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10-meter Slimline Lattice FOR Sure (IOM) Ltd AT Sure Site 41 Old Coastguard Tower Scarlett Point Castletown Isle of Man Planning Application Supporting Statement DATE: 10th April 2024 PREPARED BY: Alex Taylor Sure IOM Ltd
In 2006/7 Sure Isle of Man Limited (Sure) was awarded an Isle of Man (IOM) Mobile Operators Licence, issued by the Islands Communications Commission (CURA), to provide a mobile phone network and services to the Islands inhabitants and visitors. This service competes with the incumbent operator (Manx Telecom) and allows greater choice and competition for consumers and businesses.
The Sure Mobile Network is made up of multiple sites around the Island, these mobile sites use radio equipment to provide mobile coverage around the Island, this equipment includes mobile panel antennas, radio equipment and also transmission dishes that we use to link our remote sites back to our core network. All our sites then combined provide all Island coverage for our customers.
Sure, will endeavour whenever possible, to install its equipment on existing infrastructure or radio transmitters. The aim is always to minimise the visual impact of providing mobile phone network infrastructure.
Where this is not possible, and it is necessary to introduce additional telecommunications infrastructure, this supporting statement will justify why the infrastructure is required and demonstrate that the best possible design available for the site has been identified, always keeping visual impact and amenity a priority.
It will also help to explain the decisions which led to the specific location being chosen and will outline which alternatives were considered and discounted.
A variety of supporting information may be included with each application but ultimately Sures aim is to minimise the number of new structures and reduce the visual impact of the network, whilst providing sufficient signal strength to provide coverage for customers to take advantage of a range of Sures services.
For the avoidance of doubt: a mobile site, as referred to in this document, is a combination of equipment including cabinets, antennas, and structures, required to facilitate the operation of a mobile phone network.
The proposed development will consist of redeveloping the current Sure mobile site located on the Old Coastguard Tower, the current site consists of a wall mounted mobile panel antenna on the rear of the tower, we are proposing to build a slimline lattice against the building and mount the Sure mobile equipment on the new structure.
The proposed structure will be capable of supporting multiple panel antennas, providing 2G,
The new proposed structure will also support smaller dishes known as microwave links used as transmission links for the site back to the Sure core network, the proposed design includes 1 microwave link, the size/location of the dish on the included drawings for this application are indicative until a final vendor decision has been made, final sizes will be confirmed with planning ahead of installation.
*MIMO, Multiple In Multiple Out, this is a protocol required for higher speeds and high capacity
The current structure will likely be incapable of supporting the newer equipment that is required to support the next generation of mobile technologies, this is due to several factors such as size/weight of new equipment, wind loading on the current structure and also available space on the structure – currently it is only capable of supporting 1 mobile panel and 1 microwave link, we would like to increase this to potentially support additional mobile panels and also to allow us to mount RRHs on the structure to improve the mobile service in the area.
The new proposed structure will be built on the existing Sure mobile site. The mobile site is currently built on the Old Coatguard Tower, Scarlett Road, Castletown.
The proposed development is an upgrade of our existing site, as the existing structure will likely not be able to support newer mobile equipment it will start to impact the network in the local area. The current steelwork will need to be upgraded to support the newer equipment, due to space and weight requirements for the new kit, it is unlikely that the building would be able to support the increased load from the additional steelwork required. The failure to develop this mast will severely impact the ability of Sure to support next generation technologies development in the area.
We believe that the visual impact of the proposed new structure will be minimal, due to the structure type and the location selected to build the new proposed structure. Having opted for a slimline lattice built up against the Coastguard Tower we think that we can increase the network capacity in the area using a more versatile structure without a negative impact on the landscape, the proposed structure will be slighlty taller than the Coastguard Tower, however due to it’s design we believe the visual impact of this height increase will be minimal.
There is also the potential of painting the structure to fit it’s surroundings if deemed appropriate.
The current Sure mobile site at Scarlett Point is limited on space due to the current steelwork fitted to the Old Coastguard Tower, antenna sizes are changing and some are getting wider and also heavier, this will be an issue for us at Scarlett Point as we will be unable to install these antennas on the current steelwork as there is not enough space and if we look to upgrade the steelwork we will likely come across structural issues that will not allow us to install heavier duty and larger steelwork, as it currently stands we would likely have to use lower specification antennas, this would massively disrupt mobile coverage in the area. We would also be unable to mount the RRHs onto the current structure for similar reasons that there would be limited space to install these on the current steelwork, this would then mean that we cannot mount the RRHs close to the antenna to maximise our MIMO potential from the radio kit, thus impacting the level of service we can provide from the site.
The proposed new tower will have significant advantages over the current building mounted steelwork. We will be able to mount the antennas slightly higher on the tower and we will also be able to potentially increase the number of antennas on the site, something that we have previously struggled with on the current structure due to space limitations, this will enable us to optimise network capacity to the residents of Castletown, ensuring maximum performance potential is being achieved from the mobile site.
Another advantage will be the structural strength of the new tower, it will be built to support future antenna changes, along with being able to take additional radio kit to improve the network capacity in the area, it will also be a climbable structure, this is a major advantage as it allows easy access for Sure RAN Engineers to the equipment mounted on the structure in case of any maintenance or faults on site.
These improvements directly support the Isle of Man Governments ‘Island Plan’ which has a vision of a digitally connected Island, that supports a tech enabled and future ready jurisdiction, Crosby will benefit from greater network capacity and service due to these improvements to the Sure mobile site.
This site has been designed in accordance with the current mainland UK Cellular operator’s guidance for both Occupational and Public ICNIRP compliance. Our design team is satisfied that this site design complies with the above guidelines and therefore a signed ICNIRP declaration is enclosed with this application.
communications systems to satisfy residential and business demand and the impact that the necessary infrastructure will have upon the environment. Measures which may help to achieve a satisfactory balance will include a presumption against visually intrusive masts in sensitive landscapes, the encouragement of mast sharing by different operators, and the removal of redundant infrastructure. Exceptions to this policy would need to demonstrate a strategic national need, which cannot be otherwise secured by mast sharing or alternative locations.”
Sure IOM Ltd believes the proposed installation complies with the Island’s policies and strategies above.
To summarise, we consider that this application will offer the best available solution to the enhancement of mobile service on the Sure network in the area.
The current mobile site is in the optimal position to provide coverage to Castletown, alternative sites would not provide sufficient benefit to justify its development.
Therefore, the design proposed represents both the optimum planning, environmental and technical solutions in this instance. As such, we believe the development as proposed is in accordance with planning guidance as defined above.
• Original planning for Sure mobile site at Scarlett Point o 11/01099/B - Installation of mobile phone communications antenna to rear of building
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