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Telecommunications development
Telecommunication mast register
The mast
register provides details of the locations and service
providers of mobile phone masts in Medway. This information can
also be viewed spatially on the mast
register map.
The council's powers as the planning authority
The council, through the Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order
1995 (the Order), controls works to existing
structures and new sites.
Telecommunications operators have certain permitted development
rights in accordance with their licences. Telecommunications
development therefore falls into two categories: that which
requires planning consent and that which merely requires the prior
notification of the council.
Prior notification applications are submitted under Part 24 of
the Order. Planning permission is not required but the applicants
are required to notify the council of their proposals. Under the
provisions of the Order, the council cannot object to the principle
of erecting the mast but has 56 days to comment on the siting and
design.
The council will place a notice on the site and will carry out
consultations with affected neighbours.
Those telecommunications developments requiring planning
permission are dealt with under the general guidelines and
consultation letters are sent to all affected parties.
Public consultation procedures
The council notifies adjoining residents and those in close
proximity to a site by letter. In addition, applications relating
to telecommunications development are advertised in local
newspapers and by site notice. It will notify local schools where
proposals are nearby. Details of all telecommunication
applications received from 1 January 2000 can be viewed
online
using the advance planning search. Search for Application Type,
Prior Notifications - Telecommunications.
The council's powers as landowner
As a landowner, rather than as the local planning authority, the
council has adopted an approach of examining each request to site
equipment on its land or buildings on its merits and has adopted a
policy not to allow such equipment at schools within its
control.
Health and safety issues and planning
Health considerations and public concern are not normally
material considerations in determining planning applications. The
International Commission on
Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines state
acceptable radiation emission levels for such equipment.
The view expressed by the Minister for Housing and Planning is
that if a proposed development meets these guidelines, it should
not be necessary for a planning authority to consider the health
effects further.
Go to
Making sense of radiation - A Guide to Radiation and its health
effects.
The Stewart Report,
published in May 2000, provided the conclusions of evidence
collected by a team of independent experts on possible health
effects of mobile phone technology.
Licensing
Operators of radio transmitting apparatus are required to go
through a licensing process, which may include the radio site
clearance procedure of the Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills (BIS). The Health and Safety Executive also
deal with radiation safety, and as part of the licensing process
operators are made aware of safety requirements.
The Health Protection Agency is an independent statutory
body which can provide information on radiation issues.
The Mobile Operators
Association (MOA), which represents the five UK mobile phone
network operators (3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone)
on planning issues, sends information to local authorities on an
annual basis about mast sites within their area.
These plans provide an excellent opportunity at an early stage
for the council to discuss the operators' plans for the forthcoming
year and to work together to find an optimum solution for mobile
network development in the area.
The operators have been complying with the commitment to send
rollout plans since 2001 and for the last four years the
information has been submitted jointly and electronically through
the MOA.
The information covers operators' existing sites and envisaged
new proposals for the next 12 months. It provides the council with
a look ahead at the forthcoming mobile developments in Medway.
It should be noted that while the rollout envisaged for the
forthcoming year is limited in some cases, it does not include
replacement sites that will be required where an operator is served
a Notice to Quit (NTQ) for an existing site.
The operators sometimes have insufficient advanced warning of
when they may be served NTQs on existing sites and therefore
information on alternative sites cannot be included in the
annual rollout plans.
As the purpose of the rollout plans is to provide a high level
overview of existing network sites and planned new sites for the
forthcoming year, it is not appropriate or possible to provide
location maps or detailed designs for each proposed new site at
this stage.
This detailed information will be supplied with the planning
application for a particular site. To help you fully
understand the existing and proposed situation, the council has
introduced a map-based register.
This can be subject to change, so you are most welcome to
contact the council, using the details below, for the latest
information about a particular site or area that you are interested
in.
The Medway Technical Guide for the Installation of
Telecommunications Equipment
In October 2006, cabinet approved the publication of The
Medway Technical Guide for the Installation of Telecommunications
Equipment (pdf 357KB). To use this and the other pdf files on
this page you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have
this on your computer please use our advice page.
The council recognises that modern telecommunications are an
essential and beneficial element of the economy and that the
industry is continuing to develop rapidly. Government policy is to
facilitate the growth of telecommunications while keeping the
environmental impact to a minimum. The government also has a
responsibility for protecting public health.
The council also recognises that applications relating to
telecommunication development can generate significant public
concern primarily centred on issues of health and visual
intrusion.
There is very little discretion available to local authorities
in dealing with applications for such equipment.
This technical guidance document aims to influence service
providers, inform local people and assist in the determining of
telecommunications applications - both full planning applications
and applications submitted for prior approval.
Further information
Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone
Network Development (pdf 3,182KB)
Planning Policy Guidance 8:
telecommunications (pdf 316KB)
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