A CHURCH more used to communicating with the heavens may soon be helping people get in touch in a different way.

St Mary’s Parish Church in Barnard Castle could replace its flagpole on its 20m-high tower with a model that will shroud a mobile phone antenna.

Mobile phone giant O2 has submitted a planning application to Teesdale District Council for the new flagpole.

It is hoped the 8m-tall antenna would provide improved 3G mobile phone reception for Barnard Castle, while having a minimal impact on the surroundings.

The application comes after many years of negotiations between O2, Teesdale District Council and local groups.

Before opting for the Grade I listed church, other sites such as the Witham Hall, the Methodist church, Barnard Castle Cricket Club and the cattle mart were also considered for an antenna.

Currently, much of Barnard Castle gets only limited reception and many phones are unable to pick up a 3G signal that lets them receive multimedia messages, make video calls and surf the internet.

The new antenna would give a strong signal to phones in the centre of the town from Startforth to Bede Road. The signal would improve right up to the outskirts of town and even into some outlying farms.

There are already two mobile phone masts in the town, on Harmire Industrial Estate and at the top of Bede Road.

The Rev Alec Harding, vicar of St Mary’s, said: “I don’t think anyone will be able to tell the difference in the new flagpole.

I’ve seen pictures and they look absolutely fine.

“It will be a benefit to the wider community as well as being less noticeable than a lamp post-style ones, and it will provide a better coverage because it is higher up.

Mr Harding also said St Mary’s would benefit financially: “O2 will pay us a regular rent which we would welcome because our running costs are over £100,000 a year.

“Most people I have spoken to have said ‘Good on you – you might as well have the income’.”

Tom Powell, regional communications manager for O2, said: “This is a design utilised by O2 across the country. It will look exactly like a flagpole.”