English Planning Policy and Practice - Minimum Distances and Moratoria
Minimum Distances and Moratoria
It is sometimes suggested that there should be a moratorium on decisions about mobile telephone base stations or that there should be requirements for minimum distances between base stations and existing development. Neither the IEGMP nor Government has accepted that such an approach would be appropriate. This is spelled out in PPG 8 at paragraph 101.
"...In the Government's view, local planning authorities should not implement their own precautionary policies e.g. by way of imposing a ban or moratorium on new telecommunications development or insisting on minimum distances between new telecommunications development and existing development."
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.