Closed petition Amend prior approval for phone masts to include a minimum distance from houses

Closed on 3 May 2017

There is currently no minimum distance stipulated for masts. They are cautious not to site masts next to playgrounds and schools but are happy to site them next to residential gardens with established play areas. Neighbours should actually be consulted prior to the submission of an application.

There are numerous examples across the country of mobile phone companies exploiting the relaxed planning rules by trying to site masts within so called 'breaks in the residential nature of the search area'. If the LPA does not refuse or grant an application for prior approval within 56 days its prior approval is automatically deemed to have been given and the mast can be built even if it is within a few metres of a residential property. The process needs to be far more transparent.