Plans to build a phone mast taller than the Angel Of The North just West of Penrith on the edge of Castletown have been unveiled following pre application consultation with Penrith Town Council and Two Westmorland and Furness Councillors, Cllr Taylor and Cllr Eyles, The company proposing the 25meter mast said it has also consulted Penrith and The Border MP Dr Hudson.
The iconic Angel Of The North located next to the A1 in Gateshead stands at 20meters tall with the proposed phone mast will be 5 meters taller at 25meters.
A Prior Notification has now been submitted for the proposed installation of a shareable telecommunications base station installation comprising a 25m lattice tower supporting up to 12 antennas and up to 4 dishes on 2 headframes, together with up to 6 ground based equipment cabinets, 1 meter cabinet and ancillary development including compound fencing, On land at John Beaty Transport, located just outside Penrith off Greystoke road.
The application submitted on behalf of Icon Tower states the proposal site is considered the most suitable option for both the operational needs and in terms of local planning policies and national planning policy guidance.
In the application the company claims it has evaluated 10 sites including the site proposed in the application, among the discounted sites the company has included “Station View Agricultural Store Ltd, M6, Castletown, Penrith” the company however discounted the site saying “An installation at this location would be on low ground and would not deliver the required level of coverage to the target area.” This discounted location however forms part of the same application site selected by the company to build the 25meter high mast.
Other discounted sites included five locations on the town’s industrial estates and two on Newton Road along with the existing mobile mast site located alongside Greystoke Road Bridge crossing the M6.
Penrith Town Councils planning committee discussed the plans it was consulted on at a planning meeting held on the 5th of February with councillors having no objections or comments on the plans after councillors discussed the nearby industrial buildings and location.
The prior approval process does not assess whether a new mast is needed but allows local authorities to assess the impact of the proposed development on various factors, including siting and appearance. Local authorities have 56 days to determine whether prior approval should be granted or refused (and full planning permission required). following changes to planning rules in 2022 full planning permission is not required any more for masts under 30meters.
For mobile masts under 30 metres, the main condition is that their siting and appearance must be such that their visual impact on the surrounding area is minimised.
Factors that the local planning authority might consider as part of prior notification application include: a mast’s height in relation to the surrounding land and buildings, and the materials, design and colours used. The planning authority will not assess whether a new mast is needed as part of the consideration this will be down to market forces once the mast is constructed with mobile operators able to choose to collocate equipment on the mast through commercial arrangements with owners of masts.
The full plans can be viewed and the public can submit views and comments to Westmorland and Furness Council via the councils planning portal via https://goto.penrith.town/Phone-mast-Planning-2024-0209-PATEL
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