Mayfield Salisbury church EH9 2NG – external phone antennas

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

There is an application for Listed Building Consent at Mayfield Salisbury Church, 1A Mayfield Road EH9 2NG. This is for the replacement of two internal phone antennas and their ancillary equipment with eight externally mounted antennas.  The new antennas would be mounted on the outside of the steeple and vinyl wrapped to match the stonework.  The church is a B-listed building within the Craigmillar Park conservation area.

Details and this photomontage pack, showing images ‘before’ and ‘after’, are available on the Council’s planning portal at 23/07419/LBC.

Mayfield Salisbury church has contained mobile phone antennas for over 20 years.  The initial application 01/01757/FUL was granted in September 2001 for the installation of three phone antennas inside the steeple, serving the O2 network, with the louvres changed to GRP material to reduce attenuation of the phone signal. These antennas were updated and replaced in 2010 under 10/02231/FUL with three new antennas for the 2G and 3G networks in a co-operation agreement between Vodafone and O2.  Again, in 2018 under 18/07238/LBC the antennas were upgraded and additional ancillary equipment installed.

In April 2023, an application similar to the latest one was submitted as 23/01465/LBC for Listed Building Consent for eight externally mounted antennas to support the roll out of the 5G network. This application attracted 124 objections and was refused on 18 May 2023.  In the Handling Report, the Case Officer noted, in relation to the listed building:

“The addition of apparatus on the external surfaces, whilst arguably small in relation to the scale of the spire, would impact greatly on the architectural integrity of the structure, both in terms of obscuring detail, and in terms of impact on the iconic profile of the stone spire.” 

And in relation to the effect on the Craigmillar Park conservation area: “The spire is an important city landmark and is highly visible over a wide area. Although the additions are small in relation to the scale of the spire, the integrity of the spire is very important and as such the works would have a negative impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area”. 

This latest application seeks to address those concerns by emphasising the camouflaging effects of the vinyl wraps.  The applicants have included images of similar antennas on the Balmoral Hotel in Princes Street, where the vinyls are intended to camouflage the antennas against the stonework background.

 

There have been a number of applications for 5G antennas on stand-alone masts in the Grange area, all of which have been refused.  These are:

22/04200/FUL  – 108 Whitehouse Loan, refused 13 March 2023;

23/01490/FUL –  171 Whitehouse Loan, refused 21 June 2023;

23/03053/FUL – Junction of Grange Road and Lauder Road, refused 12 October 2023;

23/02557/FUL – Junction of Grange Loan and Blackford Avenue, refused 5 December 2023.

The refusals all relate to the visual effect that the tall masts and their equipment would have on the surrounding conservation areas.  In principle, siting telecoms antennas in or on an existing building, such as a church tower, and disguising them well, would appear to offer a good solution to minimising the visual effect on the environment, by comparison with stand-alone masts 15-20m high in prominent roadside locations.

This application 23/07419/LBC for Mayfield Salisbury church is open for comment on the Council’s portal until 2 February 2024.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The applicant’s agent has now clarified that the entire set of engineering drawings for this application are within this single PDF file.  There are 12 pages in that file which comprise the proposal drawings. The other documents on the portal for 23/07419/LBC are supporting information and the examples from the earlier applications granted at Marchmont St Giles.  The application drawings are identical to those submitted as 23/01465/LBC and which was refused in May 2023.  This latest application, however, is accompanied by the photomontages to emphasise the limited visual effect that the external antennas will have.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The application 23/07419/LBC was refused on 5 March 2024. The application was identical to 23/01465/LBC which had been refused in May 2023 so it would have been irrational for the Council’s planners to come to any different conclusion.  The planners noted “The proposed alteration would have an unacceptable impact on the profile of the spire to the detriment of the character of the listed building….[and] the conservation area”.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The applicants have launched an appeal against the refusal of Listed Building Consent for the external antennae.  The Scottish Government’s Division for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) will allocate a Reporter to assess the appeal.

Members of the public have until 30 June 2024 to make representations to DPEA citing the reference  LBA-230-2281.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The appeal LBA-230-2281 (24/00144/REF) has been dismissed the Scottish Government’s Reporter. In his decision notice he writes:

“I dismiss the appeal and refuse listed building consent.

“On submission, I noticed that there was a discrepancy between Figure 6 of the appellant’s
statement and the proposed plans. Figure 6 superimposed an image of two antennas onto
the wall of the church tower. It appeared to show that each antenna would be able to fit onto
a wall situated between a narrow, but existing rounded masonry column on one side, and
the columns that form the alcove to the upper louvres of the church on the other. The
proposed plans had omitted to show the columns in situ, and it was unclear whether this
was an error or whether it was intended that the antennas, because of their size, would
need to be built in front of the columns, thus obscuring them from public view. Following a
request, the appellant provided 1:50 scale plans. A 1:25 scale plan showing details of the
wall bracket fixings was provided.”

……..

“However, I have considerable reservations about whether the antennas would harm
important architectural features of interest. The amended plans mentioned in the
preliminary section of this decision, provided better scale drawings. But they did not provide
any details to show whether the antennas would fit between the slender masonry columns
or cut across in front of them. The accuracy of the plans appears to be one of the points
also raised by representations. Because these are important architectural features in their
own right, and in my opinion contribute to the special architectural and historic interest of
the church, and because I do not know whether it is technically feasible to alter the
narrowness of the antennas to fit them between the columns, I am unable to impose a
condition to that effect.

“In summary, I am satisfied that the antennas would not adversely affect the profile of
the spire or the character of appearance of the conservation area. However, I consider that
the design and location of the antennas would fail to preserve the building and its features
of special architectural and historical interest.”

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

New applications for planning permission 25/02498/FUL and Listed Building Consent (LBC) 25/02496/LBC have been submitted.  These seek permission to replace the Huawei antennae within the church tower. The technology proposed is to renew the current 4G service, rather than upgrade to a 5G service, thus allowing the antennae to remain within the tower.

Comments can be submitted on the Council’s planning portal until 20 June 2025 for the LBC proposal and until 11 July 2025 for the planning application.

(Note that these latest applications have been submitted under the address of the Manse: 18 West Mayfield EH9 1TQ.  Thus the online history for that property does not show the earlier applications for phone antennae which are listed under the church’s address: 1A Mayfield Road EH9 2NG.)

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The two applications 25/02498/FUL and 25/02496/LBC were refused on 15 and 14 July respectively. The Case Officer noted: “Reference to the existing louvres is explicitly made
in Historic Environment Scotland listing description for this listed building and is an important feature of its architectural interest. Not only this intervention would require the removal of the louvres, the before and after elevation drawing clearly indicates that the proposed antennas externally would have a visible impact on all four sides of its spire to the detriment of its special interest. For this reason, the proposed design and location of the antennas fails to preserve the building and its features of special architectural and historical interest”.

The applicants have three months in which to appeal against these decisions.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

Revised applications have now been submitted as 25/04278/FUL and 25/04275/LBC. These are materially identical to those refused in July 2025 but are accompanied by an explanation that the proposals are for antennae to be placed internally, not externally, and that only one set of the louvres needs to be changed from timber to GRP.  The other three louvres were changed some years ago under and earlier planning application.

The new applications are open for comment until 26 September 2025.

[Grange PlanningKeymaster]

The applications 25/04278/FUL and 25/04275/LBC were granted on 17 October 2025, as “Not development – Permission not required”.  Because the new antennae will be within the tower, there is no effect on the external appearance and so planning permission is not required.

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