Seaside town’s phone coverage to finally leave ‘Victorian ages’

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to install mobile phone antennas on the roof of Venue Cymru have been approved, despite objections from planning officers.

The application, submitted by Cornerstone, was granted conditional planning permission at a meeting held at the council’s Coed Pella HQ this week.

The telecoms company sought permission to install six new antennas on two steel frames on the roof of the council-owned Venue Cymru building in Llandudno.

Conwy County Council planning officers had recommended the application be refused, citing concerns from the council’s conservation officer.

The committee heard how residents had contacted Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders as part of a campaign supporting the plans, while others said the bad reception was turning tourists away.

“Essential”

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Mandy Hawkins proposed councillors voted against officers’ advice and said: “It will improve the connectivity, as it is essential for digital inclusion and supports local commerce, tourism, and daily communications.

“A reliable mobile service is crucial for businesses operating in the area, particularly those reliant on digital transactions and online engagement. This facilitates economic resilience and supports growth across multiple sectors.”

Cllr Kay Redhead seconded Cllr Hawkins’ proposal to go against the officers’ recommendation.

“We pride Llandudno on being a Victorian resort, but that doesn’t mean we have to live in the Victorian ages when it comes to technology,” she said.

“I disagree with what the conservation officer has said about it being a blot on the landscape and the visual impact. I think Venue Cymru itself is a blot on the landscape; it sticks out like a sore thumb. It goes against the rest of the promenade. You can see it from every angle driving into Llandudno.

“To put some antennas on that for the betterment of the community, I think, is a good thing. We’ve got an ageing population in Conwy and are slowly doing away with house phones, and everybody needs a better phone signal.”

Conservation Area

The site already hosts two existing antennas but is located within the Llandudno Conservation Area and the Creuddyn and Conwy Historic Landscape.

Before the vote, the planning committee heard how the maximum heights of the new masts would be between 4.01 and 4.42 metres – exceeding the existing 3m equipment.

Planning officer Elizabeth Wood reiterated the conservation officers’ concerns.

“We agree with the conservation officer that it shouldn’t be at the expense of the heritage,” she said.

“That site is clearly visible on approach to the town and adds too much to the visual clutter. With quite extensive changes, the proposed mast is going to have significant detrimental impact on the conservation area, which is our premier conservation area for the whole of the county.”

Cllr David Carr also supported the application, pointing to the practical problems residents and visitors experience.

“The council’s parking metres are affected by this because there are queues on the front (promenade) and people are not able to pay,” he said.

“They keep presenting their (debit or credit) card, and it doesn’t work. I spoke to the relevant officer, and he said it is the connectivity; the signal is not coming through.

“I can’t believe that 10 years ago you couldn’t get a signal on Mostyn Street, and if I go with my phone now – and I’ve changed from O2 to EE – I still can’t get a signal on Mostyn Street.

“I can go to the retail park and suddenly you can get a signal, but we don’t have the phone boxes we had now, so people coming into Llandudno can’t contact people, can they? I saw a few years ago a lady fell, and we wanted to ring, but the phones wouldn’t work. It took about five or ten minutes to go into somewhere and ask them to phone.

“It is 2025 and we haven’t got connectivity. People can’t use their mobile phones.”

Despite officer objections, members voted in favour of granting conditional planning permission

The plans include an electric meter cabinet, an equipment cabinet, two transmission dishes, and associated equipment such as Remote Radio Units.

The planning committee will have to reaffirm their decision at the next planning committee meeting after going against officers’ advice.

The equipment is intended to improve 2G, 4G and 5G coverage in the area.