Phone mast planning trends
Phone masts' share of applications is 62% below three years ago, though it rose 11% in Q3 2026 on a year earlier.
Phone mast applications since 2016
Phone mast applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredA sharp drop in 2024
Councils received 4,058 phone mast applications in 2023 and 1,564 in 2024, a fall of 61% in a year. Their share peaked in the 12 months to May 2023. The phone mast planning index stands at 111: a share 10% above 2016.
Wide 5G coverage
The fall coincides with wide 5G coverage. Ofcom's Connected Nations report of November 2025 put outdoor 5G coverage from at least one operator at 94% to 97% of the UK.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 375 phone mast applications in Q3 2026: 36 in every 10,000 applications, against 33 in Q3 2025, a share of all applications 11% higher than a year earlier.
Phone mast applications each quarter
375 in Q3 2026, against 360 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 36 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 33 a year earlier.
Where phone mast applications concentrate
By region
Phone mast applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
Birmingham
West Midlands · 124 in every 10,000 797 -
Glasgow
Scotland · 177 in every 10,000 471 -
Sheffield
Yorkshire and Humber · 129 in every 10,000 367 -
Croydon
London · 95 in every 10,000 342 -
Leeds
Yorkshire and Humber · 56 in every 10,000 330 -
Liverpool
North West · 117 in every 10,000 320 -
Highland
Scotland · 91 in every 10,000 317 -
Manchester
North West · 108 in every 10,000 291 -
Dumfries and Galloway
Scotland · 164 in every 10,000 272 -
Barnet
London · 48 in every 10,000 263
Latest phone mast applications
- Tilehurst Water Tower, Park Lane, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire Notification under the Electronic Communications Code Regulations 2003 (as amended) to utilise permitted development rights for a proposed EE Limited Rooftop-based upgrade at proposed base station upgrade at, TILEHURST WATER TOWER, PARK LANE, READING, RG31 4DU.
- Footway of Lower Richmond Road, Near to junction of Niton Road, Richmond The proposed works comprise the installation of a 20m monopole supporting 6 no. antennas, 3 no. equipment cabinets and ancillary development thereto including 3 no. remote radio units (RRUs).
- Morrisons Petrol Filling Station, Spruce Drive, Totton Telecommunications base station comprising a 20m monopole supporting 6 no. antennas and 2 no transmission dishes, together with the installation of 3 no groundbased equipment cabinets, 1 no meter cabinet and ancillary development thereto including compound fencing (Prior Approval Application)
- Communication Station Pepper Street Keele Newcastle Staffordshire The installation of a replacement 30m-high telecommunications monopole accommodating up to 12no. antenna and up to 4no. transmission dishes; plus accompanying ground-based equipment cabinets within a fenced, secure compound; and ancillary development thereto.
- Telecommunications Mast, Lea Wood Farm, Gainsborough Road, Gainsborough The Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and restrictions) Regulations 2003 (as amended) – Regulation 5 Notice of Intention to Install Fixed Line Broadband Apparatus - The removal of 6no. existing MHA's and the installation of 3no. proposed MHA's along with associated ancillary equipment on the monopole. The installation of 1no. proposed GPS node at ground level.
- Neathern Brock Kilworthy Road Tavistock Notice of intent for removal of 1no existing 17.7m monopole, 6no existing antennas and 1no existing equipment cabin to be replaced with 1no new 17.9m monopole, 6no new antennas and 1no new equipment cabinet with other associated ancillary works thereto (CS 13180924)
How often are they refused?
Of 21,288 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 29.9% were refused, well above the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused21,288
- Refused29.9%
- Withdrawn before a decision1,799
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many phone mast planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 27,699 since January 2016, 1,637 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to May 2023.
Which councils receive the most phone mast applications?
Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield have received the most since 2016.
How often are phone mast applications refused?
Of 21,288 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 29.9% were refused, well above the 11.3% for all applications.
Which regions see the most phone mast applications?
From 2023 to 2025 the North East had the highest share, with phone masts making up 102 in every 10,000 planning applications, followed by Scotland on 87, against 52 across the UK. London was lowest, on 35.
About Plota
Plota is the UK's most visited planning search, according to Similarweb. It shows every new planning application from every UK council, read daily from 390 planning registers, with past applications back to 2016 from more than 420 registers, including those of councils since merged. It also covers planning committee decisions, HMO licences and premises licences.
How this is measured
What needs an application
Most mast proposals reach councils as prior approval applications under permitted development. The rules changed on 4 April 2022, altering when a prior approval application is needed.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names phone masts or a close variant of the words, by the date each council received them. These are planning applications, not completed schemes; the largest energy and infrastructure projects are consented nationally rather than by councils, so they sit outside these counts.
- How matches are checked: we read the 200 most recent phone mast applications and 20 from every year since 2016 to confirm each one belongs.
- Topic counts leave out, by design, works to trees and applications that only discharge conditions, amend an earlier permission or approve reserved matters, which follow a scheme already counted. Everything else is counted.
- A share is the number out of every 10,000 applications over the previous 12 months. Each topic is a number in every 10,000 planning applications, so trends compare when overall planning activity changes; the share still moves when either the topic's count or the total does. The phone mast planning index sets the 2016 share at 100, so 200 means twice as common as in 2016.
- Source: the planning registers of every UK council, January 2016 to September 2026, read on 9 November 2026.
- Planning is seasonal, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Year on year: each topic's and theme's share of all applications in Q3 2026, against Q3 2025, at every council we hold. A share is the number in every 10,000 applications. Shares compare across councils and years; raw counts do not.
- Left out of the topic shares: Birmingham's applications from June to September 2026: a validation backlog at the council since June 2026: of 685 reference numbers it issued in September, its register lists 288. The same months a year earlier are left out too, so every comparison covers the same councils.
- Refusals: applications received 2016 to 2024 and decided, at councils whose published decisions pass our checks against their decision notices. Approvals and refusals count; withdrawals do not. "All applications" means every decision of that kind at the same councils over the same years. Applications received from 2025 are added once most are decided.
- Download the data (CSV): every topic and theme, each quarter since 2016.
Sources
- Outdoor 5G coverage from at least one operator of 94% to 97% of the UK (Ofcom, Connected Nations UK Report 2025, 19 November 2025). ofcom.org.uk
- The April 2022 reform raised mast height limits and kept prior approval on siting and appearance for new ground-based masts (technical consultation outcome, 7 March 2022). gov.uk
- The 2022 changes took effect on 4 April 2022 and altered when a prior approval application is needed (Planning Portal, 24 March 2022). blog.planningportal.co.uk