Public will be powerless to block giant mobile masts under new powers

FAR bigger mobile phone masts will be given the go-ahead without requiring new planning permission, the Chancellor has announced.

The changes will permit masts of up to 25 metres (82ft), much higher than the current standard 15-metre signal boosters.

Network operators will be able to build new masts in areas such as national parks and extend existing ones anywhere that is already used for telecommunications, without seeking further permission. The policy aims to boost mobile phone and internet signals by tackling so-called not-spots.

It follows lengthy delays in a Government drive to erect 600 masts, largely because of planning disputes and community protests. Brandon Lewis, the housing minister, said: “The changes are vital for our continued economic prosperity and social inclusion for all.

“They will help ensure that mobile operators have the confidence to invest in their network coverage and boost capacity for both voice and data.”

Operators will be able to put up new masts under permitted development rights in England from this summer. The ability to increase the size of a mast will apply across Britain.

New masts on roads and in residential areas will be restricted to 20 metres to “accommodate vehicle lines of sight and pedestrian access”.

Communities will be consulted on how to minimise their visual impact, the minister added.

Earlier this year Ed Vaizey, the digital economy minister, admitted that the Government’s plan to increase the number of masts had failed.

Asked why just 15 new mobile signal boosters had been erected as part of a £150 million project unveiled in 2011, he told MPs: “I must admit that I am guilty as charged. I do not think the programme has been a success, and I do not think that ministers often say that about their programmes.”

He added: “I am fully prepared to stand up in the Chamber and admit that the mobile infrastructure project has not been as successful as we had envisaged. We set aside £150 million. We talked about 600 sites.”

The scheme promised hundreds of new signal boosters, with government money paying for infrastructure, while the networks were to fund site operating costs for 20 years.

But problems with phone companies, local planning officers and residents prevented progress. One council, Wiltshire, spent so long arguing about the colour of a mast that it missed the deadline for planning approval.

The minister said at the time: “We have had communities campaigning against masts and putting concrete blocks in front of the base stations.”