PLANNING LAWS FOR MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION MASTS

That this House, while recognising the importance of Tetra telephone masts in enabling the emergency services to communicate effectively and better protect the public, supports a reform of planning laws, which currently allows applications for the location and erection of Tetra mobile telecommunication masts to be approved without taking the concerns of local councils into account; recognises that local councils should have the power to make final decisions relating to Tetra masts; further supports placing the power to approve or reject planning applications for Tetra mobile telecommunications masts in the hands of local councils; and considers that councils should be able to reject certain applications and support better alternative sitings for such masts.