Rural Scotland has achieved a significant victory with the scale-back of planned 4G masts from 258 to just 44, safeguarding much of its countryside and landscapes from unnecessary infrastructure.
The Shared Rural Network project has dramatically cut the number of proposed masts in remote areas following sustained pressure from industry groups and community organisations.
This reduction will protect some of Scotland’s most pristine and cherished landscapes while also easing the planning burden on local authorities.
Rural business group Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) welcomed the move, but urged government to ensure that communities still without any mobile coverage are not overlooked in future plans.
Anna Gardiner, senior policy adviser at SLE, said: “We are delighted that the government has listened to our concerns and has scaled back the number of masts to be built in areas where they simply were not needed.
"This protects some of our most spectacular and beautiful landscapes and will alleviate pressure on planning authorities in rural areas.”
Ms Gardiner criticised the initial approach for focusing on covering an arbitrary percentage of UK geography, rather than prioritising the actual needs of rural communities.
“The original plan was totally flawed as it was based on covering an arbitrary percentage of the UK’s geography, but in fact it did not benefit many of the rural communities and businesses which are currently in Total Not Spot Areas – where there is no 4G coverage from any provider.”
She also highlighted that many of these underserved communities remain without mobile coverage and that community councils have often been ignored.
“These areas are still crying out for a mobile network and in many cases community councils have been ignored.”
She added: "We would urge the UK government to redirect the considerable sum of money that has been saved, in order to prioritise these communities.”
Thomas Widrow, Head of Campaigns at the John Muir Trust, also praised the decision: “This is great news for the amazing landscapes and biodiversity of Scotland. Some of the proposed locations for a mast were completely inappropriate.
"We need to ensure there is connectivity where people live and work, not in our most fragile and remote wild places.”
The Shared Rural Network programme is a partnership between the UK government and the four major mobile operators—EE, O2, Three and Vodafone—aimed at delivering 95% 4G coverage across Britain.
This revision follows calls from several Highland community councils, as well as organisations including the National Trust for Scotland, Ramblers Scotland, and Woodland Trust Scotland.
