Pembrokeshire Coast National Park conditionally approved Tenby Town Council-backed plans for a new 4G and 5G mobile phone mast at Kiln Park in Tenby.
Freshwave Facilities Limited submitted the application for a base station at Haven Holiday Park on Marsh Road through its agent, Perry Williams Ltd.
The project aims to improve service provision for Vodafone across the region. The installation features a 23.14-meter monopole supporting six antennas alongside associated ground-based cabinets, according to an article by The Tenby Observer.
The mast will sit on a section of managed amenity grassland adjacent to the existing outdoor swimming pool and children’s play area within the holiday park. To accommodate the new infrastructure, the play area will be relocated.
In a supporting statement, the applicant noted its role in expanding national network capabilities.
“Freshwave are a neutral host provider who work to provide infrastructure for operators to share around the UK,” Freshwave stated. “The UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April, 2023, supports network densification through neutral host providers, such as Freshwave.”
The UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy details the technical requirements for expanding modern cellular networks.
“5G brings with it the need to deploy higher bandwidth services using higher frequency spectrum,” the strategy notes.
“This means that mobile base stations will have to be places closer together, also known as network densification.”
Freshwave indicated the installation targets specific network gaps in the region.
“The site is needed to provide improved 2G/4G/5G coverage and capacity for Vodafone, to ensure that their customers have access to the latest technologies currently available,” the applicant’s supporting statement continued.
The application outlines that 2100MHz coverage will improve across much of Tenby and the surrounding area following the installation.
An officer’s report recommending the project’s approval highlighted the environmental considerations of the chosen site.
The location “avoids intrusion into undeveloped coastal landscape, and benefits from the containment provided by surrounding buildings and mature vegetation,” the report stated.
The report concluded that the infrastructure addition serves a broader community interest.
“The limited and localised visual impacts are outweighed by the wider public benefits of improved 4G coverage and future 5G capability for residents, businesses and visitors within Tenby and the surrounding area,” the report concluded.
