Phone mast at Cobh GAA club refused planning over proximity to houses

Guidelines in relation to telecommunications antennae state that free-standing masts should only be located in a residential area 'as a last resort'

Shared Access wanted to install a mast containing nine antennae and four transmission dishes. File photo: Corbis

An Bord Pleanála has rejected a proposal by a telecommunications firm to erect a tall new phone mast within the grounds of a GAA club in Cobh because of its location close to the homes of local residents.

The board refused an appeal taken by Shared Access against the decision of Cork County Council to refuse planning permission for a combined 24-metre high floodlight and telecommunications structure at the home of Cobh GAA Club at Páirc Uí Cheallaigh in Carrignafoy — one of the highest points in Cobh.