National advice on the planning considerations for telecoms development is given in Planning Policy Guidance 8: Telecommunications . In addition, the Government produced a Development Code of Practice in 2002 that sets standards for operators to follow. Please see other websites on the right hand side of the page.
The Council provides its own additional advice and guidance for considering telecoms development that requires a planning application including for base stations, masts and equipment, through its Telecommunications Network Infrastructure Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Policy S5 (Telecommunications) of the South Gloucestershire Local Plan (Adopted) January 2006, which sets out the local policy considerations for such proposals. The policy, read in conjunction with the plan as a whole, seeks to ensure a satisfactory form of development through the assessment of telecoms developments that takes into consideration issues including impact upon residential amenity, siting, design and landscape, highways impact, and the potential for sharing sites or locating equipment on other infrastructure and buildings.