The UK’s 5G developing network has hit the headlines regularly over the past year, with the government recently introducing the Telecommunications (Security) Bill, which would provide additional safeguards to the country’s telecoms infrastructure and provide new powers to remove high risk vendors such as Huawei. Another legal development in relation to 5G is currently ongoing—an important legal challenge to the government’s decision making process. A judicial review was launched in September by a Mr Watts to challenge the decision in July 2020 by the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to remove planning permission requirements for the siting of masts, antennae and related equipment up and down the country as the UK gears up for 5G.
The government conducted a public consultation in 2019 into views about removing planning permission from the siting of masts etc ahead of the installation of a further 400,000 units at
