Responding to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport announcement of a change in planning laws to “turbocharge”
5G rollout across the country, Cllr David Renard, housing and
planning spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said:
“Access to fast and reliable digital connectivity is no longer a
luxury, but a necessity, and councils have been a key player in
the roll-out to the hardest to reach areas in the last five
years.
“Tackling the digital divide will be important to levelling up in
every community, ensuring everyone has the connectivity they need
to thrive.
“However, weakening planning control and increasing permitted
development rights takes away the ability of residents,
businesses and councillors to contribute in a meaningful way to
the deployment of new or upgraded masts, sites and
infrastructure, and circumvents local plans.
“Instead of pushing for more permitted development, we would like
to see the Government continue to work with local government and
the mobile industry to help the streamlined deployment of
infrastructure within the current planning system.
“We are also calling on Government to provide funding for
councils to put in place a local digital champion, to act as a
central contact point to help coordinate local delivery."
