Ten Commitments to Best Siting Practice
The mobile phone operators have introduced their ten best practice commitments to help address concerns relating to the development of base stations.
Launched in 2001, the aim of the Ten Commitments is to ensure transparency in building mobile phone networks, to provide more information to the public and local planners and to boost the community's role in the siting of radio base stations.
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IMPROVED CONSULTATIONS WITH COMMUNITIES Develop, with other stakeholders, clear standards and procedures to deliver significantly improved consultation with local communities. |
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DETAILED CONSULTATION WITH PLANNERS Participate in obligatory pre-rollout and pre-application consultation with local planning authorities. |
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SITE SHARING Publish clear, transparent and accountable criteria and cross-industry agreement on site sharing, against which progress will be published regularly. |
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WORKSHOPS FOR COUNCILS Establish professional development workshops on technological developments within telecommunications for local authority officers and elected members. See the Mobile phone mast briefings section for details of briefings held across the country for councillors and planners - For any local authority interested in a presentation the section also contains contact details. |
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DATABASE OF BASE STATION SITES Deliver, with the Government, a database of information available to the public on radio base stations. Further information can be obtained from www.ofcom.org.uk |
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COMPLIANCE WITH ICNIRP PUBLIC EXPOSURE LEVELS GUIDANCE Assess all radio base stations for international (ICNIRP) compliance for public exposure, and produce a programme for ICNIRP compliance for all radio base stations as recommended by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP). Further information can be obtained from www.ofcom.org.uk |
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ICNIRP CERTIFICATION Provide, as part of planning applications for radio base stations, a certification of compliance with ICNIRP public exposure guidelines. |
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PROMPT RESPONSES TO ENQUIRIES Provide specific staff resources to respond to complaints and enquiries about radio base stations, within ten working days. |
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SUPPORT RESEARCH INTO HEALTH AND MOBILE PHONES Begin financially supporting the Government's independent scientific research programme on mobile communications health issues. |
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STANDARD DOCUMENTATION FOR PLANNING SUBMISSIONS Develop standard supporting documentation for all planning submissions whether for full planning or prior approval. |
Ten Commitments leaflet (pdf 1.7MB)
The operators are using the four documents below to assess what kind of community consultation may be needed in relation to a potential mast location. The approach taken by the operator would ideally be discussed in advance with the local planning authority.
Guide to using the Traffic Light Model (TLM) (pdf 29KB)
TLM for Public Consultation (pdf 12KB)
Consultation strategy, England, Scotland and Wales (pdf 7KB)
Consultation strategy, Northern Ireland (pdf 7KB)
Site Selection and Planning Model (pdf 12KB)
The operators are using the template below to ensure local planning authorities have clear information about an operator's application for planning permission for a mast.
Supplementary Information Template (pdf 22KB)
The operators are ensuring that every application for planning permission for a base station is accompanied by one of the following certificates. This declares that the equipment and installation is designed to be compliant with ICNIRP exposure guidelines.
ICNIRP Certificate - England (pdf 6KB)
ICNIRP Certificate - Northern Ireland (pdf 6KB)
ICNIRP Certificate - Scotland (pdf 6KB)
ICNIRP Certificate - Wales (pdf 7KB)
The operators actively seek feedback on the documentation to ensure they are as effective as possible in helping to address public concerns and in assisting local planning officers in the execution of their duties. Please email MOA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it should you want to register any comments.
Ten Commitments
Central to the operators’ approach to network development is consultation with local communities, planning officers and other stakeholders on any proposed new developments. Pre-application consultation is included in the operators’ ‘Ten Commitments to Best Siting Practice’, which has existed since 2001 to help address concerns relating to the development of base stations, and which is now contained in planning guidance throughout the UK.
Sharing Sites
Mobile phone users in the UK increasingly want better coverage and greater capacity so they can access more services on their phones. While this means that new base stations will still be needed, network operators seek to share sites wherever possible. Site sharing helps reduce energy consumption and the overall environmental footprint of networks, as well as improving the quality of coverage.