Anger as work begins on new 5G mast at Sunderland beauty spot, despite campaigners' victory against plans

Campaigners who fought to prevent a 5G phone mast being built at a Sunderland beauty spot - only to see work begin anyway - have been let down by a change in the law, their ward councillor has said.

Hundreds of people backed a campaign to prevent the monopole mast being built beside Tunstall Hills, with the development being subsequently turned down for planning permission in October 2021.

But two years on, the campaigners have had to watch angrily as work take place regardless, due to a national change on planning policy brought in by the Government.

Because there was an existing mast at the site, which measured only 15m, the rule change means Cornerstone Telecommunications now does not need planning permission to replace it - even though the new mast will be 20m high with six antennae and two transmission dishes.

The site at The Precinct is just metres away from neighbouring homes.

 Cllr Phil Tye, who backed the campaigners, slammed the new rules and said the wishes of people in the area had been undermined by the Government.

 “The fact that they have begun building the mast without consulting the public and in spite of the fact that they have already had planning permission denied is absolutely scandalous,” he said.

 “The people of Tunstall and Silksworth sent a clear message to the developers in 2021 that they did not want a 5G mast built on the edge of Tunstall Hills and yet here we are, just two years on, seeing them bulldoze their way into our community and building on our green belt anyway.

“To make things worse, they didn’t even have the decency to let us know prior to the works starting.

"The council and local councillors were notified by Cornerstone after they had begun work, but residents had already noticed the works starting and had raised their concerns prior to them speaking to us. 

 “Residents have said they don’t want it, councillors have said they don’t want it and environmental campaigners have said they don’t want it, which begs the question, who does want it, bar the shareholders set to profit from it?" 

The Government made amends to the General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015 (GPDO) bill last year made it easier for developers to construct telecoms infrastructure on sensitive sites such as National Parks, Conservation Areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

However, while Cllr Tye agrees that the city needs to embrace 5G, he believes the freedoms given to developers to build ‘almost at will’ is a ‘failure to protect the environment and our communities.’

The councillor said the Conservative policy was 'wrong on so many levels' and an incoming Labour Government would repeal the law.

 “There’s no hiding from the fact that 5G will bring huge economic benefits and will play a key role in Sunderland achieving its goals of becoming a world-leading Smart City, but the roll-out can’t be at the detriment of our green belt and our communities," he said.

“There are ways and means of going about it in a respectable, democratic manner, such as engaging with local people to identify sites that would work – which is an approach we’ve suggested to the developers – yet they seem hell bent on just doing whatever they like.

“It’s as if the taxpayer has no say on how their money is spent anymore and these companies can just build outside our homes and on our greenbelt whether we like it or not.

“I can understand why local residents feel so furious about the development and I would like to re-assure them that we will do absolutely everything in our power to fight against these unjust proposals.”

A spokesperson for Sunderland City Council confirmed the planning situation regarding the new mast.

They said: "The Government introduced changes to permitted development rights for electronic communications infrastructure in 2022.

"It said this was to support the deployment of 5G and extend mobile coverage.

"The changes mean that telecoms companies can now put up significantly larger masts and install cabinets without having to apply for permission from the Local Planning Authority."

Cornerstone has been approached for comment.