The government has rejected plans to install a mobile phone network mast in Ripon Cathedral car park.

EE Limited proposed installing the 15 metre high pole in the car park in order to improve 4G coverage to the area.

The new mast would have been located in the north east corner of the car park on St Marygate next to a maintenance building.

The company took the application to the government’s Planning Inspectorate after North Yorkshire Council rejected it in June 2023 on the grounds that it would impact the character of the area.

In a statement of case, the company said the mast was required as a replacement for the current infrastructure at Liberty Court House which is being decommissioned.

It added that the mast would not be visible from any of the heritage sites in Ripon.

However, Paul Martinson, a government planning inspector, said the benefits of the proposal would not outweigh the effect on nearby heritage assets.

In a decision notice, he said:

Mr Martinson added that, while he acknowledged the benefits of the scheme, it had not been “robustly demonstrated” that it was justified in allowing the proposal to go-ahead.

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