A SCOTTISH local authority’s refusal of a phone mast in a designated Wild Land Area (WLA) has been overturned in a planning appeal.
Perth and Kinross Council has now told the Sunday National it will have to take account of the decision when considering permission for more masts in beauty spots in the controversial rollout.
It is feared the appeal’s success will pave the way to a blight of phone masts in scenic areas where they are not needed.
The council had originally refused permission against the mast on a remote piece of land north west of Loch Rannoch but an appeal was lodged on behalf of Vodafone which has been upheld.
The mast is one of 260 planned in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) for uninhabited wilderness with no communities or roads.
Funded by Westminster to the tune of £500m, the project is aimed at tackling so-called Total Not Spots where there is no telecommunications coverage – but protesters argue the money should be spent on improving reception where people live, rather than erecting unsightly structures on uninhabited beauty spots.
The approach of the UK Government has been described as “seriously flawed” and a coalition of leading rural, wildlife and conservation bodies has called for an urgent review of the roll-out.
Perth and Kinross rejected the bid for the 20-metre mast near Loch Rannoch, on the grounds that the structure could ruin the “sense of awe and sanctuary”. It said it would create an “incongruous, eye-catching, man-made feature which would be visible for around five kilometres within an upland valley”.
Cornerstone, which submitted the plans on behalf of Vodafone, appealed and the Reporter considering the appeal overturned the council’s refusal, despite accepting that the proposed mast is not directly linked to a rural business or croft and the nearest community is Rannoch, five kilometres to the south of the desired location.
However she said: “I do not consider that reference to a fragile community completely rules out consideration of the benefits that might apply to the safety of rural workers and those accessing the area for recreation.”
The decision has puzzled campaigners who questioned the Reporter’s definition of a community.
“The Reporter does not say whether this new ‘community’ she has invented is ‘fragile’, nor has she considered whether it requires 4G,” said retired engineer Dave Craig.
Responding to the Reporter’s decision, Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “It is accepted that the Reporter’s weighting on some of the considerations is different to the council’s and we will take account of this in future.”
Campaigners have warned that the success of the appeal could pave the way to around 100 more masts and their accompanying infrastructure in WLAs.
Highland Council has called for a pause in the rollout after being swamped by applications. Councillors passed a motion supporting Mountaineering Scotland, the John Muir Trust and a coalition of other outdoor recreation, conservation and community groups trying to raise awareness of the shortcomings of the project.
They argue that SRN’s insistence on 95% geographical 4G mobile phone coverage means masts are being erected in remote unpopulated areas, rather than in places where they are really needed.
The programme is a collaboration between the UK Government and four big mobile phone operators (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) Community councils across the Highlands have signed a letter to Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Digital and Data Infrastructure, asking for a review of the roll-out which was put in place by the Tory UK Government.
The review call has been made by the John Muir Trust, Scottish Land and Estates, RSPB Scotland, Mountaineering Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers Scotland and Woodland Trust Scotland.
A decision has still to be reached on a planning application for a controversial phone mast on the RSPB’s reserve near Abernethy in the Highlands. More than 500 objections have been lodged against the plan including from RSPB Scotland which says it has “significant concerns” about the potential for “collision risk and disturbance” to the vulnerable capercaillie if it goes ahead.
The phone mast would be erected beside the iconic Ryvoan Bothy, near the Green Loch in Cairngorm National Park, one of the country’s most treasured beauty spots.
If it goes ahead, it would be “visual vandalism”, according to protesters, as well as a threat to wildlife.
