A PHONE tower will double in height after new plans were approved by Bradford Council.

An application to replace a 10 metre high mast on Old Road in Denholme with a 20 metre mast 12 metres further down the road was approved this week. The new mast would support 12 antennas, and is planned to introduce 5G to the area.

The application was submitted by MBNL - which provides infrastructure for phone networks 3 and EE.

It is a short distance from the Listed St Paul's Church, which is no longer operating as a church and is in the process of being converted into a home.

First applications for 5G phone masts submitted to Bradford Council

Planning officers said: "The height of the replacement monopole will be higher than the existing; however it will be slimmer and less prominent.

"Therefore the proposal will not have appreciable impact on local amenity compared with the current situation.

"The proposed monopole will be situated further down the slope at Old Road which will reduce its prominence to some extent; however the height is double the existing structure.

"Although the proposal will have some form of impact on the setting of the listed building, it is deemed that it will have a lesser impact than the existing structure, even when significantly taller; it will not adversely compete with the dominance of the listed building."

A number of applications to upgrade phone masts to 5G have recently been submitted to Bradford Council.