Bilsdale transmitter: Work on replacement expected to start soon

The original Bilsdale mast was damaged by fire and felled in a controlled explosion in October

Work on replacing a television transmitter destroyed in a fire is expected to start in the next few weeks, its owner has said.

The 1,030ft (314m) high mast at Bilsdale in the North York Moors National Park was irreparably damaged in August.

The park authority has granted planning permission to build a permanent replacement.

Transmitter operator, Arqiva, said the work could take up to 19 months.

Next week, the company is due to switch on a new 260ft (80m) high interim mast which will improve services for more than 100,000 homes and be more robust in bad weather.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, North York Moors National Park planning director Chris France said the authority had been working with Arqiva on the design for the new mast.

"This is a huge project, a whopping piece of development, in what is probably the most sensitive and protected spot in the entire country," he said.

"The site is hugely significant, but also hugely impactful and extremely protected.

"So we have worked hard to go through all those different regimes to get those different permissions.

"In the end, we're really pleased with the fact that we'll have a new mast that's going up that's slightly less intrusive."

The old Bilsdale mast stood in a remote area of the North York Moors

The new mast, which will be one of the tallest structures in the UK, will be a see-through lattice rather than the former steel pole to reduce its "bulk".

Adrian Twyning, from Arqiva, said: "We're very pleased that planning permission has been granted, and grateful to those who have worked so hard to make it happen. 

"We have worked closely with the North York Moors National Park to provide and process a high amount of detailed information and assessment to be able to facilitate the permission being issued within a record time of 10 weeks."