The announcement by the Minister for Infrastructure, Nichola Mallon MLA, that legislation to reform permitted development rights in Northern Ireland has been laid in the Legislative Assembly and is due to come into force on the 21st December 2020 has been welcomed by Mobile UK, the trade body for the industry’s mobile network operators, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

The changes to Permitted Development Rights that have been laid down in this legislation are essential to the industry’s ability to rollout world-class mobile networks in Northern Ireland. We support the Minister’s intention to update the planning regime to enable operators to build not only today’s networks but also lay the groundwork for new technologies that will bring significant added benefits and capacity for Northern Irish people and businesses.

A link to the legislation can be found here - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2020/292/contents/made

Commenting on the announcement that legislation will come into force on 21st December, Gareth Elliott, Head of Policy and Communications, said:

“The changes to permitted development rights are very welcome. They will go a long way to ensuring that Northern Ireland can benefit from the world-class connectivity mobile networks provide.”