the north Cornwall coast where the mast in proposed is a second home.
The developing row last night prompted former Tory party chairman Grant Shapps to question whether people should be able to oppose vital infrastructure in places they only visit occasionally.
He told The Telegraph: ‘Obviously we all want beautiful parts of our countryside to remain special, but for people who live and work in an area with poor mobile connectivity, this can mean being forced to travel to an office rather than working from closer to home.
‘So bad reception can add to congestion, environmental damage and inconveniences everyone. It should be for people who actually live in an area to determine what infrastructure is required.’
Jon Brookes, 66, has chaired the parish council in Zennor for about 20 years.
He said: ‘Dame Judi Dench has a love of this place, her best friend lived in the village and she was here all the time, but it’s the view of the local people that counts. It’s a difficult one.’
Kathy Cullen, 69, a retired secretary from Treen, added: ‘I broke my ankle while at the cliffs and couldn’t call for help because I didn’t have a phone, but I survived.
Tory party chairman Grant Shapps (pictured) to question whether people should be able to oppose vital infrastructure in places they only visit occasionally
‘Lots of people don’t have a mobile phone. I don’t like the idea of it, radiation, electro magnetic fields. It gives you a headache.’
In a response to the application left on Cornwall Council’s website Dame Judi wrote: ‘I continue to visit Cornwall, as I have done for a number of years, and have always been mesmerised by its pristine scenery.
Dame Judi (pictured) left a response to the application left on Cornwall Council’s website
‘Not only is it one of the most stunning coastlines in the United Kingdom…but in the world. This telecoms mast would simply ruin the landscape.’
‘This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and this construction would inevitably halt a number of special visits to the location.
‘The serenity of the area, those that live here, its wildlife and wonderful natural beauty would be adversely affected. I feel strongly that we should protect this.
‘Whilst telephones and technology have an important part to play in the modern world, it is sometimes a gift to escape. This is a gift much of the Cornish coast is able to provide.
‘Furthermore, it could become worrisome if the construction of one mast sets a precedent for further proposals and developments.
‘It would be a crying shame for future generations not to experience the same countryside we have all been fortunate to observe.’
However, Dam Judi was not the only objector.
Mark Carolan wrote on the website: ‘I’ve lived and worked in Cornwall and holidayed there for years. I live in a city now.
‘This part of the country does not need mobile network coverage – it really doesn’t. It will not make the area safer.
‘Accidents sometimes happen and when they do, the Cornish coast guard are very efficient and successful in rescue.’
An EE spokesman said masts in similarly rural areas had been given the go ahead – with the Highlands Council approving 70 applications since the one in Treen was first considered.