§ Mr. PriorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the recent decision by One-2-One to stop using fast-track planning procedures under the General Permitted Development Order for the development of new masts; and if he will require all telecommunications operators to submit full planning applications for all proposed new masts. [48056]
§ Mr. CabornLocal planning authorities have the opportunity to exercise control over the siting of individual mast developments, whether that be through the consideration of a full planning application or the determination of a full planning application or the determination of a "prior approval" application under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The permission for telecommunications masts granted by the Order is subject to certain conditions, one of which is that the developer should make a "prior approval" application to the local planning authority. The developer may accept the conditions and take advantage of the Order permission. If, however, the developer is not prepared to accept a condition, the Order permission is self-evidently not available, and it is open to him to make a planning application to the local planning authority in the ordinary way. Currently we have no plans to make all mast development subject to a full planning application.