David Cameron and Caroline Spelman recently published the Conservative Party’s Planning Green Paper entitled Open Source Planning. This document outlines their current position on mobile phone masts. The relevant section to mobile phone masts is produced in full below.

Mobile phone masts are an important part of the nation’s infrastructure, especially given the growing demand for mobile data services. But there has been significant public concern about masts being erected with little consultation and in an insensitive manner. We believe that all types of mobile phone masts in England (including Network Rail, TETRA and small / pico masts) must be subject to the same, full planning process as other forms of development, so giving local communities a greater say on where they are located. We will also review the case for greater incentives for operators to share masts and allow domestic roaming, and will investigate new technologies, such as WiMAX and wireless broadband, which have the potential to reduce the number of new masts required. And we will review potential health issues related to mobile phone masts in the light of ongoing scientific research.

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