TMCnet News
Conolly McCausland Phone upgrade a double whammy for landowners [Western Daily Press (UK)](Western Daily Press (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The recent announcement by the Culture Secretary that mobile phone service providers will be forced to improve reception in rural areas is good news for farmers who struggle to get a decent signal. With broadband connectivity across the South West also struggling to keep up with urban areas, it's little wonder that take-up of new technology among farmers is low. The never-ending series of dropped calls and intermittent web connections causes untold frustration; so much so that a client admitted he was so fed up he wanted to throw his phone in the slurry pit. However, this latest announcement will not only improve reception for those wanting to enjoy even basic mobile phone coverage; it presents kick-back opportunities for those landowners who can host the new masts needed to improve the network. The more cynical among us will realise that there are potential layers of bureaucracy between where we are now and receiving a perfect service which might delay a speedy upgrade to the 4G network (not least local planning authorities). For those who currently host a mast on their land, there is talk that due to a number of mergers between the mobile phone companies (Vodafone & O2 to CTIL, Orange to EE and/or into the joint names of EE and H3g), the decommissioning of a number of sites is a very real possibility. The true number is still unknown (although 8,000 sites are reported to be up for closure by Orange/T Mobile alone), but capacity constraints across the networks preventing 4G deployment (mainly data services) do suggest that additional phone mast sites will be needed where there are holes or 'not spots'. This is backed by news that at the beginning of summer 2014 Arqiva was awarded the Pounds 150 million government 'Mobile Infrastructure Project' (MIP) contract to boost rural mobile coverage and means there will still be opportunities for landowners. The greater demand for telecoms sites being predicted on the back of this should lead in turn to an upward trend in rent payable. For landowners who have received a letter from mobile operators looking to renegotiate lease terms, our first bit of advice is to not panic and hold firm, as such requests have the deliberate aim to obtain concessions to the lease. It is worth noting that anyone who may have already received a termination notice, such a notice may not be valid but this would depend on whether certain conditions within the tenant's break clause are met. It's important that the landowner seeks the right advice and establishes if there are any grounds that consent can be withheld or granted subject to improved lease terms. Similarly, if you are approached by Arqiva or their agents, Harlequin, the team at Bruton Knowles can help negotiate either rents or sale of land for new sites. What we want is for landowners not only to gain the best possible rental income for hosting a mast but that the promised upgrade for rural mobile communication actually happens. Farmers and landowners should be able to carry out the day-to- day business activities taken for granted by so many other small businesses. If not, I imagine there will be more than the odd mobile phone being tossed into the slurry pit. Conolly McCausland is a senior rural property consultant at Bruton Knowles. Call him on 01823 332205 or email [email protected] (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |