To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made in his Department's review of permitted development rights for telecommunications. (307830)

The Department has recently reviewed the permitted development rights for telecommunications.

The Killian-Pretty progress report, published on 30 July 2009, explained that in relation to telecommunications equipment, the Government have considered whether the existing permitted development rights contained in part 24 of the General Permitted Development Order should be altered and whether the system of prior approval for stand alone telephone masts below 15 metres and certain rooftop mast installations should be amended to require a full planning application. It had decided to make no substantive change to the current regime.

However, in order to ensure that operators make the best possible use of existing sites, the Government intends to amend planning policy guidance in due course, to strengthen the requirements for operators to demonstrate that they have considered alternative sites and explain why they have been rejected. We will also consider how requirements for mast sharing can be further addressed in any revision of the code of best practice.