Community consultation on mobile phone masts
Community views on the location of mobile phone masts should be taken into account by planners, according to Planning Minister Keith Hill.
In a written statement to Parliament today, Mr Hill said that both councils and mobile mast operators must consult with local people when making site decisions.
He said he wanted to place a “renewed emphasis” on the importance of discussion with “information sharing and negotiation” at an early stage, and that the Government would be writing to all local planning authorities to draw their attention to his statement.
But the Conservatives have accused the Government of merely offering “warm words” and failing to give residents any real say.
Commenting after his statement to Parliament, Mr Hill said: “It seems like we’re all using mobile phones these days and this means we need masts. But those masts need to be sited sensitively to minimise their environmental impact and local concern.
“When I’ve talked to people about this they tell me they’re not against masts in principle, but rather masts going up without any sense of public consultation. People have a right to know where masts are located.”
He said there should be proper consultation – starting from the early stage of the planning development – and that: “Rather than just waiting for the operators to contact them with specific proposals, councils should be thinking strategically. This way they can stay one step ahead of the game.”
But, the Shadow Local Government Secretary, Caroline Spelman said the Government had failed to address public concern on the siting of mobile phone masts.
She said: “Local residents want action not a mere exercise in warm words from Tony Blair’s government. All masts – including Network Rail, 3G and Tetra – should be subject to the same planning procedures. Conservatives would give councils and local residents the final say on where they go.”
