A further lease arrangement on the site relates to the installation of a mobile phone mast.
The original agreement was entered into between Mulbarton Parish Council, as freehold title holder, and EE as tenant, for a term of 20 years. The agreement did not refer to the Village Hall Charity.
The mast was installed on part of the Village Hall site, within an area used for overflow car parking associated with the hall.
The lease was subsequently taken over by Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL), which manages telecommunications infrastructure on behalf of network operators.
Over the term of the original agreement, the mast generated in excess of £100,000 in income, which was paid to the Parish Council.
Lease Renewal Process (2021–2022)
The original lease term expired in 2021. Renewal of telecommunications leases is governed by statutory procedures, and in December 2021 MBNL served formal notice on the Parish Council initiating the renewal process.
This process required a new agreement to be reached within a defined timeframe. Changes in the legal framework for telecommunications agreements meant that revised terms would apply, including significantly reduced rental levels compared to historic agreements.
Position from 2022
Discussions relating to the lease renewal took place during 2022 and 2023.
During this period, questions relating to the underlying property arrangements were also being considered. These formed part of the wider context in which the lease renewal was being addressed.
Steps were initiated to regularise the lease arrangements in line with the applicable legal framework. Progress depended on agreement between the relevant parties and on the underlying property position.
Parish Council minutes record actions taken in relation to the lease during this period.
Renewed Lease 2024
Parish Council records indicate that a new agreement has been entered into between the Parish Council and MBNL, on the basis that the Parish Council holds the relevant freehold title, with reference to the 1985 conveyance.
The terms of this agreement were not made available to the Village Hall Charity trustees during the period in which these matters were being considered.
Further information may be obtained from the Parish Council.
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