'Accident waiting to happen’: sinkhole fears over Torquay phone mast plans

Residents living near the site of a planned new mobile phone mast in Torquay say they fear sinkholes in the area could cause it to collapse.

Virgin Media wants to place a 20-metre mast on a grassed area off Perinville Road at Babbacombe, with nine antennae, two dishes and two equipment cabinets.

The proposed mast at Perinville Road, Torquay (Image courtesy: Torbay council)

Supporters say they need better mobile signal in the area where the current reception is ‘terrible’, but opponents say the new mast will be an eyesore and could be affected by the street’s sinkhole problems.

In May 2024 a large hole opened up in the middle of Perinville Road overnight, and repairs took a week.

One objector to the mast proposal wrote: “I obviously have concerns about people’s safety should another hole appear and cause the mast to become unstable.”

Another said: “The sinkhole highlights the poor stability of the ground in this area. At 20 meters this mast could potentially fall and land on residents’ vehicles and even personal property. Having measured the distance, the mast would come through my garden wall if it were to fall.”

Other objectors say the mast will be an eyesore on a piece of land set aside for wildlife.

One wrote: “The proposed mast would be an intrusive and disproportionate structure in an otherwise open and visually pleasant area. The green is surrounded by homes whose views would be significantly compromised.”

However, a supporter of the mast proposal wrote: “I regularly miss calls including important ones from my GP. If callers manage to get through, the reception can be poor or the connection breaks up completely.

“Please consider those of us for whom they are a lifeline.”

Cllr George Darling (Lib Dem, St Marychurch) said he was concerned that the council had recently planted wildflowers on the site, which had been cleared as an amenity for local residents.