SATELLITE dishes on a block of Felixstowe flats are set to be removed – because they are ugly.But families in the flats cannot believe they will be ordered to take down their dishes and are today urging planners to look at the bigger picture.

SATELLITE dishes on a block of Felixstowe flats are set to be removed - because they are ugly.

But families in the flats cannot believe they will be ordered to take down their dishes and are today urging planners to look at the bigger picture.

They want to know why councillors are so concerned with seven small black dishes when their homes look out on a near-constant stream of juggernauts, port cranes and the A14 - and virtually every other house in the area's satellite dish.

"That's just crazy - I think the council needs to take a coffee break. Where did they dream that up?" said Justin Green, who lives in Nelson Court, Blyford Way, but is not a dish owner.

"If they think those dishes are ugly, they want to have a look at what we can see from our windows.

"Will they remove Felixstowe port or the A14? And what are they going to do about our homes being shaken by thundering container lorries carrying empty boxes down the A14 here at 3am every day?

"It's unbelievable. They must be running out of things to do if that's all they have got to worry about."

Suffolk Coastal council's south area development control sub committee is today recommended to give director of development and community services Jeremy Schofield and chief executive James Gravenor power to take court action to have the dishes removed.

In a report, Mr Schofield said some of the seven mini-dishes at Nelson Court were "clearly visible" from the A14 and they were detrimental to the area.

Residents of the next-door block of flats - which has one communal dish instead of ones for individual households - had also complained to the council that Nelson Court's dishes were unsightly.

Although many of the surrounding houses have dishes, in blocks of flats the law says only one is allowed and this must be shared by all units.

Mr Schofield said Nelson Court's management company asked the householders if they would be prepared to share, but residents refused.

The council had to strike a balance between the human rights of the satellite owners and the residents of the flats next door and it was considered the unauthorised dishes were spoiling the neighbourhood.

Now the only answer is legal action to remove six of the dishes, leaving the person who put theirs up first the only household allowed to enjoy satellite TV coverage.

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