THINK(small) Eiffel Tower, think modern sculpture. Think telecommunications mast. Well, could you?
That is what Milton Keynes Parks Trust would like to know, before going further with an imaginative plan to turn many of the city's roundabouts into sites for well designed masts, of the type required by mobile phone companies for example.
At the moment these tend to be stuck wherever the companies can negotiate with a landowner. Local authorities can intervene but this is nearly always a costly procedure when the company, desperate for a site, goes to appeal.
In a strategy dubbed Upwardly Mobile the Trust says: "Milton Keynes is no exception to the nation-wide proliferation of telecommunications. It has been estimated that around 80 masts may be required in the city in the near future."
The Trust, which is responsible for much of the landscaped areas of the city, proposes to make a positive benefit of
the masts by integrating them into the City's structure, and has commissioned a portfolio of stunning designs from Stony Stratford based artist Justin Tunley.
Roundabouts at the main city grid roads junction would be the favoured sites for masts and antennae, provided that they were each specifically designed as a public work of art.
The city grid road network, as a physical manifestation of city-wide communications and travel, would be a highly appropriate setting, says Trust Director Brian Salter. The masts could help navigation by providing memorable land- marks, with spiral forms and earthworks envisaged, plus symbolic decorations which could be chosen by local communities. In many cases mature plants on roundabouts would mean only the tops
of the masts would be visible.What's your view? Write to
Brian Salter at MK Parks Trust,
Campbell Park Pavilion,
1300 Silbury Boulevard, Campbell Park,
Milton Keynes, MK9 4AD |
