'Very high demand' inspires 5G mast plans

Sunderland City Council's planning department will make a decision on the application later this year

Plans for a 20m-high (66ft) mast and "5G mobile base station" have been submitted to city development chiefs.

Sunderland City Council's planning department will consider proposals to upgrade existing telecoms infrastructure in its Pallion ward.

The plans would see existing equipment replaced in order to "facilitate 5G technology and enable improved service provision".

The applicant, Cellnex UK, said such service was "in the public interest and in very high demand".

The plans, submitted on behalf of EE Ltd and Hutchison 3G UK Ltd with Mobile Broadband Network Limited, incorporate a taller mast and the installation of new equipment.

Location plans seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service suggest the site is near Pallion New Road, close to industrial units and adjacent to green space that runs alongside homes on Corning Road.

An accompanying planning statement says: "The site is situated within a commercial area with a high demand for mobile network services.

"It is considered that the least visually intrusive solution has been put forward via the upgrading of an existing site, rather than the introduction of an entirely new telecommunications compound.

The statement added that by using an "existing telecoms site" it would fit in with the "existing network configuration" and eliminate the "need to introduce additional base stations within the cell search area".

A decision on the planning application is expected to be made by Sunderland City Council's planning department later this year.