PLANS to install mobile phone masts across areas in the Scottish Highlands where nobody uses a phone have sparked outrage among locals and conservationists. Caroline Hamilton , chairwoman of the Torridon and Kinlochewe community council, is leading the charge against the UK Government 's £1billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) initiative. 3 Plans have been submitted to build mobile phone masts in a popular beauty spot in Torridon Credit: Getty 3 The plans will see up to 261 masts erected in the Scottish Highlands Credit: Alamy 3 Some areas will require helicopters for servicing the masts Credit: Alamy Boris Johnson announced the plans in 2019 that would see mobile phone operators contribute up to £530million to upgrade areas with only limited signal, with the taxpayer chipping in another £500million to build new infrastructure in areas that were not commercially viable.
The project aims to eliminate mobile phone blackspots by 2025, but critics argue it will ruin Scotland 's pristine landscapes. It plans to erect up to 261 masts, some as tall as 100ft, across Scotland , many in areas far from roads, to solve the problem. These installations would require engineered access tracks and generators.
Read More Money News SCHOOL DEAL I sell my son's old school uniforms on Vinted - items cost just £1 HELPING HAND I got £1k in cost of living payments for food - I had no idea I could get it The most remote areas will need to be serviced by helicopters . The scheme was announced a year later than the Scottish Government 's infill programme was launched in 2018. It has already improved mobile signals in 55 rural areas at a fraction of the cost.
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Walkers come here because it’s remote and it’s off the grid. Why would we ruin it with masts?” “There are 350 people living in the Torridon area and we already have ten masts. Our homes are going to be worthless after a 50ft mast was erected – the reason it’s by us is sinister "We have a good signal thanks to the Scottish governmentts infill programme.
Now they want to build 11 more, and nine of them are away from the roads. “We’re all on EE . We’ve got good signal.
Now they want to build 11 more masts, mostly away from roads, spoiling the landscape. “They told us it’s not fair if you have to be on EE to call 999 if you have an accident." She added: “We asked why they couldn’t share the existing masts and they said EE was charging too much.
"We asked why they couldn’t stick their masts up in the same locations as the EE ones, and they said, ‘No, it needs to be where there aren’t any masts to qualify’.” Since 2009, it has been possible to make an emergency call on any network in the Scottish Highlands. An application for a 65ft mast at Luibeg Bridge was withdrawn following objections by locals.
But, residents are anticipating it to be resubmitted despite the area already having "signal." Neil Reid, 66, an experienced walker in the Cairngorms echoed Hamilton 's concerns: "When you’re standing on the path nearest to the proposed mast, you’re looking up the glen to a line of cliffs which top out at about 4,000ft. It really is an iconic view.
"And in the foreground, you’re going to have this great mast and a tennis court-sized compound. If you look at the map of the masts, and you can look at a map of designated wild land areas, they’re almost identical. There is, or should be, a presumption in favour of protecting these areas.
" Thomas Widrow of the John Muir Trust, a conservation charity , said: “The approach of the UK government is seriously flawed. Instead of consulting with communities in sparsely populated areas, ministers are imposing top-down targets whose prime objective seems to be filling in dots on maps rather than providing 4G cover for households and businesses who need to be connected.” Lord Smith of Finsbury, 73, is planning to move permanently to his home in Torridon when his tenure ends as master of Pembroke College at Cambridge University , added: “It’s crazy to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds putting a mast in the middle of nowhere that isn’t going to provide any internet connection to anyone.
They need to go back to the drawing board.” Ben Roome, chief executive of Digital Mobile Spectrum, said: “Shared sites providing coverage from all four operators are far more beneficial than partial coverage from any one operator. Read more on the Scottish Sun MONDAY MAYHEM Scotland faces thunderstorm carnage as country told 'protect your homes' ALMOST OVER 'It's like a divorce', says Outlander star Sam Heughan as he talks final series “It maximises the benefits of any new infrastructure.
The purpose of the SRN is to provide 4G coverage irrespective of operator on 4G devices. Areas with no 4G coverage remain in Scotland , which significantly lags behind other nations. “We are working closely with the Highland council, planning authorities, special interest groups and local communities to achieve the best outcome for all parties and to take a nuanced approach in site placement, while delivering as broad an area of coverage as possible.
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