Planning permission granted for Achill mast following lengthy 18 month delay

AN Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission to Eir for the erection of an 18 metre high communications mast in Achill following an 18 month delay in reaching a decision.

The application by Eircom Ltd to remove two existing telecommunication poles and replace them with a new 18 metre monopole carrying antennas at Polranny, Achill was approved by Mayo County Council in November 2021.

The decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by local residents Terence and Valerie Gallagher in December 2021 who sought an oral hearing in the matter. However this request was turned down by An Bord Pleanála (ABP).

While ABP seeks to ensure that each appeal is determined within 18 weeks of an appeal being submitted, there were numerous delays during this appeal and the site was only inspected in June 2022.

The report was submitted to ABP by the inspector Bríd Maxwell in August 2022 who recommended that planning permission be granted subject to eight conditions. The file only came before the Board of ABP on June 14 for consideration and planning permission was granted in accordance with the Inspectors recommendations.

The planning application was opposed by a number of local residents living close to the proposed development when it came before Mayo County Council. There were 31 separate observations submitted to Mayo County Council in relation to the application with many residents citing concerns over the location of the mast, excessive height, the stability of the structure, health concerns, proximity to community buildings including the local secondary school and devaluation of property.

The site is located close to the R319, the main approach road into Achill Island, approximately 700 metres east of the Michael Davitt bridge in Polranny. An existing Eir exchange facility is on the site and the applicants sought to erect the mast in order to improve 3G and 4G coverage in the Achill Sound area.

Highly scenic location

The R319 at Polranny is also considered a ‘highly scenic location’ and in the pre-planning stage, Mayo County Council planners expressed concerns with the location of the mast in close proximity to the public road.

They considered the location of the mast so close to the road to be not only a visual concern but also a potential traffic hazard and advised the applicant to locate the mast at the rear of the site where the ground levels fall significantly. The planning authority also required that the proposed monopole be slimline and the ‘slimmest on market’.

Despite the initial concerns, Mayo County Council regarded the application as reasonable and acceptable in principle and planners were satisfied there would be no ‘significant negative visual impact’ arising from the proposed development. The planners also stated in the planning report that the size of the monopole at 18 metres will be smaller than the atypical telecommunication structures which are normally 24 metres in height.

The appeal centred broadly around similar submissions and observations in the original application to Mayo County Council. The appellants cited 'numerous studies including two from European Parliamentary research service document concerns regarding exposure of children’s nervous systems to prolonged and sustained electromagnetic radiation' as reasons for their objection. They also claimed that more suitable locations away from settlement are available and some effort should be made to camouflage the structures using trees.

In her report, Ms Maxwell stated that the provision of a slimline monopole structure would not be out of character within a village setting and while the 18m high monopole design would be clearly prominent, it would not give rise to a significant negative visual impact.

She recommended planning be approved stating that the proposed development would be in accordance with National Policy for telecommunications infrastructure and current Mayo County Development Plan 2014-2020 as extended, and would therefore, be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.