Elderly South London residents say their beautiful Victorian square will be ruined if plans to plonk a 15-metre-tall 5G mast outside its public garden go ahead.

St Andrew's Square in Surbiton is one of the last remaining Victorian squares in South West London, according to Kingston Council, and has been dubbed a "little oasis".

The plans from Cignal Infrastructure UK Limited would see the pole and equipment cabinets installed outside of the garden on Maple Road, alongside its railings, in St Andrew's Square Conservation Area. The square is surrounded on all sides by original Victorian homes and includes the Grade II listed St Andrew's Church.

Residents of the Square said they have to follow strict rules to protect its character as it was designated a conservation area by the council in 1971, and that the proposed mast would "stick out like a sore thumb."

Helen Ridley, 74, has lived in the square with her husband Alan for 39 years, and said they had "admired it for a long time" before moving in. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they "couldn't sleep, couldn't think of anything else" when they discovered the plans, and described the square as the "most beautiful" part of Surbiton. 

The proposed site of the mast on Maple Road. (Photo: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

In an objection letter to the council, Ms Ridley said she opposed "ruining the square by the installation of this mast". She said: "The proposed pole would be intrusive and stand out like a sore thumb on one of the loveliest roads in the borough. It would be a visual blight 24 hours a day."

She argued the pavement would become "too cluttered" for visitors, including visually-impaired people and those with buggies, as it already has cabinets, tree trunks, a parking meter and cars "always parking along its edge".

Ms Ridley told the LDRS there are hundreds of residents in the square and she hears people entering the garden from "early morning until late at night". She said the garden particularly benefits those living in flats and people "come from all over" to visit. She argued the mast should be installed in a less-densely populated area, such as along railway tracks, or on top of a tall building.

"We don't want one because they're so ugly but if you have to have one, put it in a place where it's not going to affect so many people," she said.

She also raised concerns about the consultation process, which ran from 14 August to 5 September, as she said people from the wider area who would be affected had not been sent letters notifying them of the application. She added: "There were so many people on holiday that won't have seen the letter, even the ones that had a letter." 

Her husband Alan Ridley, 80, described the square as "a little oasis". He said the garden is used for a range of reasons, including to walk dogs, for exercise, family picnics and festivals.

He told the LDRS residents had contributed to the cost of replacing wire fencing around the garden in 2004 to replicate railings removed during World War I. "I think we put £200 into a kitty to restore it to its former glory," he said.

Mr Ridley said residents also help to maintain the square's character by following the conservation area rules. He told the LDRS: "I can understand why people think it is necessary to have this mast but this is a conservation area. The council made it a conservation area in 1971 and they have a statutory duty to preserve it or enhance it and that is written down.

"Because we live in the area we can't do anything to the front of our house without planning permission, or the back. The big tree, if we want to prune it… we have to give [the council] six weeks' notice to do it."

He said: "Alright they've asked for planning permission for that, but it does not preserve the character of the square." Ms Ridley said the rules prevent the couple from replacing their "rotting wooden frames" with PVC window frames.

The couple's neighbour Brian Crisp also told the LDRS: "It's a protected area, it's in a conservation area… to do anything to these houses we have to apply for planning permission. We have to get approval for the tiles on the roofs, the colour of them, the colour of the brickwork, et cetera, and yet they want to erect this thing here which won't blend in with anything at all."

He said the mast would have a "tremendous impact" on locals and "wreck the whole sight" of the garden if it went ahead.

The central garden in St. Andrews Square, Surbiton. (Photo: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

The application submitted by Cignal Infrastructure UK Limited to the council is to determine if prior approval is needed for the 5G mast. The council will make a final decision on the application in due course.

On behalf of the application, a Three UK spokesperson said: "5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Kingston. We want to offer the community around St Andrew's Square a reliable network experience and a new site will be critical to making that happen.

"Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage. We carry out extensive searches and evaluate a wide range of options before submitting any planning applications."

A Kingston Council spokesperson said it is committed to "ensuring a fair and robust planning process" and welcomes feedback on applications, while the planning database can be accessed on its website.

The spokesperson said: "As part of the statutory planning process, residents were notified about this planning application and we will be taking into consideration all the comments submitted before making a final determination. We thank residents for taking the time to make us aware of their thoughts on the application."