The “horrendous” phone signal in Canterbury city centre is a long-running gripe of residents and tourists alike.

But could its most iconic landmark provide a controversial solution to a very modern problem? Brad Harper reports…

“It is extremely bad. If you are in the shops, it is non-existent.”

This complaint from shopper Viv Lilly about poor mobile reception in Canterbury city centre was echoed by most people KentOnline spoke to this week.

“There are some good spots but I have not yet found where they are,” the 67-year-old said.

Others agreed, describing reception as “hit and miss” and at times “horrendous”.

One of the issues holding back the installation of new phone masts in the city is Canterbury’s Unesco World Heritage Site status and the difficulty of building anything that obstructs views of the Cathedral.

But now, bosses at that iconic landmark - the seat of the spiritual head of the Church of England - have for the first time said they would consider allowing infrastructure to be put on the Grade I-listed building or within its grounds.

A spokesman told KentOnline there are currently no plans in place “to install a telecommunications mast or similar on the Cathedral or within The Precincts” as they have not been approached with any requests.

But they added: “We are always looking for ways to help benefit the city and the Cathedral, so would certainly consider any proposals, though any such development would take a long period of discussion and decision from many stakeholders."

Plans for new 5G masts often cause controversy - with some up to 70ft high.

But telecommunications equipment put on buildings, such as in central London, is usually much smaller.

Mrs Lilly, from Hawkinge, says she would “no way” support a “great big tower” on the Cathedral.

“But if it is quite discreet and in keeping with the setting, that would not be so bad,” she added.

Former city council leader Ben Fitter-Harding pushed for the phone signal to be improved during his tenure between 2020 and 2023.

“Canterbury is an incredibly difficult place for mobile networks to cover properly,” he said.

“With very limited opportunities to install masts due to the city’s ancient layout and planning protections, any support the Cathedral can give to providing residents and visitors with the latest wireless technologies will be a huge benefit to the vibrancy and future success of our city.

“Provided any equipment is sympathetically installed, which itself can be a deterrent to the mobile networks due to the increased cost, then I see no harm in this development.

“But what we need most is for the mobile networks to commit to connecting Canterbury by investing in installing fibre optic cables and new masts, including small cells mounted on shop fronts and lamp posts, so that reliable, high-speed connectivity is widely available.”

The city centre is protected from development by its conservation area designation and various listed building regulations.

Development proposals within the Unesco site must be supported by a Heritage Impact Assessment, according to Canterbury’s Local Plan. It states plans will only be allowed if its buffer zone setting is “sustained and enhanced”.

“This includes views into, out of and across the three parts of the World Heritage Site,” it says.

Others visiting the city centre this week had mixed views on the idea for the Cathedral.

Sarah Frampton, 52, who lives in Herne Bay but shops regularly in the area, said: “We have to keep up with the times and even though it is an old building, it would not spoil it.

“You have to mix the old and new.”

Connor Robinson, who lives in Sturry, says he does not find the signal “too bad” apart from in shops.

But he welcomes a mast being installed in the Cathedral grounds.

“If it does not affect the architecture, I think it is a good idea,” the 20-year-old said.

Amber Wilson, from Canterbury, says if it is done “relatively subtly”, she would support the idea.

She says the phone signal is “very hit or miss”.

“I can see why a lot of people might cringe at such modern technology attached to something so historical,” the 30-year-old said.

Emily Charlotte, who lives in Canterbury, says the signal is “horrendous”. She can turn a corner and her signal strength drops from 4G to E, which means your phone has connected to the 2G network.

“I appreciate though we are limited because of the Cathedral and I would always put that first above something as trivial as being able to check my Instagram,” the 23-year-old said.

“But it is annoying when you are trying to connect with someone or look something up.

“I think I would be okay with it as long as it is not intrusive and ruins our skyline as we are blessed with that.”

Canterbury Society chair Hilary Brian says it is “wonderful to hear” the Cathedral’s leadership would consider proposals to tackle the “very poor connectivity” from which the city centre suffers.

"Tourists and our citizens alike are constantly frustrated by the 'electronic isolation' and all would welcome any improvement,” she said.

"The Canterbury Society supports public and stakeholder consultation as sensitive positioning of any antennae etc would need to be agreed upon by both secular and theistic partners.

"To marry up the ancient and modern makes perfect sense in today's fast-moving world - Canterbury must not get left behind."

A Canterbury City Council spokesman said he would not comment on the “hypothetical suggestion”, or whether it would be allowed under current planning rules.

"But we are pleased to have the opportunity to remind people that we have the excellent Canterbury Free Wifi in the city centre which works very effectively and is available to anyone to use,” he added.

A Historic England spokesman said: “We would reserve forming any judgement on this idea until we saw proposals.”

KentOnline contacted multiple mobile operators to see if they would be interested in erecting a mast on the Cathedral or in The Precincts.

A Vodafone spokesman said: "We are always looking to improve our network and we would be open to discussions with willing site providers regarding improving signal in the area.

“We are working to improve our coverage in parts of Canterbury. It can be tricky to place masts in areas close to historic buildings, as well as in conservation areas of outstanding natural beauty.

“However, we continue to liaise with our infrastructure partner in the area to look for opportunities to improve our coverage and we’d be open to discussions with willing site providers.”

Canterbury Cathedral was founded by its first Archbishop St Augustine in 597 AD and was visited by more than 565,000 people last year. It serves as a major pilgrimage destination and is one of the UK’s most-visited historic sites.

It is the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the resting place of royalty and saints.

The archbishopric is older than the English crown and Parliament.

In 1170, the murder of Archbishop Thomas Beckett shocked the whole of western medieval Christendom, which made the name of Canterbury famous throughout the world.

He was canonised as St Thomas of Canterbury and the Cathedral was elevated to one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world.

More recently, it has been visited by royal and religious figures, such as the late Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and Pope John Paul II.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was contacted for comment.