THE location of an Eircom phone mast on the edge of Eyeries is the subject of a court challenge by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE).
The group had a judicial review accepted to challenge An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permission to replace an existing 10-metre pole with a 15-metre mast with an array of antennae.
Cork County Council refused it permission in November 2022. However, Eircom won an appeal brought before the board.
The initial refusal by the local authority was supported by the Board’s inspector.
‘Due to its height, the complexity of dishes, antennae and aerials, and its proximity to designated scenic routes and within an area of high landscape value’ it would have a ‘disastrous impact’ on residential amenity and ‘contravene Development Plan objectives for the protection of high value landscape’, the inspector advised.
While acknowledging the benefits of modern telecoms networks, FIE director Tony Lowes said the 1996 Antenna Guidelines state that ‘only as a last resort should free-standing masts be located within or in the immediate surrounds of smaller towns or villages.’
Mr Lowes said that a licence agreement granted by Eircom Ltd to Towercom gives them the right to ‘install, replace, alter, develop, strengthen, augment, upgrade and renew telecommunications masts and any other associated equipment’.
In rural areas, the guidelines require developers in the first instance to explore alternative locations such as forestry.
The Council and the Board’s inspector found that the developer had not explored any alternative locations.
The FIE says it has taken the review as part of a broader analysis of decision-making patterns by the board concerning the fast-growing networks of telecommunications masts.
Towercom was acquired by the John Laing Group, a British developer and operator of infrastructure projects, in July 2023.
