A bid to build a telecommunications pole to boost emergency services connectivity has been secured following an appeal.

Mobile phone operator EE’s plans for an 18m lattice tower in Bucks Hill were rejected by Three Rivers District Council last year.

The council felt the proposal would be “inappropriate development” in the green belt and described the pole as “incongruous and unduly prominent”.

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After the decision went to appeal, a Government-appointed planning inspector agreed with the council’s concerns about the green belt, saying the pole would cause “substantial harm” to the openness of the land.

But they acknowledged EE’s claims mobile phone signal availability at the roadside in the area is “incomplete” and recognised a lack of connectivity could “hamper” the emergency services in particular.

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Delivering the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN), which EE won a contract to provide, in this area, carried “great weight” and was enough to override the inspector’s concerns about the green belt.

The Home Office says the ESN will enable fast, safe and secure voice, video and data across the 4G network and give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.

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