A bid to improve 5G connectivity by installing a new telecommunications tower at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate has been approved.
A planning application was submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by telecommunications company EE to erect a lattice tower that will host three antennae, two dishes and several cabinets.
The firm said in documents the proposal would not only boost WiFi at the showground but also provide “much improved and upgraded coverage to surrounding businesses and residents who currently see limited indoor coverage”.
The council has now approved the proposal.
In planning documents, Harlequin Group, which lodged the plan on behalf of EE, said:
“It should be noted there is no 5G coverage within the immediate or surrounding area whatsoever.
“The area, in particular the Great Yorkshire Showground, has been subject to coverage supplied by way of a temporary emergency solution during events.
“The proposal will be tucked within a building corner, meaning that the equipment will be obscured on two of the four sides.”
The proposed location for the 5G mast.
Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Great Yorkshire Showground told the Stray Ferret previously:
“The Great Yorkshire Showground is an intrinsic part of the local community that hosts numerous events throughout the year and brings significant employment and money to the area.
“To ensure that we can continue to develop and evolve with the changing demands of customers and business, it is vital to ensure that the latest connectivity is present; the proposed lattice tower is centrally located and has been designed to allow multiple operators to host on the same infrastructure.
“The public benefit goes beyond the Great Yorkshire Showground, with the proposal able to provide upgraded coverage and capacity to the surrounding residential properties, commercial properties, visitors and businesses in the locale. It is therefore believed that this proposal enables the provision of future connectivity for numerous individuals and companies.”
Read more:
- New 5G masts proposed for Harlow Hill water tower
- Plans for two masts to meet ‘acute need’ for 5G in Harrogate
New 4G mast will boost mobile coverage in Upper Nidderdale
Up to 1,000 Nidderdale residents, businesses and visitors are set to receive 4G phone coverage thanks to a new mast at Scar House reservoir.
The EE mast, which Yorkshire Water installed in partnership with BT, was erected primarily to enable water quality to be monitored remotely.
Yorkshire Water, which owns the reservoir, has installed monitors on water courses feeding Scar House.
Data transmitted by the mast will allow scientists and engineers to proactively select the best available water sources for transfer to its water treatment works.
Weather, temperature, and the condition of the moorland can impact the quality of water sources, as they can influence things like the amount of peat found in the water.
Managing water at its source is a more cost effective and environmentally friendly approach than traditional energy intensive and expensive “end of pipe” treatment solutions.
The better the water quality is at source, the less energy it takes to process at the treatment works, reducing Yorkshire Water’s carbon footprint.
Ted Rycroft, Yorkshire Water’s product and process manager, said:
“Water coming out of customers taps will continue to be the high quality that it always has been – the key change here is that the water coming into the treatment works will be of higher quality, and therefore require less treatment.
“That helps us to keep costs down for our customers and our operational emissions to a minimum, while maintaining our high standards of water quality.”
Ashish Gupta, BT’s managing director for corporate and public sector, hailed the project as “the perfect example of using tech to work smarter – benefiting both local people and the environment”.
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- 24 bus from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate saved
Bid to improve WiFi at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground
A 25-metre telecommunications tower could be installed at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground to improve WiFi.
The showground attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year but many often struggle to get online.
A planning application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by telecommunications company EE to erect a lattice tower that will host three antennae, two dishes and several cabinets.
A design and access statement submitted by telecommunications technology company Harlequin Group on behalf of EE to the council said the proposal would not only boost WiFi at the showground but also provide “much improved and upgraded coverage to surrounding businesses and residents who currently see limited indoor coverage”. It added:
“It should be noted there is no 5G coverage within the immediate or surrounding area whatsoever.
“The area, in particular the Great Yorkshire Showground, has been subject to coverage supplied by way of a temporary emergency solution during events.
“The proposal will be tucked within a building corner, meaning that the equipment will be obscured on two of the four sides.”
The proposed location, according to planning documents.
EE claimed the enhanced network “should be considered critical infrastructure within the UK to support the local community in perpetuity”. It said:
“At present, a temporary mast is brought out during events such as the Great Yorkshire Show that take place within the showground. Whilst this has been a solution that has worked adequately in the past, currently there is an ever-growing demand to find a more permanent solution.
“Local residents and businesses who currently experience little to no coverage, as well as visitors to the showground, have been pushing for a fixed solution that would consistently meet the demands of the surrounding area.”
‘Vital to ensure latest connectivity’
Allister Nixon
Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Great Yorkshire Showground told the Stray Ferret:
“The Great Yorkshire Showground is an intrinsic part of the local community that hosts numerous events throughout the year and brings significant employment and money to the area.
“To ensure that we can continue to develop and evolve with the changing demands of customers and business, it is vital to ensure that the latest connectivity is present; the proposed lattice tower is centrally located and has been designed to allow multiple operators to host on the same infrastructure.
“The public benefit goes beyond the Great Yorkshire Showground, with the proposal able to provide upgraded coverage and capacity to the surrounding residential properties, commercial properties, visitors and businesses in the locale. It is therefore believed that this proposal enables the provision of future connectivity for numerous individuals and companies.”
Councillors will decide whether to approve the planning application.