One of the ways the Exmoor Society works to protect Exmoor is by campaigning on planning issues. Last year, our trustee Charles O’Connor successfully objected to a new mast in a highly visible location on the road outside of Simonsbath, pointing out that there was the possibility of mast sharing in a much more discreet place. There is no question that mobile connectivity is essential, and there are still areas where Exmoor’s network needs improving. Still, the infrastructure needs to be introduced with great care in this beautiful landscape. In response to what threatened to become a rash of new masts on the moor – there was even one proposed by Alderman’s Barrow – we wrote a letter to the Chief Executives of the mobile companies and their agents, pointing out that they now had a duty to further the purposes of National Parks when proposing new masts – and that wherever possible masts should be shared.
Part of a wider campaign, this work has now borne fruit. The government has recently announced that 50 upgraded masts in protected areas, initially only used by EE or to call 999, now have to be shared to provide coverage for all mobile network operators. (The photograph above shows an extremely visible mast above Winsford put in for the emergency services.) It is a policy that will both vastly increase coverage in protected landscapes and reduce the potential number of masts.
A minor victory, but one worth having!
