Emergency Services Network: Cumbria

(asked on 11th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timescale is for Emergency Services Network and Extended Area Service masts in (a) Kentmere, (b) Longsleddale and (c) Langdale becoming operational.


Answered by
Kit Malthouse Portrait
Kit Malthouse
This question was answered on 10th June 2020

The Extended Area Service (EAS) is a critical part of the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). It will ensure that there is ESN coverage in the most rural and remote parts of Great Britain. The EAS programme consists of 292 masts and delivery is well under way. The EAS network is already being built, where possible, to support commercial operators, and we agree that this proposal is a valuable opportunity to enhance the benefit of Government programmes to deliver improved connectivity across the country.

In respect of the EAS sites in question I can give the following updates:

a. The site in Kentmere is currently in the preliminary build stage. There are existing high voltage overhead power lines in close proximity to the site so we are currently working to divert those prior to start of construction.

The current forecast date for completion of build is August 2020.

b. The site Longsleddale is currently in build and we are forecasting completion by end the of March 2020 with power on site forecasted to be June 2020.

c. The site in Langdale is at a National Trust campsite in Great Langdale and is currently at the acquisition stage. The current build completion forecast is March 2021, providing negotiations around the acquisition of the site remain are completed in good time.

The Home Office is focusing efforts on getting the infrastructure builds completed as quickly as possible. The sites are expected to be activated for ESN purposes closer to the time at which they are required, given that significant operational costs are incurred once the sites are live.

The site in Kentmere will be a lattice structure and will be capable of housing Mobile Network Operators equipment to offer a commercial service once built, however, it is a matter for EE whether they elect to offer a commercial service from the site. The Sites in Longsleddale and Langdale will be monopole structures, due to planning restrictions, and will only offer a commercial service to Mobile Network Operator EE should they wish to activate it.

The primary purpose of the ESN infrastructure planned for Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale is that it will ensure that Britain’s Emergency Services have reliable communications coverage in these areas. However, once the infrastructure has been delivered, we will seek wherever possible to make it available to the mobile operators to offer a commercial service. As a result, the areas of Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale may benefit from improved commercial mobile coverage.

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