Church spires in England may be used to boost mobile phone, broadband and wifi access under an agreement between the Church of England and the UK Government.
The accord, signed between the church and two government departments – Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, recognises that 65 per cent of Church of England churches are based in rural areas in England and are, as a result, well placed to address connectivity and coverage issues.
“Churches are central features and valued assets for local communities up and down the country,” said Matt Hancock, DCMS Secretary of State, in a statement. “This agreement with the Church of England will mean that even a 15th century building can help make Britain fit for the future improving people’s lives by boosting connectivity in some of our hardest-to-reach areas.”
Two dioceses – Chelmsford and Norwich – are already supporting programmes which use church buildings to improve connectivity in rural areas and it is hoped that under the accord more dioceses will be encouraged to use their properties in a similar fashion.
Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford, said encouraging churches to improve connectivity will help tackle “two of the biggest issues rural areas face – isolation and sustainability”.
“Many new forms of technology are available to improve internet access in rural areas and I hope that this partnership between the Church of England and the government will help rural churches consider how they can be part of the solution,” he said. “I know that many churches already help people access the internet and provide digital skills training, and this accord is a natural extension of great work already occurring.”
DCMS said guidance set out by the Church of England and Historic England will ensure telecommunications infrastructure doesn’t impact on the architecture or historic significance of churches.
