§ Lord Juddasked her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the estimate made by the Lake District National Park Authority that there may be requests for 138 telecommunication masts in that national park and that some 25 of these will be BT Airwaves digital communications for the police and other emergency sevices, what are the implications for the fulfilment of the purposes of the national parks; whether any benefits are outweighed by negative environmental considerations; and what steps they are taking to reassert the special nature of the national parks and to find alternative, acceptable solutions to telecommunication needs. [HL3863]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonIn national parks, proposals to install telecommunications masts are for the national park authorities to determine in the first instance, taking account of local planning policies and national planning policy guidance. Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8 (revised) (PPG8). Advice on development in national parks is given in PPG7—The Countryside.
Protection from visual intrusion and the implications for subsequent network development will be important considerations in determining applications for telecommunications development. The Government are particularly concerned to ensure that the special landscapes and scenic beauty for which national parks have been designated are adequately protected. They are also concerned to ensure the economic and social well-being of the communities in national parks, in which the provision of modern telecommunications has a potentially vital role to play. Telecommunications development in national parks should be sensitively designed and sited and should blend into the landscape as far as possible. The developer must also demonstrate that there are no suitable alternative locations.
54WAThe mobile phone industry has pledged to provide local planning authorities with annual roll-out plans for each authority's area. We strongly encourage the use of pre-rollout discussions based upon these plans and collaboration between the operators and authorities as a means of overcoming potential technical and environmental constraints, particularly in national parks and other designated areas. These discussions should also provide an early opportunity to explore possible alternative approaches, particularly the opportunities for mast and site sharing and also in terms of the location and alternative design of the apparatus.