Update: 11 September 2024
Over the past few months, our engineers have been continuing with legal negotiations to legally acquire the land from the council. Legal negotiations can take several months to complete. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start building the equipment needed for the new mast and confirm an approximate on-air date.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 19 July 2024
For the first location, the planning appeal has been rejected by the council, and we will no longer be progressing with the first location for a new mast. Our engineers have completed tests and found the location for the third mast will provide the same level of coverage as the original site and we will only need one mast in the area.
For the remaining location, we are continuing with legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start building the equipment needed for the new mast and confirm an approximate on-air date.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 03 May 2024
For the first location, we are waiting for an outcome from the council following the planning appeal. Pending a positive outcome from the appeal, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
Our engineers are no longer progressing the second location for a new mast as this was a back-up for any complications for the other two areas. This location will take a significant amount of time to progress and will no longer be needed.
For the third location, we are waiting for a decision from the legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start building the equipment needed for the new mast and confirm an approximate on-air date.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 04 March 2024
Over the past few months, our engineers have had planning permission rejected at the first location and have submitted an appeal to the council. Pending a positive outcome from the appeal, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
For the second location, we have submitted planning permission and are waiting for a decision from the council. Pending a positive outcome to the planning permission, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
Our engineers have accessed the area and completed surveys at the third location and have started legal steps to legally acquire the land and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. We expect a decision from the council by the end of March. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start building the equipment needed for the new mast and confirm an approximate on-air date.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 06 October 2023
Over the past few months, our engineers have been requested to amend the drawings as part of the planning permission at the first location. Pending a positive outcome from the amended drawings, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
For the second location, we have submitted planning permission to the site provider. Pending a positive outcome to the planning permission, we can start legal steps to legally acquire the land from the site provider and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
Our engineers have located a third location to install a temporary mast to restore service to the area as soon as possible. We have started legal steps to legally acquire the land from the landowner to access the area to complete surveys to make sure the area will be suitable for the equipment. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start complete the surveys and start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 11 May 2023
Over the past few months, our engineers have been in negotiations with the council to approve planning permission for the two permanent sites required for the area to restore the same level of service lost due to the decommission of the site in the area. Pending a positive outcome from the negotiations, we can start legal steps to acquire the land from the council and start building the equipment needed for the two masts.
Our engineers have located a third location to install a temporary mast to restore service to the area as soon as possible. We have started legal steps to acquire the land from the landowner to complete surveys and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. Pending a positive outcome from the legal negotiations, we can start building the equipment needed for the temporary mast.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 09 February 2023
Over the past few months, our engineers have located two potential locations for permanent masts in North Shields. To restore the same level of service lost due to the decommission of the site in the area, we will require two new masts. The two locations are undergoing surveys to make sure they will be suitable for the equipment needed for the new masts. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys, we can start legal steps to acquire the land and start building the equipment needed for the new masts.
Our engineers have located a third location to install a temporary mast to restore service to the area as soon as possible. We will complete surveys of the area to make sure this will be suitable for the temporary equipment. Pending a positive outcome from the surveys we can start building the temporary mast and restore service to the area.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 29 November 2022
The site in question, serving the North Shields area, fell over and onto the roof of a building in storms last November. This caused a lot of damage, not only to the site, but significant damage to the roof and building where it was situated. The building is Grade 11 listed and therefore requires repair works to adhere to strict regulations requiring a specialist building contractor. We were in the process of planning reinstatement of the site and roof, however the building owner made it clear within a number of months that they no longer wanted telecoms equipment on the roof. At this point, reinstatement work had to stop and we began looking towards replacement site locations.
In June 2022, several months after being declined the option to rebuild, the building owner contacted us and confirmed that we could reinstate the site like-for-like. We instructed engineers to undertake the roof repair works as well as fit a temporary antenna solution on the rooftop to restore service, and the search for a new site location was no longer required.
