The petition of the residents of the constituency of Scarborough and Whitby,

Declares that residents of Whitby are very strongly concerned that a planning application has been made by the slots and gambling company, Luxury Leisure, to open a 24-hour adult gaming centre at 67-68 Baxtergate in Whitby; further declares that the gaming centre may cause issues with noise and anti-social behaviour; notes that, as at 6 March 2025, North Yorkshire Council has received 522 objections to the application, whereas only six people have supported it; further notes that residents are particularly disappointed that the site of the proposed gaming centre is that of the Halifax bank branch, which is due to close in May 2025, leaving the town without any bank branches; and further declares that what residents of Whitby want is access to banks, shops and services, and not the proposed 24-hour gaming centre.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage North Yorkshire Council to reject the application for a 24-hour adult gaming centre at the site on Baxtergate, Whitby.

And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Alison Hume, Official Report, 11 March 2025; Vol. 763, c. 1015.]

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Observations from the Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook):

I hope you can appreciate that due to the role of Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on individual cases.

By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the local development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance.

The petition of residents of the constituency of Hazel Grove,

Declares that proposed new infrastructure such as telegraph poles and overhead fibre optic cables in the area south of Dean Lane are unnecessary and an eyesore.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to ensure that the proposed installation of communications infrastructure in the area south of Dean Lane in the Hazel Grove constituency is cancelled.

And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Lisa Smart, Official Report, 5 February 2025; Vol. 761, c. 892.]

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Observations from the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms (Chris Bryant):

Communities across the country have raised concerns about the deployment of telegraph poles. This Government are committed to ensuring that both consumers and businesses have access to fast, reliable broadband. At the same time, we want to ensure that this happens in a way that minimises the harmful impact on local communities.

Telegraph poles are an established part of the infra-structure in many parts of the country and can play an important role in delivering cost-effective connectivity to communities, especially in hard-to-reach areas, and those areas where the sharing of infrastructure is not possible, for instance because the existing broadband infrastructure was directly buried in the ground, without ducts. Building new underground ducts in these areas is significantly more expensive than installing poles and comes with its own challenges, such as traffic disruption.

I understand from the operator Brsk that parts of the existing network in the area have been buried in the ground without ducting, and therefore some new infrastructure was deemed necessary to complete the network.

The Government’s role in this is to set national policy, rather than deliver infrastructure, so it would not be appropriate or possible for me to intervene in the specifics of the network deployment in the Hazel Grove constituency. However, I have been urging operators to share infrastructure where possible, and to listen to local concerns, so I am glad that Brsk says that it is reviewing its build plans in response to community feedback in the area.

The Government are also taking further action to strike the right balance between network roll-out and public concerns about new infrastructure. There are regulations in place that require operators to share infrastructure where practicable, and I see greater infrastructure sharing as essential to minimising disruption to residents. Broadband operators must remain aware of the impact their deployment has on local communities, as I do not want this to undermine public support for the roll-out of fibre broadband.

Since taking up my post as Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, I have met with both MPs and telecommunications providers to understand the situation, and to seek resolutions that balance the need for rolling out future-proof full-fibre infrastructure and communities’ concerns. In particular, I have emphasised to broadband operators my concerns about the duplication of infrastructure in areas where alternatives exist, such as ducts or poles that could be shared. I am confident that the industry has been receptive to these concerns. They have reassured me of their commitment to put greater focus on community engagement when deploying their networks, and alt-net operators have committed to work towards greater infrastructure sharing.

Indeed, as I have set out to Parliament on 25 March 2025, industry trade bodies have worked together to publish new guidelines for telecommunications operators installing telegraph poles. These new guidelines set out expectations for operators around community engagement, telegraph pole placement, and circumstances in which the appropriateness of telegraph poles should be reconsidered. The guidelines are available on the Internet Services Providers’ Association website here: https://www.ispa.org.uk/pole-siting-best-practice

While I am confident that industry will better take into account community views as the roll-out of new full-fibre networks continues, I will not hesitate to consider changing regulations if it becomes clear that industry does not take my concerns seriously. Thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention.