Plans to put up a telecoms mast the height of an eight-storey building at Hereford’s Wyeside Playing Fields, owned by the city’s rugby club, have been knocked back by officials.

The application by Staffordshire-based Icon Tower Infrastructure said the 25-metre “sharable lattice” mast would include a base station, 2.4-metre “palisade” fencing, six operator cabinets, two dishes, six antennas and an electrical metre cabinet.

The “multi-user structure” would consolidate equipment used by different mobile operators, leading in time to the removal of unused infrastructure from the wider area, according to the application, which was to determine whether prior approval for the scheme was required.

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But Herefordshire city council objected, saying the mast would be “far too high and extremely intrusive”.

“We see no evidence that there has been a thorough attempt to find the least damaging site for the installation,” councillors wrote.

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Herefordshire Council’s historic building officer said the proposed location of the mast within the Broomy Hill conservation area, near to several listed buildings including a grade ll* listed pumping station, meant she had “grave objections” to the plan.

Planning officer Simon Rowles concluded that the “siting and appearance of this tall, utilitarian mast” was indeed unacceptable, despite the social and economic benefits from enhanced mobile coverage and mast-sharing opportunities.