Unfortunately, the building owner has again reversed their position and instructed that they do not want telecommunications installed back on their rooftop. They have requested full decommission of the site and have told us that they will start litigation if this is not completed. We have no choice but to remove all equipment from the site and have been looking for a new site location again. Our engineers we have identified two new locations and both sites are undergoing surveys to make sure they will be suitable for the equipment. We are reviewing the option of a temporary mast in the area to improve service.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 30 September 2022
Over the past few days, we have had the designs approved for the new mast and we are working with the site provider to arrange a date to access the area and start building the equipment needed for the new mast. Once we have a date for the build to start, we can confirm an approximate on-air date for the new mast.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 30 August 2022
Over the past few weeks our engineers have been working with the site provider to access the area and complete the required designs to make sure they are health and safety compliant. Once the designs have been completed, we will submit these for approval. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect a decision from the site provider by the end of September. Pending a positive outcome, we will work with the building team to complete the roof repairs and install the equipment for the new mast at the same time.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 29 July 2022
Our engineers have been made aware the previously submitted designs have required further health and safety checks, and these have been rejected. We are currently working with the site provider to access the area and complete redesigns to comply with the health and safety requirements. Pending a positive outcome, our engineers will work with the building team who will be completing roof repairs on the building at the same time we will start building the equipment needed for the new mast.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 17 June 2022
Over the past few weeks our engineers have submitted the designs for the mast, and they have been approved. Due to the damage to the roof caused by the storm repairs are required the building, our engineers have submitted surveys for the roof repairs and are waiting for approval for the repairs to be completed.
We have agreed with the landowner the repairs to the roof and the equipment needed for the new mast can be completed at the same time, this will reduce the time needed for all work to be completed at the area. Once the repairs have been completed and the equipment has been installed, we can confirm an approximate on-air date for the new mast.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 24 May 2022
Over the past few weeks our engineers have been working with the emergency restoration team, to restore service to the fire damaged mast in the area. The repair work has now been completed and the mast is back on-air.
Regarding the existing outage on another mast in the area, we have completed the required designs for the mast, and submitted these for approval. Pending a positive outcome from the designs, we can start building the equipment needed and confirm an approximate on-air date.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 10 May 2022
Due to circumstances out of our control, we have further service issues in the North Shields area, as one of our sites has been victim of an Arson attack and suffered extensive damage. This has taken the mast off-air and further impacting coverage. Our emergency restoration team are currently assessing the extent of the damage and, based on the output of these surveys, will bring together a plan to rebuild and restore the site in the quickest time possible.
Regarding the existing outage in the area, we are still working hard on building a new site, after our existing site was damaged beyond repair in the storms earlier this year. We are currently designing the new site and expect the designs to be submitted for approval by the end of May.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 29 April 2022
Our engineers have successfully completed the negotiations with the landowner over the past few weeks and have started surveying the location to make sure the area is suitable for the equipment.
Once the surveys have been completed, our engineers will submit the required designs to the landowner for approval. Barring any unforeseen delays, we expect the designs to be submitted by the end of May.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 12 April 2022
Our engineers are currently working with the landowner to agree a new location for the mast, and barring any unforeseen delays all negotiations should be completed by the end of April. Pending a positive outcome to the negotiations, we can complete the required surveys on the new area and start building the equipment needed.
We will keep you updated on this post.
Update: 29 March 2022
Our engineers have experienced a slight delay accessing the site to survey the area, due to legal negotiations that have now been completed. Barring any unforeseen delays, we have arranged to access the site this week to locate a new area for the temporary mast to be installed and complete the required surveys on the area to make sure this will be suitable for the equipment.
We will keep you updated on this post.
We’re aware of a signal issue that is affecting some of our customers in the Hawkeys Lane area of North Shields.
In November, our site was damaged during high winds. Our engineers have discovered the building has been severely damaged and will require restoration work to the structure of the roof. For safety reasons, we have removed the damaged equipment at the site. Once the restoration work to the building has been completed, we can access the site and replace the parts needed to restore service to the mast.
Our engineers are looking at other locations in the area to install temporary equipment to provide coverage in the area. We will keep you updated on this post.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused. In the meantime, you may be able to use WiFi Calling to make and receive calls and texts over a WiFi connection.
For information on who can use WiFi Calling and how to set up this service, please see our EE WiFi Calling: All you need to know, article.
