Yorkshire Dales: 35m phone tower plan would ‘harm landscape’
- Published
Councillors are recommended to refuse plans to build a communications tower near Masham
Plans to construct a 35m-tall mobile phone mast in a part of the Yorkshire Dales look set to be turned down because of concerns over its height.
Mobile provider Cornerstone wants to build the tower in Ox Close Plantation, Healey, near Masham because of "spasmodic" coverage in the area.
However, the proposed site sits within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
A report states the tower would cause "undue harm to an unspoilt landscape".
Documents to be considered by councillors next week state existing 4G coverage for villages in the area is intermittent, with only areas of higher ground able to receive a signal.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said if the tower was built, it would mean a 4G signal could be received from the Vodafone, Virgin Media-O2 and 3 networks to most of the surrounding area.
However, a council planning officer said the height of the tower was excessive and would introduce "an incongruous feature into an unspoilt landscape creating an unacceptable level of harm to the landscape".
If the tower is built a 4G signal could be received from the Vodafone, Virgin Media-O2 and 3 networks to most of the surrounding area
Papers provided by Cornerstone explained the tower must be 35m high to avoid signals being blocked by the trees.
But the council officer recommended the application was refused as "great weight must be given to conserving and enhancing the landscape and scenic beauty".
One nearby resident wrote a letter supporting the application, saying they experience no mobile signal due to the landscape and are too far from the telephone exchange to ever benefit from any landline broadband.
It has also been supported by Fearby, Healey and District Parish Council.
The application is part of the Shared Rural Network venture, which is a £1bn drive between government and major mobile network operators to improve the UK's digital connectivity.
By 2025, the venture is expected to achieve 4G coverage in 95% of the UK.
North Yorkshire Council's Skipton and Ripon planning committee will meet on Tuesday to consider the application.
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