An Bord Pleanála refuses permission to erect 30m mast in forest overlooking Glen of Aherlow

An Bord Pleanála has overturned Tipperary County Council’s decision to grant permission for the erection of a 30m telecommunications mast in a Coillte forest overlooking the Glen of Aherlow near Rossadrehid village. 

The appeals board refused permission on May 28 for Cignal Infrastructure Limited’s mast  earmarked for  a site on the foothills of the Galtee Mountains at Ballydavid, Bansha. 

It did so primarily because the applicant hadn’t “satisfactorily demonstrated” that the eir mobile and Imagine Broadband equipment it proposed carrying on its mast couldn’t be located on an existing Vodafone mast located less than  20m away. 

Tipperary County Council originally granted permission subject  on June 24 last year for the erection of the multi-user lattic structure mast carrying telecommunications and ancillary equipment.

  REPORT

According to the An Bord Pleanála inspector’s report, Vodafone Ireland Limited appealed the decision on July 22 last year primarily on the grounds it considered the proposed Cignal Infrastructure mast was unnecessary. 

Vodafone argued to An Bord Pleanala that the mobile and broadband equipment the Cignal mast proposed to carry could be accommodated instead on Vodafone’s mast nearby after minimal enhancements. 

Vodafone pointed out its mast was granted planning permission on condition it was available for sharing with other operators. Its mast was the correct height, in the correct location and had the space to accommodate additional operators. 

Cignal Infrastructure Ltd countered that the appeal was lodged by one of its competitors for the supply of telecommunications infrastracture. 

It argued there was nothing in the appeal that wasn’t investigated already by Tipperary County Council and it claimed the appeal was made for the purpose of “stonewalling”. 

The company claimed eir and Imagine would have located on the existing Vodafone mast over the last 23 years if it had been suitable for their requirement. 

Cignal also argued that the notion a single structure could provide for the technical requirements of all operators has been disproved on numerous occasions in the past and claimed the “clustering” of telecommunications infrastructure was permitted by local authorities throughout the country. 

Vodafone, meanwhile, described Cignal's claim that it lodged the appeal with the intention of prolonging the  planning process and delaying the roll out of additional service providers  as “inaccurate, sweeping and partisan”. 

And it dismissed Cignal’s assertion about eir and Imagine not locating their equipment at the Vodafone mast over the last 23 years as “simplistic” and claimed both companies only commenced market expansion in the past few years and had not prioritised expansion in this area until now.

 VISUAL IMPACT

In relation to the proposed mast’s visual impact on the local environment, the Bord Pleanala inspector considered the Cignal mast in combination with the existing Vodafone mast would have  a more  significant  visual impact on the landscape than a single shared mast. 

He  considered  it  couldn’t be concluded this new mast combined with the Vodafone mast would not have a significant adverse visual impact on the surrounding environment.  

An Bord Pleanála refused permission for the mast, generally in accordance with the inspector’s recommendation, because it considered it would be contrary to the  proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

 NOT SATISFIED

The board said it was not satisfied Cignal Infrastructure Ltd  satisfactorily demonstrated its proposed  mast complied with Department of Environment & Local Government guidelines relating to antennas and support structures and the sharing/co-location and clustering of masts in circumstances where there was an existing mast with available capacity for sharing located very close to the site of the proposed development. 

It  ruled that the mast would contravene these guidelines. 

An Bord Pleanála also ruled that the proposed mast would contravene the 2009 South Tipperary County Development Plan which sought to  facilitate proposals for masts, antennae and support structures where it can be established there will be no significant adverse impact on the surrounding area and environment particularly in amenity areas.