A plan to install a towering telecoms mast in the countryside could transform mobile coverage — but not without raising questions over its impact on the landscape.
Cornerstone Telecommunications has submitted a prior approval notification for a 22.5 metre lattice tower on land at Kingsford Farm, near Peters Marland, Devon. The proposal falls under permitted development rules set out in Part 16 of the General Permitted Development Order.
The development would include three antennas, one 0.6 metre dish and associated equipment. It would also feature two equipment cabinets, a meter cabinet and additional infrastructure contained within a 1.1 metre-high stockproof fenced compound.
Supporting documents state the mast is designed to improve both coverage and network capacity in the surrounding area. Mobile base stations are required where people live and work to maintain reliable digital services and avoid so-called “blackspots” where signal is poor or unavailable.
The applicant explains that individual base stations can only handle a limited number of calls and data connections. When demand exceeds this capacity, users may experience slower speeds and reduced call quality.
In such cases, operators may upgrade existing infrastructure or build new sites to meet demand, particularly in areas where connectivity remains limited.
The proposed mast would be a grey lattice structure, a design choice intended to reduce its visual impact by allowing some visibility through the framework and blending more easily with the sky.
Planning documents also note that the site has been selected to limit disruption to existing landscape features, with access taken from a nearby track and no requirement for new roads.
Technical information submitted alongside the application explains that terrain, buildings and vegetation can weaken mobile signals, meaning additional or taller structures are sometimes required to maintain reliable coverage.
Dish antennas, such as the one proposed, are typically used to link base stations together and operate using low-powered signals in a focused beam. Guidance states that exposure levels from such equipment are expected to remain well within international safety limits.
