An Bord Pleanála refuse permission for broadband masts

An Bord PleanΡla refuses permission for broadband antennae


Anton McNulty

AN Bord Pleanala has refused planning permission for two telecommunications antennae to be erected in Tourmakeady and Errif which were to be part of the rollout of the National Broadband Scheme.
The applicant Hutchison 3G Ireland Limited were refused planning permission by Mayo County Council to erect a Monopole with antennae, transmission dishes and associated works at Glennacally, Errif, Westport and a 20m monopole with antenna, transmission dishes, equipment fencing, upgrading of access track and ancillary works at Churchfield Upper, Tourmakeady.
The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is a government sponsored initiative to bring broadband to areas in Ireland where it was previously unavailable, and awarded communications company ‘3’ the contract in December 2008. Since then they have been extending the network but in some cases they have been refused planning permission because of the location of the antennae.
Mayo County Council refused permission for the Erriff application because of its location along the N59, a national secondary route, and the visual impact of the proposed development. In the case of the Tourmakeady application, it was refused because it would seriously injure the amenities of the area and contravene many of the tourist policies and objectives.
In appealing the decision, Hutchison 3G stated that the proposed location for the Errif application was driven by technical requirements.
“The proposed site was chosen as it was only location that has the height to provide a clear line of sight to adjoining masts located along the N59. The proposed site is the only suitable alternative in terms of achieving the line of site connectivity between other NBS sites. The topopgraphy of the area and terrain makes the line of sight impossible in areas other than the proposed site,” they stated.
They also claimed that the Tourmakeady site was the only site which could provide an ‘acquirable and technically feasible solution that would meet the coverage objectives set down for this particular area’.
However, Paul Caprani, the Inspector with ABP found that in both cases the two sites would have an unacceptable impact on the visual amenity of the area and recommended refusal in both cases. The board accepted Mr Caprani’s recommendations and refused planning permission for broadband antennae.