Phone mast at Cobh GAA club refused planning over proximity to houses
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.
The application also provided for the company to remove an existing 21-metre high floodlight structure and replace it with a mast containing nine antennae and four transmission dishes. However, An Bord Pleanála said the proposed structure was adjacent to established residential properties as well as lands zoned for housing under the Cork County Development Plan 2022-2028.
The board pointed out that guidelines issued to local authorities in relation to telecommunications antennae state that free-standing masts should only be located in a residential area “as a last resort” and if alternative sites were either unavailable or unsuitable.
In its ruling, the board said Shared Access had not provided sufficient justification for the location of the proposed mast close to existing residential properties and a zoned residential area. It concluded that the proposed development would “seriously injure” the residential amenity of adjoining properties and run contrary to the guidelines governing the location of antennae.
Planning permission was also recently granted for the construction of 92 new homes on lands next to the GAA club.
The board said it had rejected the recommendation of its own planning inspector to grant planning permission for the mast on the basis of “the total of the information on the file". The inspector had argued the company had carried out a satisfactory assessment of alternative locations to show the GAA club was the only suitable site for the mast.
Shared Access had claimed the taller mast was vital to provide improved coverage of Three Ireland’s 3G and 4G network to parts of Cobh and surrounding rural areas. The company has also planned to install antennae for two other operators on the mast.
It claimed the sites of other telecommunication masts in Cobh had never been able to provide coverage over the eastern parts of the town and the site at the GAA club was “the best option". It also ruled out using either of the local water towers as they were considered “structurally unstable” to support the infrastructure.
The company claimed a mast of 50 metres, which would completely dominate the town, would be required on any other suitable lands on the eastern side of Cobh to provide the necessary coverage. Shared Access said it had gone to considerable lengths to consider alternative sites and the need for the equipment had not been questioned.
The proposed development was also supported by Cobh GAA which claimed it would have benefitted the club and local community. The company claimed the funds which Cobh GAA would receive for hosting the mast would have been used to fund additional facilities at the club.
The club’s secretary, Seán Ó Chaoimh, said the funding would have allowed it to carry out much-needed improvements to the grounds and would have created “a win-win situation for all". However, a number of local residents had made submissions to An Bord Pleanála expressing concern about the health and safety implications of living so close to the proposed mast as well as about its visual impact.
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