Decision made on 20-metre Smith Street 5G phone mast near Rekendyke Industrial Estate and homes
Plans for a new 20-metre-high telecoms mast in South Shields have been given the green light by council development bosses.
South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for a parcel of land off Smith Street in the borough’s Simonside and Rekendyke ward.
The site sits on a grass verge near the Rekendyke Industrial Estate, and also near residential properties and the river Tyne.
Planning documents confirmed the proposed installation was needed to provide upgraded network coverage and capacity for O2, including 5G coverage.
A supporting letter submitted to council officials said there was an “existing streetworks site to the north on the junction of Eldon Street and Havelock Street which currently serves the area” but that the site “needs to be upgraded”.
As a result, a “replacement monopole is required” and developers said it was “not possible for the new pole to be positioned in the footprint of the previous due to structural considerations and to ensure the new mast is stable”.
The new location proposed at Smith Street “on the northern/industrial side of the road” was assessed as “able to accommodate an installation as well as replicating and improving upon the existing coverage pattern”.
Those behind the scheme said the location had been “selected as the most suitable location for a replacement installation due to the industrial nature of the immediate building-use and the trees to the south and east providing natural screening and separation between the site and the nearest houses to the south-east.”
After considering the planning application, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on August 19, 2025.
Council planners, in a decision report, said the siting and appearance of the development was acceptable.
It was also noted that the “proposed location is in a transient location on a main road surrounded by industrial uses and […] that similar height monopoles have been approved under the prior approval process elsewhere within the borough on sites with similar characteristics”.
The council decision report added: “Despite the height of the monopole, it is considered that the proposal including the equipment cabinets and associated development would be of an acceptable appearance, evidence has been submitted demonstrating that the proposed monopole would be the least visually intrusive design possible to enable technologies to operate efficiently due to the required cell search area.
“The equipment cabinets would be small in scale and would also have anacceptable visual impact [and] both the monopole and the equipment cabinets would be an acceptable colour (grey).
“Whilst it cannot be denied that the 20m high monopole would havea visual impact due to its necessary height, as there are other, albeit smaller vertical features in the vicinity (such as street lighting columns and trees), its appearance is not considered to be so materially detrimental to the extent that it would warrant refusal of this prior notification application.”
Previous planning documents from the applicant said the plans were part of a “continued network improvement program [and] specific technical requirement to provide improved coverage and to bring the new 5G coverage to the South Shields area of Tyneside”.
This included sites with greater visual impact, loss of parking, impact on underground services, unsuitable land levels, impact on residential properties and other issues.
For more information on the planning application and council decision, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 250386
Planning documents also confirmed around 17 alternative sites had been considered for the telecoms mast, including the existing streetworks installation in the area, but were “discounted” for various reasons.